Taking advantage of every opportunity

We always urge our students to take advantage of the many opportunities we have to offer here in the Watervliet City School District both academic (AP courses, internships, college credit courses and honors classes) and extracurricular (athletics, Odyssey of the Mind, Masterminds, drama, band and our many clubs offerings).

It is important that we as a community and a school district listen to our own advice and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us.

In June of this year we applied for and were awarded an amazing opportunity that could benefit students and the community for years to come. The district was awarded five million dollars in Quality School Construction Bonds. Very few other districts in the state qualify or were selected as eligible for these bonds. In a nutshell, these bonds — when combined with our State Building Aid rate of 93 percent — will allow the district to perform just over $18 million worth of construction on our two buildings without increasing local taxes. (Many of you may remember three years ago we were awarded similar Quality Zone Academy Bonds that accomplished the same thing).

We should not let this opportunity pass us by.

This month, the BOE will consider putting forth to the voters a proposition that would capitalize on this opportunity and address some of the facilities issues that were not addressed in our last project and make many upgrades to our buildings, grounds and athletic fields. (BOE meeting on September 20 at 7 pm in the WJSHS auditorium).

Some of the initial items under consideration include:

• replacing roofs and windows, and renovating classrooms and corridors at Watervliet Elementary School;


• renovating classrooms and corridors, and upgrading the auditorium at Watervliet Junior Senior High School; and


• constructing an eight-lane running track and a low-maintenance, all-weather artificial turf playing field to accommodate a variety of athletic offerings.

Some may ask, why don’t we use this five million dollars in our regular operating budget to maintain and improve programs and add personnel? Simply put, we can’t. The Quality School Construction Bonds is funding that can strictly be used for improving school facilities. We are not allowed to use state building aid or QSCB for any other purpose.

In the next few weeks you will be hearing much more about this proposal and as with the previous two projects, we will form a facilities task force to ensure that all community members will have a part in the planning of this new opportunity.

New school year filled with optimism, and some new challenges

The days are getting a bit shorter, the nights a bit cooler, some trees are showing hints of orange and red, and the stores are decorated for Halloween—some have already begun gearing up for Christmas!

The summer has brought many changes to our schools and to education. Our comprehensive building renovations and additions are finally complete and we open our buildings without contractors, construction trucks and the noise and inconvenience that come with a project of this size (for the most part). After four long years, I am confident that the sacrifices we have made have been worth it. Both Watervliet Elementary and Watervliet Junior-Senior High School are now buildings that are more conducive learning environments for our students and facilities the entire school community can be proud of.

The changes in bricks and mortar in our buildings pale in comparison to the changes that are happening within public education.

We face many new challenges this year—from the new evaluation process for teachers and principals to the implementation of the common core learning standards and an ever-increasing level of accountability. New York has enacted a new property tax cap and we anticipate less financial support from the state. This means that we must use our resources wisely and do more with less.

None of these changes alter our mission: To inspire, educate and challenge every student, every day.

As I stated last year, we cannot let these hurdles slow us down or sidetrack our efforts to ensure that our students have everything they need from our school district. We must embrace these new challenges, as arbitrary as they may seem at times, and renew our commitment to students with an even greater sense of urgency than before.

We have overcome many challenges over the past five years; we will overcome these as well. Our students are counting on us!

Education has always been the best hope for a bright future for our children, our communities and our country, and it still is. Welcome back!