And Now the Feds...

The week before Spring break is always interesting. Students and staff are itchy to get a week off before the final push toward the end of the school year. The weather should be nice, and I think that we can all use a little breather. Most of us will be working to finish the budget, prepare items for the vote in May, and begin planning for exams and graduation. 

We will also be picking up the pieces surrounding all of the reductions that we have to make for next year in response to the Governor's budget. We are in the process now of waiting to see how much is cut from the Federal budget for education and also waiting to move past the budget vote on May 17 to assemble groups of people to try and figure out new and different ways to provide the services that we have had to reduce. We will find answers to most of the challenges that lie ahead, but the key is to think differently.

Have a great week, and I hope to be able to post again before Spring break.

Chris

Safety Update

We seldom receive warnings or notices regarding school safety and when we do we take immediate action. Late last evening I received an e-mail (pasted below) that outlines a general threat to certain branches of elected officials and school buses in the state of New York. We have been advised to take necessary precautions during our "pre and post" bus trip time and for our drivers to be extra observant of any odd behavior while out on the road.

Our Transportation Department and our bus drivers take extreme care each and every day. Our buses have been checked for safety, and our drivers are constantly observant of their surroundings. I did want to pass this message along however because you may see this letter of description of a threat on the news, and I wanted you as parents and community members to know that we have things covered.

If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks
Chris

Letter Received from New York State Education Department

Colleagues,

On Friday, April 1, a threatening email was sent from an unknown email
account to members of the media and various state officials. The email
references threats of violence in state office buildings, against the
state legislature and a specific reference to school buses.

The New York State Police, the State Office of Counter Terrorism,
Federal Bureau of Investigation and other officials are devoting their
resources to this matter and are working with other law enforcement
agencies.

We encourage all those involved in school transportation to remain
aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity as
indicated below. As a reminder, all drivers and technicians should
conduct pre trip and post trip inspections with the diligence they do
each day but with an added sense of caution and urgency.

We encourage all drivers and attendants to be watchful for unknown
individuals or any suspicious or unusual behavior along their routes or
at bus stops as well as individuals approaching the school bus. Drivers
should be particularly strict about unknown or unauthorized individuals
attempting to board the school bus. School Transportation supervisors
should be prepared to receive concerns from school bus drivers,
attendants and technicians and assume all observations to be valid until
proven otherwise.

School bus dispatchers should also be prepared and ready to receive
such concerns from school bus drivers and to transmit those concerns or
observations as appropriate to the school district.

If you or your transportation team witness or observe any behavior or
individuals of concern or suspicion, you should report same by calling
the state’s toll free hotline at 1-866-SAFENYS or 1-866-723 3697.

Ken Slentz, Associate Commissioner, Office of District Services
New York State Education Department

Charles A. Szuberla, Jr., Assistant Commissioner, Office of School
Operations
New York State Education Department

Slight of Hand?

When the new State Aid figures were released last week they were not even close to what had been released by the Governor's office in November. At first sight it looked like West Genesee was going to receive an additional $2M in State Aid. The news even reported that our State Aid cut was reduced by more than 50% from the original listing.

A much closer look revealed that the Governor's State Aid run in November did not include a Federal piece called the "Jobs Money" but the new run from last week did.  The "Jobs Money" for West Genesee is close to $1.6M. Take that out of the equation and tighten up Transportation, Building, and BOCES Aid and you end up with a State Aid increase of about $580K.

I was asked over and over again if I felt that the changes in how the aid was listed was a "slight of hand" by the Governor's office. I really don't know. All I can tell you is that his first run did not include a line item that this final run did. 

It is very difficult to explain how a school district receives state aid. Generally speaking, the amount of State Aid that a school receives is dependent on the "wealth" of the district. This wealth is determined by studying the income tax receipts, property values, and the percent of students who receive free/reduced lunch. This is why you might see a neighboring school getting a higher State Aid increase or decrease than West Genesee.

Either way, the amount of State Aid that we received is not going to be enough to bring back any programs that we have scheduled to reduce or eliminate for next year. Even if we did look at bringing back anything we would just be cutting it again next year because the Governor is still focusing on a tax cap and he has already indicated that the State Aid increase for next year will be minimal. We will be using the additional aid to lower our tax levy from 4.8% to 3.8%, fulfilling some contractual obligations, and placing the remainder into our reserves to prepare for another difficult budget in 2012-2013.

I am looking forward to meeting with people to figure out how to move forward with fewer resources because I feel strongly that West Genesee can create new and better ways to do some of the things that have been done "the same way" for decades in all schools in New York State. We will be evaluating our efforts throughout the upcoming year to make sure that what services we do provide are of the highest quality.

