There is no doubt our nation is facing difficult times. The words recession, collapse, and bailout have become standard fare on the pages of newspapers and magazines both locally and across the country. According to experts, the current economic crisis will take years to play out. As a result, our district is going to be facing intense competition for limited resources at the state level.
The Watervliet City School District has been fiscally responsible, managing to work our way out of a $1.3 million budget deficit in left by a gap in funding in the 2005-06 school budget. As of the close of the 2007-08 fiscal year, the District has fully recovered from this deficit. However, it appears that the fiscal crisis at the New York State level will lead to reduced state aid this year, meaning that the district must look for ways to save money without affecting the quality of our educational program, or putting too large a financial burden on our taxpayers.
To that end, I would like to personally invite you to join us for an upcoming Community Forum to brainstorm together how best to plan for the 2009-10 school year budget.
The forum will be held on Wednesday, February 25, at 6:30 pm in the WJSHS Media Center and will feature a brief presentation on the current state of the district followed discussion on several essential questions related to the district’s budgeting process.
In times of economic uncertainty, schools can’t take the same approach as a business dealing with lost revenue, which would be to reduce either the quantity or quality of the product we produce. That’s just not an option in education – regardless of the state’s woes, our core mission is to inspire, educate and challenge every student every day.
While WCSD is lucky enough to be in better financial shape than many other local districts, the Board of Education may have to make some difficult decisions over the coming months, in an attempt to preserve our financial stability moving forward. Your input is very important to us. Navigating these rough waters is not something that the district should do in isolation. It is crucial that we work together as a community to find an appropriate balance. We hope that you will be able to join us for the upcoming Community Forum - I look forward to seeing you on February 25!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Planning for the 2009-10 school budget.. we need your input!
As we begin the New Year, our district begins to focus on the school budget for 2009-2010. In doing this, we know that we have two main objectives: to provide a world class education to every student, every day, and to do so without over burdening our local taxpayers. This year, this balancing act is made even more difficult by the economic crisis that we face as a state and a nation. The realities of this crisis have our State officials considering some very deep cuts in the aid to education,
Watervliet relies heavily on state education funding to provide our student programs and keep our local taxes as low as possible. Reduction in this aid leaves us with only two choices; remove student programming or increase local taxes. Neither of which is something that we want to do.
These issues are at the center of the budget conversations that we want to have, not only with the school employees and administration, but also with the citizens of Watervliet.
In years past we have had a budget committee made up of school employees, local business owners, parents, and concerned tax payers. We would like to invite anyone who wants to be part of our solution team to join this budget committee. We will be holding a series of meetings over the coming months, the dates of which will be posted on the district’s website. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please contact Bernadette Boardman, Clerk of the Board, at 629-3201. We need to hear the voices of the people of Watervliet to help us make the right choices in this challenging time.
We will not abandon our students, and regardless of the money lost to state aid cuts we will accept and overcome this challenge together. The future of our students and our city is at stake. We must work together to come out of this crisis a stronger community.
Watervliet relies heavily on state education funding to provide our student programs and keep our local taxes as low as possible. Reduction in this aid leaves us with only two choices; remove student programming or increase local taxes. Neither of which is something that we want to do.
These issues are at the center of the budget conversations that we want to have, not only with the school employees and administration, but also with the citizens of Watervliet.
In years past we have had a budget committee made up of school employees, local business owners, parents, and concerned tax payers. We would like to invite anyone who wants to be part of our solution team to join this budget committee. We will be holding a series of meetings over the coming months, the dates of which will be posted on the district’s website. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please contact Bernadette Boardman, Clerk of the Board, at 629-3201. We need to hear the voices of the people of Watervliet to help us make the right choices in this challenging time.
We will not abandon our students, and regardless of the money lost to state aid cuts we will accept and overcome this challenge together. The future of our students and our city is at stake. We must work together to come out of this crisis a stronger community.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Anatomy of a snow day
I don’t believe in snow days. There I’ve said it. Of course I loved them when I was a kid, but as an educator, I hate to lose a day where we can be teaching students. If a student catches me on a day where bad weather is in the forecast and asks me if we’re going to have a snow day, you can bet my answer is going to be a resounding “NO!”
