City Schools

Alice Ann Benedict is in only her fourth month as president of the Board of Education for Batavia city schools but she's already looking to make a significant change to a board policy that she said has bothered her for a long time.

Under the previous leadership of Pat Burk, who resigned suddenly over the summer, if a member of the public came to a board meeting and asked a question, Burk would inform the speaker, "We don't answer questions from the public."

Benedict wants to provide the public with public answers to board questions.

She brought the issue to the board's attention at Monday's meeting and Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. suggested after the board discussion that the board hold off on changing the policy until staff can formalize the language and make a recommendation.

If the board adopts Benedict's suggestion, the district will offer a form on the district's website where members of the public could ask questions of the board. If the question is submitted prior to a set deadline -- such as 5 p.m. on the Thursday before the board's Monday meeting -- then either the board president or the superintendent would prepare an answer. At the next board meeting, during the "public speaks" portion of the agenda, the question and answer would be read aloud. 

Currently, Benedict said, if a question is sent to the district, either she or Soler answer it and the board never sees the question unless Benedict forwards it to them. Benedict would like the entire board to be informed of questions from the public.

During COVID-19 restrictions, members of the public are not attending meetings but once restrictions are lifted, Benedict wants the board to have in place a policy that would allow members of the public to ask questions. If questions are submitted in advance, they will be answered at the meeting. If not, the board president or superintendent will answer the question at a subsequent meeting.

Benedict expressed concern that some people, like herself, are not "quick on their feet" when it comes to answering questions, which is why she wants a built-in delay on answering questions so there is time for research and consideration.

"I always felt like before when I was on the board, I never liked the idea that if a community member took time to come to the board to make a comment or ask a question, we would never answer," Benedict said. "We would never answer the question. That really bothered me."

At first, Trustee Shawna Murphy seemed a little confused by the suggestion, noting that the public has always been allowed to speak at meetings.  After Benedict spoke more about her idea, Murphy said, "sounds beautiful."

Soler said it usually takes two readings for the board to adopt a new policy. He said the policy should incorporate best practices for dealing with public speakers and also suggested the policy should mimic what he said other districts do, which requires public speakers to sign up to speak hours in advance of the meeting "so people can't come and disrupt the meeting."

Batavia city schools are looking at a nearly $5.5 million revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year due to the global pandemic that has caused an economic retraction, and dealing with that shortfall is likely to mean the district needs to cut services and personnel, Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. informed school board members on Monday night.

Soler told the board that state aid has been cut by 20 percent, or $425,000, so far. The state says it is "withholding" the funds but there's no guarantee the funds will be backfilled, nor that there won't be more "withholding" during the remainder of the year.

The state is facing a $16 billion budget shortfall and the deficit over the next four years is expected to grow to $66 billion.

That doesn't bode well for the future of school funding, Soler said.

The superintedent said he was trying to present the board and the community with a realistic picture of the situation the district finds itself in through no fault of its own.

"If we don’t sound the alarm now and it gets sounded for us, we may be seen as not being as transparent as we can," Soler said.

While a lot of people suggest cutting things like supplies and materials, that's only 2 percent of the school district's budget. The biggest portion of the budget goes to payroll and benefits -- about 70 percent, so if it becomes necessary to cut spending, that will be the area where the district can make up much of the projected shortfall.

"At $5.4 million, you start doing the math and that's a significant number of services or employees we have to change," Soler said.

The total district budget is $51,470,726 and is supported by $27,477,066.

The unknowns at this point is: Whether there will be a round of 20-percent withholding in August and December and whether Congress will at some point approve a stimulus package that includes funding for schools.

Soler said state education officials are leaning heavily on the idea of waiting to see what happens after the election.

If the cuts turn out to be permanent, Soler outline several possible responses:

• Cut teacher aides to four days a week for a savings of $301,210;
• Cut custodial work to four days a week for a savings of $246,126;
• Go to 100-percent remote learning to cut transportation costs by $576,000;
• Eliminate activities such as music for a savings of $143,551;
• Cutting athletics could save $284,089;
• Increasing class size to 28 pupils per teacher, the maximum allowed by the current union contract, could save $630,000;
• Eliminating non-mandated staff, such as teachers for elective courses, non-graduation requirement courses, extra librarians, some tutors and counselors, an administrator, and some aides, could lead to another $3 million in savings;
• Eliminating the school resource officer would save $54,000.

What to cut and how much is a matter of priorities and a balancing act, Soler said. For example, eliminating transportation would mean a cut in state aid for transportation in future years.

Also on the table for discussion, Soler said, is a dramatic tax increase. He took notice of the possible 89-percent property tax increase in the Town of Batavia as an example of the tough budget choices the pandemic is forcing on local governments.

"Obviously, I'm not saying that's our approach but we're probably not going to be able to come out of this with no tax increase," Soler said. "It's tough because they're (property owners) are also struggling with these economic conditions."

Board Member Shawna Murphy wondered out loud why the idea of a tax increase was such a heinous idea. She suggested most people in Batavia could handle a tax increase.

Another board member spoke up (it was hard to identify the speaker on the livestream of the meeting) and said many older residents have already put their children and their grandchildren through school and now live on a fixed income. She was hesitant to burden them with a tax increase.

"I have more concern for the older property owner," she said. "Their home is the last thing they're clinging to and we're asking them to make quite a sacrifice when they have no children in the system."

The district does have about $1.75 million in reserves but that money will run out quickly if other action isn't taken, Soler said.

The district will know much more about its financial situation by the Nov. 23 board meeting, Soler said. Until then, he said, the district needs to remain "stay the course and remain Batavia Strong" and study its options.

On another budget item, the board unanimously approved an amendment to the superintendent's contract that granted Soler a $4,800 annual raise, bringing his compensation to $164,800 per year. The board did not discuss the salary increase prior to the vote.

Submitted photos and press release:

As part of the Batavia City School District’s adjustments to pandemic protocols, Jackson Primary’s music teacher, Lisa Gilebarto, is a “traveling musician” this year, bringing her cartful of equipment into preschool and first- and second-grade classrooms, rather than having the students come to the music room. 

Her transition to going into classrooms as well as delivering online instruction was boosted by some very practical help from the community. All Jackson students – whether they are following the remote learning or hybrid learning model – received their very own bagful of instruments to use during music class.

While the District’s music department was able to purchase small maracas and tambourines for each student. The gallon-size storage bags, donated by Walmart, also contain drums made from plastic containers donated by individuals and by Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

They also contained rhythm sticks made from dowel rods that were donated by Home Depot, Valu Home Center, and the church. The dowel rods were crafted to the proper size and smoothness by volunteers Bob Alwardt, Dave Paladino, Jane Haggett, and Joyce and Bob Saxer.

Youth group members and adult volunteers from the church spent an afternoon at a local park unpacking the donations onto picnic tables, then assembling all of the music-making packages.

With new social distancing protocols in place, the Batavia City School District opened all four of its campuses today for the 2020-21 academic year.

As would be expected, anxiety at both the instructional and administrative levels is evident as the Batavia City School District prepares to welcome back students.

“We’re feeling all of the feelings at once,” said Mark Warren, president of the Batavia Teachers’ Association, on Wednesday. “Everybody is excited to be back and wants to see their kids, their students. They want to get back to working with students. For a lot of people, though, there’s some fear mixed in – in terms of being around groups of people.”

The first day for classes – some in-person and some remotely thanks to COVID-19 – is next Monday. Teachers returned on Tuesday for the first of four days of professional development.

