City Schools

Last year, Robert Morris Elementary Student Council members spearheaded a collection of school supplies for the Father Oryang Memorial Primary School in Africa.

The effort was inspired by a visit from Moses Owiny, a community worker from Uganda, who came to Batavia as part of a global internship program. The beneficiary school was attended by Owiny as a child.

At the invitation of Diane Bonarigo, principal of the now-closed Robert Morris Elementary School, Owiny met with Robert Morris students and shared stories about his life in Uganda. This helped students understand the vast differences in education as well as in poverty.

Afterward, student council members decided to collect supplies for the rural school that serves approximately 1,300 students. While Robert Morris started the project, student council members at Jackson, John Kennedy, and Batavia Middle School quickly jumped in to lend support to donate items as well as money toward shipping costs.

By the time all the pens, pencils, glue sticks, erasers, rulers, colored pencils, crayons, markers, paper, and tape were collected, students had enough to fill 19 boxes -- 11 of which went to Uganda and eight to a school in the Dominican Republic where elementary music teacher Jeffrey Langdon’s daughter is a teacher.

Students packed the boxes, with help from Barb and Jim Rumsey who also transported everything to the post office.

Students were thrilled to see their bounty arrive in Uganda, courtesy of Facebook pictures posted by Owiny and shared here.

Highlights from the Batavia City School District (BCSD) Board of Education meeting on Jan. 8 include news and updates about the following: 

• Security and Safety Procedures Review
• Focus Update
• Kindergarten Registration Begins Feb. 4
• Curriculum Coordinator Hired
• Budget Ambassadors Appointed
• Richmond Memorial Library Updates Goals
• Financial Summary Report

Security and Safety Procedures Reviewed

Superintendent of Schools Chris Dailey announced that an “Emergency Go Home Early Drill” will be held on Feb. 5 as part of the required State Safety Plan. All students will be released at 1:15 p.m. and off of school grounds by 1:30 p.m.

The BOE Safety Committee Chair Amy Barone reported that the committee met in December with Batavia City Police Chief Shawn Heubusch to review and discuss school safety. In addition to providing the district’s internal safety plan to the police department, the group discussed more police presence on school property (including both an increase in patrolling the grounds as well as having officers come inside buildings during extracurricular activities), police access to school buildings in a lock-down situation, the possibility of funding safety officer positions at schools, an increase in number and type of safety drills, and modifications to existing safety equipment and building design to increase safety functionality.

Election Day, which has been highlighted as a safety concern due to the schools being open to all voters on a day when children are present, was also discussed with proposals ranging from moving the election site off school grounds to scheduling a Superintendent’s Conference Day on voting days so that students would not be in the buildings.

Focus District Update

With two of his training sessions in Albany completed and another coming up in March, Superintendent Dailey reported that the district continues to move forward with meeting state requirements and criteria for the school improvement plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

As one of the state’s requirements for the evaluation process is to work with non-district educational experts, Dailey noted that the district is fortunate to be working with Steve Uebbing, Ed.D., and Sandra Quinones, Ed.D., from the University of Rochester. They will meet with district administration and staff to help increase understanding of the six tenets of the state’s diagnostic process as well as to facilitate preparation for the state’s visits to the district and the middle school. The visit will take place in June.

In addition, bids are going out to approved vendors for the creation of surveys to solicit feedback from students, staff and parents. Overall, Dailey said, the process in very extensive and the district continues to make progress.

As noted at previous board meetings, the district did not meet New York State’s proficiency benchmarks in the 2010-2011 school year for one subgroup of students. As a result, it has been identified by the NYS Education Department as a Focus District, which is required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement for this subgroup.

Because the middle school has the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup, it was chosen as the Focus School. The district has assembled a school improvement committee to develop and implement a plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

It’s important to note that the data used for the determination dates back to the 2010-2011 school year and if data from 2011-2012 had been used, the district would have made the target cut points. So while the district is responsible for following an approved Comprehensive Improvement Plan, many of the strategies and plans are already under way and yielding positive results.

Kindergarten Registration Begins Feb. 4

Superintendent Dailey announced that kindergarten registration for the 2013-2014 school year will take place Feb. 4-8 at Jackson Primary School in the multipurpose room.

Children who will be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2013 are eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall. To register, parents are asked to go to Jackson primary on one of the designated school days between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and bring with them proof of residency such as a current utility bill or formal lease agreement, as well as the child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, and complete record of immunizations. Please note that no child can be registered without the required documentation.

Parents of new first-grade pupils are also asked to register their child in the same time frame and with the same documentation.


Jackson Primary School is located at 411 S. Jackson St. The office phone number is 343-2480, ext. 4000.

Curriculum Coordinator Hired

Superintendent Dailey announced that Curriculum Coordinator Jolene Dettman will begin work on Jan. 18. The position is shared with Pavilion Central School District. She comes from Monroe 2 where she developed expertise in the Common Core and in curriculum development.

