Letter to the Board

Thank you
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To: Michael Havens, Superintendent of Schools

Letter to the Board

January 30, 2009

"We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse."
--Anne-Sophie Swetchine, Russian-French writer

Board Letter

Booster Club Meeting: I met Thursday evening with the Booster Club organization to give them an overview of the budget situation we believe we will be facing. There were several questions on finances, the districts view of boosters clubs, their purpose and so on. Overall, I think it was a good meeting.

Modified Sports: Yesterday the Finger Lakes superintendents voted to reduce all modified teams to one sport. This will go into effect in the fall. Only two districts, Newark and Wayne, argued against the measure. We have six modified teams that would be affected. For soccer alone it would mean more than 50 boys and girls dumped off of teams. I argued that it was the wrong cut and that being part of a team was one of the best ways of keeping students feeling a part of their school. I reminded them that at Wayne, we require athletic or club participation from our high school students for that very reason. They are, of course, in a different position than us. Their cuts to budgets will be more severe and when you only have 600 students in your district you struggle to field one modified team, let alone two.


I let them know that we would not be cutting our modified teams. Mr. Blankenberg and I are meeting Monday afternoon to work out a plan. I expect that one of our teams will play half the games and the second will play the other half. We have been in communication with Wayne and Monroe County leagues to fill in some additional games. We may not play as many games this year but spending more time in practice working on fundamentals is not a bad thing for modified players. I was disappointed with my colleagues at first but I think this will work out fine for us. Not having our 7^th and 8^th graders travel as much all the way to Penn Yan is not a bad thing. There are programs much closer to home that can provide good competition.

Elementary Aide: You may hear some concerns about an aide position at Freewill. As a budget gap closing measure, we have been attempting to reduce unfilled positions. We have an aide at Freewill who has been out on medical leave. We filled it with a substitute through this Friday (today). Some people are concerned that there will be one less aide on Monday. Her position has been primarily in Kindergarten, and parents have expressed some displeasure. We will be moving people around so that we even the load but some still want the position and the person to continue.

Federal Money: Information has been released about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that is working its way through Congress. The House has approved the bill. The Senate is still working on a similar one. According to the federal website, Wayne Central would receive the following amounts:

2009

2010

Title 1 increase	Construction	IDEA increase	total	Title 1 increase	IDEA increase	total	Total two-years
$66,300	$242,100	$302,000	$610,400	66,300	$347,700	$414,000	$1,024,400

We are unsure if this money would supplement proposed state aide or supplant it. We also do not know how this affects the 15% preschool expense that has been proposed for schools. In any event, this is good news. The IDEA increase moves the Federal contribution for 17% to 27% nationally. It is still not the 40% that federal law calls for but it is a great increase. We do not know if or when this is happening so we are not including it in our budget calculations. There is only one school in our entire BOCES that right now is planning to add a portion of it to their budget. This really is good news, just don’t count on it yet.

5. Instructional Budget: We are getting close to bridging the budget gap. As I explained last week, it involves using some reserve money for a one shot item, some staff reductions in areas of declining enrollment and some cut back in supplies/equipment. The headlines this morning of an additional 1300 layoffs at Kodak reinforces your desire not to raise property taxes. We will get through next year okay. It will be important that we monitor our spending carefully to get through the three years that this recession will probably affect us.

6. Libraries Proposition Request: The Ontario and Walworth Libraries will be presenting a petition to the Board of Education asking for a proposition to be placed on the ballot at this year’s election. They each receive $5,000 (a total levy of $10,000) from the Wayne Central tax levy. They would like to increase it to $10,000 each library (a total levy of $20,000). I am not sure how I feel about this as we are not increasing taxes.

7. Overnight Trip: I have an overnight trip request for the Technology-Science Team. The trip is planned for April 3 & 4 to Oswego for the Competition. As usual, the required chaperone ratio will be met and proper transportation regulations will be followed. I have given them initial approval.

