It is the Same All Over

I hope you had an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent weekend in some way. Looks like a few more days of nice weather before the true fall settles in.

I had an interesting weekend. I went to Buffalo for a wedding and to check in with our college son at the University at Buffalo. I did not know anyone at the wedding except for the bride and groom, so when we sat down at our table for dinner my wife and I met three other couples, one from Rochester, one from London, Ontario, and one from the near the Fingerlakes area. After we went through all of the small talk (nice weather, how many kids, how old are they, etc...) the conversation settled into children and what they (and their parents) are dealing with.

At this point in the conversation these couples had no idea that I was a school superintendent. Each couple described their biggest challenge as trying to keep their children from being cyber-bullied and from them cyber-bullying. This was seconded by the fear of the parents who had daughters and the possibility of them interacting with people on the Internet that were not known to them.

I sat back and was stunned, but probably should not have been. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and ask.fm all exist in most places in the world and anyone with access can connect and interact. The conversation ended on a positive note with none of them blaming the school system but rather mentioning how they all needed to continue to step up and be involved in their children's lives so maybe they would stay away from some of the negativity that the Internet can bring.

When they asked me what I did for a living, I told them and thanked them for the case study. I then told them that the school should be a parent partner, as well as some of the curriculum that has to be covered (at least in the U.S.) related to cyber-bullying. What a neat experience!

While I was there the Marching Band held their annual Tournament of Bands and by all accounts the night was jam packed with happy patrons! Great music, great food, and great company; what more could you ask for?

If you don't follow me on Twitter but your son or daughter does and comes home with a joke or one liner be advised!  I put a joke up one day and then visited the high school. The students really wanted me to post a joke of the day to get them going, so I am going to post a clean, safe for work or school joke on my Twitter account until I run out of them.  Hopefully I can find enough of them to make it through the year.  Anything to keep the students connected!

I will be attending a ton of events and meetings this week, so I will probably run into many of you. This week is also spirit week at the high school as we lead up to Homecoming this Friday.  This is going to be a great week!

Enjoy!

Chris

A Busy Week...A Busier Weekend!

I am usually an early adopter when it comes to all things related to technology. For some reason I did not download the new operating system for my iPhone, and I am really glad that I didn't. My Facebook news feed and Twitter timeline have been littered with angry comments, while I continue to be able to use my "old" phone without any trouble!

Honoring a Student: I was able to use my phone to take some pretty cool pictures last week in classrooms and at a few events. A few of my favorites came from Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday night I had the honor to recognize freshman Marshall Winn for saving the life of a person who was drowning over the summer. He brought his immediate and extended family to our Board of Education meeting and was presented a plaque on behalf of the Board of Education and our entire school community for his efforts. Congratulations and thank you to Marshall for his poise, character, and efforts.

Friday Night Spirit: Friday was a beautiful night as the remnants of the Harvest Moon began to fill the sky, and our Wildcat football team took the field. Their play was nothing short of spectacular, especially considering that they were down a couple of key players due to injury. From my vantage point, I was able to enjoy everything that a Friday night football game brings including: the huge crowds, spirit-filled cheerleaders, an unbelievable half-time show provided by our Marching Band, and of course our mascot, the Wildcat! As the Wildcat (senior Neil Goodman) and I took a "selfie" on the sidelines, he told me that it was pretty hot inside that costume. I asked if he wanted to take a break and he said, "no way, there is too much cheering to do!" Awesome!

I purposely stood near the student section known as the "Wildcat Nation" because I wanted to hear their interaction with our football team, Marching Band, our cheerleaders, the opponent's cheerleaders, and their football team. I was very proud of our students (I would estimate about 500). They cheered loudly for our team, supported our cheerleaders, clapped for our Marching Band, made no comments to our opposition, and boo'd at a couple of "bad calls", which I can totally deal with. I hope we can sustain the size and behavior of the Nation for our other fall sports and continue this right into the winter sports season. I was on cloud nine to say the least. Nice work all around!

Racing for Respect: Unfortunately, I did miss the Race for Respect. This was the 15th Annual Race and the only one I have not been able to attend since I came to the District. My son was home for the first time from college, and I have a badly rolled ankle. I would like to thank Mr. Blake and all of our other organizers for putting another great event together. Even though it was rainy and cold, the turnout was great!  I hope to see everyone at our next community building event, the annual Culture Fair, that will take place in late winter.

Open Houses: We have a couple of Open Houses left this week (Camillus Middle School and West Genesee Middle School) that I am sure will be well attended and supported.

