Weighing out the options of a permissible 2.26 percent tax increase versus going whole hog for a super-majority vote and a 4 percent increase, or having no increase at all and actually tightening the belt and eliminating expenses for a tentative $60.5 million budget, Batavia City School board members covered the gamut of responses to a nearly $1.4 million budget gap during its second review Tuesday evening.

Toward the end of a 90-minute session, Vice President John Reigle posed a question that was perhaps three years too late. 

“Call me crazy, but should we start planning now? Those three years knowing, I mean, I kind of feel like we knew these COVID grants were running out. We should have been proactive and tried to replace that money instead of being in this position now. I think it's very difficult,” Reigle said.

That is, at least some of them have agreed they would consider overriding the state mandated tax cap increase, which for the city district is .72 percent. Members had a first go-round of the 2024-25 budget during Monday’s board meeting.

“If it is coming down to it, we’re going to have to look at every option,” Vice President John Reigle said.

Empowering students, maximum potential, socially responsible citizens.

Those are some of the words “that popped out to me when I first became a principal when I started to dig into learning a little bit about Batavia,” High School Principal Jennifer Wesp said during Tuesday’s Batavia City Schools Board of Education meeting. “And then things like safe and nurturing environment, high moral character, and successfully meeting life’s challenges. So coming into this, I really was focused on how can we make sure that our culture is helping our students to rise to be the best students that they can be? And how can they take hose steps to really show the independence that they have within themselves?

“So I just wanted to say that I really grounded myself in the mission and vision as I started to think about the work that I was going to do,” she said.

Press Release:

The New York State School Boards Association recognizes Oct. 16-20 as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards. 

Public schools form the bedrock of our communities and our country. Democracy thrives with educated citizens capable of critical thinking and civil discourse. And it is our local school boards who are ultimately responsible for student success.

“Our Batavia City School District Board of Education consists of seven dedicated volunteers who literally put the ‘public’ in ‘public education’ and play an important role in our community,” said Superintendent Jason Smith. 

“They are charged with reviewing and approving numerous policies, monitoring our Strategic Plan and academic goals, overseeing the superintendent (the only employee of the Board of Education), and serving as financial stewards for our community—all on a volunteer basis, with their only motivation to serve our students, staff, families, and our Batavia community.” 

Please join us in thanking and appreciating our Board of Education members here in Batavia: 

• John Marucci, President

• John Reigle, Vice President 

• Korinne Anderson 

• Alice Ann Benedict 

• Barbara Bowman 

• Jennifer Lendvay 

• Chezeray Rolle 

For full access to our Board of Education information, agendas, and policies, click here: BCSD Board of Education, and if you want to learn more about our members, please visit this page: BCSD Board of Education Members.

It’s a rite of fall, when the pitch goes in for the boys Batavia/ND United Hockey team trip for an away game, and coaches Marc Staley and John Kirkwood made their presentation to the city school board this week.

Press Release:

On Monday, September 18, upon recommendation from Superintendent Jason Smith, the Batavia City School District Board of Education approved the appointment of Ryan Winchip as Director of Health, Physical Education & Athletics, effective October 19, 2023.

 Winchip most recently served as the Warsaw Central School Middle and High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. He also served as the Coordinator of Physical Education, Health, Athletics, and Dean of Students at the Pembroke Central School District. He began his career as a teacher, obtaining K-12 physical education and health teaching experience in New York and North Carolina. 

He has extensive coaching experience throughout his career, having led teams from the modified to varsity levels since 2013. In 2015, he was awarded two “Coach of the Year” accolades in North Carolina. 

Winchip has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education and Coaching from St. Bonaventure University. His advanced degrees include a Masters in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education and a Certificate of Administration & Study from Broome Community College.

"We're thrilled to welcome Ryan as our new Director of Health, Physical Education & Athletics. He brings an exceptional blend of expertise and enthusiasm that will invigorate our programs. With a strong commitment to both athletic excellence and holistic well-being, we're certain Ryan will help elevate the experience of our students in significant ways. Thank you to our staff, parents, and students who participated in the interview process. Welcome to the Blue Devils, Ryan!” Said Superintendent of Schools Jason Smith.   

“I am extremely excited to be joining the Batavia Blue Devils family as the new Director of Health, Physical Education & Athletics,” said Ryan Winchip. “I have always admired Batavia's program, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to join in the district’s tradition of excellence. I hope to build upon all the great things that Mr. Mike Bromley has put in place over his illustrious career. Moving forward, I can't wait to immerse myself into the role and get to know all the amazing members of the BCSD community.”