Budget Ambassadors Appointed

Sherri Bartz, Rodney Brinkman, Frank DeMare, Jacquie Fowler, Michael Grammatico, Jay Gsell, Jill Halpin, Lynn Heintz, Patti Johnson, Cheryl Kowalik, Jason Molino, Marcia Riley, Durin Rogers, Richard Seymour, and Danielle Torcello applied and were appointed to be Budget Ambassadors for the 2013-2014 district budget proposal.

Ambassadors are residents of the district who volunteer and commit to serve on a committee which meets for two (2) two and a half (2.5) hour evening sessions. Ambassadors review the preliminary budget as developed by the administration (within parameters established by the Board of Education) and recommend to the board any modification(s) they would like to see. Their recommendations, while highly valued, are advisory rather than binding as the board develops the Proposed Budget to be brought to the voters. In addition, ambassadors agree to explain their work to any interested individual in the community.

Richmond Memorial Library Updates Goals

In addition to continuing to build on its previous goals related to space utilization, technology usage, working with the business community, and fiscal responsibility, the Richmond Memorial Library Board has approved goals for 2013-2017. Library Director Diana Wyrwa presented the revised mission statement and outlined the four goals.

The updated mission statement is “Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational, and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment.”

The four goals are:

1.      Engage diverse populations with specific library programs and services.

2.      Provide multifaceted resources and assistance for all ages to continue learning throughout their lives.

3.      Act as a central source for information about and support of the wide variety of programs, services, and activities available to Batavia residents.

4.      Provide ongoing economic stability for the library.

In addition, Wyrwa announced that, in 2014, the library will celebrate being open for 125 years. Plans are being made now to commemorate that event.

Financial Summary Report

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the November 2012 revenue and expenses for the district, reviewing them in comparison to the November 2011 figures.  

Overall, the recorded revenues in the year-to-year comparison were fairly consistent, with an increase of $467,000 or slightly less than 2 percent. The most significant increases were recorded in Real Property Tax Levy and in state and federal aid. Real Property Tax Levy, which is counted as revenue when levied rather than when actually received, showed an increase of $355,000. State and federal aid showed an increase of $311,000, largely due to the state making its customary TRS (Teacher Retirement System) payments which the district is obliged to record as income.

Decreases in the “miscellaneous” category of $153,000 were largely due to BOCES refunds for both unused billed expenses as well as an increase in their state aid. In addition, the Non-property Tax Items category (utility tax) was down slightly more than $86,000. The utility tax, as has often been reported, experiences regular fluctuations and has been trending lower than last year.

Expenses were up by approximately $93,000 or slightly less than 1 percent, which was less than expected and primarily due to timing of payments in transportation.

Announcement:

Due to the pending sale of the Administration Building at 39 Washington Ave., the Batavia City School District Administration Offices will be relocated to Batavia High School, 260 State St., starting Friday, Nov. 9.

The offices will all be accessible through the State Street parking lot.

Superintendent/Personnel -- Room 48

Registration/Curriculum -- Room 40

Student Services -- Room 43

Buildings & Grounds -- Room 41

Business -- Room 45

Boardroom -- Room 49

All phone numbers and extensions will remain the same. Any questions, please call 343-2480, ext. 1000.

Electrical wires rubbing against a tree limb early this morning sparked a small fire at Washington and Ross streets, which led to a power outage for the area and the closure of all Batavia City Schools.

The location is directly in front of Batavia Middle School.

The school district posted this statement on its Web site this morning: "All of the schools in the Batavia City School District are closed today, October 30, due to a power line malfunction."

The fire and school closure were perhaps the most significant overnight event as a result of what was left of Superstorm Sandy passing over Genesee County.

There were only a few trees down, some power loss -- at one point, more than 1,800 National Grid customers were without power -- and a couple of utility poles fell.

The current city outage effects 178 customers. There is also an outage is South Byron for 49 customers and another in East Bethany for 23 customers.

National Grid crews are also working in Darien this morning to restore power to fewer than five homes.

As Sandy winds down, the forecast for Genesee County over the next six hours is for cloudy and windy conditions with scattered rain showers. Winds will blow east-northeast at 20 to 25 mph.

A flood watch remains in effect until noon.

The other storm damage early this morning in the city was a window was blown out on the front of Falcone Electric Supply Co., on West Main Street.

District Improvement Plans Shared
As noted by Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio at previous Board meetings, the District did not meet New York State’s proficiency benchmarks for one subgroup of students and, as a result, has been identified as a Focus District which is required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement. Subgroups are groups of at least 30 students who share commonalities of race, ethnicity, economical disadvantage, disability, or of being English language learners. Because the Middle School has the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup identified by the State, it was chosen as the Focus School. Mrs. Puzio emphasized that the three-year Focus District process presents an opportunity to concentrate on closing the gap between the performance of all students and students who are members of sub-groups.  Therefore, efforts toward improvement will be district-wide in their scope and will address the needs of all students who are not yet proficient. 

