Press Release:

The Genesee County Board of Elections is thrilled to announce the Second Annual "I Voted" sticker contest winners. The contest, coordinated by the Board of Elections, showcased the creative talent of local students and their involvement in the electoral process. 

The contest received many submissions, with over 300 outstanding entries from Genesee County schools.

'It was a tough decision to select our seven finalists,' said Lorie Longhany, Democratic Election Commissioner. 'We can't wait to see the students' graphic designs in print and used in our outreach efforts!'

The winning designs will be featured on the “I Voted” stickers distributed to voters as they cast their ballots in November. They will also be utilized for voter outreach and promoted across social media platforms.

The winners of the contest are as follows: 

• Grand Prize: Tyler Caldwell, Alexander 
• 1st Place: Riley Sharpe, Byron-Bergen
• 2nd Place (Collaborative Design): Alexander Kuszlyk, Evan Bannister, and Zachary Gay, Byron-Bergen
• 3rd Place: Ben Landers, Notre Dame
• Honorable Mentions: Ava Smith, Byron-Bergen; Morgan Kidder, Alexander; Alarai Tomidy, Notre Dame

The Genesee County Board of Elections extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and extends special thanks to every participant for their exceptional contributions.

Submitted photos

That is an increase from the current academic year, which is $20,847,885.

The proposed budget increases the tax levy by 1.75 percent, or $109,709. The anticipated tax rate is $17.83, up 30 cents from the current rate.

The district is planning no cuts to staff or programs.

The district is not receiving an increase in state foundation aid.

There will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. on May 8.

Proposition #2: Bus Purchases

• 2 – 64 Passenger Buses - $340,000
• 1 – 24 Passenger Bus - $110,000

Proposition #3: Equipment Purchase

• Computer Hardware - $43,200
• Chromebooks - $68,710
• Floor Scrubbing Machine - $16,000

Proposition #4: Establish Equipment Reserve,  $500,000

Proposition #5: Establish Bus Reserve, $900,000

District residents will be asked to vote on the proposed plan on May 21 in the high school auditorium lobby.

The tax levy increase is under the 3.3 percent tax cap ceiling.

Superintended Mary Kate Hoffman said The budget reflects a 1.64% increase in spending from last year.

One teaching position, created with COVID relief funds, has been reduced from one full-time equivalent to a half-FTE position.

Hoffman said the district is creating at the elementary school a 12:1:1 classroom, which is a special education class with 12 students, one special ed teacher and one aide.

"We are using existing staff to better meet the needs of our students," Hoffman said. "This classroom will allow us to keep students with special needs in the district."

The budget includes funding for a $100,000 capital outlay exception project and the purchase of two buses.  

The tax levy is expected to increase 1.75%, from $9,223,509 to $9,385,010.

School enrollment is expected to drop from 920 students to 904 students.

The public budget hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 9 at the high school auditorium.

The budget vote is from noon until 9 p.m. on May 21.

Pembroke Superintendent Matthew Calderon said the state provided the district with no increase in foundation aid.

He said the tax levy will stay within the tax cap limit, with an increase slightly below the cap for the 13th consecutive year.

"We needed to pair down our initial budget draft by $870,000 to get down to the final number," Calderon said. "Thankfully, no current full-time employees were cut."

The proposed budget will be presented at a public hearing at 6 p.m. on May 14 at Pembroke Central School.

The budget vote is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. noon to 8 p.m. on May 21 in the high school auditorium.

The Zonta Club of Batavia - Genesee County is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications for their annual Scholarship Awards. 

They encourage all high school seniors in Genesee County to apply. 

Applications can be obtained through your school's guidance office, career center office, or online by emailing zontabatavia@gmail.com.

All applicants will be asked to schedule an in-person interview with our scholarship committee. Submission deadline for applications is April 12.

Of the 235 representatives from various areas in the healthcare field at a four-county event, student Rylee Serusa-Herndon connected with someone in particular during her visit with BOCES Health Dimensions classmates to Genesee Community College Friday.

“I came to the GLOW With Your Hands field trip to be a neurosurgeon, I’m interested in that, and I came to kind of understand, to know what I have to do to be able to be that,” she said. “I did go to a booth, and one of the girls was actually a neurosurgeon, and she told me it is very difficult; you have to do a lot of schooling. But she said ‘you know, there’s not many girl neurosurgeons,’ and that kind helped me out. I definitely want to do it.”

Rylee was one of more than 500 students in grades eight through 12 from 31 schools in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. The event was to help connect interested students to a couple hundred representatives from 57 companies, municipal agencies, nonprofits, and educational institutions and further excite, educate, and empower them to seek success in the healthcare field of study after high school.

Educational providers and employers were on hand to demonstrate in the fields of emergency medical services, healthy living, healthcare, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, pharmacy, and the various sciences.

There were mannequins stationed so that students could get some CPR lessons, a physical therapy demonstration, and a virtual reality program to offer more high-tech ways to explore careers, “which is cool,” said Chris Suozzi, Vice President of Workforce Development for Genesee County Economic Development Center. 

“The whole reason that we do these events and career exploration in high school is so kids can really expand their horizons. It's so difficult for someone to really know what they want to do for a career. It's taken me 30-some years to figure out what I wanted to do … but for kids, the more they see the, the better. So they're seeing careers that they would never see in a classroom and in a textbook,” Suozzi said. “And then there's careers that they may look at and say, ‘Oh, I definitely don't want to do that.' And I know it's a good thing. But when you look at the opportunities for what are possibilities, it's almost endless here. 

“So, you know, when you hear about healthcare, you think a doctor or nurse, but then when you look here, there's a lot more than doctors and nurses,” he said. “There's all these technicians and EMTs, physical therapy, and the list goes on and on. So that's the whole idea. Explore their mind, explore opportunities for a great career.”

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Skimmer cars, robotics, SUMO bots, battle soccer bots, and a dozen other events designed to stretch area school students' STEM skills were among the activities during the 15th annual Tech Wars on Thursday at Genesee Community College.

The Genesee County Retired Educators’ Association (GCREA) awards at least one $500 scholarship each year. 

This scholarship will be awarded either to a graduating Genesee County High School Senior who intends to enter, in some capacity, the field of education OR to an individual who is currently enrolled in an education program at an institution of higher learning.

Applications are available at Genesee County schools or from cmbonacquisti@gmail.com. Applications are due on April 1. The announcement of the winner will be made in May.