Batavia Middle School Physical Education teacher Brennan Briggs will continue to serve as the BCSD Athletics Program Assistant.

When Paul Kesler was about to embark on another level of his career at Batavia City Schools five years ago, he was filled with mixed emotions about leaving the staff he had come to regard as family at John Kennedy Intermediate School.

“My whole experience in 13 years in Batavia has been here. That's going to be the struggle, saying goodbye,” he had said when preparing to leave for a role as principal of the high school in October 2017.

During Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, the group approved Kesler’s latest appointment, which may mean more of those emotional goodbye moments. But this time he’ll be returning to familiar faces as principal of John Kennedy once again.

“Thank you so much to the board. I've been an administrator in Batavia since 2005. And one of the really exciting pieces about being a high school principal is some of your children that I had in elementary school, and to hand them their diploma. And so, I've just been extremely grateful to have such a long career here in Batavia and to continue that at John Kennedy,” Kesler said. “But it's also at the same time bittersweet just because of, I just saw the positive things that we've been able to do together with the high school students.

"And so I just wanted to say thank you, and I really appreciate your ongoing support.”

Earlier this month Superintendent Jason Smith had recommended John Kennedy Principal Brian Sutton for the position of Director of Educational Technology, effective July 1. Smith then recommended Kesler for that soon-to-be vacant role, with qualifications as “an exceptional leader” in the district for the last 18 years.

“Paul started his career at John Kennedy, and I was thrilled when he approached me about returning,” Smith said. “Paul’s steadfast commitment to BCSD and the Batavia community is admirable, and I look forward to his return to JK and thank him for his memorable and impactful five years leading BHS.”

With the departure of Kesler as Principal of BHS, Smith and the BCSD leadership team will immediately begin the search process to name a replacement. 

This week’s city school board meeting was rolling along until member Alice Benedict began to ask questions related to half a million dollars worth of late-stage, safety-related modifications to each of the district’s schools as part of the 2020 vision capital project.

After motions were on the floor, Benedict asked for details about the “window film installation/window hardening work.”

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said that it’s “a security measure to prevent unauthorized access,” and then Superintendent Jason Smith suggested that the board go back into executive session to discuss any further details.

The group had come out of an executive session minutes prior to that for “matters relating to the medical, financial, credit or employment history or a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.”

This second private meeting was needed to discuss “matters which will imperil the public safety if disclosed.”

Were the executive session and late-stage window modifications related to a current, past, or potential threat to the district?
“A board member asked for more detailed information on the window film project. It is not related to a current, past or potential threat, but is part of our overall safety program throughout the district. We do not discuss matters regarding safety and security projects in public sessions while the project is ongoing or has not yet started,” Smith said.  “The board was voting on a resolution to authorize the expenditure for the window film project from remaining funds from the most recent capital project. The project does include all of our buildings, and for safety reasons, I did not want to discuss the exact details of the project, including when, where and how the film will be installed, in public session. 

“Once the project is completed, we look forward to sharing more detailed information with our BCSD community and the media regarding our buildings’ safety enhancements,” he said. 

Why was this a late addition to the capital project? And why the executive session in the middle of a regular board meeting (for items that members are going to vote on)?
“This was not a late addition, as this has been discussed at our Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting. There are numerous prior steps that must be taken in order for the board to vote on this resolution,” Smith said.  “Given the safety concerns nationwide, we proceeded as expeditiously as possible to begin this important project.

“It is not unusual to have an executive session in the middle of the meeting, as we did this twice this meeting, and has been done before when needed,” he said. “A board member asked a question regarding the window film project, and for the reasons I stated above, the answers to the question did not belong in a public session, but will be discussed openly upon completion of the project.”

Smith said that the window treatments are a proactive safety measure. The Batavian wanted to make sure that the public has the most up-to-date information about the district’s safety, so the following question was asked again about threats and swatting — an action of making hoax phone calls to report serious crimes to emergency services, which results in SWAT teams responding to an address.

Has the city school district had any threats or swattings recently, or in the past year? If so, how many and when? Were any of them credible?
“We have received no credible threats, swatting or otherwise, this year. We were among several districts across the country that were part of a swatting hoax during our February recess—this was communicated to our families and with the media,” he said. “Per the Batavia Police Department, the threat was deemed not credible.”

The school board approved the resolution to spend no more than $520,000 of the remaining funds in the capital account for the window project at the district’s high and middle schools, Jackson Primary, John Kennedy Intermediate and Robert Morris. The $26.7 million 2020 capital project was voter-approved in March 2017.

File Photo of Batavia Middle School, by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

At a meeting on Monday, the Batavia City School District’s Board of Education unanimously approved an amendment to extend Superintendent Jason Smith’s contract through June 2027.

