City Schools

When I saw that Bradley Rogers had died, I stopped for a minute. Then I decided that I wanted to write something about him.

Admittedly, I wasn’t sure that I had enough to write. After all, it has been — well, let’s just say considerable enough years since I knew him that I wasn’t sure I could fill a page.

Mr. Rogers was my sixth-grade teacher at Batavia Middle School. I can still see him, with a round-cheeked grin sitting at his desk with a chessboard all setup. Truth is, my memories of him are as much about the circumstances at the time as they are about that grin.

Up to that point, our neighborhood of girls went to John Kennedy Elementary School, often walking together and then playing after school. When it came time for middle school, the moms of the other girls decided to send them to parochial school, and I went to middle school alone.

That was when the sixth grade was still the starter grade at BMS, and I was assigned to Mr. Rogers’ class. He seemed to be a jovial sort of guy, kind of tough at times, with a grin and a penchant for chess.

I had been learning the game and liked it to the point that my mother had made a showpiece ceramic chess set with glossy cream and red pieces on a polished two-toned wood board. I never used it; I suppose I was afraid that I would break something.

I had a cheaper plastic set but not many partners that I could corral into a game. Well, here was my chance. Mr. Rogers would invite us to a match, and I think I felt honored to be challenged by not only an adult but a teacher.

Life was kind of lonely then, and, actually, throughout the rest of school. Even though it may not have seemed it at the time — those teachers that paid attention in small ways did make an impact. Anything more boisterous would have just pushed me away, and playing chess challenged me intellectually and fed my curiosity to learn more about the game. It's a practice of patience, strategy, foresight, purposeful sacrifice when needed, and -- as fans of "The Queen's Gambit" know -- forbidden premature celebration. 

 At the time, I had no idea how active Mr. Rogers was in the community. He was a JV and Varsity basketball coach at Notre Dame HS and Batavia HS.  He was also a BHS track and golf coach.  He coached summer basketball clinics, was president of the Batavia Teachers’ Association and taught migrant education.  He was a former Genesee County Legislator, General Manager of the former Batavia Clippers, and Director of the NY-Penn Professional Baseball League. 

Mr. Rogers was a member of the St. Joseph’s Holy Name Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Elks Club, Batavia Country Club, and Terry Hills Golf Course (where he shot a hole-in-one on #14). 

An avid sports fan, he loved following St. Bonaventure, Syracuse, and Notre Dame basketball, along with the Yankees and the Bills, plus golfing, fishing, painting, and solving puzzles. No wonder he liked chess; it requires a calm predictive manner to outmaneuver your opponent, perhaps the ultimate puzzle. 

Turns out, his wife, Miss Tehan, was my kindergarten teacher, another wonderful example of a teacher who positively affected me by indulging my creative, spontaneous streak as a youngster. Long story short: she changed her day’s plans and allowed me to put on a puppet show with the puppets my mother brought back for me from a trip to England.

That was another sad and confusing time, as my mom’s trip was when her father -- the grandpa I barely knew -- had died. The puppet show was a fantastic outlet for pain. Miss Tehan made learning fun, enjoyable and, obviously, memorable. She was a good match for Mr. Rogers.

And to add just one more layer to this family affair of educators, little did I know that years later, I would be covering the city school district as a reporter and interacting with Community Schools Coordinator Julia Rogers. It seems apparent that this family has a sincere passion for teaching, and I am thankful for the likes of Mr. Rogers to be in classrooms teaching lessons in math, English, and even chess.

Editor's Note:  A list of school districts has not been officially distributed, however, The Batavian had obtained a copy of the lawsuit and therefore was aware and was the first to report that Batavia City Schools was one of the districts in the lawsuit. Each district's Board of Education will need to approve the settlement amount before it becomes official, the city school district's communications spokesperson said Tuesday.

Batavia City Schools is slated to receive $35,000 as part of a class action lawsuit that was settled with Juul Labs, Inc. for $3.6 million for its alleged participation in marketing vaping products to children.

The settlement with 143 school districts and BOCES throughout New York State was announced Tuesday. The lawsuit alleged that Juul Labs, makers of popular vaping products, “fraudulently and intentionally marketed” the products to children.

“We sadly have students that vape, and of course it is detrimental to their overall health and well being,” Batavia Superintendent Jason Smith said to The Batavian. “This lawsuit represented an opportunity for the District to perhaps ‘right some wrongs’ on behalf of our students.”  

Smith did not elaborate on the specifics of how the negative effects of vaping were assessed, as asked by The Batavian. 

The city school district has been monitoring bathroom use at the high school, Smith said, and using vaping detectors. Bathroom doors are locked for maintenance and cleaning reasons when needed during the school day, but “that is the only time,” he said. The Batavian asked about locking the bathroom doors in response to receiving some anonymous complaints from the public.

The $35,000 from lawsuit proceeds will be invested in “our preventative and restorative program called VAPE University.”

“It is essentially a program that we pair with traditional consequences for students who have violated the Code of Conduct with respect to vaping,” he said.

BHS Principal Paul Kesler added that Vape University is a program that’s being piloted “to help students with positive replacement behaviors if they are stuggling with quitting vaping.”

“We are hoping that parents will reach out to us if they have concerns with their child vaping so we can proactively help students before they would be caught vaping at school,” Kesler said.

The news release issued Tuesday named Ferrara Fiorenza PC as the plaintiff attorneys representing the school districts in the lawsuit, coordinated with firm partner Jeffrey Lewis in joining a mass tort action seeking recovery for past and future damages relating to student vaping, including money spent on vaping-related issues on campus.

“Vaping among children is an extremely harmful and pervasive problem that our school district clients are facing every day,” Managing Partner Joseph Shields said in the release. “We were thrilled that 143 of our clients opted to stand together and join this mass-action lawsuit to advocate for students and taxpayers throughout the state. This settlement will go a long way in helping our communities, and school districts develop the resources needed to combat the student vaping epidemic.”

The settlement provides resources for schools to fund future expenses, for example, the cost of installing vape detectors in district bathrooms, hiring additional staff to supervise vaping areas on campus, hiring additional counselors to deal with well-documented social and emotional issues associated with nicotine addiction, and developing and operating educational programs about the harms of vaping.

Does Smith believe the district can make an impact on students’ vaping behavior?

“Of course, we always believe that, and that is a core mission--to impact positive change for students,” he said. “Families are encouraged to be part of this process, and their feedback is always welcomed.”

File photo of Jason Smith from Batavia City Schools.

Ken Hay, one of the most relentless, unforgettable and endearing forces behind the music program at Batavia City Schools, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 28. He is being remembered by former students, staff and friends for his inspiration, talent, confident swagger, and compassionate spirit.

Joshua Pacino, a 2001 Batavia High School grad, has lots of fond and funny memories of Hay, who was band director at the high school from 1982 to 2003.

"Ken Hay was full of bombast and bluster, but he was an incredibly kind teacher. In my freshman year of high school, I was hanging out with my girlfriend at the football game and missed the bus back to school,” Pacino said. “After walking into the band room 30 minutes late, I was expecting to be thoroughly reprimanded. Instead, he just gave me a look and told me my uniform and trombone were by the door and needed to be put away.

"He could be tough on his students. During a rehearsal, he would yell and holler about wanting more from us or explaining that his grandmother could do it better and she was dead,” Pacino said. “But, he was also a champion for them. You would often hear him yell out ‘Nice!’ or ‘Great job!’ in the middle of a piece, sometimes even during the concert, because he wanted you to know you had done well.”

Not only has Pacino walked away with musical lessons and memories from a beloved teacher, but he too is a music teacher, at Batavia Notre Dame High School.

“Most of the music teachers I know chose their profession because one of their own music teachers had a profound impact on their lives. I have been fortunate to have had several such teachers over the years. Each shaped who I am as a teacher, a musician, and as a person,” Pacino said. “When I left music school, I was afraid he was going to think I was a failure. He was, as I should have known, incredibly understanding, kind, and supportive of my decision. That kindness would continue over the years as I finally decided to return to music school, earned my degrees, and began my teaching career.

"We lost Ken Hay today, but I know that his talent and compassion will live on through the decades worth of students that he taught and the uncountable number of lives upon which he had a profound impact,” Pacino said.