Newsletters Coming Soon...We will also have a paper version of The Communicator for fall mailed shortly (we send three per year) followed closely by a printed Capital Project version of The Communicator which we should have finished and ready for proofing by the end of the week (look for it in your mailboxes the first week of October).

Have a great week and I will post again soon.

Chris

Congratulations Are In Order...

I hope that you all had a great weekend. I spent mine watching my two favorite football teams (Syracuse for college and Buffalo for Pro) win finally! I hope that they are both starting something special.  The Marching Band had another strong performance over the weekend as well, scoring an 82.3 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The program is solid, and the performers are very determined.  I have had a chance to watch a handful of Marching Band practices and the term "hard core" comes to mind!

Communications are Recognized: Congratulations are in order for Bonnie Russell, our School Information Officer, all of our proofreaders, and YOU all of our readers. For starters this blog has hit the 200,000 reads milestone! Who would have thought that so many people from our community, around the country, and around the globe would tune into what we are doing in our school community. I have felt that you cannot over communicate and the readership of this blog confirms that.

The New York State Public Relations Association also handed out top awards for our website (Excellence), Superintendent's Twitter feed (Honor) and E-Newsletters (Honor).  These are not easily achieved.  Thanks to all who make our social media presence as good as it is and also thanks again to all who have tuned in!

We have held the majority of our open houses for the year which have been very well attended and with very positive feedback.  It is great to start the school year off well considering all of the change we have had to work through. Nice work!

Transportation Adjustments are Made: Mr. Williams in transportation is making the last changes to bus runs for the school year which is actually ahead of schedule. Remembering that he had to schedule for redistricting and interaction time at the middle schools, as well as accommodate children attending private and parochial schools. I think his summer vacation needs to start now! By the end of this week we expect to be running at full capacity and with all of the last changes completed. Thanks to Mr. Williams and all of his staff for their hard work.

Road Construction Update: Construction still continues on West Genesee Street around the high school. Updates are always posted on our website and social media as we receive them from the Department of Transportation. Right now you should plan on another month or so of lights that are not timed quite right, lane closures, and a little longer commute in the morning. My suggestion is still to leave a little early or to use Kasson Road and drive through Walmart and Lowes to get to the high school until the lights are timed correctly and the lane closures are completed.

Family is Important: Lastly, a very Happy Birthday this week to my dad who turns 70 on Tuesday. I am fortunate to still have both my parents, and my dad has certainly helped me to become the person I am today. Thanks!

Have a great week and I will post again soon.

Chris

Capital Project Overview

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the time has come to do some repairs, updates, and renovations.  As a superintendent I have been involved in many different projects, and the approach that I have always taken with the community has been one of transparency, cutting to the chase, and exceeding expectations. Basically, like we have handled everything else since my arrival.

This will be the longest blog that you will see from me, but I want you to have all the facts about this proposed project. We will have an even more detailed newsletter that will be sent home during the first week in October. This information will give you an overview, talking points, and of course the financial considerations.  If you have any questions you can contact me at 315-487-4682 or cbrown@westgenesee.org. Thank you for your continued support!

Capital Project Facts:

Total Scope of Project: $24,305,200

Total Tax Impact: $6.00 or less on a home valued at $100,000

Timeframe: Vote day is November 12, 2013 from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium Lobby

Project Timeline: Security and technology updates begin immediately following the vote with the "Brick and mortar" changes completed in 15-24 months from vote day worst case scenario; 12-15 months best case scenario.

Overview of Project:

This project will address security, technology, energy efficiency, repair, updating, and new construction. The areas impacted with this project were NOT included in the previous District Capital Projects completed prior to my arrival in 2008. 

• Security updates involve installation or reconfiguration of security systems both inside and outside of buildings 
• Technology updates include wireless access for all buildings, faster Internet, Internet phone systems, and changes to the Internet filter. 
• Repairs, renovations, energy efficiencies and updates include playgrounds, parking lots, locker room at the high school, pool, roofs, boilers, windows, emergency power generators at the high school and both middle schools, and air conditioning to all buildings, to list the substantial pieces.  More detail is below by building.

Voters will also be asked to approve the establishment of a reserve fund to replace the turf at the high school in about five to seven years.  The reserve will be funded by additional monies that come to the District from various sources over the next few years.

New construction consists of adding cafeteria and special education spaces to Onondaga Road and East Hill Elementary Schools. Students currently eat in their classrooms.