“After a stellar first year leading the Batavia City School District, the Board of Education is thrilled to offer Superintendent Jason Smith a contract extension that will keep him in our District through June 2027, with the option to extend,” said Board of Education President John Marucci. “Consistency, goal setting, long-term planning, and execution are key components to any successful school district, and we’re proud of Jason’s commitment to seeing his vision for Batavia through.”

In exchange for Smith’s long-term commitment to serve the Batavia City School District, the Board granted Smith non-salary benefits, including a $3,000 per year stipend increase should he elect not to enroll in the District’s health insurance plan, a $2,000 per year increase of his 403(b) retirement contribution, as well as compensation for unused vacation and sick days, which will only be received upon his retirement from the District.

“Batavia is my home. Having walked our halls from first grade through senior year, our District has always held a special place in my heart,” said Superintendent Jason Smith. “It was the honor of my career to be offered the position of superintendent here, and I look forward to working with our students, staff, and community to achieve our shared vision of success for years to come. I thank the Board of Education for their trust in me, and I’m proud to see everyone in our educational community coming together for the good of our District. It continues to be a personal and professional honor to serve the Batavia community, families, staff, and students.” 

“The Board of Education, along with the BCSD leadership team, have made a commitment to our District’s vision and strategic plan,” said Board of Education Vice President John Reigle. “The high bar that we’ve set for this District can only be achieved through consistent leadership. I applaud my fellow Board members' commitment to this vision in approving Jason’s contract extension.”    

All terms (with the exception of the health insurance opt-out stipend) of Superintendent Jason Smith’s contract amendment will take effect on July 1, 2023. All other terms and conditions of the agreement remain unchanged, including the option for both the Board of Education and Jason Smith to extend the contract on an annual basis beyond June 2027.

Bells are a-ringing, or so the holiday song goes, but at Batavia High School they’re not doing it as efficiently lately.

City Schools Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reviewed the needs of a 19-year-old clock and public address system at the high school, and security updates at Robert Morris this week.

“So the first item, our project is the PA, public address and clock system … it’s been rapidly failing for the past year or so. The bells, the PA itself and the clocks, are integrated into one system. And so the clocks are affected at the high school, they do not track the appropriate time. And it's not even aligned with the satellite systems,” Rozanski said during the Board of Education’s meeting Monday. “So we're making the adjustments on a weekly basis, we lose about four or five minutes a week. And the bells aren't ringing as scheduled. They're inconsistent and have variable times, and it's difficult to determine if a student's late or not.”

The district is therefore looking at a full replacement of that system, he said. There are no health, safety or code concerns, and the estimate falls under state contract pricing, and would not need to go through the state Education Department for approval.

A total of $118,860 is expected to get the job done, he said.

The second project is at Robert Morris, which has been a flurry of activity since reopening the doors to pre-schoolers this fall. The site closed down the elementary school in July 2012, but due to increased enrollment numbers, the district opted to use the building again for its own education programs.

There has been no significant door hardware replaced in that decade, Rozanski said. A mantrap — that square of space that can contain a visitor between the outer door and door leading into the building — is also needed in door entry number two to provide extra security, he said.

The Robert Morris project estimates have come in at $35,543, he said, and it may need to go to the state for approval. 

His request is for a total of $244,000 from the repair reserve to the general fund to ensure enough cushion for possible change orders and unexpected items that come up during the repair, he said. If all goes as planned, that would leave $89,597 in the fund.

“We have currently met all safety and security measures to get Robert Morris up and functioning from the beginning of the school year in September,” he said. “We know what the cost is; it should only be $35,543 … if the $89,597 is needed, that allows us flexibility if we run into problems.”

He reminded the board about the elevator repairs at the middle school, and how extra work and materials were needed, causing him to go back to the board for approval of extra spending.

The repair reserve — set up to pay for repairs that don’t recur on a yearly basis — would be left with anywhere from $90.87 up to $89,687.78 if no unexpected costs arise during repair at both schools.

“And we will replenish funds as they’re available,” he said.

Board member Alice Benedict wanted to confirm that “you’re saying you just want to use that $89,000 as a cushion?” Yes, Rozanski said.

“We will only spend what we need to spend,” he said.

No one spoke during the public hearing about the expenditure. The board approved the repairs and transfer of up to $244,000 to pay for them.

Top File Photo of board members and Superintendent Jason Smith taking a tour of the revamped Robert Morris building earlier this year before the fall season began, by Joanne Beck. File Photo of school Business Administrator Scott Rozanski, by Howard Owens.