A positive influence
Tom Jones played trumpet and met Hay in the summer of 1984 as a freshman in marching band. The 1988 BHS grad played in field marching, concert, jazz, and parade marching bands, and “anything else Mr. Hay requested of me,” he said. That included playing “Taps” at the end of Memorial Day parades in his junior and senior years, and “Amazing Grace” at a service for Terry Anderson, who was being held hostage in Iran.

“Mr. Hay was always providing ways, for me at least, to help me grow as a young man and encourage me.  For example, every Batavia Pageant of Bands, a senior band member was chosen to be his second in charge, attend meetings, coordination of adult volunteers, all band students,” Jones said. “I was with the program all four years at BHS.  Band was my favorite subject, and Mr. Hay was my most influential teacher.  I saw him every day, some evenings for jazz or marching band practices, home football games, occasional weekends for pageant competitions, parades, etc. 

“He was a very big part of my life growing up, and one the reasons why I have continued to play in multiple musical organizations since graduating BHS,” Jones said. 

Michael Muller posted his online condolences, crediting Hay for making Alexander into "a fabulous band program, in the 70s, before he came to Batavia."

"He inspired me to be the Band Director I am today. He got me started with HS NYSSMA Solos, my college auditions, all of it. The last time I saw him was when we honored him at the 2003 Batavia Pageant of Bands, which was the year he retired," Muller said. "He was a fabulous educator, conductor, leader, mentor and friend. He was the real deal, no excuses, and always got us to do great things, be it in concert band, marching band, pit orchestra, or jazz ensemble. RIP Hayster!!"

The year 1987 was a hard one for Jason Mapes, just a teenager at the time, and it was Hay who lifted him from constant pain by being attentive and caring.

“My father passed away unexpectedly in February of 1987, and that was a dark time for me, I was only 13. I had just learned how to play the trumpet a few years back under his wife, Melinda. That summer, just a few months before starting high school, Mr. Hay kept me busy and distracted. I helped him put in his swimming pool on Ellicott Street,” Mapes said. “This one time, at band camp, I learned patience and discipline and hard work. I began to gain confidence and friends and shared such wonderful memories. I participated in everything I could: band, marching band, jazz band (my favorite), chorus, orchestra. I was in the pit for two school musicals and almost became a music educator. I would have put my horn down for good before high school had it not been for Mr. Hay.”

He said he’ll never forget the manner in which Hay taught him how to shake hands. He never let you do it without putting all you had into it.

“To this day, I still play in a few local music groups, and whenever I shake someone's hand, I almost rip it off!” Mapes said. 

Lifelong lessons
Batavia City Schools Superintendent Jason Smith obtained music education from not only Hay but also other deep-rooted instruction, he said.

“As a proud BHS music alumnus, Class of 1990, I am saddened by the passing of our beloved Mr. Hay. He was not only an excellent music teacher of mine for four years, I learned valuable life and leadership lessons from him that serves me well to this day,” Smith said. “He was one of the first to contact me when I was named superintendent here, and his message of congratulations meant so much to me. Music has been and is an important part of my life, and Mr. Hay has been an integral part of the strong BCSD music tradition.”

You can tune a tuba, but you can’t tune a fish. That was one of Hay’s final true/false exam questions that Bob Pastecki remembers from his student days in 1986-87. Pastecki played trumpet for concert and jazz band, and mellophone for marching band.

What did it mean to be part of the music program?

“My younger brother was the athlete. This gave me something to do as an extracurricular activity,” Pastecki said.

“I now run The Mark Time Marchers, a fire department marching band that does 25-30 parades a year," he said. "I also serve as the Finance Manager for The Batavia Concert Band. So music is still a big part of my life.”

Playing mellophone was interesting, he said, because it is in a different key than trumpet, and his music teacher never told him that.

“He only told me that the notes on the staff were the same fingerings for both instruments. That meant I played the wrong scale to warm up,” Pastecki said. “He looked right behind me and said, ‘One of you trumpets is AWFULLY flat.’ It took me 15 years to tell him it was me. We had a good laugh at that.”

Batavia Board of Education member Alice Ann Benedict knew Ken Hay not only through the board but also because her daughter Emily had him in the band throughout her years in the district.

“Mr. Hay was a wonderful person and a very capable director of the music department. He was enthusiastic about introducing music into the lives of many of the students, starting at a very young age,” Benedict said. “Emily said to me that Mr. Hay was one of her favorite and most influential teachers. I will remember that he always had a smile on his face. He was always positive about improving the music department, and he was a dedicated teacher to the students of the district.”

Kenneth “Ken” Hay was a 1966 graduate of Byron-Bergen Central School and participated in Concert Band, Concert Choir, Yearbook Club, and Wrestling. After graduating high school, he received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Fredonia State College, after which he continued with graduate work at Fredonia, Brockport and Geneseo state colleges, and the University of New Hampshire at Durham.

He taught music at East Irondequoit, Alexander and Batavia school districts. He started working as Batavia City High School band director from 1982 until his retirement in 2003, being named Music Department chairman in 1991. Hay played a significant role in the success of Batavia’s concert and marching bands, jazz ensemble, and the musical pit orchestra.

For many years, he organized the Pageant of Bands in Batavia to show the musical talents of high school bands. He directed the pit orchestra for Batavia Rotary Club productions for many years.

Hay served as president of the Genesee-Wyoming Music Educators’ Association and was a member of the New York State School Music Association. Accolades include Paul Harris Fellowship (awarded by the Rotary Club), the University of Rochester’s Teaching in Secondary Schools Award (1995), recognition by Warner School of Education as being a Teacher of Excellence (2003) and earned a GO ART! Genesee-Orleans Community Arts Award (2003).

Hay shared his musical passion, inspiring students to "make music, not just play music,” and was a 2020 Musician of Note, a wall of fame to honor past BHS graduates in music.

As Jason Mapes said, “RIP Mr. Hay — you will be missed!”

A five-year grant of just under a half million dollars per year will fulfill the city school district’s ambitions to hire more social workers for each school building, focus on family engagement and work to increase student mental and behavioral support, district leaders said Thursday.

The grant was announced by Senator Charles Schumer as part of $3.6 million of Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants distributed by the U.S. Department of Education. Batavia City Schools was the only district in Genesee County to receive this funding.

“We’re incredibly proud to have been recognized and selected by the U.S. Department of Education for this generous Community Schools grant,” Superintendent Jason Smith said. “Our Community Schools program is an essential part of our school district and is a touchstone for many of our at–risk students, families, and community members. With this funding, we’ll be able to decrease the educational gaps we’re experiencing and set our students up for success well beyond their time here in our school district.” 

The grant of $488,761 is for the first year, with an expected total of  $2,499,777 during the course of the five-year grant period.

Other areas of the overall student mental and behavioral support goals will be to “increase readiness for school, increase student attendance and achievement and increase student community connectedness,” Community Schools Coordinator Julia Rogers said.

“These goals also include encouragement of family engagement in each student’s education,” she said. “We will be using the funds to hire additional social workers at each of our school buildings. These positions will allow us to expand the reach of our Community Schools program with the goal of breaking down barriers for students and families to help ensure student success.

“We will continue to focus on family engagement activities that are culturally responsive, empowering, and provide support to families,” she said.

Buildings include Robert Morris, Jackson Primary, John Kennedy Intermediate, Batavia Middle and High schools, and district leaders “hope to sustain this plan after the grant period,” Rogers said.  

Long-term goals for the grant funding include:

• Increase the educational case management for students who are academically at-risk or chronically absent.  
• Increase student access to mental and behavioral health support.
• Increase student readiness for school and student academic achievement.  
• Ensure that graduating seniors are college and career ready.   
• Work to reduce the academic achievement gap between demographic groups and increase student-family-community connections

Community Partners include:

• GLOW YMCA
• GCASA
• ARC GLOW
• BCSD Foundation
• Genesee Community College
• Genesee County Business Education Alliance
• Genesee County Departments of Health and Mental Health
• Richmond Memorial Library
• United Way
• Partners in Restorative Initiatives
• Children's Institute
• GLOW Workforce Investment Board
• Cornell Cooperative Extension 
• Along with our 90+ informal partners  

The grants will provide funding for New York’s community schools to hire more social workers, expand mental health services, offer high-quality tutoring for students who need extra support, and foster trust and support within the community through family programming, Schumer said in a press release issued Thursday. New York State was awarded four grants, which will go towards improving the quality of education in Batavia City School District, Belleville Henderson Central School District, Sodus Central School District, and Booker T. Washington Community Center of Auburn.