Mrs. Puzio and Batavia Middle School Principal Sandy Griffin presented information about the three-year plans to the Board.

   In order to be removed from the list of Focus Districts, schools must meet all the participation requirements in English language arts (ELA) and math for all accountability groups, have a combined Performance Index, or PI, (a value from 0-200, with 0 meaning that no students are meeting standards and with 200 meaning that all students are exceeding standards) in ELA and mathematics for the identified subgroup that exceeds the statewide benchmark for two consecutive years, achieve a combined PI in ELA and math in grades 3-12 of 122 during those two consecutive years, and have no other subgroup’s PI fall below the statewide benchmark.

More after the jump (click on the headline):

   By reviewing testing data, utilizing needs assessments, and examining recommendations, administrators and teachers have been working to create two plans that identify areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement: a District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and a School Comprehensive Education Plan. As required by the State, these plans must be collaboratively developed and approved by the Board of Education before being sent to the State for approval. Additionally, the plan is built around six tenets identified in the State Education Department’s Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness as aligning with research-based proven practices of effective schools. The six tenets, which were identified by a diverse group of experts in the field of education and research, include: 1) District Leadership and Capacity, 2) School Leader Practices and Decisions, 3) Curriculum Development and Support, 4) Teacher Practices and Decisions, 5) Student Social and Emotional Developmental Health, and 6) Family and Community Engagement.

   Consequently, our district’s plan is built around three main ideas: improve initial teaching; create strong interim assessments and data review systems to ensure that students are on target, and individualize interventions. For improving initial teaching, the goals are to ensure that the curriculum is aligned to the more rigorous Common Core Learning Standards, to identify and provide professional development where it is most needed, to assist teachers in developing new materials, and to purchase needed resources. In creating and reviewing data, the goals are to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery, to solicit teacher feedback, and to set up a regular cycle of data analysis meetings for honing instructional strategies. In individualizing interventions, the plan calls for utilizing strategies that proved effective in raising literacy scores in the District,  such as increasing time spent on learning tasks, using math software that assesses student’s level of proficiency then provides programs to build that individual’s skills and alerts teachers automatically if skill development  in any particular area is not occurring.

   By the end of the 2012-13 school year, the District will have participated in a site visit by a NYSED Integrated Intervention Team, and the results will form the basis of the district’s 2013-14 plans.

Board Committee Reports

Steve Mountain reported on the Buildings and Grounds committee…

• The date for closing the sale of the Administration Building has not yet been set. The IT department is in the process of moving all its operations out of the Administration Building to the High School, with completion expected by the end of the 2012 Thanksgiving break.
• The committee continues to discuss capital needs, with a report about capital improvements on the Richmond Library roof ready for review. In regard to the library, the committee is discussing the possibility of securing grants designated for the preservation and repair of historic buildings, of which the library is one. In order to pursue grants, voters would need to approve the project first.
• A generic lease agreement for the Robert Morris building was reviewed and approved; specific leasing arrangements will need to come before the Board for approval.

Pat Burk reported on the Legislative Committee, noting that the School Boards convention is this week and he will be taking our Board of Education members’ concerns and priorities to the legislative committee during that portion of the convention.

Amy Barone reported on the Safety Committee, noting that a flu clinic was held for all District staff and their families, and that the committee is developing a webpage on the District’s website for communicating its activities and meetings.

Phil Ricci reported for the Public Relations Committee, noting that the group had an interview with a writer from the NYS School Boards Association publication, On Board. The group continues to explore ways to expand and experiment with the use of social media, and has approved the use of interns for helping to expand news coverage.

Gail Stevens, reporting back from the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership’s Board, noted that their legislative committee, at her suggestion, used pictures comparing Robert Morris pictures - one from last year with students and one from this year with an empty playground - to emphasize the fiscal difficulties faced by school districts. In addition, the Comptroller’s Office is scheduled to provide a list of districts that are in fiscal distress and in danger of becoming insolvent within the next few years.

Batavia High School News

Student Ex-officio Board member Kaitlin Logsdon reported to the Board that

• nine music students have been selected to perform with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for a choral performance, and five others were chosen for performances at the NYS School Music Festival;
• the fall sport season is winding down with teams beginning sectional competitions;
• student government is looking ahead to this week’s Fall Ball and at ideas for a winter assembly;
• Red Ribbon Week is being celebrated this week at the High School as well as at all schools in the District.

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio provided a slideshow featuring seniors at their volunteer sites during Make a Difference Day, noting that one of the missions of the District is to help students become responsible citizens, and community volunteer work is a cornerstone of good citizenship.

Jackson Primary School Request for Part-time Aides

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio noted that Jackson Primary School Principal Diane Bonarigo has requested four part-time teacher aides to help during lunch through to student dismissal time so that the full-time aides can return to classrooms (from lunch duty) where their in-class assistance is needed.

District Financial Summary Reports

   Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the August 2012 revenue and expenses for the District, reviewing them in comparison to the August 2011 figures.  