I do appreciate your support through our wage freeze efforts, your understanding that programs and people in each area of our schools are going to have to be reduced, and that we cannot make it out of this fiscal crisis by doing what we have always been doing. 

On another note Mrs. Brown and I had the opportunity to attend the Culture Fair on Saturday. As always, what a great event! We sampled food from many different cultures, got to talk with people from around the world, and got to see several different shows performed by people representing several different cultures. I would like to thank Theresa Williams and her helpers for coordinating such a fine event. I am looking forward to next year already! To view a photo gallery of pictures from the event, click here.

It looks like I will be able to get back on schedule this coming week and get into buildings each day to see the students and staff doing their best. This time of the year and especially the budget building process makes this difficult. but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel; and it is not an oncoming train!

Have a great week-

Chris

Everybody Matters

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Governor Cuomo's budget address held at Syracuse University. At this invite-only event was a small gathering of people. Those in attendance were two superintendents (including me), CEOs and top level administrators from area Universities and hospitals, students from both Syracuse University and the Syracuse City School District, elected officials both past and present, and a sprinkling of "citizens".

Until this presentation, the best public speaker that I have seen has been President Obama. I wouldn't say that Governor Cuomo is a better speaker than the President, but I would say that he is pretty close. He spoke for about forty minutes and laid out a budget plan that calls for job loss, consolidation, and pain and he did so with candor, humor, and just the right amount of fist pounding passion needed to get his point across.

I sunk in my chair a couple of times during his presentation. The first was when he spoke about education and his estimation that there has not been any return on investment in education and that our children are not getting any smarter even though the state keeps giving money. He indicated that schools are not going to get additional money until they prove themselves. He received a loud ovation. He then indicated that superintendents make too much money. Again a rousing ovation. When he finished with his entire speech, outlining changes to all areas, he received a long standing ovation. I walked away from the event with the clarity that people are appreciative of his budget tightening efforts and are ready for change and reform. As a leader I will carry the charge and make things happen, but it will be interesting if the Governor gets the same appreciation when parents see all that will be lost for next year and beyond.

One thing that separates me from others is probably that I do not dwell in negativity. I do not have time for that. I prefer to take the information that I have and make the changes necessary to fit within the parameters that I have been given. I do advocate, make phone calls, and lobby just like every other leader, but I also prefer to make change instead of reacting to change. If you have followed our budget building process you will see this philosophy reflected.

Something that struck me as odd over the past few weeks is being asked why I asked food service workers, custodians, cleaners, and bus drivers to take a wage freeze along with the rest of our employees. I hear that "they don't save enough to make it worthwhile".  Everyone matters. When a bus driver gets a cold or I get a cold are they different?  Do we shop at the same stores, talk to the same people, attend the same events, and live in the same community?  Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Why then, would I not want to include them in our District effort to save jobs and opportunities? We are the West Genesee family, and we do things together. This is more important than money saved any day.

This weekend is the third-annual Culture Fair. We are excited at all of the different cultures that will be featured, and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to interact with many different community members. 

Have a great week and I will see you soon.

Chris

Something Cooler than Video Games

I know that we think of teenagers sometimes as mutants who wear the same shirt everyday (even though there is a closet full of others), make goofy noises, and define a perfect evening as one spent in the basement playing video games all night with their friends.

Our house is the usual weekend hangout for several of my boys' friends and this past weekend was no different. On Saturday night there they all were, relaxing in front of the X-Box, making goofy noises and eating everything that the pantry had to offer, when I yelled down the stairs to see if they wanted to see the full moon.

Up they came one after the other, wide eyed and excited to see the largest full moon in twenty years. Not only did they come to the window, they put on shoes and sweatshirts and went outside to get the best view possible. Some took pictures with their cell phone cameras and some just said, "Cool!".  Moments later they all descended back into the basement, but I paused and was pleased to know that there are still little kids in those lanky, goofy noise making, pantry eating teenage bodies. It was a good thing.

The previous evening Mrs. Brown and I attended and participated in a game of wheel chair basketball with high school students and staff. While I would have been happier if more people had attended, the message that we received was loud and clear. The organizers, Move Along, Inc., made sure that we recognized the challenges that students with disabilities face but also made us feel very comfortable and welcomed. I would love to support this type of event on an annual basis, and I almost wonder if it would fit into our District Culture Fair.

Speaking of the Culture Fair, our third annual celebration of our differences is coming up on April 2. The t-shirts are great and can be obtained through the high school office. If you wear one you will be the coolest person within twenty feet of you. Imagine that. We have added a few new booths this year to the Culture Fair including Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope which is a grass-roots anti-bullying effort created by our students. The group will fit into our District-wide program shortly.