Warren said most teachers are “overpreparers” who are feeling less than confident considering the changed landscape and prevailing stipulations.

“There are many people who really want to be overprepared, and that is very challenging in this brand-new environment,” he explained. “There are teachers who feel underprepared, not in a negative way, but these are people who are overplanners and overpreparers. This is a new experience for them and they can’t do what they normally do.”

When told about the current mood of district teachers, Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said he is apprehensive as well.

“I’m anxious, too, and nervous, and worried and making sure everything is going to work out the way we planned it,” he said. “But I’m also optimistic that we’ve done our part. We won’t know until we try.”

Warren, choosing his words carefully, acknowledged the challenges involved with embarking upon a foreign system and, with 250 instructors in the district, the varied opinions on reopening.

“In the two days that we’ve been back, there has been a fair amount of professional development – teaching us how to be good remote or hybrid teachers,” Warren said. “There’s still some of that left to go. But one of the bigger challenges that we have right now is actually implementing a lot of those things.”

He said teachers “need some more time … it’s going to be a process,” but emphasized that the union has not asked administration to push back opening day.

“Every teacher here went to school to learn to teach in an in-person environment. All of these things that we’ve done over our entire careers are completely changed in the virtual or remote environment,” he offered. “Some of the things that may be super effective in the classroom just won’t work in a remote setting – especially since we’ll be seeing the students for about 40 percent (of the time) that we’ve seen them in previous years.”

Warren mentioned that lessons plans requiring sharing of materials or working in small groups “can’t happen in a remote environment, so we have to adapt all of lessons that we’ve done into ones that will work in a remote environment, and that’s going to take time.”

Soler said he understands the emotional strain involved in reopening under these conditions.

“No one has ever opened a school under these requirements or guidelines,” he said “There are some concerns that things could go wrong, but we’re trying to be cautiously optimistic and be strong about it. We’re trying to use common sense … to get the operational stuff going and making sure the kids and staff enter the building safely.”

Considering the daily protocol required just to enter the school building, it isn’t hard to realize that employees would be on edge.

“Every morning when they come in they have to fill out a daily attestation (an official confirmation) that says that they feel good and they don’t have a temperature – any of those things that they’re coming to work on – before we take their temperature at the door,” Soler said. “It’s a brand-new process and if you think about it, it is a bit scary.”

The attestation seeks the answers to several questions, he said.

“Did you check your temperature? You don’t have a fever over 100 degrees. You feel well. You don’t have any symptoms like shortness of breath or fatigue, body aches, fever, chills, sore throat or any loss of taste or smell,” he said. “You haven’t been exposed to anybody with COVID – typical Department of Health protocol questions.”

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, the teacher can come to work and have his or her temperature taken again, Soler said, adding that face coverings must be worn at all times.

Soler said those feeling ill during the day will have to contact their doctor and receive a negative COVID-19 test – “another layer of complications that we can’t control.”

The superintendent said he thinks attitudes will improve with time.

“We’re in day two with the staff and believe that every day that they’re here, the comfort level will get better and better,” he said.

He also stressed that district parents want their children back in school.

“We’re all fearful; we all want this to work. We want our kids back and we want the socialization, the normalcy of that, which will help our families. This community wants to be back in person as much as possible,” he said.

As far as staffing is concerned, Soler said that only a “handful” of teachers have asked for child care leave and one teacher with 38 years of experience decided to retire.

Warren is asking for his members to trust the process.

“There are teachers who are anxious about coming back for health and safety purposes, and there are teachers who are anxious about coming back because we’re doing something we’ve never done before – in terms of remote learning,” he said. “But, just seeing our colleagues this week has been great and seeing our students next week will be great.”

In March, school districts were forced to quickly throw together a remote learning plan with the pandemic forced students to stay home, but after a summer to prepare, the Batavia City School District has developed a more comprehensive plan to educate children in the age of coronavirus.

Molly Corey, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction, outlined the virtual learning guidelines for the 2020/21 school year for members of the city schools' board of trustees on Monday night.

At the heart of the plan, Corey said, is SEL -- social and emotional learning.

"There is a variety of feelings around everything we're doing," Corey said. "We want to make people comfortable with what we do."

SEL is, according to the virtual learning guidebook, "the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions."

Corey said SEL includes self-awareness, self-management, being responsible for decision-making, social awareness, and developing relationship skills.

The other key elements to the learning plan include communication, instructional time, and feedback.

About 75 percent of the district's students will split time between virtual learning and in-class instruction, while the parents for 20 percent of the students have chosen virtual-only learning. The remaining 5 percent are students with special needs who will be on campus every day.

The guidebook includes a chart that highlights the differences between the hastily compiled plan for distance learning last spring and the more thoughtful plan for the new school year.

For example, "teacher check-ins" is now "Teacher-led instruction with SEL as the cornerstone of what we do," and the flexibility of daily and weekly requirements has been replaced by a scheduled and planned school day.

"Monitored attendance" becomes "attendance taken daily."

Students, and their parents, will now be expected to focus grade level/course standards using pacing guidelines.

While there were no formal assessments given last spring and grades were credit/no credit, this year will include scheduled assessments and grades and "growth-producing feedback."

All students will have a Chromebook. Middle school and high school students will use Google Classroom, while younger students will be introduced to a new program for online learning called "Seesaw."

To make all this work, communication will be key, Corey said. Teachers have to produce written communication plans for the school year to ensure students and parents have a clear idea of the process, expectations, standards and progress.

"I want parents to know that this is really a true partnership," Corey said. "To make this work, we need them with us."

It’s happening in Texas. Could it happen in our neck of the woods?

The Garland Independent School District and Lancaster ISD in Dallas County, Texas, reportedly will allow their teachers to wear scrubs once schools reopen.

According to a story on WFAA, the ABC television affiliate in Dallas, Garland ISD Superintendent Ricardo López said that teachers had requested the change to the dress code in light of the fact that they will be responsible for health-related measures to combat the coronavirus.

“Scrubs are easier to clean. You don’t have to worry about ruining them. You put them in high-temperature hot water and if they come out a little faded, you are not going to worry that it is not your best clothing. So, we said why not,” López said.

As far as teachers in scrubs in Genesee County, depending upon how things go in September, it is a possibility.

“I did have a teacher this past week who ‘joked’ about it to me,” said John Fisgus, superintendent of Oakfield-Alabama Central School District. “The funny thing is, I don't know how ‘joking’ they were. I basically stated, ‘Well, we don't have a formal dress code for teachers, staff, and faculty, so as long as it looks appropriate for work, do what you think is best for you!’ ”

Fisgus added that if everyone wore scrubs, “it could look bad,” but said that in certain instances for faculty and staff, he wouldn’t mind it.

Batavia City School District Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said scrubs or protective gear might be allowed if a teacher believed that he or she needed that type of clothing to feel safe.

“We just expect them to dress professionally, but if they wanted to wear something that they felt they needed then, obviously, we would want to work with them,” Soler said. “Hopefully, that would come from some kind of recommendation or accommodation, but again we want our staff to feel safe and we want to feel safe.

“If they feel that’s what they need to come in to teach, we just would want to be aware of that -- as far as the optics are concerned -- and make sure that is truly necessary. We’re not necessarily opposed to it, but that’s not something we’re out there promoting.”

Soler said Batavia teachers haven’t brought up the issue.