   Recorded revenues were down by nearly $52,000, primarily in the Non-property Tax Items category (utility tax), which accounted for $32,500. The utility tax, as has often been reported, experiences regular fluctuations and has been trending lower than last year. Medicaid reimbursements, noted in the State and Federal Aid category, were also down by $21,000.

   Expenses were up by $1,142,000, with nearly all of that, 97%, attributable to timing issues: 46% or $525,000 was related to the timing of billed BOCES expenses; 35% was in the timing of health insurance as noted by the $406,000 increase in the Employee Benefits category; and 16% or $160,000 was due to a change in the payroll accrual accounting procedure which will help with the projection of expenditures.  The other 3% was related to one-time expenses of the consolidation process with such things as an increase in summer employees, purchase of packing supplies, and rental of moving vans.

Board member Pat Burk reported to the Board that, according to a report by Buffalo Business First, our district continues to improve its administrative efficiency ranking. The ranking is based on spending per pupil, the ration of pupils per administrative staffer, and the share of the district’s budget devoted to debt service.

Board Members' Training and Workshops

   Mrs. Puzio presented the Board with an agenda for their annual retreat which will take place in November, noting that the agenda  items were developed through reviewing suggestions made by the Board members as well as by reviewing identified needs for our district.

   In another opportunity for growing in expertise, several of the Board members will attend all or part of the annual School Board Convention in Rochester later this week. Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey highlighted many of the workshops that may be of particular interest to Board members serving in our district, including sessions on finances, communication, negotiations, legislation, and mandates.

Board of Education Appreciation Week

   In honor of Board of Education Recognition Week, designated by the NYS School Boards Association as a week to pause and reflect on the contributions of school board members, the Batavia Clerical Association sent a thank you card to express their appreciation to the Board of Education. They included a $50 donation to the Salvation Army Backpack Program in honor of the Board. The Backpack Program provides a weekend supply of healthy snacks for District children in need. 

Annual External Audit Report Presented

David Mancuso of Freed Maxick, CPAs, PC, presented a summary of their audit of the basic financial statements of the Batavia City School District for the fiscal year that ended June 30, indicating that there were no significant, unusual or controversial transactions or accounting practices.  

   Some specific points from the report and presentation follow. 

• The district currently maintains an A1 credit rating from Moody’s Credit Corporation, which is among the highest in Genesee County. 
• Amid uncertain economic times, the district has been successful in efforts to spend and budget conservatively, as well as to plan for the long-term by setting funds aside in reserve for specific areas of concern: unemployment insurance, retirement contribution, repairs, and employee benefit liability. In an economic climate where the future is likely to see reduced state aid as well as increased expenses, continued economic conservatism is to be encouraged.   
• The district total tax levy has increased only $473,599 or 2.97 percent since 2007-08 or an average yearly increase of $94,720 or averaging 0.59 percent, while at the same time maintaining most of our educational program offerings by restructuring its educational plan and building footprint.  
• The district finished the year with an unexpected general fund surplus of approximately $451,519. This was primarily due to conservative budget estimates in difficult-to-predict categories such as to special education services, foster care tuition, and utilities; being able to cover some budgeted payroll costs with money from grants, delaying purchasing and savings in utilities because of a rather mild winter. The district was able to put this money into the retirement contribution reserve to help with future increases in employer contribution rate increases which are tentatively anticipated to rise over 18 percent for 2013-14 and 13 percent for 2014-15. 
• The unassigned fund balance (formerly referred to as undesignated fund balance) of the district’s general fund was $1,508,767 and this amount was within the state’s limit of 4 percent of the ensuing year’s budget, excluding of the amount designated for the subsequent year’s budget.  

The complete report will be available on the district’s Web site (www.bataviacsd.org): go to the “District” tab for a drop-down menu, scroll down and click on “Business Office,” click on “Financial Reports,” then scroll down to the appropriate report. 

More after the jump, click on the headline.

Jackson Primary School Toured

Jackson Primary School Principal Diane Bonarigo welcomed the board of education members and guests to the school which now houses two universal pre-kindergarten classrooms (each with a morning and afternoon class), 10 kindergarten classes, nine first-grade classes, and one 12:1 class. In addition to providing a tour of the facility, she introduced several initiatives that will begin soon. The first, Science Stars, “starring” first-graders, will run from November to June and will involve various labs and activities that will culminate in a science fair. A second will be an ELA and math night this fall for students and their parents in which teachers will plan and present fun lessons aligned with the Common Core Standards. In January, advanced writers and readers will have an opportunity to publish a piece of their work, ideally one with a national audience.

Annual Professional Performance Review Plan (APPR) Approved

In the final step before submitting it to the NYS Education Department (NYSED), Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey presented the district’s APPR plan to the board for its approval. In his presentation, he explained the 100-point scoring system that is used to rate teachers and principals as highly effective (91-100 points), effective (75-90 points), developing (65-74 points), or ineffective (0-64 points), noting that “effective” and “highly effective” are the only acceptable target scores. In addition, he explained state and local criteria and measurement tools -- such as student grades on state and/or local assessments, on-site observations by a supervisor, and setting and meeting targeted goals that boost student success -- that are used to determine scores. While the APPR format is new, the process of staff development and of implementing strategies to improve student learning -- the true aim of the APPR plan -- have long been the standard.