“I am proud to deliver this funding to New York’s students, families, and communities, and I will always fight hard to ensure that the next generation has the tools they need to build prosperous and fulfilling lives,” Schumer said.

Dr. Molly Corey, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction, believes this grant provides an opportunity “to strengthen the core foundation” of Batavia City Schools.

It was done to save money. Two and a half years ago, and three superintendents back, the Batavia City School District decided to eliminate its IT director position. 

Nobody around now can explain that decision precisely, but the result -- at least in large part -- was hundreds of missing units of technology equipment and unnecessary fees, and a negative Comptroller's audit.

Superintendent Jason Smith -- who just last month celebrated his one-year anniversary at the district -- recommended that the school board consider reinstituting the full-time technology director position to provide “clear, strong and strategic direction” for the district. Although this conclusion stemmed from a Comptroller audit last August of 2022, it came more directly from a series of district surveys and interviews with students and staff.

“What prompted this study was the Comptroller's audit. And what I found from our studies is that … not having that position turned out to be detrimental. For review, I wanted to write a full review of the whole instructional technology area, not just the laptops missing, which, obviously, is a great concern. I wanted to dive deeper than that.”

The state Comptroller audit found that nearly 300 pieces of technology equipment were missing, unnecessary service fees were paid for those items and an additional amount of $8,700 was paid to a third-party consultant.

At the time, Smith acknowledged the issue and promised that “we can and will do better going forward.” Since that audit, the district has reduced its service fees by an additional $109,000, he said.

A few of the recommended steps the district has taken include:

• Engaged a third-party company specializing in IT services to conduct an assessment of our entire IT department, including our inventory and staff. 
• An internal team has taken the results from the audit and gone above and beyond to reduce the district's BOCES service charges by purging and returning unused inventory. 
• The district is working closely with the Board of Education to adopt a comprehensive written policy for establishing and maintaining controls to track and inventory IT equipment. 

The board approved a plan of action in November and submitted it to the state, which approved the corrective measures. Smith, however, opted to take it further with the series of interviews and surveys to more fully flesh out what’s going on with technology across the district as a whole.

A sampling of survey questions were:

• I believe that the use of technology (digital resources) in my classroom or my teaching positively impacts student learning and achievement.
• I believe that the use of technology (digital resources) in my school positively impacts student learning and achievement.
• I believe that the use of technology (digital resources) in my classroom or my teaching promotes student critical thinking.
• I believe that the use of technology (digital resources) in my school promotes student critical thinking.
• I have the required knowledge and skills to integrate technology (digital resources) into my instruction successfully.
• I believe that the use of technology (digital resources) in instruction provides for the needs of students with disabilities to successfully access the curriculum.

The full-time director of technology position had been eliminated in 2020, during Superintendent Anibal Soler's rein, apparently due to concern that finances might get tight with COVID protocols. The city school district then shared a director part-time with BOCES.

Other identified needs included resurrecting the Instructional Technology Committee, working on WiFi/connectivity problems throughout the district, investigating the usefulness and practicality of Chromebooks versus laptops, adding Microsoft, giving the technology curriculum more teeth “to ensure our students are being provided with the essential skills needed upon graduation,” and thoroughly reviewing existing technology staff and related use of BOCES services, Smith said.

Of all of the information that he garnered during this time, he was most surprised to hear kids’ comments about Chromebooks. Although they have been a popular device used in school districts, kids weren’t quite so enthused about them, he said. He first heard his own children’s remarks about Chromebooks, and perhaps didn’t take them so seriously until the surveys in school, when kids echoed similar sentiments. He had to smile and admit, “hey, my kids were right,” he said during an interview with The Batavian.

Chromebooks are less expensive than laptops; however, laptops offer more options for students, which could be more helpful as they prepare for college or work.

“But you know, you get what you pay for some time,” he said. “So, we have to be thoughtful.”

While many of his suggestions and recommendations are just that at this point, the full-time director of technology is a firm statement with hopes of board approval. Smith and the business administrator will be working on the budget to present more definite details of how salary and benefits will impact the next year’s budget, he said. That vote will be coming up in May.

Another position to consider is a part-time data protection officer to handle duties for the Data Protection Privacy Act. This may not be a new position and person, he said, but additional job responsibilities assigned to an existing employee once the technology director gets on board to organize the department. Smith and Trisha Finnigan, executive director of staff development and operations, will be writing the job description for the tech director, and they plan to check in with other local city school districts for guidance. 

Smith wants the public to know that district leaders take the Comptroller’s audit “very seriously,” and they recognize it as a concern in the community.  He listens to the questions, answers them, and understands the significance of the audit findings, he said.

“We haven't hid behind that. I said to the public and to the media, we're going to enact a comprehensive study. We've done that, here are the nine key findings that I took from that, that I've shared with the board, and we're going to go beyond, we're going to make sure we have processes in place to protect our assets. And that's important, you know, for our school district and for our public, but also, we went beyond and looked at our overall technology program as a whole,” he said. “So, we met the obligation, we did a corrective action plan in November, that's what we were required to do … I wasn't happy with that, we allowed to go beyond checking the boxes. I was looking at the overall program for our students, and this Comptroller’s audit prompted us to do that.

“So I'm optimistic that we're going to have some good results come out of this,” Smith said. “We've already implemented some changes as far as inventory control goes. But we want to have a good overall technology, robust program for our students, and support our staff.”

His draft timeline for action includes:

March 13 for board approval to reestablish a full-time administrative position in the technology department

Throughout March for budget implications to be reviewed and adjusted for that recommendation. He expects implications to be negligible since the position has been in the budget to date.

April and May for the posting and recruitment process. 

May and June to fill the appointment of director of technology (or whatever the official title will be, which is to be determined). 

Prior coverage:

• Batavia city schools taxpayers have right to be concerned
• Batavia superintendent answers comptroller report

File photo of Superintendent Jason Smith from Batavia City Schools.

 

Via Batavia City School District:

BCSD has a surplus of pianos!

We didn't receive any bids on our lot of pianos at a recent auction, so we're offering the pianos to individuals and organizations in the community who may want one free of charge.

The pianos are available on a first-come-first-served basis, and they will need to be picked up by the interested party (we will assist with removal from our facility). Their condition is as-is with no expressed, written, or implied warranty. BCSD is not responsible for providing personnel, tools, or heavy equipment to aid in removal.

If you're interested, please contact Jim Jacobs via email (jjacobs@bataviacsd.org) by Friday, February 17. All pianos must be picked up by March 1.

Photos courtesy Batavia City School District.

John Kennedy was born in England on September 17, 1846. He was one of a family of 14 brothers and sisters. He moved to a farm in Iowa in 1875.  John served in the Civil War; after the war, he became superintendent of an Iowa school district.

In 1890 the Batavia School District asked Mr. Kennedy to come to Batavia and serve as superintendent for the village school system. He served as superintendent for 23 years. His system for the village school was known as the Batavia System. He believed that if children were stimulated, they could educate themselves. 

John Kennedy was also a famous author and had many books to his name. His book, The Genesee Country, was published in 1895, during his time as superintendent from 1893 to 1913.

John was a writer with quite a descriptive flair. The chapter I found very interesting was called "Patriot-Not Financier." In this chapter, John Kennedy was distraught. He did not want Robert Morris to be remembered as a financier of the American Revolution. In John Kennedy's eyes, Robert Morris was a patriot who wanted America to be independent. He wanted the American government to stand with the firmest foundation. To achieve this, Robert Morris put everything in jeopardy: his good name, his life, and his fortune. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He rescued George Washington's troops in 1777 and prevented the army's dispersion by raising $50,000 of his own money for the war.

In Kennedy's opinion, if Morris had not appeared on the scene or had died during the struggle, the revolution would have collapsed.   It is upsetting to read that Robert Morris died in debtor's prison in the United States of America within a few years after the adoption of the Constitution, which he helped frame.    

We have a Constitution and a Union primarily because George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Morris sat in the convention that devised our great document.