Public Meetings:

I will be speaking about the proposed project at the upcoming public meetings: 

• October 1 – Split Rock PTO meeting
• October 9 – Onondaga Road PTA meeting 
• October 10 – Stonehedge PTA meeting 
• October 15 – West Genesee High School PTSO meeting
• October 16 – District Council meeting 
• October 22 – West Genesee Middle School PTA meeting 
• November 4 – East Hill PTA meeting

Overview of Project by Building:

West Genesee High School

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Pool Repairs; Upgrades
• Roof Repairs
• Locker Room; Gymnasium Bleacher Replacement
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator

West Genesee Middle School

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Roof Repairs
• Locker Room; Gymnasium Bleacher Replacement
• Building Security
• Boiler Upgrades
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator

Camillus Middle School

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Elevator Replacement
• Gymnasium Bleacher Replacement
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator

Stonehedge Elementary School

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Air Conditioning - Full Building
• Restroom Upgrades
• Playground Enhancements
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator – If funding is available after all other work.

Split Rock Elementary School

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Air Conditioning - Remaining Building
• Playground Enhancements
• Restroom; Locker Room Upgrades
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator – If funding is available after all other work.

Onondaga Road Elementary School

• Library Addition / Cafeteria Reconfiguration
• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Air Conditioning - Full Building
• Restroom Upgrades
• Playground Enhancements
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades 
• Emergency Generator – If funding is available after all other work.

East Hill Elementary School

• Library Addition / Cafeteria Reconfiguration
• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone system
• Air Conditioning - Full Building
• Playground Replacement
• Restroom Upgrades
• Building Security
• Site, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and General Construction Repairs and Upgrades
• Emergency Generator – If funding is available after all other work.

Transportation Center

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System
• Replace Three (3) In-ground lifts
• Site, drainage, Door and Masonry Repairs and Upgrades

District Office

• Technology Upgrades / IP Phone System

This work will only be completed after all other work has been completed and there is sufficient funding available:

• Drainage Upgrades
• Replace Carpeting
• Storage Facility

Great First Week!

Great Opening Week: Watching a Kindergarten student step off of the bus for the first time is just like watching an astronaut step onto the moon for the first time. In that first step you can see excitement, nerves, and hesitation all at the same time. I watched one of our youngsters step off of the bus and lean backwards from the weight of his backpack meeting gravity! I have no idea what he possibly could have had in there on the first day of school. Algebra and Chemistry books come a little later in the game.

I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful opening week. Parents, students, and staff were patient, upbeat, and positive as we worked through some of the usual growing pains of starting a new school year. Transportation is settling down as drivers know who they are picking up, where they go, and the best ways to complete their bus runs. This will get even more refined in the coming week.

Girls Lacrosse Coach is Recognized: Congratulations goes out to Bob Elmer who is a teacher at the high school and our Girls Varsity Lacrosse Coach. He is being inducted into the US Lacrosse (Upstate, NY Chapter) Hall of Fame on October 20. Mr. Elmer has been the lacrosse coach since 2000 and has won 12 League titles, 9 Section III Championships, and 6 New York State Championships. He has also had the privilege to coach a total of 26 All-Americans, and counting. We are very proud of Mr. Elmer and would ask you to congratulate him if you see him.

We Have an App for That: Have you downloaded our app yet? To date approximately 1,400 parents and students are using the app. You can check schedules, grades, lunch account balances, sports scores, events calendars, and much more. For more information about the app and how to download it, click here.

Progress We Have Made: If you have been following our progress since my arrival in 2008, you know that we have worked successfully through some pretty challenging times. We had to lay off staff, freeze wages, change offerings, and share services in order to weather the economic storm that we were faced with. With your support we were able to navigate that difficult time and we have stabilized and are working in a positive direction once again. We went from hiring four people in 2010, to 82 people this school year. We have kept our taxes well below the "tax cap" for West Genesee, and we have continued to find academic, fine art, and athletic success.

Capital Project is Next: Since our resources were previously limited, the next phase of our plan is to work through a Capital Project that will take care of some of our needs and provide for future considerations.   This link will take you to a very brief presentation about the highlights of the project we are proposing. I am also going to dedicate a blog to the project where I will explain each category (security, technology, repair, energy efficiency, general maintenance, and reserve funding) in much more detail.  I will release that next week so that everyone has all of the facts and details as we lead up to a project vote on November 12. I will also outline dates when I will present the project in person and answer any questions.

I am out of town this weekend, so best of luck to our sports teams and Marching Band as they head into their first games and competitions!  I will be checking the app and Twitter (@cbrownwgcsd) for updates!

Chris