8. Financial Report Explanation and OhioPyle gift: Attached is a memo from Greg explaining both of these items.

9. Bus Accident: On Tuesday we had a very minor bus accident in Orchard Grove. A vehicle slid into the side of one of our buses. The bus had a handful of elementary students on board. There was no damage to the bus, no injuries to any children, no ambulance called. The vehicle that hit the bus sustained very minor damage. We do, however, call in and report every incident for insurance reasons.

10. Big Brothers/Big Sisters: On Tuesday we received a check from Constellation Energy for $7500 for the OE/Big Brothers-Big Sisters program. The event was very well attended by OE staff, our district administration and town representatives. Amy & Nique did a great job with the presentation set up and even Ron Holdraker attended (a rare event in itself). I believe the Constellation people were very pleased with the paparazzi and fanfare, which always benefits our relations. I also think this is going to be a great program for our high school and elementary students to participate in. With our graduation requirement of community service, this is another great opportunity for our HS students to be exposed to leadership roles.

11. HS Student Newspaper: I have attached the HS newspaper. I just want to caution you against printing it. Mr. Roods tells me it could take up to 30 minutes.

12. Upcoming Events:
2/6 – Ontario Parks & Recreation “Comics On The Rocks” – Carey Lake – 7:00 p.m.
2/7 – Ontario Parks & Recreation “WinterFest” @ Casey Park – Noon – 4:00 p.m.
2/7 – Ontario Parks & Recreation Chicken BBQ – 3:30 p.m. till gone.

Athletic Events:
1/30 – Girls JV & V BB vs. Canandaigua – 6:00 & 7:30 p.m.
2/2 – Girls JV Basketball vs. Marcus Whitman – 5:00 p.m.
2/2 – Boys JV Basketball vs. Marcus Whitman – 6:30 p.m.
2/3 – V Co-Ed Bowling vs. Waterloo – 4:15 p.m.
2/3 – Boys JV & V BB vs. Newark – 6:00 & 7:30 p.m.
2/4 – V Co-Ed Bowling vs. Newark – 4:15 p.m.
2/5 - JV & V Wrestling vs Pal-Mac – 6:00 & 7:00 p.m.
2/6 – Boys Freshman BB vs. Waterloo – 4:15 p.m.
2/6 – Girls JV BB vs. Waterloo – 6:00 & 7:30 p.m.

13. Attachments:
a) Overnight Trip Info
b) Wayne World’s – January
c) Four County Meeting Notice – February 5
d) Ontario Town Board Meeting Minutes – 1/26
e) High School Student Newspaper – January

f) Financial Report and Ohiopyle Gift Information

Overnight trip request

The Wayne Central School District Technology Student Association (TSA) is requesting approval to attend the annual TSA student conference and competition. The conference is being held in Oswego, NY on the SUNY Oswego campus. The dates of the conference are April 3rd and April 4th. The conference runs from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm on Friday the 3rd and from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday the 4th^th.

Purpose of the trip: Student Technology Association conference and competition.

Dates of trip: April 3^rd - April 4th 2009.

Number of students participating: 26 HS and 14 MS)

TSA advisor-chaperones: Michael Elliot, Derek Demas, Josh Klem and Jay Gauthier.

Hotel location: Best Western, 26 E. 1st St. Oswego, NY

Transportation needs: We will need a school bus to transport us from Wayne to Oswego. We will also need a bus while at Oswego to transport us back and forth from the hotel to the SUNY Oswego campus.

Departure time from Wayne on Friday April 3rd should be no later than 9:00 so we can make it to Oswego by 10:30am.

We will be departing Oswego at approximately 3:30 - 4:00 on Saturday the 4th returning to the TC Armstrong Middle School between 4:30 and 5:00pm.