As John Kennedy ended his chapter on Robert Morris, he said, "We are living here on his beautiful farm, the famous Holland Land purchase, and more famous still by having had for its first owner the patriot Robert Morris." 

John Kennedy and Robert Morris are still remembered today, with the John Kennedy Intermediate School on Vine Street and the  Robert Morris Primary School on Union Street. What is impressive is that John Kennedy had the foresight in the 1800s to write about Robert Morris' legacy in the hopes that he would be remembered as a true patriot.  

John Kennedy has to be acknowledged not only for the many books to his name but for his outstanding reputation as the school superintendent for the Village of Batavia. His system emphasized individual instruction of students, which was copied by school districts nationwide.

Endorsed by the Buffalo Bills, Nike and the state Public High School Athletic Association earlier this year, Girls Flag Football has emerged as an up-and-coming spring sport that just might land on the city school district’s playing field.

Batavia’s Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics Mike Bromley, presented the idea during Monday’s school board meeting. A while ago, he began to receive emails from prospective female players about the possibility of adding flag football to the city school district, he said. Ten girls from grades nine to 12 sent those notes asking if the sport would be offered in the spring.

A line of female students stood next to him as proof of that initial interest.

In early 2022, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association sanctioned the sport, and eight teams in Section V were piloted this year, with 22 other regional districts indicating that they may form a team, Bromley said. Rules dictate a minimum of seven girls to a team, and Bromley believes 12 to 15 players would be a good starting number.

Games would cover a football field, and play would consist of two 24-minute halves plus a five-minute half-time. Equipment would include certified flag belts and youth-sized football.

Anticipated costs include a head and assistant coach, uniforms, officials’ services, two chaperones and a clock/video board operator, and transportation for four away games. The estimated total adds up to $9,391, which Bromley said could be offset with unexpended funds.

Board member Alice Benedict asked how many young women are interested in dual sports, and all six students raised their hands. They said that track is the other sport and that is first on their list, prompting Bromley to add, "so we have some challenges."

How can it work here? Bromley suggested that dual sport participation is possible and doable, with late practices, Saturday contests and two to three practices per week. He’s also cognizant of spring coaches’ concerns that adding a spring sport may be a conflict for girls already in one of the other two offerings, he said.

With the season to begin in March 2023, there’s not much time to waste, Board President John Marucci said.

“Get your sign-up list going and see if there’s an interest,” he said.

The matter will return for a board vote in January.

Top 2020 File Photo of an impromptu flag football tournament at Williams Park in Batavia, by Howard Owens. Photo of Mike Bromley from the city school district website.

Next Monday looks to be a busy one for Batavia City School District, with  three meetings and a public hearing about spending more than $200,000 for repairs have been scheduled for the Board of Education.

The Audit Committee is set to meet at 4:30 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Conference Room, followed by the Policy Committee at 5:15 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office, and a regular board meeting at 6 p.m. will also meet in the conference room on Monday at Batavia High School, 260 State St., Batavia.

The hearing is related to the proposed spending of $244,000 from the Repair Reserve Fund to pay for the replacement and repair of the public address/clock system and entry and classroom door hardware at the high school. Awarding contracts for such work is also part of the resolution that will go to the board for vote.

For in-person attendance, people are asked to arrive at least five minutes early and sign in legibly. This is an opportunity for qualified voters of the district to participate in a discussion about the repairs.

For anyone wanting to view from home, the meeting is on YouTube.

A full agenda for the meeting is not yet available.

 

 

Ninety to 120 every day.

That’s a goal that Batavia Middle School has set for students: to do purposeful reading, writing and interactive talking for 90 to 120 minutes each weekday. Principal Nate Korzelius introduced that as one part of the middle school’s strategic plan.

“So we've spent a lot of time this year looking at and reflecting on our vision and mission, as well as our strategic plan and empowering students, and within the vision statement, working with the community, creating a nurturing environment for our students,” he said during a presentation to the school board Monday evening. “So that was our starting point, as we were looking at our middle school goals for the year. And then, in the past year, establishing the strategic plan: create and maintain a safe and orderly school environment, collaborative culture theory, accessible curriculum, and effective teaching in every classroom.”

A leadership team activity during the summer led middle school staff “to come up with tangible things to meet our students where they are, trying to adjust for some gaps that have occurred as a result of COVID.”

“And also just find ways that we can creatively build a culture of learning and also try to break down some barriers for students,’ he said. “So, beginning this school year, this was the goal that I outlined for the staff on day one. Our goal is to promote authentic literacy practices by increasing purposeful reading, writing and discussion as moments of both learning content and critical thinking. 

A daily dose of literacy
"So specifically, what we've worked on the most so far this year are ways we can ensure that students will participate in 90 to 120 minutes of purposeful reading, writing and discussion every day,” he said.

That’s likely good practice for anyone. A quick online search produces several articles about the benefits of reading, such as Healthline’s claim — using MRI scan results — that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As one’s reading ability matures, “those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated,” the site states. 

Teachers will introduce various methods for kids to accomplish the daily goal, such as having guest readers, creating reading quizzes, writing letters or a daily diary, hosting debates and asking open-ended questions.

“We have data meetings every couple of months. But then we want, now especially that we have more access to data post-COVID, to focus on those, and establish the needs for our students to make sure that we can individualize things as much as possible to meet students where they are,” Korzelius said. “Those teams are focused on the individual needs of students and customizing the approach for students within their teams.”

Beginning Tuesday (Nov. 15), students will have a task during Lunch Learning Lab, which means at the beginning of the second marking period, each student “is to drop everything and read” a book for 20 minutes. District officials contacted each household to notify parents of this initiative, and to encourage them to find out what might engage their child.

“Half the battle is to find something that they’ll enjoy reading,” he said.

Teaching strategies
The focus isn’t just on students, though. A shared Google Classroom will begin in the next month for all middle school faculty. It will provide a list of various strategies for teachers to try — one at a time for a month — and then report back on how it went and offer suggestions for improvement before selecting another strategy the next month.

A key piece that has become more prevalent since the pandemic is SEL: social-emotional learning. That piece includes providing useful resources for students to help manage their emotions, set positive goals, work on proper attitudes and behaviors, have healthy relationships, be able to feel and show empathy, make responsible decisions, plus an ideal academic correlation to each student’s SEL success, Assistant Principal Lindsey Leone said.

“And really, what I found through all my experiences, if you don't have that SEL piece, it's going to be really hard to get that academic piece. And I think in general, we've all learned that from COVID times, and so we've spent the last year or so really establishing our SEL committee,” she said.

Circle Up Fridays happens on the first Friday of every month, and includes an extended homeroom time so that students and staff can literally “circle up” to engage in meaningful conversations, she said.

This work is about “creating connections at school,” she said, amongst students and teachers. Two years of COVID, isolation and social distancing seem to be ebbing away.

“I really think they're excited that it feels a little bit more, a little back to normal for them like they have loved the opportunity to have dances again … and options to look at trips and those types of things. So I think it's a lot for them on an energy level, you know, it's a much different day coming every day to school versus some of what we were doing in a hybrid setting,” she said. “I think every day that we're getting better and more comfortable.”

Data — a huge component amongst school districts — has been part of the strategic plan, Korzelius said. Pulling people together through regular faculty meetings of about 80 people has also been a positive step, he said.

“We really try hard to focus on our strategic plan,” he said. “Where our goal of mission and vision is 90 to 120 minutes for every student throughout the school day.”

The mission is to empower students to achieve their maximum potential, and the vision includes providing a safe and nurturing environment. The targeted end result is to help students become socially responsible citizens who are able to successfully meet life’s challenges.

School board member Alice Benedict wanted to know if and how data would be collected to show how well the SEL lessons were working. Yes, it will be collected through DESSA, a social-emotional learning measuring tool, and student surveys, Korzelius said.

“It's something that I want us to build on, and just continue to find new and better ideas. I mean, this is a great idea, which is our first time,” he said. “We have to take a look at it at the end instead of just gauging success.”

Just as Americans across the country are eager to hit the road for post-COVID travel, Batavia City Schools staff has wanderlust in mind for student trips.

From a chorus trip to New York City and a student excursion to see the inner workings of Washington, D.C., to a competitive journey in an effort to secure a hockey championship in Albany, the trips will be up for review during the board’s meeting next week.