“I think Texas is in a different spot right now – they’re a major hot point while they’re opening schools, whereas in New York our infection rate is lower,” he offered. “I know there are serious concerns around the virus, legitimately so, but that has not come up in terms of folks wanting to wear anything of that nature.”

Mark Warren, president of the Batavia Teachers’ Association, concurred that the subject has not come up yet.

“If people wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But it hasn’t come up in discussions with the district,” he said. “I don’t think there would be a rule against it. I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t be allowed.”

Teachers in all districts will be wearing masks, social distancing and, to some degree, assisting students with the proper protocols to ensure everyone’s health and safety.

Proponents of scrubs say that type of clothing has its advantages for the following reasons:

• They present a clean and neat appearance;
• They are durable;
• They are easy to care for and disinfect by washing and drying;
• They have pockets for storage;
• They aren’t that expensive.

It is said that a good pair of scrubs holds up through at least 30 washes, so in theory, teachers can buy uniforms once each school year.

Soler said he will be wearing a suit and tie – as well as a facemask – and adhering to all the other requirements mandated by the governor’s office and the state Department of Health.

“We’re not saying, hey, go out and get a full hazmat suit and come into work,” he quipped. “We’re hoping to make this feel as normal as possible.”

Update: 6:40 p.m.

Batavia Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., at tonight's Board of Education meeting, has reported that school will start for students on Sept. 14, following four days of teacher training days -- Sept. 8-11.

He also said that some days scheduled as off days will now be school days, ensuring that there will be 180 days of learning for students.

Soler said that virtual public meetings are being planned for each of the district's schools prior to Aug. 21, as required by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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Reading, writing, arithmetic, respiratory hygiene.

Teachers will need to be versed in much more than academics during the 2020-21 school year, which gets underway in less than a month.

“We have days at the beginning of the school year that are teacher-only when we’re going to receive some training on COVID procedures along with some professional development on teaching the hybrid model and the virtual model,” said Mark Warren, president of the Batavia Teachers’ Association.

He said the exact training days prior to the date when students return are expected to be determined at the Batavia City School District’s Board of Education meeting at 6:30 tonight. It can be viewed on the district’s YouTube page.

Warren said teachers and other staff will be trained how “to instruct students in proper hand washing, how to cough and sneeze appropriately, and recognizing the symptoms of COVID.”

“I’m not sure if it will be district-led or coordinated by the health department or by another outside person coming in to the school,” he said.

According to the Batavia City School District’s 97-page reopening plan, the district “will ensure all students are taught or trained how to follow new COVID-19 protocols safely and correctly, including but not limited to hand hygiene, proper face covering wearing, social distancing, and respiratory hygiene.”

The plan was developed by the Reopen Batavia Strong Task Force, which included input from the teachers’ union, Warren said.

It spells out that additional training will be provided in:

• Prevention of disease spreads by staying home when they are sick.
• Proper respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.
• Avoiding the use of communal objects. If communal objects must be used, provide information on proper disinfection procedures between use. Examples of communal objects include, but are not limited to, other workers’ phones, desks, offices, computers or other devices, other work tools and equipment.
• Providing employees and students with up-to-date education and training on COVID-19.
• Risk factors and protective behaviors (i.e., cough etiquette and care of Personal Protective Equipment).

The plan also advises that the district will designate those familiar with the Center for Disease Control and Occupational Safety and Health Administration protocols, and Department of Health guidelines in each building as trained screeners. Screeners will be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment provided by the district.

Warren said students have to wear masks on the bus and when they’re transitioning, but said he believes they are allowed to take them off when they are seated and are six feet apart.

He acknowledged that it could be difficult for the younger children.

“I have a second- and fourth-grader and we’ve been working on it at home,” he said.

On the scholastic side, Warren said some teachers will preside over exclusively online courses and others will have a mix of in-school and virtual.

“My preliminary schedule, for example, has one of the courses as an online-only course, and the rest of the courses are hybrid courses where I’ll see the kids some days and they’ll be remote some days,” he advised.

Warren teaches 11^th- and 12^th-grade math – calculus and a third-year elective called Math for Trades.

About 315 students in the Batavia City School District will be taught exclusively in a “distance learning” capacity, according to the reopening plan that will be submitted by Friday to the New York State Education Department and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

Batavia Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. today shared details of the strategy to educate the district’s nearly 2,200 students as the 2020-21 school year approaches. The first day for all students is Sept. 9.

Prior to submitting its comprehensive report of about 50 to 60 pages, district officials on Monday released a Reopen Batavia Strong graphic that outlines the health protocols that will be in place as well as the daily schedule for students – breaking the Monday through Friday routine into five “cohorts.”

“This is a visual piece for parents – the 30,000-foot view,” Soler said, advising that it can be found on the district website and Facebook page. “The Reopen Batavia Strong Task Force gave us recommendations, input and feedback, and we feel this is a good plan.”

Looking at the graphic, one can see the following:

-- Cohort One: Students with last names beginning with A-K attend school Monday and Wednesday; remote learning takes place Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

-- Cohort Two: Students with last names beginning with L-Z attend school Tuesday and Thursday; remote learning takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

-- Cohort Three: High school students taking BOCES career technical education courses (at the building across from Batavia High on State Street) attend school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; remote learning takes place on Wednesday and Friday.

-- Cohort Four: Students with special considerations and targeted academic support attend school every day.

-- Virtual Cohort: Parents who chose 100 percent remote learning for their child(ren); remote learning every day.

“It’s important to emphasize that the virtual cohort is parent driven; it is the parents’ choice,” Soler advised, noting that about 15 percent of the student population has opted for distance learning at this time. “We thought it was important to give parents some choice. Some parents feel unsafe, and have the right to feel that way. Some of them don’t want to bring them in until they have full assurance that their health and safety are protected.”

Cohort Four students (around 250) will consist of total in-person learning for students with special needs and considerations, such as disabilities, English language learners and pupils with individualized education plans, Soler said.

“They will have more of an intensive, in-person given the fact that we have some legal obligations with their individualized education plans,” he said. “Also, this cohort will include students that teachers feel need more individual attention as well as access to food and a caring adult every day.”

The superintendent said the thought process was to use last names as a way to keep students from the same household in school together.

“We do know that some families have mixed last names in the household and we will make considerations for those families,” he said.

Soler said district administration and staff are entering uncharted territory.

“We had a rushed experience last year – shutting the schools down fully. Now, we have an idea of the direction we’re heading in,” he said. “This is still all pending the governor’s approval. He could say, this is a good plan, it’s not a good plan. Or he could decide that schools aren’t going to open across the state – they’re going to go virtual. I’m hoping that’s not the case, given the fact we have a low infection rate in this community.”

The governor is expected to announce his decision on reopening between Aug. 1-7.

Until then, maintenance and janitorial staff at the various Batavia schools are reconfiguring desks and disinfecting classrooms.

“The 6-foot social distancing really minimizes how much in-person we can do,” Soler said. “We want to err on the side of safety and health. There are a variety of opinions out there, but we have to go off what we feel is best. We have a responsibility to provide optimal safety and health for any of our families, even if they agree or disagree with wearing masks. We’re bound by the guidance that is put before us.”

Regarding child care, Soler said the “virtual day” was moved from Monday to Friday to have the least negative impact upon families seeking child care.

“We thought it would be easier for them to find someone to watch their kids (on Friday) than on a Monday,” he said.

Teachers will report to school every day and will be able to livestream their classes to include students who are at home, Soler said.