Thank you

The TSA Advisors

JANUARY 26, 2009
ONTARIO TOWN BOARD MEETING

A regular meeting of the Ontario Town Board was called to order by Supervisor Robert Kelsch at 7:00 p.m. in the Ontario Town Hall. Present were Supervisor Robert Kelsch, Council members: Lori Eaton-Smith, Stephen Tobin, Sole Assessor Christine Luteyn, Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer Edward Collins, Highway Superintendent Jerry Santangelo, Director of Parks and Recreation William Riddell, Water Utilities Distribution Crew Chief Rodney Peets, Attorney for the Town Alan Knauf and Town Clerk Debra DeMinck.

Absent: Councilmen Jason Ruffell and James Switzer

20 residents and visitors were present at portions of the meeting.

Mr. Kelsch led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Revisions to the Agenda - A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to approve the agenda as presented. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Comments From the Public – Mr. Chuck Neumann was pleased to see the agenda on the website.

Approval of Minutes – Mr. Kelsch asked for approval of the minutes of the January 5, 2009 and January 12, 2009 Town Board meetings. A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to approve the minutes as presented. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Correspondence – The Town Clerk received and read a letter from a concerned citizen regarding the curve on Route 350 heading north and the number of car accidents that have occurred this year.

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to accept and file the correspondence. 3Ayes
0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Attorney for the Town Report – The Ginna tax certiorari case will meet with the judge on April 6, 2009.
Regarding the issue on the curve on Route 350 heading north, it might be prudent to put up a guardrail.

New Business - A motion was made by Mr. Kelsch, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to accept the Supervisor’s fiscal report for the month of December 2008 as presented. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to authorize Raymond F. Wager, CPA, P.C. to review the 2008 internal accounting controls, books and bank reconciliations of the Town Justice accounts in an amount not to exceed $2,850. 3Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Mr. Kelsch asked for a motion to authorize the assessing office to hire Laurie DelleFave to the position of Temporary Assessing Clerk at wage grade 8 at $11.64 per hour with hours not to exceed 20 hours per week for the period of 1/15/09 to 6/1/09 as recommended by the Sole Assessor in a memo dated 1/20/09. No motion was made.

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith for discussion, to authorize the Superintendent of Highways to conduct the 2009 town wide Spring Cleanup on Thursday, May 7^th, Friday, May 8^th and Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the times and place set forth in memo #09-01 by the Superintendent of Highways. A discussion followed regarding the work hours – 4 or 5 day workweek with regard to overtime. Mr. Santangelo stated he would work with the board. A vote was taken. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to authorize the Superintendent of Highways to seek bids for the 2009 town wide Spring Cleanup on May 7, 2009 through May 9, 2009, and to authorize and direct the Town Clerk to post and publish a legal notice to bidders, as requested by the Superintendent of Highways in memo # 09-01. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to authorize the Superintendent of Highways to attend Advocacy Day in Albany March 9through 11, 2009, in support of the Consolidated Highway Improvements Program (C.H.I.P.S) with all actual and necessary expenses to be a town charge at a cost not to exceed $400.00 as requested in memo #09-02 by the Superintendent of Highways. 3 Ayes 0 Nays
2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to authorize the Superintendent of Highways and the Highway Crew Chief to attend the Annual Highway School to be held June 1-3, 2009 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY with all actual and necessary expenses to be a town charge at a cost not to exceed $900.00 as requested by the Superintendent of Highways in memo #09-03. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to authorize the Supervisor to execute the agreement between Alan J. Knauf and the Town of Ontario as Attorney for the Town for the calendar year 2009. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith for discussion, to authorize the Supervisor to execute the agreement between Richard T. Williams, II and the Town of Ontario as Deputy Attorney for the Town for the calendar year 2009. A discussion followed regarding Mr. Williams presence needed at the Watershed meetings and the breakdown of his fees. No vote was taken.