It’s set for 6 p.m. Monday in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at the high school, 260 State St., Batavia.

Teacher Melanie Case is proposing that the Mixed and Treble Chorus take a two-day trip in April 2023. This will give students an opportunity “to perform in a major city, to see a professional musical on Broadway and also to view major historical landmarks, providing a connection with the eighth grade social studies immigration unit,” her supporting materials state.

If approved, the students will not only see the Statue of Liberty, but also perform a cappella style (though still pending), and walk to see the 9/11 Memorial, have dinner at Margaritaville and watch a live theater performance. An estimated cost of about $420 per student is based on a minimum of 40 people registered with First Choice Educational Tours.

A Close-Up trip is proposed by Alex Veltz for six days in Washington, D.C. in March 2023. This program has given students “an in-depth look at the U.S. government and current issues" since it was formed in 1971, according to the supplemental material. Not merely a sight-seeing tour, this program offers learning experiences, workshops, interactive discussions and presentations.

Cost per student is $2,200, with Genesee Valley BOCES paying 60 percent, and students responsible for about $1,000 each,  materials state.

Coaches Marc Staley and John Kirkwood are pitching a trip for the Albany Academy Holiday Tournament. This two-day trip is for Batavia Notre Dame hockey team (United) to play a game on each of the two days, and hopefully ending as a tournament winner.

There will be "no cost for the school with bussing or hotel expenses," organizers said. 

Student fundraisers have begun to offset expenses, including sponsorships, community discount cards and restaurant donations.

Appointments, work change orders and contracts fill most of the remaining agenda.

File Photo of a United hockey player earlier this year, by Howard Owens.

Several local veterans were honored Thursday morning during a Veterans Day ceremony at Batavia High School. Band Director Jane Haggett, whose father Robert was amongst the recipients, handed out tokens of appreciation for their service.

They were:

U.S. Army

• Robert Haggett
• William Hughes
• Thomas Steffinella
• Rich Favaloro

U.S. Air Force

• Dennis Mahoney
• Matt Lutey

U.S. Marines

• Colin Dailey, husband of BHS social worker Lindsay
• John Dwyer
• Vincent Pontillo
• John Gombos

U.S. Navy

• Tom Cecere
• Harold McJury
• Rocco Pellegrino

The district also gave a proud shout-out to members of its own school community.

“The BHS community is very fortunate to have three veterans on staff. We thank them for their service to our country and for keeping everyone safe," BHS Principal Paul Kesler said. "We would like to call the three gentlemen up to the front of the auditorium to receive a small token of our appreciation."

• Mr. Greg Ciszak, BHS School Counselor: served his country for 12 years in the 152nd Engineer Company as a Staff Sergeant in the Army National Guard. He was a horizontal construction engineer. His unit was activated for numerous state emergencies including snow storms, floods, and the September 11th World Trade Center disaster.
• Christopher Gorton, a Special Education teacher: joined the Army in 1984 and was in active duty from 1984 to 1989. During a portion of his active duty, Mr. Gorton was stationed in Western Germany. He continued to be on inactive duty from 1989 to 1992. Mr. Gorton was twice awarded the Army Achievement Medal and earned a good conduct medal. His unit received its second presidential unit citation award while he was stationed in West Germany. To this day, Mr. Gorton still carries a Challenge coin from President Reagan, the Commander in Chief, that was given out to the unit.
• BHS Earth Science teacher Christopher Weicher: served in the United States Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991. Mr. Weicher completed two combat deployments during Operation Just Cause in Panama and the Gulf War 1. While serving his country, he received two combat action ribbons, a Presidential Unit Citation, and a Meritorious Unit Citation while serving with the 6th Marine Regiment.

The event included readings from students about what Veterans Day means to them. Adrien Fytros said that veterans are often defined as those who have been in the workforce for an extensive period of time, and those who have served in the military. 

"Those that have served in any branch of the military are easily the least selfish people in our community and should be treated as such. They are those who would put themselves through intense, rough, and enduring training for years to ensure that we can carry on a worry-free life, explore our interests, and pursue our own careers and dreams we’ve sought out," he said. "Veterans Day as a whole is to honor and give a spotlight to these brave and compassionate people that allow us to do everything we’ve desired to do. 

"Veterans Day is a day to honor those who put their family, community, and most of all, their country and its residents before themselves."

Photo: BHS Band Director Jane Haggett hands out tokens of appreciation the district's thanks to veterans during a Veterans Day assembly Thursday at the State Street school in Batavia. Photos by Joanne Beck.

A lack of a comprehensive and strategic staffing plan, increased teacher positions paid for with additional federal and state aid despite declining enrollment, and a larger number of school counselors per federal recommendations were some of the findings of a consultant’s study at Batavia City Schools.

Thomas Ramming of International Deliverables LLC and Thomas Ramming Consulting, Inc., presented his report to the school board earlier this week. The Batavian asked every school board member and Superintendent Jason Smith for their comments regarding the outcome, which also included suggestions to rectify some of the seemingly misaligned student-to-staff ratios and revising contract language for more effective bargaining negotiations. 

The consultant's process included using an “efficiency lens” that relies on data to review staffing issues. He also met with Superintendent Jason Smith, administrators and principals, plus reviewed master schedules, enrollment history, collective bargaining agreements, average class sizes, financial information and related research.

One central point, brought out by board Vice President John Reigle, and echoed by other board members, was that Ramming’s prior studies had all been before COVID hit. Batavia was his first project to measure staffing following the pandemic, school shutdowns, masks, social distancing and such. Therefore, in reference to having increased teaching staff despite a downward enrollment, Reigle believes it’s justified.

“Pointing out again that this study, although has its positives, does not take into consideration the needs of the students, both academically and social/mental since post-COVID,” Reigle said. “I will continue to be a strong advocate of our students’ needs.  As Dr. Ramming pointed out, these additional positions were added utilizing those additional COVID funds.

“Our district was required to document how it was spent. I think that is a key factor to point out and keep in forefront of mind that some of our students, along with other students nationally, have had a learning loss due to COVID in regards to academics and their social/mental well beings,” he said. 

The COVID funds are that of the American Rescue Plan Act, which divvied up additional monies for municipalities, and for school districts to apply toward student-needed measures in the current post-pandemic era. The district dedicated a large portion to the hiring of a second school resource officer and several new teaching positions.

During his talk with the board, Ramming admitted that the whole COVID scenario was not calculated into the overall findings, but he also suggested that the district continuously assess whether the extra personnel will be warranted in the future. And if that’s the case, the district needs a plan for how to pay for those salaries and benefits, Ramming said.

Superintendent Jason Smith concurs that the suggested ratios were pre-COVID “when mental health needs were not as pronounced and as valued as they are now.” Batavia City Schools was a major recipient of “significant grant resources” that he and board members believe have been properly allocated to those needs.

As for possible remedies for staffing issues that Ramming highlighted, including certain language that hinders negotiations with the teacher’s association, and potentially excess staff, Smith said the district has “already started implementing suggestions.”

“Two vacant teaching positions (music and Spanish) were not recently filled and will not impact the instructional program,” Smith said. “We’re working closely with our music department to review schedules, and are always in respectful and professional conversations with BTA officers to promote efficiencies while recognizing the important work of our teachers.

“Additionally, each principal and district office administrator has thoroughly reviewed and analyzed this study, and it has been given prime attention at our internal meetings,” he said.

The savings by not replacing those vacant positions covered the $12,000 cost of the study, he said.

The district has been analyzing the need for “every single position as they become vacant,” he said, citing two cases of positions not being filled after ensuring that instructional programs would not be negatively affected, he said.

“Teachers whose positions are being paid through grant funds are notified right away upon acceptance of the position that it is a temporary position — this is a practice I have brought to Batavia,” he said. “It is fiscally sound to the district and fair to the employee.”

Smith argues that teaching positions are not “extra,” as they have been deemed as critical to the district’s mission and vision. And “we were thankful to have the grant money and federal funds to support these positions,” he said.

When asked how the district will assess the value and need for those additional teachers, there are "data tools" used to measure the social emotional learning needs of students, he said. 