The board adopted the plan which now will be sent to the NYS Education Department for approval. While expecting the plan to be approved by the state, Mr. Dailey also reminded the board that this was a one-year plan so the committee will continue to review and adjust it in preparation for next year. The board and superintendent of schools commended Mr. Dailey and the committee for their work in the development of the plan.

The APPR plan, once approved by the state, will be posted on the district Web site.

2013-2014 Budget Calendar and Board’s Budget Guidelines

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski submitted for approval a budget calendar to be followed for the preparation and presentation of the 2012-2013 spending plan for the district, leading up to the vote in May. Some important dates to note include the following:

·                Deadline for turning in Budget Ambassador applications: Jan. 3

·                Budget Ambassador meetings: Feb. 13 and 20

·                Board of Education petitions due: April 24

·                Voter Registration Day: April 24

·                Proposed Budget available for public view: May 6

·                Presentation of Proposed Budget/Propositions: May 14, 7 p.m., Batavia High

·                Budget, Board of Education, and Propositions (if any) vote: May 21, 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. at Batavia High and John Kennedy Intermediate schools.

He also presented suggested guidelines requiring board input and approval, based on parameters that the board has set in the past for the development of the preliminary budget. Those guidelines, as approved by the board, include:

• Meet all applicable mandates, and health, safety, and legal requirements;
• Fulfill all contractual obligations;
• Support educational programs and services vital to successful implementation of the district mission and vision;
• Identify alternative funding sources;
• Prepare the first draft of the 2013-14 budget with a tax levy increase over the 2012-13 budget of no more than the Consumer Price Index, or the calculated tax levy cap.

Student Count and Consolidation; Superintendent Report

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio reported that the annual count of students which provides a snapshot of student enrollment -- the Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) -- held no big surprises. The district has 23 more students than at this time last year, most of which are in the ninth grade and, to a slightly lesser degree, the fifth grade.

In continuing to check in on the consolidation process, Mrs. Puzio visited the fifth-grade wing at the middle school during one of the enrichment periods held twice a week. Noting that “it was even better than expected,” she cited the students’ enthusiasm and engagement in their activities, which included groups involved in keyboarding, math games, an art project, and a creative thinking activity. Staying through dismissal, she was pleased to report that it all went very smoothly.

Press release:

The Batavia City School District Board of Education’s Public Relations Committee continues to explore cost-effective ways to increase communication with the public and is looking to expand the amount of coverage of district news and accomplishments, the methods of delivery, and opportunities for interaction and feedback.

To help with this, a survey was developed to gather input from a full spectrum of Batavians -- including parents, students, staff, business leaders, and all other community members. The short survey asks about preferences in terms of what kind of communication is important as well as what are the most accessible means for receiving information and responding to district news.

In addition to the survey being available on the district Web site where it can be completed in a few minutes (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=958&school=0), a paper copy has been included in all school newsletters and will be in the A+ Batavia Communicator newsletter scheduled to be in district residents’ mailboxes the first weekend of November.

Completed surveys can be returned to any school office, mailed to the Administration Building (39 Washington Ave.) or to the high school (260 State St.), which is where administrative offices are moving. Please mark envelopes with “Attn: Public Relations Committee.”    

Communication with the community we serve is important; we hope you will take a few minutes to share your thoughts so we can better serve you.

SUBMITTED by Kathie Scott, coordinator of public information, Batavia city schools

“Like Us” on Facebook, and Respond to Survey
Public Relations Committee Chair Patrick Burk reported that the committee continues to explore cost-effective ways to increase coverage of district news and accomplishments, with both the amount of news and the methods of delivery being expanded.

A survey has been posted to the Web site ( http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=958&school=0), will be sent home in school newsletters, and will be inside the district newsletter in order to solicit input from the full spectrum of community members about their preferences regarding district communications. The committee is exploring the use of college interns as well as BHS students as a means to expand its capabilities for covering positive news.

The district launched a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/BataviaCitySchools)  in time for Homecoming and has been encouraging students, particularly those involved with the BHS yearbook and those taking media courses, to become involved in providing pictures and short news items for it. The page will also serve as a feeder that leads back to more detailed information on our Web site.

Also carrying the Homecoming theme, Board Member Gretchen DiFante interviewed two teachers who are BHS alumni -- Physical Education teacher and Varsity Football Coach Brennan Briggs and Science teacher Elena Chmielowiec -- for their stories about graduation from and returning to BHS. That article is posted on our Web site (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=954)  as well as online with www.thebatavian.com and thedailynewsonline.com

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio, who has been an active member of the committee, added that BHS teachers have responded enthusiastically to the idea of incorporating some publicity-related “real life” experiences into their lessons by having students photograph and write about events. She also said she has been keeping the Management Team informed of the PR Committee’s initiatives and all are excited about the possibilities.