“We believe that’s the least burdensome on our teachers. That way, they won’t have to recreate a lesson. Kids can watch live and interact with their peers in the classroom. It will require us to do some training on best practices on what distance learning looks like,” he explained.

Soler said that a teacher may be assigned to be a full-time virtual educator or may have one of his or her five classes designated as a virtual class. He also said that a schedule is being set up for distance learners, such as having English at 8 a.m., Math at 10 a.m., etc.

Of course, he wishes that all students could be taught in their school buildings.

“We have families that are really adamant about in-person but, again, we just don’t have the capacity,” he said. “We don’t have enough teachers to split every class to maintain health and safety protocols at a high level and we also don’t have enough building space to cut our classrooms in half and basically double each class.”

Two days in school; three days learning remotely from home.

That is a possibility, at least at the beginning, for the 2020-21 year for students in the Batavia City School District.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. tonight presented a sample weekly schedule at the district’s monthly Board of Education meeting livestreamed over its YouTube page.

Speaking for nearly an hour, Soler touched on various scenarios that he and the Batavia Reopening Strong Task Force are facing with the start of school less than two months away.

How students will be educated certainly is up in the air thanks to COVID-19 and its impact on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision-making process.

Last week, the governor announced that a school will be able to reopen only if its region is in Phase Four and that the daily infection rate in that region is at 5 percent or lower over a 14-day average. Furthermore, if a school does reopen, face coverings, social distancing, health screenings and strict cleaning guidelines will come into play.

The state education department has issued a 145-page reopening document, covering a wide spectrum of topics, such as submission of reopening plans (which are due by July 31), communication, health and safety, facilities, nutrition, transportation, social/emotional well-being, attendance, technology, athletics and extracurricular activities, special education and staffing.

Soler said the district’s reopening plan revolves around three options – in-person learning, 100-percent virtual (distance) learning, and a mix of the first two models.

If it comes down to the third choice, it is conceivable that – depending upon the day of the week and the first letter of their last name -- on a particular day, some students would be in school and some would be receiving instruction remotely online.

While emphasizing that nothing is etched in stone at this point, Soler offered a daily schedule that could look like this:

Monday – Pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade: virtual learning, but students at Genesee Valley Educational Partnership across the street from the high school (BOCES and Commercial Trades) would have in-person learning.

Tuesday – Pre-K through 12^th grade with last names ending in A-K, in-person; last names ending in L-Z, virtual.

Wednesday – A-K, virtual; L-Z, in-person.

Thursday – A-K, in-person; L-Z, virtual.

Friday – A-K, virtual; L-Z, in-person.

This schedule would hold true for all students unless their parents opted for 100-percent virtual learning, Soler said.

When asked about the alternating schedule’s effect on parents’ child care plans, Soler said the idea was to have set in-school, out-of-school days so parents could plan their child care accordingly. He did acknowledge, however, that “we imagine that no model is going to suffice with (parents’) day care schedule …”

Soler said the district is asking parents “to make a choice that they can live with and support as a family, knowing that in-person is up to five days,” he said, adding that an online registration form has been created for parents to indicate their preferences. “It probably won’t be every day if 2,000 people choose that choice (in-person learning).”

He said that as of this morning, 300 of 500 respondents chose in-person schooling while 75 or so opted for 100-percent virtual online. In the end, Soler said he thinks enough students will opt for 100-percent virtual, which will enable the district to “dedicate a workforce of teachers to just be virtual and work with those kids.”

But, he said, “some parents have said, ‘I’m not going to send my child back; I don’t feel comfortable and I don’t feel safe until there’s a vaccine.' ”

About 60 parents checked “other” – an option that could mean that their child will be homeschooled.

Soler said the district will call parents who chose “other” and, if applicable, will clarify the difference between homeschooling and virtual online teaching.

He also said that all staff members, including administrators, are expected to report to their school building every day, unless they “qualify for some kind of leave or were physically unable to work.”

The superintendent told board members that he was “hesitant” to reveal the sample schedule at this time, but did so “because when we share this (with the task force) on Friday … the word will get out there, so we’re trying to be proactive and transparent.”

He said the plan could be changed if a large number of students choose to be taught remotely – “then everybody will be able to come every day because we have so many people signed up virtually.”

Other highlights of his report to the board:

-- Administrators are exploring the use of Robert Morris on Union Street, the former elementary school building, to provide more in-person opportunities. “The challenge for us is staff; we don’t have more teachers, so we’re looking at how we can use aides,” he said.

“How do we feed them if they’re at Robert Morris because we’re required to feed everybody – (breakfast and lunch) whether they are in-person or signed up for remote (learning).”

-- Sanitation, cleanliness and other health-related mandates will result in increased costs.

Soler said he estimated that providing disposable masks to every student and staff member would cost the district about $800,000. He also said the district is looking at hiring more janitors and already has purchased “jet packs” for deep cleaning and polycarbonate sheets to block offer areas in the main offices.

“We still have a responsibility to clean every day – and will probably alter our cleaning staff schedule to be more of an afternoon/evening schedule,” he said, adding that staff would be charged with teaching proper hand washing and making sure hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies are readily available.

-- Social distancing will result in fewer students per class. He said that the 6-foot-apart rule will drop class sizes from around 24 to about 10-14, depending upon the square footage of the room. Also, students will have to eat in their classrooms because of the restriction on crowd size in the cafeteria.

For those in chorus or band, for example, the social distancing requirement increases to having to be 12 feet apart.

Also, the capacity on the bus will decrease considerably, from 50 down to about 22. Fortunately, a recent district survey revealed that parents overwhelmingly indicated they will transport kids to and from school if necessary.

-- Fall sports have been delayed until Sept. 21. “That’s a big impact; a lot of kids rely on fall sports. What does that mean for us as we reopen?” Soler asked.

-- Soler said the district will have a mobile app that mirrors its website to go along with the reopening plan. He said parents and students will be able to livestream to find out the lunch menu or the sports schedule for the day, for example.

In the end, Soler seemed resigned to the fact that it’s virtually (no pun intended) a no-win situation.

“If we do this perfectly, everyone still won’t be happy. Our team is working very hard … trying to look at all perspectives,” he said. “At the end of the day, everybody wants everybody back – in what was termed normal conditions, no mask, no social distancing, full bus, full activities, full sports, and we just can’t do that.”

He noted that field trips may have to be put on hold and other events may have to proceed without spectators.

“Imagine having a concert with no one in the audience,” he said. “That’s what we’re looking at, those kinds of things. It breaks my heart.”

The governor is expected to make his final decision during the week of Aug. 1-7.

In other developments:

-- Soler reported that 129 students are enrolled in a virtual summer school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, with some individual in-person components.

The program, coordinated by Bernadette Krumpek, is focused on math, reading and writing. A different learning model for students in grades 9-12 also is available.

-- The board voted in favor of a contract with the City of Batavia for a School Resource Officer for 2020-21, with the district to fund the salary and benefits of the officer. The district budgeted $125,000 for the full year.

The City would be responsible for the SRO’s vehicle, uniform, equipment and training. The Batavia City Council is expected to vote on the resolution at its Aug. 10 meeting.

-- Mark Warren, president of the Batavia Teachers’ Association, issued a statement indicating its support and involvement in the district’s reopening task force.

“The members of the Batavia Teachers’ Association miss our students and we would love nothing more than to return to a normal pre-COVID school building, but that is not the reality at this time,” he said.