"We can survey students and families, and there are objective tools we can utilize as well," Smith said. "In addition, the district will be using a universal screening tool and research-based tool known as DESSA. It is a standardized, strength-based assessment designed to measure social-emotional competence for students in grades K-12. This screener will provide the district with data to analyze and plan for student needs."

Board member Alice Benedict said the board requested this study “to make sure our district staff was right-sized” for the educational programs being offered and when compared to enrollment figures.

“We have been assured by the Superintendent that he and his administrative staff will fully review and consider the findings of this study,” Benedict said.

“I have come to realize that with the effects of the COVID pandemic, our student population has significant mental health concerns. Our district wants to provide adequate support for our students with as much help and support as they need,” she said. “I am sure the Superintendent and his administration will look hard at our staffing numbers and make the appropriate decisions with regard to the positions of counselors and social workers in the district.”

 

Board member Barbara Bowman said that, while Batavia is amazing as a district, "I know it’s not perfect."

"This study just confirmed for me that we have the ability to continue to move forward, and it gave us concrete, objective ideas to consider," Bowman said. "The (Batavia Teacher's Association) represents a precious commodity, our teachers.  They in turn provide above and beyond services to our students.  We are always in communication with the superintendent and I feel there is always room and ability to negotiate. We’re definitely on the same team!" 

When asked for their priorities, board members shared similar sentiments about wanting to move forward and working with key players in the district for each student's benefit. 

"I see our first priority to be working together with the parents, the administrators and the superintendent to identify priorities and effective ways to address them," Bowman said. "Communication is key on the part of all stakeholders to keep moving Batavia forward and upward."

John Marucci, board president, said that he was looking forward to working with Smith and the administrative team on study-related efforts.

“My priority is still doing what's best for the students,” Marucci said.

This was a first-time study of this kind for board member Jennifer Lendvay, she said.

“Whenever a study is done, no matter what we are researching, we do so to get an objective perspective from an outside source.  I found Dr. Rammings' results incredibly informative and personally look forward to working closely with our administrative staff and Mr. Smith to carefully analyze these findings and move forward,” Lendvay said. “Being somewhat new to the board, this was the first time I have been a part of a study in regards to our operations and staffing, so hearing the information was quite insightful.”  

She disagreed with the finding that the district didn’t do much sharing of teacher services — specifically cited as having “a lack of coordinated effort to share teachers between buildings.”

“Knowing that we currently do have teachers that are shared within the district, and none of those are related to the ARPA funds,” she said. “Our teachers go above and beyond for our students and have been willing to do what is necessary to assist in their learning, including traveling between schools. 

“At this point in time, our students are still in need of additional support: academic, social-emotional, mental health, etc. Dr. Ramming corroborated that we have been able to add teachers because of the funding,” she said. “The additional funding was spent to help address the learning loss. Mr. Smith has made it a point to be transparent with our employees, that being hired under these funds, that it is temporary funding.”

Newly elected member Korinne Anderson said that she looked forward to “learning more about this study as the year progresses,” and is glad that it was completed “because it gives a different perspective.”

Board member Chezeray Rolle did not respond to The Batavian’s questions. 

Primary suggestions given to the board include to:

• Incorporate a five-year vision with specific and measurable academic, social and emotional goals in the strategic plan.
• Identify a central office administrator to develop and implement, with input from other administrators, principals and the board, a strategic staffing plan and process.
• Continue to review the impact of the collective bargaining agreement on staffing, scheduling, and instruction and seek to address the most significant issues through collective bargaining.
• Objectively assess the value of positions funded by ARPA and determine their value. Consider reallocating resources when the grant expires. Also, as any position becomes vacant, objectively determine if the position nesds to be filled long- or short-term, or perhaps part-time.

Other suggestions include:

• Update and consistently follow class size guidelines, student-to-teacher ratios and minimum class sizes.
• Look at sharing special area teachers, such as physical education, music, art, especially between Jackson and John Kennedy.
• Consider coordinating the schedules for middle and high schools to facilitate sharing of teachers;
• Evaluate the roles and responsibilities of school psychologists, school counselors and school social workers, within the framework of a comprehensive plan, to determine appropriate staffing

To watch the presentation, go to Batavia City School District on Youtube.com.

Newly elected school board President John Marucci (pictured above) was happily surprised by some guest visitors Monday evening.

Groups of primary, intermediate, middle and high school students attended the Batavia City School board's meeting to honor members for School Board Recognition Week. 

"It was great being recognized for being a member of the Batavia City School District Board of Education," he said to The Batavian Tuesday. "It was awesome to see all of those students at the meeting last night. We had students from Jackson do a cheer, JK students read personalized letters of appreciation, students from BMS thanked us, while a student from BHS read a lovely thank you card."

It was likely one of the biggest turnouts for a school board meeting. Students also presented the board with a Certificate of Appreciation.

The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 17-21 as School Board Recognition Week in order to "promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards." 

Superintendent Jason Smith was in on the secret visit and introduced the group to board members. The current 2022-23 board includes Marucci, who was elected in July along with Vice President John Reigle, Alice Ann Benedict, Barbara Bowman, Jennifer Lendvay, Chezeray Rolle and Korinne Anderson.

“Our schools are the bedrock of our Batavia community,” Smith said. “Our Board of Education members devote countless hours, make important decisions, and are committed to keeping BCSD operating at a very high level. Their dedication to accountability, transparency, and to our community is inspiring. We thank them for their service.”

The group is just beginning to work on the 2023-24 budget, and will continue to do so during the next few months, he said.

"That will be a priority moving into the New Year," he said.

For more information on the BCSD Board of Education, click here. 

Photos submitted by Batavia City School District.

Batavia City School District residents are invited to offer comments and/or ask questions regarding the district’s proposition to use $95,000 from the Repair Reserve Fund.

A public hearing about expending the funds has been set for 6 p.m. Monday in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at Batavia High School, 260 State St., Batavia.

There will be a presentation about the emergency replacement of two water boilers, and the related contract for the $95,000 cost of repair. Business Administrator Scott Rozanski is to be on hand to answer questions and review the scope of work and contract award.

If approved by the board, the cost will be transferred out of the reserve fund to pay for the high school work.

Other agenda items include presentations from Trisha Finnigan, Dr. Molly Corey and board member Barbara Bowman; votes on several faculty appointments; contracts with groups and individuals related to transportation, personal day approval for the Custodial Association, an administrator’s retreat, clarifying payment eligibility for Batavia Teachers’ Association, and tuition for children with disabilities.

Armor Security staff members made their debut at Friday's home football game between Batavia and Livonia high schools. Spectators were wand-checked at the gate, and security guards were on site to ensure that the only commotion was on the field at Van Detta Stadium. Perhaps there was also some excitement in the stands as the Blue Devils blew away the competition by 42-6.

The security company has a contract through the end of this year, and members of Batavia Police Department were also on hand to check for illegal parking and related un-gamely behaviors. Superintendent Jason Smith has been adamant -- via a letter to parents and recommending the extra security -- that home football games will be safe and without unwanted disruptions from spectators. 

Friday's game included a moment of recognition during a dedication to honor all police and fire department and armed forces members.

Earlier in the day Smith issued his superintendent's update to the district, sharing that he is "personally thrilled to begin my first full school year as our Superintendent of Schools, and I look forward to experiencing all the fun and joys associated with being a Batavia Blue Devil!" Certainly, players, staff and fans experienced one of those well-deserved joys with Friday night's win.

District leaders were "out and about" during the first day of school on Wednesday, he said, and they are focused on three key teaching principles: effective teaching, literacy (reading and writing) across all content areas, and providing an engaging and consistent curriculum. Smith gave some advice that is well-suited for anyone: work hard and be kind.

To read the entire update, go HERE  

Go here for prior Robert Morris story, and district security.

Top Photo: Spectators are wand-checked as they enter Van Detta Stadium Friday evening; members of police, fire and armed forces were given a dedication to honor their service to the community. Photos by Steve Ognibene. File Photo: Superintendent Jason Smith takes board members on a tour of the revamped Robert Morris building before the first day of pre-school and UPK classes on Wednesday. Photo by Joanne Beck. Children arrive for the first day at Robert Morris. Photos from Batavia City Schools.

City school board members went back to school Monday evening.