However, since the upstate New York winter has arrived with a vengeance, we know that some snowy or icy days are on the way. And despite what I would hope, it is inevitable that some inclement weather will eventually affect our school schedule.
So, contrary to what I want all of our students to believe, I probably will have to call the occasional snow day.
The historic ice storm that hit our region on Friday, December 12 is a perfect example of a time when I felt there was a definitive need for an emergency closing of our school. But often, the decision to close school is not that clear cut.
The Wednesday following the storm, December 17, was a bit more complicated. On these types of days there is a great deal that goes into making the decision to close, delay or maintain our regular schedule.
When the weather’s bad, my day starts at about 4 a.m. with a call to our head of maintenance, John Szkopiec. Mr. Szkopiec is always the first one on school grounds during bad weather. He gives me an update on the conditions of our buildings, parking lots and the roads leading to our schools. He also frequently talks with the plow drivers for the City of Watervliet to get a read on the condition of the rest of the roads in the City.
My second call is to our Director of Transportation, Mrs. Yanni. Mrs. Yanni has a report from the transportation companies we contract with on the conditions of the roads and the readiness of the bus fleet. Next, I call the superintendents of our neighboring districts in Cohoes and Green Island. The three of us will review what we have learned so far that morning and discuss any ways that we may be able to assist each other during the weather emergency. In very serious situations, such as the Valentines Day storm in February of 2007 that forced the schools to close for two consecutive days, I will call the Mayor, Fire Chief and Chief of Police to look to coordinate our response and pool resources.
When all of the information is collected, a final determination is made and the notices go out to the media, gets posted on our district website, www.watervlietcityschools.org, and the phone trees begin for faculty and staff. My last step is to contact the Board of Education members informing them of the decision that was made and why.
So, if you ever wonder how I decide to close, delay or remain on our regular schedule, now you know. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not kids are wearing their pajamas inside out, or sleeping with a spoon under their pillows, as I have heard many students have started to do as a “night-before-a-snow day” ritual. I rely heavily on the input of others and do what is needed to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
However, since the upstate New York winter has arrived with a vengeance, we know that some snowy or icy days are on the way. And despite what I would hope, it is inevitable that some inclement weather will eventually affect our school schedule.
So, contrary to what I want all of our students to believe, I probably will have to call the occasional snow day.
The historic ice storm that hit our region on Friday, December 12 is a perfect example of a time when I felt there was a definitive need for an emergency closing of our school. But often, the decision to close school is not that clear cut.
The Wednesday following the storm, December 17, was a bit more complicated. On these types of days there is a great deal that goes into making the decision to close, delay or maintain our regular schedule.
When the weather’s bad, my day starts at about 4 a.m. with a call to our head of maintenance, John Szkopiec. Mr. Szkopiec is always the first one on school grounds during bad weather. He gives me an update on the conditions of our buildings, parking lots and the roads leading to our schools. He also frequently talks with the plow drivers for the City of Watervliet to get a read on the condition of the rest of the roads in the City.
My second call is to our Director of Transportation, Mrs. Yanni. Mrs. Yanni has a report from the transportation companies we contract with on the conditions of the roads and the readiness of the bus fleet. Next, I call the superintendents of our neighboring districts in Cohoes and Green Island. The three of us will review what we have learned so far that morning and discuss any ways that we may be able to assist each other during the weather emergency. In very serious situations, such as the Valentines Day storm in February of 2007 that forced the schools to close for two consecutive days, I will call the Mayor, Fire Chief and Chief of Police to look to coordinate our response and pool resources.
When all of the information is collected, a final determination is made and the notices go out to the media, gets posted on our district website, www.watervlietcityschools.org, and the phone trees begin for faculty and staff. My last step is to contact the Board of Education members informing them of the decision that was made and why.