“We are working as part of the Reopen Batavia Strong Task Force to create a reopening plan that meets the educational needs of the school district and focuses on the health and safety of the students, faculty, staff and community, based on the directives and parameters released by the state, created by experts and backed by science.”

As expected, the Batavia City Council passed two resolutions Monday night to restart its investigation into constructing a new police station to replace the department’s current headquarters at the old City Hall, a structure built in 1855 as the Brisbane Mansion.

After approving a transfer of $50,000 from the Facility Reserve, the board voted to contract with Architecture Unlimited LLC, of Williamsville, to conduct a feasibility study and review for the new station’s potential landing space – the parking lot on Alva Place now being used by the Genesee Country Farmers’ Market.

The $41,200 contract with the architectural firm is set up to provide the City with the recommended square footage, design and layout, ability to expand, regulatory requirements and projected costs for design and construction for both the site work and the actual facility.

Acting City Manager Rachael Tabelski presented tentative goals as follows:

• 2020-21 -- conduct the feasibility study;
• 2020-21 -- conduct financial analysis and bonding capacity concurrently with the feasibility study;
• 2021-22 -- design and engineering;
• 2022-24 -- construction.

“We’re looking to devise a plan where we can afford it with the goal of not having to increase taxes to do so,” Tabelski said.

Talk of constructing a new police station started more than 20 years ago and seemed to take hold about six years ago with the formation of a Police Station Task Force. However, the task force’s recommendation of building on Swan Street failed to materialize and little action has ensued.

In other developments, Council:

-- Approved a $328,200 contract with Keeler Construction for the Franklin Street-Richmond Avenue sewer rehabilitation project.

The City is saving nearly $500,000 as a result of changing its plan from a complete sewer line replacement on Franklin Street to an excavated repair of one section and relining of the rest of the line. From there, crews will reline the Richmond Avenue sewer ahead of its rehabilitation project in 2022.

-- Moved to its Aug. 10 meeting a resolution to contract with the Batavia City School District to provide one full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) during the school year, with the position to be paid for by the school district.

The City will be responsible for the SRO’s vehicle, uniform, equipment and training. The agreement, set to run through June 30, 2022, is on the agenda for approval by the BCSD Board of Education at its July 20^th meeting.

A full two-thirds of respondents to a Batavia City School District survey concerning reopening want students back in the classroom this fall in a traditional setting with health-related guidelines in place.

“Most of our parents want in-person classrooms and so do we,” said Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. today following the first meeting of the BCSD Reopen Batavia Strong Task Force.

The Google Meet videoconference drew 51 participants, with 35 of them being parents of Batavia students.

Thus far, 875 people have responded to the survey, with nearly 600 of them identifying themselves as in the parent/family category. About 650 of the respondents said they had students in grades 5-12.

Soler said he is hoping to get 2,000 responses before the survey concludes on Monday, which also is the day that guidelines from Gov. Andrew Cuomo are expected to be released.

The BCSD survey can be found on the district’s Facebook page.

On the subject of reopening, 67 percent of the respondents either “agree” or “strongly agree” that in-person school should reopen in September with some new procedures to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

When asked if in-school should resume in September with face coverings when social distancing is not possible, 46 percent said “agree” or “strongly agree” and when asked if distance learning should be used until a COVID-19 vaccine is found, 68 percent clicked “disagree” or “strongly disagree” while 10 percent said “strongly agree.”

Additional survey results are as follows:

-- On the impact of COVID-19 on their family: 72 percent, some impact/noticeable impact; 22 percent, significant/severe impact; 6 percent, no impact.

-- On their confidence level to send their child back to school knowing the district will comply with all CDC guidelines: 33.6 percent, strongly confident; 28.8 percent, confident; 23.3 percent unsure.

-- On sending their child to kindergarten this fall: 54.3 percent of 247 responses said they will enroll the child; 45.7 said they won’t.

-- On having half the students in school, the other half learning remotely: 49 percent either “strongly disagree” or “disagree.”

-- On transporting their child to school to reduce the number of bus riders: 66 percent “strongly agree” or “agree.”

-- On their comfort level with busing, even with sanitizing: A mixed bag with 24 percent who “strongly disagree,” 22 percent who are “neutral” and 28 percent who “strongly agree.”

When queried about the most important safety measures, hand sanitizer in classrooms/common areas, daily temperature taking and no sharing of materials were the top three. Other measures included in the survey were COVID-19 testing, wearing masks at all times and no use of the auditorium, lunchroom or playgrounds.

Sixty-two percent said they expect sports and extracurricular activities to be provided with reasonable safety measures. Fifty-one percent responded that fans should be able to attend and 34 percent were in favor of just parents being able to attend. About 14 percent indicated that events should go on without any fans.

“The biggest thing is let’s not forget the health and safety of everybody,” Soler said. “I’m hoping we’re pretty good in the (Finger Lakes) Region; our data has shown that we’re good and that we’re able to open and welcome kids back.”

He said that social distancing will present quite the challenge.

“You’re not going to have 20 kids in a class,” he said. “With having six feet between everybody, it’s going to change things and make things a little bit interesting. We’re going to have to look at how we use our space and our buildings.”

Batavia City School District buildings are Jackson Primary School (PK-1), John Kennedy Intermediate School (2-4), Batavia Middle School (5-8) and Batavia High School (9-12).

Soler said he put the task force together to look at the big picture – reopening -- but also, through the work of subcommittees, “to peel away at some of the smaller conversations.”

“In anticipation of that official guidance we feel it is important to begin to run through potential scenarios, challenges and also include student and parent voices in that process,” he said.

Subcommittees are health, safety & athletics; transportation, facilities & nutrition; teaching & learning; equity & digital access; budget & fiscal; social-emotional needs; Special Education, English language learners & multilingual learners; and staffing & human resources.

The district, in line with directives from Albany and Center for Disease Control guidelines, is considering three models of teaching and learning:

-- In-Person (w/masks & social distancing);
-- Hybrid (Flex Model) Alternate Schedule (Distance Learning & In-Person);
-- Virtual School  – 100-percent online with an emphasis on proficiency.

“Do we bring all the kids back or certain grade levels back? That’s what I was doing today with our parents and various stakeholders," Soler said. "We have to think of these various scenarios and various teaching and learning models. I don’t have any answers yet but knowing that next week we’re supposed to get some guidance, we need to think about this now.”

After learning of the state’s guidelines, tentatively set for Monday, Soler said the task force will proceed with: subcommittee meetings; posting of the survey results; a second task force meeting (July 17) sharing data with the Board of Education (July 20); a third task force meeting (July 24); submission of the district’s plan to the state (July 31); and the governor’s decision (Aug. 1-7).

The Batavia City School District is forming a Reopen Batavia Strong Task Force to be partly comprised of parents and students to assist in sharing information and formulating a plan going into the next school year.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., in a tweet on the district's website, wrote that "your input and participation in our reopening plans is vital."

Those interested in joining the committee are asked to send an email to bawitkop@bataviacsd.org by Wednesday, July 8. The email should include the person's first and last name, best email address and phone number. 

Parents are asked to state where their children are enrolled and students are asked to identify their school and grade level for the 2020-21 school year.

The task force's first meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, July 10, likely in a virtual format.

Soler has indicated that three options are on the table at this point -- full in-person school attendance, a hybrid model of in-school and remote learning, and a 100-percent remote learning environment.

