1. Letter to the Board


 
 
 
 
December 21, 2001
 
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist.
              -Francis P. Church, Editor, New York Sun

 
 

Greetings from Wayne Central School District.
 
Letter to the Board
 

1. Electronic Newsletter – As you are now reading this, you have obviously noticed that we are attempting to convert the newsletter to an electronic format where you will receive correspondence via e-mail. For those who prefer not to transition to this method, we will continue to mail your packets to you on Fridays.

 

2. CSEA Vote – As I informed you Thursday morning the CSEA voted on the proposed contract on Wednesday. The contract was ratified with a vote of 147 yes, 11 no. I know we are all very happy to have this negotiations process come to closure. Again, thanks for all your hard work. On a related note CSEA president Darcy Petrosino was taken to the hospital by ambulance on Thursday morning.

 

3. BOCES Discussion – Greg, Larry and I met with BOCES on Monday to lay out a possible solution to their space crisis. I suggested that we might be willing to rent OE and Freewill to them for the 25 million dollar anticipated construction cost of a new campus elementary building. It was explained that we might be interested in moving our elementary students to a single facility and that if we did that those two buildings would be available. Twenty-five million was the cost of the Sodus project so I used the same figure. The actual cost to BOCES would be more for the Wayne site because our State aid ratio is lower. Joe Marinelli was interested in the idea and asked his Special Education director to talk to SED about it. I received an email yesterday indicating that while SED had some reservations they might be agreeable to it. Certain conditions would have to be met. This is great news. With BOCES on board solidly and New York State on board tentatively, I believe we can make this work. BOCES and Wayne will be meeting right after vacation to craft a plan acceptable to SED. I hope to have a rough draft proposal for our January Board meeting.

 

4. Construction Plan – Given the above picture, what might the construction plan look like? Here’s what I envision could happen if we are able to make all the pieces fit and if the Board decides this is the direction the district should take.
· A new school within a school is built at OP with all K-5 students moving on to the one campus. Total local cost of the building to be paid for by the new BOCES lease.
· Porray field is rebuilt with an all weather track, better seating and a press box. Total local cost paid for by a Coke-Pepsi deal
· Renovations chosen from the Facility Committee Report are completed based on greatest needs. Total cost paid for by the $1,075,000 remaining in the district capital reserve fund and the $450,000 which will be earned by the two year extension of the current BOCES lease agreed to by the Board last June.
· A Pool is brought to the voters for approval with taxpayers agreeing to the cost (probably 2 million local share). Annual up keep of about $150,000 paid for by the Town of Ontario with help from the Town of Walworth. This last one is the most tentative. I had hoped the Coke-Pepsi deal would generate enough money to pay for this. I don’t see that happening. Pepsi’s initial offering is 1/5 of what I was able to get at my last district. I will be able to get some movement but the initial offering was disappointing. One Town official suggested that if we built the pool they might be able to pay for the upkeep but I don’t know if he could get the Town to agree to it nor do I think he realized how large a cost it would be.

In conclusion we could expect to bring the voters a construction project which is paid for and a separate proposition for a pool which if they wanted they would pay for. I ask that you think about this as you enjoy your Christmas holiday. Send me your thoughts, ideas, and concerns via email or phone. We can address them at our next meeting. I think we should discuss a tentative direction we wish to take in regard to OE, Freewill, and OP at that next meeting. That allows us to ask the in depth questions at our work session to see if we like the direction we are going.
 

5. Next Newsletter – With the holiday recess, we will be taking a one week break from the board letter. The next one will be sent on January 4, 2002.

 

6. Events:

1/17 – Four County General Membership Meeting – location/time TBD
 
Athletics (home games):
¼ - Girls’ JV & V Basketball vs. Marcus Whitman - 6:00 & 7:30
¼ - Boys’ Freshman Basketball vs. Sodus – 4:15
1/8 – Boys’ JV & V Basketball vs. Mynderse – 6:00 & 7:30
1/11 – Boys’ JV &V Basketball vs. Newark – 6:00 & 7:30
 
7.  Correspondence:

1. SED Deputy Commissioner Bi-Weekly Newsletter

 
Very best wishes to you and your families for a wonderful holiday season.

Att. A

 
 
                 December 18, 2001
 
 
TO:    District Superintendents of Schools
   Superintendents of Big 5 City School Districts
 
FROM:  James A. Kadamus
 
SUBJECT:  Biweekly Newsletter
 
 
 Happy Holidays. I extend best wishes for a happy holiday to you and your staff. This school year we faced tremendous challenges in responding to the tragic events of September 11. I appreciate your outstanding efforts to keep schools opened and to provide comfort and stability for our students. The horrendous events tested the ability and leadership of all school personnel. You should be proud of the positive role you played in handling these events.
 
 High School Cohort Data. As I noted in my November 28 newsletter, we will present the results of high school cohort data to the Regents at their December meeting. An advance copy of the embargoed statewide data was sent to you last week overnight mail. We will be sending additional information on seniors in the cohort. Commissioner Mills will hold a press conference on December 19 following the Regents Full Board meeting at which the data will be presented.
 
 Regents 2002-2003 State Aid Proposal. A public forum to discuss the Regents conceptual proposal for 2002-2003 State Aid was held to solicit comment. At their December meeting, the Regents will approve the proposal. The Regents recommendations for specific dollar amounts will be embargoed until December 20. I will send you that information by fax on that date.
 
 Field Memo on Standards and Assessment: Looking at the Whole Picture. Although copies of this field memo for every teacher in every school in the State were distributed, we are still receiving reports that some teachers have not received or they are not aware of the memo. Please encourage school administrators who have not done so to disseminate the copies to teachers. It is a particularly useful resource document as administrators and teachers look at the student performance data they received this fall. It is also available on our web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov .
 
 Extension of the Safety Net for Students with Disabilities. I have received some questions recently about this issue. Earlier this year, the Board of Regents approved an extension of the safety net for students with disabilities for an additional four years to make it available to those students entering grade 9 from September 1996 through September 2004. Students will need to take and pass the required coursework and five Regents exams. Students with disabilities who do not pass a Regents exam required for their class may take and pass the Regents Competency Test or the equivalent in that subject to earn a local diploma. The following students qualify for the safety net: students identified through a Committee on Special Education; students identified through the Section 504 Multidisciplinary Team, if recommended and documented by the MDT on the student’s accommodation plan; and students declassified while in grades 8-12 if recommended and documented by the CSE on the student’s IEP.
 
 Charter Schools. The Regents are scheduled to take action on the following four charter school applications this week: Global Concepts Charter School, Lackawanna; Southside Charter School, Syracuse; Yonkers Children’s Academy Public Charter School, Yonkers; and Bronx Charter School for the Arts, Bronx.
 
 Middle-Level Education. The Regents will discuss this week a report on middle-level education which outlines what the Department is doing to lead and support change in middle-level schools and to promote the Essential Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs. The dates for a series of regional forums to be conducted February—April have not been set as yet.
 
 Regents January Meeting. The Regents will meet in New York City on January 15-16. The schedule includes visits to Manhattan schools on the 15th and 16th, a meeting with community school district board presidents and superintendents on the 15th, and an evening community forum on the 15th at Norman Thomas High School. On the 16th, in addition to a Full Board session, a meeting of the Closing the Gap Implementation Advisory Committee is scheduled.
 
 

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