So, if you ever wonder how I decide to close, delay or remain on our regular schedule, now you know. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not kids are wearing their pajamas inside out, or sleeping with a spoon under their pillows, as I have heard many students have started to do as a “night-before-a-snow day” ritual. I rely heavily on the input of others and do what is needed to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Respect and Integrity
A community of learners must be a community of respect. Positive results can’t occur in an atmosphere that lacks respect. As a school district we must be respectful of our students, our community and each other.
This holds true not just for our intentions, but for our actions. We must treat each other with respect on an everyday basis. It is important to remember that please and thank you is not only polite, but it works! Try it.
Most of us think of integrity as being honest and doing what is right, not only for ourselves, but for everyone. However, integrity is much more than that. At its core, it is consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles, Cheating on a test, copying homework or using sick time to go shopping are actions that not only break the rules, but show a lack of integrity.
Failing to push ourselves to do our best can be a seen as a lack of integrity as well. In failing to strive to be our best, we are not being honest with ourselves, we’re selling ourselves short and cheating the rest of the community out of our potential contributions.
We cannot allow that to happen.
Every student must be shown the way to act with respect and integrity every day. Not because we say so, but because failing to do this robs both the student and the rest of us of the greatness that each student has inside of them.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Good is the enemy of great
The third shared value and belief of our district is Continuous Improvement. Good is always the enemy of great. We can never be content to be just good enough; we must always strive to be our best. As educators we must encourage our students and ourselves to continuously improve everything we do, we must aim higher, dream bigger and shoot for the stars.
We cannot look at our school improvement process as a plan to jump over a bar set at a specific height, because the bar keeps rising. We must set both short and long term goals for improvement and put systems in place that provide for constant upward movement.
The current goal of the New York State Department of Education is 100% proficiency of all of our students on all state assessments by 2012. This is an ambitious goal that the Watervliet City School District fully supports and intends to meet. In order to do this we must push to improve every day.
Even when we meet this goal, there will still be a need for continuous improvement. There will always be areas in which we can improve. Aside from 100% proficiency, we are working to see more students graduating on time, more students attending four year colleges and universities, more students making greater contributions to our community and country just to name a few.
As I said before, good is the enemy of great. It’s a little-known fact that a great white shark must always be moving forward or it will die because it is not getting oxygen from water flowing through its gills. I want all of our faculty members and students to “be the shark” and keep their forward momentum going throughout their lives.
We cannot look at our school improvement process as a plan to jump over a bar set at a specific height, because the bar keeps rising. We must set both short and long term goals for improvement and put systems in place that provide for constant upward movement.
The current goal of the New York State Department of Education is 100% proficiency of all of our students on all state assessments by 2012. This is an ambitious goal that the Watervliet City School District fully supports and intends to meet. In order to do this we must push to improve every day.
Even when we meet this goal, there will still be a need for continuous improvement. There will always be areas in which we can improve. Aside from 100% proficiency, we are working to see more students graduating on time, more students attending four year colleges and universities, more students making greater contributions to our community and country just to name a few.
As I said before, good is the enemy of great. It’s a little-known fact that a great white shark must always be moving forward or it will die because it is not getting oxygen from water flowing through its gills. I want all of our faculty members and students to “be the shark” and keep their forward momentum going throughout their lives.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Continuing our discussion on the shared values and beliefs of our school district, I’d like to address the second value:
Our expectation is that “every student” will find success here in the Watervliet City School District. We expect that all students will reach a high level of academic achievement and develop into socially well rounded individuals. We also expect that every adult; teachers, staff, parents and community partners understand the expectations that we have of ourselves in accepting the responsibility to provide a high level of support.
While we expect a great deal of our students, we must expect a great deal of ourselves. High expectations must be held and maintained for all. However in order to make this a reality we must also realize that as educators our job is to provide the high level of support that our students need to meet these expectations. A “high expectations” / “high support” learning community gets things done, grows and finds a great deal of success.