Monday night is our National Honor Society induction ceremony, Tuesday is an evening with parents who have children with disabilities, and Wednesday is a prime time special on Channel 9 about the budget (in case you haven't heard enough about that) that I was asked to participate in. Exciting stuff and plenty of work to keep us all busy.

Enjoy your week!

Chris

What do our Academic Decathlon team members and Michael Jordan have in common?

Answer-they both competed in North Carolina. That's right, our Academic Decathlon Team will be taking their talents to North Carolina after winning the New York State Championship over the weekend. As a reminder, this competition is for excellence in academics, responding to pressure, and having a personality.  Our students have been competing for the state title for the past three years, and their hard work and response to Mr. Duda's demands have paid off. I am very excited to see how we do at the national level and will certainly keep you posted.



Pictured in front from, left to right, are Alec Kearns, Kevan Spencer, and Jerry Roy.
 In the back, from left to right, are Matthew Serrao, Caitlin Nolan, Kaitlyn Richards,
Thomas Brogan, Dennis (DJ) Campbell, Jennifer Smacher, and Coach Scott Duda.
(Not pictured is team participant Abigail Hard.)



There were some great concerts last week, as well as a production of Hello Dolly at Camillus Middle School.  Spring sports are now in full swing (no pun intended. baseball players), and the most updated game schedules can be found at westgenesee.org.

I would also like to remind you that we have shared all of our budget information to date on our web site as well. I am not a big fan of surprises and neither should you in this case so please feel free to view all of our documents on our web site, and you can contact me with any questions you might have. I am hopeful to be able to announce updated information concerning our wage freeze around the middle of the week and besides that update, there is nothing new to report. 

Our bullying task force will be returning to work shortly to discuss and select from several different student anti-bullying programs that are available. We have also made the results of our recent bullying survey available to all of our staff and students, and as soon as I figure out how to make it available to you I will let you know.

This week will be busy once again and full of meetings, building visits, budget presentations, and C.O.D.E. graduations. I am hopeful to see many of you in my travels. Have a great week and congratulations once again to our Academic Decathlon Team members and Mr. Duda.

Chris

When A Weekend Isn't Relaxing

On Friday my family and I had to travel down to Kentucky to attend a funeral for someone very close to us.  The drive alone is tiring (about nine hours) plus all of the emotion that comes with having to say goodbye to someone you really care for.

Saturday was a pretty good day in Syracuse though. SU got a big win; Ben Seketa broke a school record in swimming; Bill Gabriel, John DeLallo, and Laura Leff ran well in track; and Jake Pelton saved 51 shots on goal in a four overtime effort against Williamsville North that ended with the Wildcats coming up just short.  I had also heard that the Science Fair went very well at Split Rock School, and the Mr. West  Genesee pageant was a great success as well.  I went to bed happy for all of the kids and their efforts and looked forward to getting back home.

On Sunday morning we were up bright and early and hit the road at 5:50 a.m. Our drive started out uneventful enough but then things got weird.  Near Columbus we were not able to get to the on ramp that would get us to Cleveland. There were Police at each of the on ramps that we tried to use. We were then able to see nearly two dozen cars well off the road. Some were flipped, some twisted, and some looked like they had rolled. Black ice for sure. We found a bypass to get us in our correct route and about three hours into our nine hour ride my phone rings.  It is our security service calling to let me know that the "waterbug" in our sump pump hole was chirping which means that something was clearly wrong.

A quick call to my parents and brother-in-law lead to what I was afraid of. Our sump pump pipe had sprung a leak and water was spraying all over the basement. They were able to fix it but let me know that I would be coming home to "a mess". Awesome.

Just then the weather started to turn to icy rain, then snow, then icy rain, and then rain. Cars off the road everywhere. Somehow we got ourselves home, tired, needing to grocery shop, and needing to clean the basement.

The moral of the story is that never getting too high or too low about anything are the keys to staying composed. Things can always be better, or worse, and sometimes you just have to work through things to get to the other side.  I use this lesson each day as I try to get the budget completed, make many changes that won't be fun for anyone, and still allow us to be on top academically.

Since my last post our office staff, food service manager, and substitute teachers all agreed to our wage freeze proposal.  All I can say is THANK YOU.  We are only a few groups away from reaching our goal. Who else can say that?

Lastly, on Tuesday I am going to be meeting with the high school students to discuss the results of our bullying survey, facebook, and our budget. Students are more aware than we give them credit for, and I really enjoy the opportunity to meet and discuss things with them face-to-face.

Have a great week.

Chris