Update: 2:30 p.m. -- with comments from Benedict

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Alice Ann Benedict was elected president of the Batavia City School District Board of Education on Wednesday morning, replacing longtime board member Patrick Burk.

The unanimous selection of the board took place at a reorganizational meeting at the district’s administration conference room.

Benedict, a lifelong Batavian and former BOE president, was appointed in May to fill the board seat vacated by Zachary Korzelius. She then was elected by district residents to a three-year term in voting announced on June 16.

On Wednesday, Benedict, along with board members Barbara Bowman and Tanni Bromley, were sworn in by Business Administrator Scott Rozanski. Bowman and Bromley were re-elected last month.

As she took the president’s seat at the conference table, Benedict said, “Thank you all for your support and please bear with me. It’s been a while since I’ve been president of the board.”

Her first order of business was to call for a nomination for vice president. The board promptly voted for Peter Cecere to fill that position.

Benedict, a BOE member from 1995-2006, is familiar with the leadership role, having served three terms as president.

She and her husband, Wayne, and their three children are Batavia High School graduates. She also is an alumna of Genesee Community College.

"I am excited to be back on the BOE and becoming president is an added honor," Benedict said. "I take the responsibility very seriously and I know my experience from being on the BOE previously, will serve me well."

She said the board is operating during "an unprecedented and challenging time" and is inundated with information concerning students' academics along with the health and safety of students, teachers, staff and the community.

"I urge the community to get involved, participate in meetings, and engage with our Board," she added. "I want all of us to work together to be stakeholders in the future education of all our students."

Burk, who nominated Benedict for president, called the change a “transitional move.” He said that he had planned to retire from the board at the end of this year.

His term expires on June 30, 2021.

“This was a planned thing to bring in new leadership,” said Burk, a board member for close to 30 years. “With the theater up and moving forward, I will be concentrating in that area, and it really wouldn’t make sense to be president and leave (a void).”

He was referring to the Batavia Players Theater 56, which is in the process of relocating from Harvester Avenue to the City Centre as part of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Burk is president, executive and artistic director of Batavia Players.

Burk also serves as the executive director of the Genesee Valley School Boards Association, which represents 22 school boards in Western New York. He is the 2016 recipient of the GVSBA's Albert W. Hawk Award for Distinguished School Board Service for his contributions to public education and children in his community.

“Mr. Burk still is a valuable resource – he’s an active member and has a vote – and brings a ton of historical and institutional knowledge (to the board),” Soler said.

While expressing remorse in having to eliminate jobs, Anibal Soler Jr. today said he is excited over the public’s approval of the Batavia City School District 2020-21 budget and the capital project that will result in a new playground at Jackson Primary School.

The district’s first-year superintendent also said he is looking forward to a revised commencement event on Saturday, June 27 that will feature four or five outdoor mini-graduation ceremonies at Batavia High School on State Street.

“It’s a good outcome for us,” Soler said in regard to Tuesday’s absentee ballot tabulation on the $51.4 million spending plan that passed with 1,489 “yes” votes compared to 862 “no” votes. “We worked hard; it was a tough budget season. Obviously, we had to make some tough decisions.”

Soler said it was difficult laying people off, but admitted the district “had to right some things” in light of its – and the state’s – current financial situation.

“I appreciate the community for supporting our budget with a zero percent tax increase, which is important given the economic crisis caused by the pandemic,” he said. “And we still don’t know what the future will look like as people go back to work.”

Batavia’s budget could be subjected to cuts down the road since Gov. Andrew Cuomo has specified different measurement periods through the end of the year in regard to the state budget. Any revenue shortages incurred by New York State likely will result in reduced state aid to local governments and school districts.

Soler said he hopes for the passage of a federal stimulus package to provide funds to the states, but, if not, the district did include a “pandemic adjustment” line in its budget.

“We hope there’s no impact but we won’t know until the governor makes a decision on his budget,” he said.

Jackson Project Passes by 198 Votes

The superintendent said he is happy that Jackson Primary School will be getting an age-appropriate playground and restroom renovation after residents passed a capital project referendum by a 1,277 to 1,079 vote.

Funded by capital reserves, the $619,151 project will cost the district about $60,000 after state aid is appropriated – and it does not affect the tax levy.

“I’m excited that the kids got an age-appropriate playground as we continue to make Jackson Primary a premier primary school in our region,” Soler said.

He also said he was pleased that three current board of education members – Alice Ann Benedict, Barbara Bowman and Tanni Bromley – will be returning.

“To have consistency on the board always helps us as we continue to work together and implement the mission and vision of our district,” he said.

Soler also responded to questions about the abolished positions and layoffs, public comments criticizing changes in the reading program at the Middle School, and administration’s relationship with the Batavia Teachers Association.

Administrators to be Reassigned

He said that two administrative positions – coordinator of assessment & instructional services, and the other in technology -- were abolished and those two employees will be reassigned to fill two vacant assistant principal positions.

“That was a decision of the board to protect building level administrative positions versus district level – in terms of people who were at a higher level,” he said, noting that the district has two assistant principals at both the high school and middle school and one at both John Kennedy Elementary and Jackson Primary.

Soler did not disclose the names of the new assistant principals or where they would be assigned, only saying that the board of education is scheduled to approve the transfers at its June 22 meeting.

“We’re looking at making sure there are strong teams on every campus, and we may move our assistant principals across the four buildings to make sure we have a balance of talent, also gender, things of that nature,” he said. “There is a plan for reorganization that will be shared publicly once the board approves the assignments.”

Soler said that although the district abolished or eliminated about 33 positions, only about seven teachers were laid off after the district learned of retirements and resignations.

“And recently a special ed teacher told us they are moving out of state, so that will bring back one that was laid off,” he said. “We believe we will chip away, and hopefully, depending upon attrition and retirement and moves, potentially we will have nobody laid off at the end of the day.”

Changes in Approach to AIS Reading

Academic Intervention Services is a program for students challenged in reading and math. Soler said the district is modifying the way it delivers these services.

“Our elementary teachers have been doing the (AIS) math, so they’ll just pick up the reading,” he said, adding that New York State regulations allow for elementary teachers to provide instruction in AIS math and reading. “In the past, they had reading specialists. But we don’t necessarily need a reading-certified person to deliver AIS. An elementary certified teacher can deliver this to the kids.”

Soler said AIS is only for pupils who have been identified as needing additional support.

“We will be able to give kids what they need,” he said. “Yes, we changed our approach a bit but we believe we can still deliver high-quality programming. Plus, we protected all of our electives, which we know kids love – art, music, physical education, things of that nature.”

Lessons Learned During Budget Process

Soler acknowledged some missteps in dealing with the Batavia Teachers Association, which was asked (and refused) to take a pay freeze to avoid layoffs and, later on, voted against a proposal to change the start and end times of the school day.

“I think it was a tough process, and they didn’t know me and they still don’t necessarily know my approach or my focus,” he said. “So, I think that some things may have been miscommunicated given the fact that I came in January and the budget process started a month or so after that. In hindsight, I learned some lessons for myself on communication and trying to get the word out.”

He said he heard “a lot of negative feedback from people assuming that reading was eliminated.”

“We didn’t completely eliminate reading; we did reduce it,” he said. “And those were people who didn’t have 25 kids in their class, or 22 kids; they were supplemental supports.”

Soler said he hopes there isn’t any lingering animosity with the teachers’ union.