BHS Homecoming in Full Swing
Student Ex-officio Board Member Kaitlin Logsdon updated the board members on the activities at the high school, including activities for Homecoming Week, Sept. 24-28. (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=951&school=0 ), and athletic updates, including the boys’ cross-country team coming in first last weekend, gymnastics team coming in second in its last competition, and the swim team winning its first meet of the season. In addition, organizations such as honor societies have begun meeting and planning their events for the year.     

More after the jump (click on the headline):

New Inductees for Athletic Hall of Fame
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio announced the upcoming Athletic Hall of Fame Induction, one of the featured events of Homecoming. This will be the 11th Annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame induction and this year’s honorees include William J. Walters (Class of 1923); Patrick Marabella (Class of 1957); Sue Medley (Class of 1982); Wendy Folger (Class of 1969); Robert Thurston (Class of 1985); and Philip Grazioplene (Class of 1987). Inductees will be announced during halftime at the Homecoming football game and will be formally inducted the following night at a dinner in their honor.

Improvement Plan for Focus School
As noted at a previous board meeting by Superintendent Puzio, the district did not meet New York State’s proficiency benchmarks for one subgroup of students. As a result, it has been identified as a Focus District, and is required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement for this subgroup.

Because the middle school has the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup, it was chosen as the Focus School. The district must assemble a school improvement committee to develop a plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

It’s important to note that the data used for the determination dates back to the 2010-2011 school year and if data from 2011-2012 had been used, the district would have made the target cut points. So while the district is responsible for submitting a Comprehensive Improvement Plan to the state, many of the strategies and plans are already under way and yielding positive results. In addition, Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey will attend a training in Albany that will focus on what the state requires.

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Update
Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey announced that the Batavia Teachers Association voted to support the APPR that the district has been working on for approximately two years.

The nearly unanimous support may be a reflection of the APPR committee’s thorough research of what other districts were doing as well as their solicitation of a broad base of input from our own district teachers throughout the process of creating the plan. The next step is to formally present the final draft to the Board of Education at the Oct. 9 meeting for its approval then begin implementing it. Dailey believes the plan will be a model for other districts to follow.

Dignity for All Students Act
Jamie Polhamus, an instructional support specialist for the district and the district’s School Dignity Act coordinator provided an overview of The New York State Dignity for All Students Act, (familiarly known as “The Dignity Act”)  its purpose, and what it means for our district.

The Dignity Act is a New York State Educational Law that became effective July 1. The purposes of the legislation are:

• To raise awareness and sensitivity to potential acts of discrimination and/or harassment directed at students that are committed by students and/or school employees on school property or at a school function;
• Raise awareness of discrimination and/or harassment based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex;
• To discourage and respond to incidents of discrimination and/or harassment.

The Dignity Act’s underlying premise is that preventative and non-punitive intervention, in response to incidents of discrimination and/or harassment, is the best way to achieve school environments free from harassment and discrimination.

Schools are encouraged to use a variety of intervention measures to address discrimination and/or harassment, including restorative practices, conflict resolution, peer-mediation, and counseling, rather than over-relying on exclusionary methods of discipline, such as suspension.

The district has already implemented initiatives and staff training that are in line with The Dignity Act and will continue to utilize programs already in place such as PBIS (Positive Behaviorial Interventions and Supports) and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

In addition, Dignity Act coordinators have attended a full-day workshop and have presented the additional information to all staff and all students, adapting the presentation as was befitting for each group.

The district’s Code of Conduct has been updated, as has been the information on the Web site regarding Dignity Act information/resources. Documentation if incidents occur will be handled using a system that had been recently implemented, although some modifications may be made in the future.

Coming up next, building newsletters will include information on the Dignity Act, coordinators will attend another training session this fall then update staff, and counselors will develop grade-appropriate student lessons to be presented district-wide.      

Financial Summary Report
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the July 2012 revenue and expenses for the district, reviewing them in comparison to the July 2011 figures.  

Recorded revenues were down by nearly $35,000, primarily in the non-property tax items category (utility tax). The utility tax, as has often been reported, experiences regular fluctuations, particularly early in the year. Expenses were also down. The decrease of approximately $20,500 is primarily due to the timing of billing cycles, particularly in this instance in regard to payment of general liability insurance premiums.

Auditors Review Financial Statements
Audit Committee Chair Phil Ricci reported that the committee met with the auditors to review financial statements from the last fiscal year and, noting that the auditors had only minor comments, he commended Business Administrator Scott Rozanski and the Business Office staff for their work. 

Administration Building Offices Will Move
Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair Amy Barone reported to the board that, at its last meeting, the committee discussed the public vote to sell the Administration Building and the resulting plans for relocating offices that are currently housed in that building, particularly the IT department.