They took a tour of the work-in-progress at Robert Morris — closed a decade ago as an elementary site — which will now be operating in full force this year for pre-school and universal pre-kindergarten students after a $225,000 investment so far.

“Pre-school numbers have almost doubled,” Superintendent Jason Smith said during a presentation before the tour. “We had a hard time finding programs to service these students.”

A Little History
District officials decided to close Robert Morris Elementary School in 2012 after it was deemed a savings measure and more efficient to consolidate and students and teachers at to Jackson Primary and John Kennedy Intermediate. The building was used either for district needs (public relations, information technology), or rented out to various organizations, including BOCES, a daycare, 56 Harvester Center, and Arc.

Pre-school numbers began to rise, and the need for space rose with them, Smith said. That resulted in rethinking the use of Robert Morris. After receiving comments that Jackson Primary was getting pretty tight due to increased enrollments, the district bumped up first grade’s eight sections to 10, which then created a need for additional space at Jackson. Four UPK sections are therefore being moved to Robert Morris.

Current Times
Using state funding and grant monies, the new offerings have shifted the physical and philosophical layout of Robert Morris at the corner of Union Street and Richmond Avenue. As Trisha Finnigan, executive director of staff development and operations, said, “we’re using every nook and cranny” of the three-floor building to make the best use of all areas.

The main entrance will be on the east side of the school next to the parking lot, and children will exit on the opposite side at a bus loop. Classrooms are being reconfigured, including a former library, and Community Schools hours will align with the presence of security aides.

There will be five classes to support a total of 64 students in preschool for preschoolers with disabilities who will receive services in a self-contained setting and an integrated classroom with general education students. These students can be three years old for the entire school year and require more intensive interventions through special education.

Board member Alice Benedict asked Finnigan if they’ve considered labeling it something other than preschool since it is so similar to UPK ages.

“We try to be very cognizant of calling it a special education program because there are those two school classrooms also that have general education students, so we don't want people to think that they'd be getting something different than other classrooms,” Finnigan said. “And we'd like to be inclusive when we talk about what we're doing. So it is kind of nice to know that they're not just here alone. Right? They may have been if we hadn’t done this.”

A UPK grant of $672,719 funds up to 112 students — 72 full-day and 40 half-day slots. The district has a waiting list for parents that want full days for their children, and “we are applying for an expansion grant that would convert half-day slots to a full-day slot,” Smith said.

The district is working with Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties to support the regional need for preschool students, and there are 28 enrolled in special education at Robert Morris.

A current Student Transition And Recovery (STAR) program has been moved to the third floor, and the cafeteria has been reopened and prepped to provide meals in classrooms and cafeteria style, Smith said. There has been deep cleaning of the kitchen and cafeteria space, a review of the status of equipment and electrical/plumbing infrastructures, and purchases or upgrades of necessary equipment and supplies.

New staff includes four UPK, seven preschool teachers and 11 teacher aides, plus related service providers for occupational, speech and physical therapies; school resource officer, nurse, administrative, custodial and security aide support. The board approved those new positions during Monday’s regular meeting as part of a long list of additional staff for elementary, middle and high schools.

Security aides, many of whom are retired police officers, are throughout the district for extra safety measures, Smith said. They will provide 15 hours a week at Robert Morris, plus the presence of a school resource officer.

Cost of Change
To date, the district has spent $225,000 to get RM up and running, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said.

Within that total:

• $93,000 will be funded by a UPK grant for classroom furniture and interactive boards;
• $20,000 to be funded by a School Lunch Fund for a dishwasher, garbage disposal, refrigerator and various carts; and
• $112,000 from the General Fund for carpeting, cabling, a copier, classroom furniture, desks, chairs, intercom, dehumidifier, public address system and emergency lighting upgrades. 

Registration has been moved from the Robert Morris site to the high school administrative wing to reduce foot traffic, and an administrative office will be available on site near the UPK entrance.

Other work performed has included upgraded cabling, interactive boards, cleaning out storage areas, and transferring viable furniture from Jackson to Robert Morris. Walls have been patched, painted and/or repaired in class and bathrooms, carpeting has been replaced, air and asbestos tests conducted in the basement and library, a new intercom and telephone lines installed, and assorted repairs made to vents, plumbing fixtures, and electrical components and new water lines added as needed.

The first day of school is Sept. 7 for all students.

Top photo: City school board member Alice Benedict, left, Superintendent Jason Smith, and board members John Reigle, Jenn Lendvay and Korinne Anderson begin their tour at the east entrance of Robert Morris Monday evening. Trisha Finnigan, executive director of staff development and operations, walks the group through several pre-school and UPK classrooms, and an integrated services room for occupational, speech and physical therapy, shown, as Board President John Marucci takes a peek over a makeshift wall. Photos by Joanne Beck.

 

Batavia City Schools issued a letter this morning to parents regarding respectful etiquette and the use of security measures for football games -- including wand checks, a new security service and an age limit for attending without an adult -- at Van Detta Stadium.

The Board of Education had approved hiring Armor Security earlier this year. 

The fee is $29 an hour per guard at about five hours each, Superintendent Jason Smith said. That’s about $580 per game, or $2,900 for five games.

You can attribute at least some of the need for this to the Batavia Blue Devils’ track record, Smith said at the time of the board's vote in May. 

“That’s for special events, home football games. We’re drawing 1,000 people or more at those games,” he said to The Batavian. “With a successful team, you draw more people.”

Another change is a $2 admission fee for all varsity football games. Students and seniors 62 and older will get in for free.

The letter addressed to district families is below:

As the 2022-23 school year is upon us, we are excited to announce that our state-of-the-art facility at VanDetta Stadium will once again be hosting Varsity Football games.

We continue to make safety our number one priority for students, staff, and community members attending events at VanDetta Stadium. We’re anticipating large crowds throughout the season, and we want to make you aware of some enhanced safety protocols, guidelines, and expectations when attending:

● All attendees will be wand-checked by our security team to ensure no prohibited items are brought into the facility.
● VanDetta Stadium is located in a neighborhood, so please be courteous and do not block driveways, throw trash on the ground, or use foul language. Please be a good neighbor.
● All students ages 12 and under should be accompanied by an adult.
● We will be charging adults a $2 admission fee for all Varsity Football games. Students and seniors ages 62 and over will have free admission.

We’re also enhancing our security presence around the stadium during events. We’ve hired Armor Security to help support our administrators, athletic event workers, and the Batavia Police Department to make sure safety remains a priority at our events.

We cannot wait to welcome you back to VanDetta Stadium for another exciting season of Blue Devil events and cheer on our wonderful student-athletes. Let’s all do our part to keep our school grounds, students, faculty, staff, and community safe.

Thank you,

Jason Smith, Superintendent & Mike Bromley, Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics

Go here for prior coverage about the security company. 

 

Following her assumption that city school district residents may be holding the board responsible for a state audit citing missing equipment and unnecessary spending, former Board of Education President Alice Benedict wanted to clear the air Monday.

While she reads district policies, she may not read every policy, Benedict said, but more to the point, she thought the district was on top of equipment inventories and related service fees.

“I thought the district was keeping track … and then we found out that it wasn’t,” Benedict said during the board’s meeting at Batavia High School. “I think there are some things in the district that we are making assumptions about. It was assumptions I made that it was being taken care of.”

Superintendent Jason Smith had previously issued a press release listing the state

Comptroller's findings, including nearly 300 pieces of technology equipment that were missing or otherwise unaccounted for, and a related $17,000 service fee paid for those items. 

She didn’t want any one board member to feel it was his or her fault, Benedict said.

Board President John Marucci, along with Smith, answered questions from The Batavian that were published earlier Monday. Marucci pointed to his comments in that article about feeling disappointed in the findings and encouraged by Smith's response.

“I was not happy with it at all,” Marucci said.

He also said that he has the “utmost faith” in Smith and district staff to take the appropriate corrective measures to stop this type of thing from happening again.

Smith said that systems are in place and that by working with a third-party consultant, the district is developing a plan of action to remedy those procedures that either were not in place or fell through the cracks, especially during personnel changeovers and COVID protocols.

The consultant — Webster-Szanyi law firm — was selected out of five proposals at a net cost of $8,753.13 to the district after BOCES aid was deducted. The Batavian submitted a question to Smith about the total aid received.