“I appreciate them even exploring the scheduling as an option of (cost) savings. That didn’t work out but we’ll continue to work through those conversations and maybe down the road we can re-explore that,” he said.

Graduation Under the Willow Tree

The governor’s mandate that graduations be limited to 150 people have quashed the district’s plan to have commencement at Van Detta Stadium.

“We have more than that graduating (165), so our high school principal, Mr. (Paul) Kessler, has developed a plan to kind of have smaller, micro-graduation ceremonies all on the same day,” Soler said.

The new arrangement is to have 30 or so seniors with their parents and some staff taking part in the smaller graduation ceremonies – in front of the high school under the willow tree that has been the backdrop of numerous commencement exercises in the past.

Soler said the first one will start at 11 a.m. Each ceremony will run for about 45 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute intermission to allow for people to leave and the new group to enter. Each student will be allowed to invite a maximum of four family members and/or friends.

Voting on Batavia City School District's $51,470,726 budget, capital project and board of education election:

Proposition #1 – Budget
Yes – 1,489
No – 862

Proposition #2 – Capital Project (Jackson Playground, Restroom Renovation)
Yes – 1,277
No – 1,079

School Board – Three Positions
Alice Ann Benedict – 1,828
Barbara Bowman – 1,779
Tanni Bromley – 1,623
Write-in candidate – John Reigle – 489 out of 544 total write-in candidates

Library Trustee – Two Seats
Kristie Evans – 2,096
Write-in candidate – Leslie Moma – 45 out of 234 total write-in candidates

Over the past couple weeks, Genesee County school districts -- like others throughout the state -- have been gearing up for Tuesday’s counting of paper ballots that will determine the outcome of 2020-21 budgets, propositions and board of education elections.

Now, per an executive order signed on Sunday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, it looks as though they’ll have to wait a bit longer.

The legislation extends the deadline for submitting school budget absentee ballots by mail through June 16, while retaining the requirement that ballots can be delivered by hand to school offices through 5 p.m. tomorrow.

“Obviously, it will delay our process by a week,” said Scott Rozanski, Batavia City School District business administrator. “Tentatively, we will begin to count on June 16 once mail is received.”

Rozanski said he has yet to receive specific guidance on the legislation, which also extends the deadline to submit absentee ballots for the Primary Election until June 23 -- the day of the election.

In a press release, Cuomo said “the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world, and while we are making great progress and the numbers keep going down, no New Yorker should have to choose between their health and their right to vote.”

Robert Schneider, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, said, in a press release, the delay muddles the school budget process even further.

“The executive order will likely cause confusion among voters in districts that did not face supply chain issues, thereby adding to what has been an extremely frustrating, costly and cumbersome board election and school budget vote process,” Schneider said.

Rozanski and John Fisgus, Oakfield-Alabama Central School superintendent, said they are ready to count their district’s ballots, and both are reporting a significant increase in voter participation.

“We received over 300 ballots a day for the first four days (since May 29) and now they're coming in at around 150 per day,” Rozanski said. “This will be the highest number of votes since I arrived in 2003. We have already exceeded the highest number, which was in 2012-13.”

Last year, about 550 votes were cast in Batavia.

At Oakfield-Alabama, Fisgus said that more than 700 ballots had been received as of last Friday – more than three times the number of voters in 2019.

As far as counting the ballots is concerned, both districts have their teams in place and will be forming an “assembly line” with different people assigned to specific tasks – opening the envelopes, distributing the ballots and counting the votes separately for the budget, other propositions and school board election.

They also said that guidelines are in place to ensure voter anonymity since the outside of the envelopes have to be signed in order to be considered. 

“(Starting at 5 p.m. on June 16) we will open the envelopes but the ballots will remain folded as not to see the information checked as it must remain anonymous and separated from the envelope,” Fisgus said.

He said the ballots will be placed in a secure lock box, and the two teams counting the ballots will be charged with tallying the budget votes, capital project vote, bus purchase and board member votes.

“Once all the legal ballots have been counted, the teams will come together for a final tally of the propositions and board candidates,” said.

Rozanski said the Batavia district is using a local vendor to assist in the process.

“We have partnered with ABS (Applied Business Systems) to have the mailed ballots delivered to them using their Business Reply Mail permit,” he said. “Each day we receive notification of the ballots received and an employee picks up the mail. In addition, ballots could still be dropped off at the Administrative wing at Batavia High School (by 5 p.m. tomorrow).”

To be eligible to vote, persons must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, and be a resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to June 9 – all in accordance with the provisions of section 5-106 of the Election Law.

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Reigle to Run for Batavia Spot

The Batavia City School District has another candidate for the school board as John Reigle has thrown his hat into the ring as a write-in.

He joins incumbents Tanni Bromley and Barbara Bowman as well as recent appointee Alice Ann Benedict in the race for the three open board seats.

The two candidates receiving the most votes will serve from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023, while the third-place candidate’s term will be June 9, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

Batavia City School administrators emphasized average class size, non-mandated programs and the property tax rate in making their final presentation of a $51.4 million 2020-21 spending plan to the public at tonight’s board of education budget hearing and meeting on the district’s YouTube channel.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. and Business Administrator Scott Rozanski utilized PowerPoint slides during their 30-minute overview, touching upon several metrics, including the budget process, enrollment, demographics, employee structure, outcomes, program offerings, finances, tax implications and voting details.

BUDGET PROCESS

The district was facing a $1.9 million budget shortfall on March 31, Soler said, even before the economy felt the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that had forced the closing of school in mid-March. Since then, teachers and students have been interacting on a remote learning basis.

“The current fiscal challenge … was already going to be there even if COVID happened or didn’t happen,” he said. “We were going to have some tough decisions to be made as an institution.”

Batavia’s student count has dropped by 100 over the past seven years, Soler said, noting that enrollment dictates staffing levels, student-teacher ratios and the amount of state aid the district receives. He also said that state aid has been flat during that time while contractual obligations have increased.

The board adopted the budget on May 19 (almost three months after the process started), achieving its goal of formulating a budget with no increase in property taxes to homeowners.

The proposed budget includes one new item -- a $100,000 capital outlay project to install security door upgrades and landscaping at the Middle School.

ENROLLMENT AND DEMOGRAPHICS

As the school year ends, the district’s K-12 enrollment is at 2,284, with 358 in K-1, 492 in grades 2-4, 705 in grades 5-8, 641 in grades 9-12 and 88 in K-12 out-of-district placements. Another 112 were enrolled in Universal Pre-Kindergarten to raise the total to 2,396.

The average class size, which Soler said was “pretty phenomenal,” is 18 for UPK, 20 for grades 2-4, 20 for grades 5-8, and 22 for grades 9-12.

He said that 62.8 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Seventy-two percent of the students are white, 13 percent black or African-American, and 9 percent are Hispanic or Latino, and the average daily attendance is 92 percent, Soler said.

EMPLOYEE STRUCTURE

Without specifically mentioning the nearly 30 jobs that were terminated or abolished to balance the budget, Soler provided an update on staffing on a full-time equivalent level.

The district employs 245.9 (FTE) teachers, plus 121 teacher aides/clerical staff, 37 maintenance staff (including a School Resource Officer), 24 nutritional services staff, six assistant principals (two each at the high school and middle school), four principals, five administrators and five information technology staff.

Soler said the student to teacher ratio last school year was about 8.2 to 1.

OUTCOMES

“At the end of the day, we’re measured by our outcomes. We’re expected to graduate kids, get them ready for college and career or the world,” Soler said.