A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to authorize the purchase of the Mitel SX 2001CP Telephone System for the Ontario Town Hall and the Justice Court from ICS Telecom at a price not to exceed $9,010.00. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to award the lowest bid to Lang Heating and Cooling, Inc., 105 Commercial Street, Webster, New York to install heating systems in the Tension Fabric Structures at the Community Center Complex for an amount not to exceed $49,631.00 as recommended by the Director of Parks and Recreation in memo PR01-2009. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to award the lowest bid for the exterior doors for the Tension Fabric Structures to Williamson Building Supply, 4004 Railroad Ave., Williamson, New York for an amount not to exceed $10,071.04 as recommended by the Director of Parks and Recreation in memo PR03-2009. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to accept the lowest quote from Zappia Vending Services to install and maintain vending machines in the Community Center Complex as recommended by the Director of Parks and Recreation in a memo. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to create a petty cash fund in the amount of $200.00 for the Community Center at Casey Park. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Appointments/Resignations – A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to nominate David Stark of Ontario, New York as an alternate to the Wayne County EMS Advisory Board. 3 Ayes 0 Nays
2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Reports by Town Board Members – Mr. Kelsch attended the National Incident Management System (NIMS) meeting at the county last week.

Mrs. Smith talked about the county pressure to save money and the effective use of tax dollars. The funding being cut from the school budget at the state level will have a large impact on the community. We need to be prudent in our spending.

Approval of Claims – A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to approve the abstract of claims for January 26, 2009 including vouchers #124 through #256 with a grand total of $273,687.28 and to authorize the Supervisor to issue payments for same. 3 Ayes 0 Nays 2 Absent (Ruffell and Switzer) MOTION CARRIED

Comments from the Public – None

Workshop – The board discussed the job descriptions of the Superintendent of Water Utilities and the Principal Account Clerk.
They would like to move toward a Department of Public Works. At the present time, there is no civil service job description in Wayne County for a Department of Public Works. The board would like to work closely with the attorney to improve the minimum qualifications for the Superintendent of Water Utilities, maybe to include a civil engineering degree.

Regarding the Principal Account Clerk position, the board would like to hire an accountant who could grow with the organization rather than a Principal Account Clerk. They are both civil service positions with the accountant needing higher qualifications and more management skills.

Mr. Switzer entered at 8:20 p.m.

Executive Session - A motion was made by Mr. Tobin, seconded by Mrs. Smith, to move into an executive session at 8:20 p.m. regarding compensation of an individual. At the conclusion of that discussion an additional matter was raised regarding a personnel matter and the board remained in executive session. Jerry Santangelo, Superintendent of Highways, joined the meeting and Ed Trevett, by telephone. 4 Ayes 0 Nays 1 Absent (Ruffell) MOTION CARRIED

Adjourn – A motion was made by Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mr. Tobin, to adjourn at 9:46 p.m.
4 Ayes 0 Nays 1 Absent (Ruffell) MOTION CARRIED

Respectfully submitted,

Debra DeMinck
Ontario Town Clerk

The above minutes will become official upon approval of the town board.

To: Michael Havens, Superintendent of Schools

From: Gregory Atseff, Assistant Superintendent for Business

Date: January 30, 2009

Re: Questions from January 22, 2009 Board Meeting

Question 1 – On the treasurer’s report, who is Ohiopyle?

Ohiopyle is a vendor that sells school spirit merchandise to stores in the community. The check received for $70.45 represents a percentage of the net sales for Wayne logo merchandise sold to Tops Market on Furnace Road.

Question 2 – Why did the encumbered balance increase $727,268 from the November to December expenditure report?

There was a problem with the payroll encumbrance. The problem was corrected the first week in January. When the December report was run, it was run using a December 31^st date, so it didn’t recognize the correction. If the December report had been run using a January 5^th date, it would have picked up the adjustment for December.

Question 3 – Why was revenue code 2770, negative $13,900.94 in the revenue earned column?

Money earned but not yet received for the 2007/08 school year was booked as a receivable at year end. That receivable had to be adjusted because the district overbilled for a consortium student attending a special education program at Wayne. The overbilling was due to incorrect attendance information received by the district from the consortium for the student’s attendance. Bills are generated based on the number of days the students are in a program.