The law firm is providing the district with two educational consultants who specialize in school technology service reviews, Smith said. Work has already begun, and is to be finished by January, he said.

Here is the prior announcement about the audit from Smith.

A state audit discovered nearly 300 pieces of technology equipment missing and unnecessary service fees paid out for those items and those events resulted in a third-party consultant at an additional cost of $8,700.

District taxpayers have a right to be concerned, Batavia City Schools Superintendent Jason Smith says. 

The Batavian asked Smith several follow-up questions related to the audit and his response were issued on Friday afternoon. He reiterated a portion of what his original response was, that “we can and will do better going forward.”

First and foremost, how do you address taxpayers that may have either lost trust, or confirmed their distrust, in district administrators and board members as the guardians of taxpayer money?
He acknowledged that “our taxpayers — including myself as a resident and taxpayer of the BCSD, along with our board members — are right to be concerned about this audit.”

“Our role as fiscal stewards of the Batavia community is vitally important and we need to and will do better in this area moving forward. As the leader of this district, I’m taking this audit seriously and making it a high priority with our administrative team going forward,” Smith said. “I do not take any fiscal responsibility lightly, and understand and value the trust the community gives us to handle tax dollars appropriately.    

“We are developing a detailed corrective action plan — due in 90 days —  that the Board will review and approve, and will be made available to the public as part of a future board agenda. Under my leadership, we fully intend to improve our IT management, implement our corrective action plan, and then carefully monitor the results and new procedures,” he said.  “In addition, our internal and external auditors have been made aware of the comptroller audit and will also work with the district to ensure all procedures are being followed and implemented—as will I and our leadership team.”

Was the district aware of these discrepancies/issues before the comptroller report, or did the audit find these issues?
"The goal of any comptroller audit is to bring attention to areas of concern for school districts and municipalities. The audit found the majority of our IT issues, although prior to my arrival, it’s my understanding the district was generally aware of some of these IT inventory concerns," he said.

Smith included a note for context that “audits of school districts are common and occur on a regular basis, every five years or so for each district.”

According to the State of New York Office of the State Comptroller, “A top priority of the Office of the State Comptroller is to help school district officials manage their districts efficiently and effectively and, by doing so, provide accountability for tax dollars spent to support district operations. The Comptroller oversees the fiscal affairs of districts statewide, as well as district compliance with relevant statutes and observance of good business practices. This fiscal oversight is accomplished, in part, through our audits, which identify opportunities for improving district operations and Board of Education governance. Audits also can identify strategies to reduce district costs and to strengthen controls intended to safeguard district assets.”

As for the missing IT equipment, how did that happen? Were these items on loan to students/staff and weren't returned, or another scenario? What was the procedure supposed to be?
"While there is no excuse for the results found during this audit, we do recognize that the turnover in BCSD administration and our IT department since 2019 contributed to and compounded our IT management issues," he said. "Once we have completed the assessment from the third party company, we will take steps towards also establishing stronger leadership for our IT department. 

"Some items were given to families and not returned and some were given to staff and have not been located in their classrooms.  During the audit itself and as a result of surveying our staff, we found additional missing items reducing the impact of the audit results.

"The procedure should be and will be the development of a detailed inventory list that will match the inventory that has been distributed along with a process for monitoring new/out-of-service inventory and the distribution and return of all IT devices. This will be part of our required corrective action plan that I will personally oversee.

"Over the last 20 years, there have been six different IT directors and approximately six years without an IT Director, mostly due to budget constraints. Hindsight is always 20/20, and looking back, the district may have been penny-wise but pound-foolish in this approach of not having a dedicated IT director for a number of years. We look forward to the incoming recommendations from our third-party company on how best to proceed."

Who is that third party, and what is the fee for this service?
"After reviewing five proposals this past spring, the district selected the Webster-Szanyi law firm as our third-party IT consultants.  The net cost to the district is $8,753.13 after BOCES aid," Smith said. "The firm is providing the district with two educational consultants who specialize in school technology service reviews. Their work has already begun and will be concluded by January."

Doesn't the board have a role in issues like these, such as having to approve the yearly $17,000 fee and being aware of how equipment is being used and its status from the beginning to end of the school year?
"These fees are embedded in our general BOCES bill and not necessarily a separate line item for approval.  We use BOCES to reduce the local share as we receive BOCES aid. The Board should have full confidence and will have full confidence moving forward that leadership is monitoring the use of the equipment, and will be aware of related procedures and will review and approve related policies and our corrective action plan, due in November," Smith said.

How many years has that fee been paid so far? Was it 2021 and 2022 or also 2020?
"The inventory list contained items dating back to 2006. The District pays BOCES fees for each item that we lease, and the $17,000 reported in the audit reflected fees we paid for unused/lost items in our inventory for the 2021-22 school year," he said. "The audit caused us to dig deeper into our current IT inventory, and we have since reduced additional BOCES fees for our current technology equipment resulting in a reduction of $109,000 from our BOCES bill."  

If/when the missing equipment has to be replaced, how will that be funded? How were these items funded ($891,000, I believe) originally? 
"Our IT BOCES expenditures are included in our General Fund Budget but sometimes (relatively minor) items are purchased from State/Federal grants. If we use State/Federal Grants, we do not receive additional BOCES aid. We purchase/replace our IT equipment in cycles so as to not spike the General Fund Budget in any given year," he said. "There is no need to replace those items as the devices are now obsolete."

You have stepped up to take responsibility, but how will your measures put more responsibility on staff, since you can't monitor everything all the time?
"My job is to work with our team and our third-party consultants to develop and implement clear procedures, carefully monitor those procedures, and hold us accountable to those procedures.  This is true for any area of leading a school district, since I cannot monitor everything all the time, my staff will play a vital role in this moving forward," Smith said. "I can and will however monitor these procedures, do spot checks, and have frequent and regular check-in meetings with appropriate staff."

Does the school district have any intention of auditing other areas of the district where similar mishandling or lack of monitoring could also exist?
"We work closely with our audit committee, our internal auditors, and our external auditors on an annual basis. Areas of risk and improvement are identified on an annual and ongoing basis, and we regularly implement new procedures to ensure fiscal accountability," Smith said.

Board President John Marucci had many similar sentiments as Smith, including how the board needs to respond to these findings.

"Taxpayers have a right to be concerned in regards to this audit. The administration and the Board of Education need to and will do better moving forward," Marucci said.  "As board president, I take this audit and its findings very seriously, as do the other BOE members. Jason and his team are putting together a corrective action plan that will be reviewed and approved by the BOE. I want to assure the Batavia taxpayers that this issue is being rectified.

"Regarding additional audits for the rest of the district, we already have auditors in place to review departments on an annual basis, including an audit committee, internal auditors, and contracted external auditors. Each year, they review and identify areas that we could improve on or are of concern," he said. "These audit processes will continue to help ensure fiscal accountability."

What more can the board do to ensure that approvals for spending are necessary and accurately reflect the need?
"As a board, we expect the administration to give us accurate numbers. I trust Jason will make sure that any figures given to the board regarding need-based spending will be accurate moving forward," Marucci said. "It’s the board’s responsibility to do our own due diligence to ensure we’re thoroughly monitoring and reviewing spending requests."

What was the board's understanding when approving or being made aware of the $17,000 annual fee for equipment that, as it turns out, was not even part of district inventory? Moving forward, how can the board protect against such wasteful spending?
"Again, we expect the administration to give the board good and accurate information. This specific IT issue began while we were in the midst of the pandemic, we had a new superintendent, and we had management turnover in our IT department. It's not an excuse, it's reality," Marucci said. "Unfortunately, mistakes happened. Jason was brought up to speed on the issue when he arrived, and he and his team are aggressively putting an action plan in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again. As a board, we need to continue to ask questions to be certain that the information is accurate and gives us a full picture."

What is your overall response to the audit and its findings?
"I was disappointed, but I also understand that any New York State Comptroller audit is ultimately beneficial because it highlights areas of concern that need to be dealt with. Audits ultimately help protect the taxpayers," Marucci said. "With that being said, I believe in Jason, his team, and this board, and I’m confident this issue will be taken care of swiftly."

File photos of Superintendent Jason Smith, top, and Board President John Marucci, by Joanne Beck and BCSD website.