The Batavia graduation rate of 92 percent is 9 percentage points higher than the New York State average, Soler said.

However, the district’s state English Language Arts and Math proficiency rates for grades three through eight of 38 percent and 43 percent, respectively, were slightly below the county average of 41 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

“If you look at similar size small city school districts, our rankings are usually in the top five or six …,” he said. “We are a pretty high performing school district in comparison to where we’re supposed to be.”

PROGRAM OFFERINGS

Soler said that two dozen programs that aren’t required by New York State are in the Batavia budget because they are “important to this board of education (and) important to this community.”

Those non-mandated offerings include full-day UPK, kindergarten, transportation, art/music/plays/musicals, counselors/social worker, advanced placement courses, sports, teaching aides and a school resource officer agreement with the Batavia City Police Department.

“(There are) no compromises in anything that we’re offering in either extracurricular or athletics,” he said.

SPENDING PER PUPIL

The district’s expenditures per pupil were broken into three categories – general education, special education and total.

Batavia spends $11,655 per general education student, about $2,000 less that the New York State average, and $33,848 per special education student, about $1,500 more than the state average.

Overall, the total expenditure per pupil at Batavia is $20,892, about $4,000 less than the state average, Soler said.

FINANCES & TAX IMPLICATIONS

Rozanski reported the $51.4 million budget is an increase of $952,000 (1.8 percent) over last year, but the tax levy of $19.5 million is a decrease of $7,362 (0.038 percent).

“For comparison, the CPI or Consumer Price Index is 1.81 percent,” Rozanski said.

Speaking about the state tax cap, he said it fluctuates from year to year, with the district’s 2020-21 tax cap number at negative 0.038 percent.

The district’s nine-year average tax cap allowable increase is 3.51 percent, Rozanski pointed out, but the actual nine-year average tax levy increase is only 1.03 percent – or 2.48 percent less than the average allowed.

“That translates to 71 percent less than what the district could have taxed the taxpayers or about $455,744 more per year on average,” he said. “Over that nine-year period, over $4 million more could have been collected by the district.”

Using current assessed property values from Genesee County, the projected school tax rate will decrease by 26 cents in 2020-21 to $21.30 per thousand of assessed value, Rozanski reported. That figure – and it could change -- is $3 less than the tax rate from 2006-07.

Rozanski said that over the past six years, district residents have received $4.6 million in rebate checks from New York State (as a result of the district’s compliance with the tax cap) while paying $1.36 million in school taxes – “for a net positive to the community of $3.2 million.”

The state will not be offering rebate checks this year … “and probably won’t be anytime soon,” he said.

RESERVES & REVENUE SOURCES

Rozanski said the appropriated fund balance (non-reserves) will decrease by $250,000 to $1.75 million while the appropriated fund balance (reserves) will decrease by $132,143 to $975,146 per the 2020-21 budget.

“(The $250,000) is the surplus in this year’s (2019-20) budget, Rozanski said. “That’s how much we projected to be available as of June 30^th to offset next year’s (budget).”

The district is anticipating $27.1 million in state and federal aid for 2020-21, which represents 52.6 percent of its revenue, while taxes will bring in another $19.5 million or 38 percent, Rozanski said. Support from the state is unclear, though, due to revenue losses caused by the coronavirus.

As far as appropriations, about $30 million (57.5 percent) will go to instructional support (payroll), $11 million (21 percent) to employee benefits, and $5.6 million (11 percent) to general support (administration, buildings and grounds). Remaining costs are transportation, debt service and interfund transfers.

VOTING DETAILS

By executive order of the governor, voting will be done by absentee ballot only. Ballots were mailed to district residents and must be received by personnel in the district’s administrative offices at 260 State St. by 5 p.m. June 9 to be considered.

Rozanski recommended that residents mail them back in the postage-paid envelope on or before June 5.

Beside the budget, residents will vote on a referendum for a $619,151 capital project at Jackson Primary School. The money will be taken from the Capital Reserve fund for restroom renovation and an age-appropriate playground.

“This will not impact the tax levy at all as it is coming from our reserve fund,” Rozanski advised. “Our net cost will be about 10 percent ($60,000) when we get aid on that and the rest will go back into the reserve fund.”

Three incumbent board members are running for the three open positions. They are Alice Ann Benedict, Barbara Bowman and Tanni Bromley.

LOOKING AHEAD

Soler said plans for an outdoor commencement ceremony at Van Detta Stadium on June 27 are still on the table, with a meeting with Genesee County Health Department officials scheduled for this Thursday.

June 17 is the last day of remote learning for students and teachers and June 26 is the last day of breakfast and lunch meal distribution.

The superintendent said that he will be forming a “reopening task force” to look at three options for this fall – traditional classroom setting with social distancing, a hybrid model of traditional and distance learning, and exclusively remote learning.

“We have to thank about what this will look like, the implications,” he said, adding that he expects to receive guidance from state leaders within a week or so and have plans in place by July.

The Batavian has reached out to school board candidates in Genesee County to get their answers to five questions prior to voting on June 9.

The questions are as follows:

1 -- What is your position on your school district’s proposed budget for 2020-21? What parts do you support? What parts would you change if you could?

2 -- Are teachers in your district compensated adequately?

3 -- With what we know now about COVID-19, should schools reopen in the fall?

4 -- Are you satisfied that your district responds to parents’ complaints and concerns in a way that ensures the parents know they have been heard?

5 -- What two books published since The Enlightenment have influenced you the most?

BARBARA BOWMAN

1 -- After careful consideration and further conversations, the board unanimously approved the proposed budget. We supported the budget in its entirety. I cannot stress enough how important I feel it is to support the teachers and to support the community. I believe to be of substantial help to our students, who are our first priority, we need to be able to use collaboration and work together as a team.

2 -- The Teachers Association negotiates their compensation on a 3-4-year contract. The Board of Education approves the final negotiation contract on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.

3 -- I believe Batavia CSD should follow the guidelines that will be provided by Governor Cuomo and the Genesee County Dept of Health, on the advice of the CDC and WHO. Having said that, as a grandparent, I support the reopening of school in the fall, provided we can follow all safety guidelines put forth. Technology is an amazing tool and should be used but it can never replace teacher- student interactions and relationships.   

4 – The Board of Education allows the opportunity for all public to be heard during public session in addition to allowing questions to be submitted for review on the district website. We obviously cannot answer every question that is received however when there are several questions with similar content, we as a board, take time to consider them and provide thoughtful answers.

5 -- To Kill A Mockingbird; Night.

TANNI BROMLEY

1 -- After careful consideration and further conversations, the board unanimously approved the proposed budget. We supported the budget in its entirety.

2 -- The district continuously has a full pipeline of candidates for open positions, this is in part due to having competitive compensation as compared to similar districts. Additionally, our Teachers Association negotiates their compensation on a 3-4-year contract which The Board of Education approves on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.

3 -- I believe Batavia CSD should follow the guidelines that will be provided by Governor Cuomo and the Genesee County Dept of Health, on the advice of the CDC and WHO. If the guidelines are to open in the fall with certain restrictions and accommodations, then yes.

4 -- The Board of Education allows the opportunity for all public to be heard during public session in addition to allowing questions to be submitted for review on the district website. We obviously cannot answer every question that is received, however, when there are several questions with similar content, we as a board, take time to consider them and provide thoughtful answers.

5 -- Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom; Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.