They also reviewed the Building Condition Survey and the Roof Report for the roof of the Richmond Memorial Library. Roof work would be a capital project and, as such, would require voter approval. They also continue to work on the leasing of Robert Morris, and currently have two potential tenants.

Information from the city school district:

The voters of the Batavia City School District on Monday overwhelmingly approved the sale of the District Administration Building. Those in favor numbered 272 (95.4%) compared to 13 who voted no (4.6%).

On July 23, the board of education authorized the transfer of the property, located at 39 Washington Ave., for $500,000 to Reed Batavia Properties LLC, pending voter approval.

The property was identified as surplus during the consolidation analysis process the district undertook in 2011, which also resulted in the closure of Robert Morris Elementary School. The administrative offices will be relocated to Batavia High and Jackson Elementary schools.

Now that the public has approved the sale of property, Reed Batavia Properties will need to complete its due diligence process in order for the transaction to be finalized. It is expected that the transfer will take place by Nov. 1.

Superintendent Margaret Puzio expressed her appreciation of the vote outcome. 

“The taxpayers and the children of the school district are both winners as a result of the vote. The extra funds will be used to reduce the tax burden along with maintaining the educational program.”

Batavia city residents are being asked to vote today on a proposal to sell the school district's administration building on Washington Avenue.

Polls are open until 9 p.m.

The district has an offer of $500,000 for the building and the option to use the maintenance shop on the site for five years.

The offer comes from Reed Eye Associates, which will convert the building into a medical facility.

Residents may vote in the following locations:

• Batavia High School -- Residents who live south of Route 5
• John Kennedy Intermediate -- Residents who live north of Route 5

John Kennedy Intermediate School's annual Community Night is a tradition older than the school's current name (the "Intermediate" part was added after the recent school district consolidation), and the JK parent group has spearheaded it successfully for the past eight years.

Pictured are members Jesse Boardman (vice president), Jill Halpin (treasurer) and Jen Houseknecht (president).

Community Night, which was held last evening at the 166 Vine St. school, offers a chance for the students, families and community organizations to connect. There were 20 organizations involved this year, including two new ones:

MARCHESE COMPUTER PRODUCTS Paul Marchese served popcorn while advertising his 220 Ellicott St. business.

PIONEER REPTILES Crystal Poyfair and her sons, Seth (left) and Liam, attracted huge crowds with their scaly critters.

And of course, there were familiar faces as well:

Mike Morris and Jerry Yoder proudly represented the Batavia Fire Department.

More after the jump (click the headline):

Representing area Boy Scouts were, from left, John Riley (cubmaster, Pack 2), Domenic Brown (first class, Troop 69), Bill Brown (assistant cubmaster, Pack 69) and Laurinda Liszewski (treasurer, Pack 112).

On behalf of the Kiwanis Club, Pat Corona, Anita Strollo and Dave Chua.

Patti Arroyo, Zoey Arroyo and Erica Hickey, Center Stage Dance Company.

Kevin Keenan, Smoke Free Now (a GCASA program).

Tasia Boland and Jessica Tomidy, Habitat for Humanity.

Plentiful games and activities for kids abounded, as always.

Ashlyn Best happily bounced around on a green ball, like many other children.

Second-degree black belts Dominic Gabriel and Josh Coburn, of Cain's Taekwondo Academy, held boards in place while eager spectators punched:

Kids ran a short obstacle course, courtesy of United Memorial Medical Center Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy Center.

Nevaeh, a third-grader at JK, had a good time at the face-painting station.

And there was some hula hoop action going on, too.

Like every year, student and staff volunteers helped the event run smoothly. Third-graders Ella Houseknecht and Olivia Halpin manned the student activities station.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Kolb took charge of the "Kissing Booth."

Owen, a third-grader, was one of the spectators who came to the Kissing Booth for a hand painting and a "kiss."

Here, he shows off his kiss:

Staff volunteers included:

Greg Ciszak, one of the school counselors.

Fourth-grade teacher Linda Restivo, pictured with former student Maya Reinhart.

Paula Mosman (reading teacher) and Mrs. Drachenberg (teacher aide).

John Kennedy Intermediate School serves students in grades two through four. It now includes former Jackson and Robert Morris kids and families.

The school had to plan to accommodate more people this year, but according to Principal Paul Kesler, it all went very well.

"We had an awesome group of parents," he said. "We had over 30 parents show up to our parent group meeting, and over half of them were new parents. They all said, 'Whatever we can do to help, let us know.' "

He sees this as a continuation of the JK community's collegial spirit.

"We went from JK the way it was (before the consolidation) to JK the way it is," he said, adding that parents, staff and students, old and new, are coming together to make "JK the way it is" the best it can be.

Supplemental photos: Double rainbow

On my way out, I couldn't help snapping some photos of the rainbow that was capturing everyone's attention:

It was a ceremony of celebration more than remembrance as the students and staff of Robert Morris School said goodbye to their decades-old institution and walked into a new future of consolidated classes at three Batavia city schools.

