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Woodstock Times - Featured News | 10/1/2009 |
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Change of pace
Onteora board seeks new direction |
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| | Work continues on Onteora High School auditorium.
[ Lisa Childers ] | |
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by Lisa Childers
The new Onteora District school board appears to have veered into a different direction concerning the district's future. While the previous board sought to consolidate the district, with its decreasing student population, possibly closing one of its three functioning elementary schools, the current trustees, all of whom have been on the school board for slightly more a year or less, prefers looking for alternatives to funding, promoting small rural community schools and seeking the community's aid in keeping costs down while fixing the schools.
On September 17, in the district's central office Superintendent Leslie Ford, School board President Laurie Osmond, Anne McGillicuddy and newly chosen trustee Tom Hickey were present offering two pages of news throughout the district.
Included in the board's goal for community outreach is a survey that it plans to make available to everyone in the district, seeking a broader view of people's opinions on various educational topics. "We've inherited a tough problem," Osmond said, "that is why I want to survey the community." Osmond hopes to find an answer as to why at the end of 2009 school year, over 200 students in the district attended private or home school. She would like to see what those parents feel the Onteora district is lacking and how it can fill that gap. It is not certain yet as to the form of the survey or exactly what it will ask.
Osmond said she hears so much negativity that sometimes problems get blown out of proportion, but when she observes what is going on inside the classrooms, she says she believes the district is an excellent place to educate kids.
One of the goals is an effort to keep local kids in public school. Toward this end, the board placed local advertisements in newspapers pointing out the positive aspects if the district. Osmond is also aware that there are big-ticket issues to address, primarily the budget and facilities. The vacant West Hurley Elementary School is an issue.
Budget discussions
The board has already begun discussions on the 2010-2011 budget.
Ford said she would soon be giving the board information on the top five issues that will be affecting the budget. She called the Federal Stimulus money a "two-year fix," giving them an opportunity to plan for the future. Last year they had the opportunity to "downsize," as Ford explained because of declining enrollment. Classrooms for the most part are now full. One of the biggest budget concerns for next year is New York State's reduced retirement contributions. She said in the past the State contributed around 20 percent into retirement benefits, but has now dwindled to around eight or nine percent. "Now we are getting notice that it is going to change significantly," said Ford. The other monkey wrench is health care benefits. "It significantly rises every year." But Ford said the good news is that the district was able to get additional federal funding specifically targeted for curriculum that aligns with Strategic Planning. She said this helped to keep them up to date with programs and academics.
Osmond said, "Whatever we can do at no cost to the voters, either through things like performance contracts, grants, creative ideas for funding - this is the time to get resourceful." This board would prefer to look at borrowing money through voter approved sales of capital bonds as a last resort in order to fix the facilities. The district's green committee was awarded a grant to study the Boiceville campus heating system and currently, is looking at an energy audit grant through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). These studies open up doors to performance contracts that could provide an alternative to taxpayer funded bonds.
Osmond spoke of ways to bring in the community and save money. "For example, our Creative Arts Task Force, many districts are cutting their arts completely, we're assembling a community and staff of volunteers to see how we can enrich the arts in the district at no cost to the tax-payer."
Auditorium nearly done
Ford said the High School auditorium is nearly finished and will be available for the winter concerts. The district plans to have a grand opening sometime in January. Osmond said she wants the new auditorium to be a community resource for speaking events and music.++
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