"They're excited and they're ready," said Robert Morris Principal Diane Bonarigo of the students who walked out of the doors of Robert Morris for the last time today. "They'r in a very good place. It's important that we close our year knowing that they will be looking forward to going to their new school next year."

The district's consolidation plan will make Jackson a pre-K through first-grade school and John Kennedy will contain classes for second, third and fourth grades. Fifth-graders will move to Batavia Middle School.

Bonarigo said students felt more comfortable with the transition after a series of open houses where they ran into friends from other schools that they met through sports and other activities and realized they will now all be in the same school.

"We will be one city school family," Bonarigo said.

City Manager Jason Molino got a warm reception Monday from the board of Batavia city schools when he pitched the idea of extending a pair of tax exemptions for property owners who make improvements.

The city council has already passed the exemptions and now Molino is trying to get both the school board and the county legislature to follow suit.

Getting the exemptions extended to the other agencies would "help us do a better job of marketing the exemptions," Molino said. "It would make it a much more attractive incentive."

One exemption applies to commercial or residential property owners and has been on the books in Batavia for some time. It would provide a tax abatement on the increased assessment that might result from restoration or significant improvements to a property.

Putting on a new roof, for example, wouldn't qualify, but if a property owner who resided there, installed a new roof, put in new windows and made other repairs to a rundown property, it could qualify for tax abatement.

An addition to a property that drives up the assessed value would also qualify.

The second exemption applies to owners of commercial property who convert the property to mixed use and include residential.

For example, a three-story downtown building that remained retail on the first floor but was converted to residential on the second and third floors would qualify.

The exemptions work like a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) in commercial development where the property owner continues paying taxes at the same rate on the original assessed value of the property, bu gets a graduated break on the taxes related to the increase in assessed value over a period of years.

The program, according to Molino, is designed to foster improvements to local property and drive the city's strategic goal of bringing more residents into Downtown Batavia.

No board members spoke against supporting the proposal.

The district's attorney will need to draft resolutions in order for the school district to adopt the exemptions.

"Anything we can do to strengthen the housing stock in the City of Batavia, we should absolutely be doing," Trustee Steve Mountain said.

Press release:

District parents and students are encouraged to attend Open House events at the Middle School, John Kennedy, and Jackson building sites. 

We hope to have parents and students tour the buildings where students will attend next year and meet some of the staff. Also, this is a great time to sign up for newly forming parent groups at each of the schools. 

Details are as follows: May 30 -- Next year’s fifth-graders and their families are welcome to tour Batavia Middle School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 4 and 5:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of fifth- and sixth-grade student. Also,the YWCA will be at the middle school on both days with information on their after-school child care program for the 5/6 House.

Next year’s second-, third-, and fourth-graders and their families are welcome to tour John Kennedy School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of second-, third-, and fourth-grade students.

May 31 -- Next year’s sixth-graders and their families are welcome to tour Batavia Middle School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 4 and 5:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of fifth- and sixth-grade students. Also, the YWCA will be the middle school on both days with information on their after-school child care program for the 5/6 House.

Next year’s pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-graders and their families are welcome to tour Jackson School. Short presentations will occur in the multipurpose room at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade students.

A total of 1,179 people turned out to vote in the Batavia City Schools election today, approving a $40 million budget with nearly 61 percent of the vote and electing one new school board member.

Gretchen DiFante, one of two candidates not currently on the board, was the top vote getter in the election with 736 votes. Incumbent Gail Stevens garnered 623 votes and Phil Ricci, an appointee running for school board for the first time, got 616 votes.

Incumbent Gary Stich lost with 490 votes and newcomer Dennis Warner came up short with 472 votes.

The budget passed 690 votes to 446. 

Creation of a student ex-officio board member passed 852 to 214 votes and changing transportation mileage for students passed 808 to 240.

These are unofficial results.

Batavia City School officials have released an FAQ related to the proposed school budget that is posted on the district's Web site (PDF).

The FAQ covers such topics as administrative salaries, positions eliminated by school consolidation and moving to a centralized business office at BOCES.

The vote on the school budget, along with the trustee election, is tomorrow. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Batavia City School District Board of Education will have its budget vote and member election on Tuesday, May 15. The candidates for election/reelection have shared their views in a series of interviews with The Batavian. Click the names of the candidates below to read the interviews.

There are five candidates running, including three incumbents -- Phil Ricci, Gary Stich and Gail Stevens -- and two newcomers -- Gretchen DiFante and Dennis Warner.

Warner declined our request for an interview.

Phil Ricci interview

Gary Stich interview

Gretchen DiFante interview

Gail Stevens interview

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. at Batavia's John Kennedy Elementary School, at 166 Vine St., for school district residents who live north of Route 5, and Batavia High School, at 260 State St., for those who live south of Route 5.

For more information on the budget, see the May 1 article, Batavia district pitches budget with a nearly 2-percent increase in the tax levy.

For some specifics on the background of each candidate, see their short biographies on the district Web site.