A nice example of how Watervliet CSD has a history of rising to meet the challenge of high expectations was the recent induction of over 20 members into the New Watervliet Athletic Hall of Fall. All of the inductees, whether coaches, supporters or athletes, met and exceeded high expectations during their athletic careers and their lives beyond WCSD. And we have had many students throughout the years who have done the same in the classroom.
Expectations alone will not get the job done. Support, understanding, patience and hard work are needed to help us as we rise to meet these high expectations. As our mission statement says we must be ready to do so, “Every day”. High expectations should never take a day off or go on vacation. We expect every member of our school community to “bring their A game” in everything they do.
High Expectations
Expectations for students, parents and staff are clearly defined, understood and communicated. Students, parents and staff are empowered, supported and trained to meet high expectations.
Expectations for students, parents and staff are clearly defined, understood and communicated. Students, parents and staff are empowered, supported and trained to meet high expectations.
Our expectation is that “every student” will find success here in the Watervliet City School District. We expect that all students will reach a high level of academic achievement and develop into socially well rounded individuals. We also expect that every adult; teachers, staff, parents and community partners understand the expectations that we have of ourselves in accepting the responsibility to provide a high level of support.
While we expect a great deal of our students, we must expect a great deal of ourselves. High expectations must be held and maintained for all. However in order to make this a reality we must also realize that as educators our job is to provide the high level of support that our students need to meet these expectations. A “high expectations” / “high support” learning community gets things done, grows and finds a great deal of success.
A nice example of how Watervliet CSD has a history of rising to meet the challenge of high expectations was the recent induction of over 20 members into the New Watervliet Athletic Hall of Fall. All of the inductees, whether coaches, supporters or athletes, met and exceeded high expectations during their athletic careers and their lives beyond WCSD. And we have had many students throughout the years who have done the same in the classroom.
Expectations alone will not get the job done. Support, understanding, patience and hard work are needed to help us as we rise to meet these high expectations. As our mission statement says we must be ready to do so, “Every day”. High expectations should never take a day off or go on vacation. We expect every member of our school community to “bring their A game” in everything they do.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Shared Values and Beliefs
Last week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet with every elementary school student and discuss our new mission statement. During these meetings we discussed the shared values and beliefs of our school district. Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing my personal insights on these shared beliefs, through a series of blog articles. Today, we’ll be discussing the first point:
The shared value of success for all students is one that I feel very strongly about. This statement makes it very clear to everyone that our job as a school district is to ensure that every student who attends school at Watervliet and walks across the stage to graduate at the end of their senior year will be prepared for a happy and productive life.
So, what exactly is “happy and productive?” How will we determine if we are successful in this endeavor? We all define success differently but I define it in one word: choices. The staff, teachers, administrators and Board of Education of the Watervliet City School District have fulfilled their mission if every student who graduates from our school has choices.
We want our students to have myriad choices. Students could choose to attend college and will be academically prepared to do so. Students could also choose to attend a vocational school, join the military or enter the job market. We will have done our job if they leave here prepared to excel in the complex world of the twenty first century through their ability to think, problem solve, and work collaboratively and cooperatively.
The key is that our students will not only have all of these options open to them, but they will have the confidence and readiness to make important decisions about their future. Possessing the skills and abilities to choose to do what we want in life is the ultimate success.
Success of All Students
All staff members are focused on student success. Students have many avenues and opportunities to learn, achieve and celebrate academic, personal and employment success. All students will leave the Watervliet City School District prepared for college, career and citizenship.
All staff members are focused on student success. Students have many avenues and opportunities to learn, achieve and celebrate academic, personal and employment success. All students will leave the Watervliet City School District prepared for college, career and citizenship.
The shared value of success for all students is one that I feel very strongly about. This statement makes it very clear to everyone that our job as a school district is to ensure that every student who attends school at Watervliet and walks across the stage to graduate at the end of their senior year will be prepared for a happy and productive life.
So, what exactly is “happy and productive?” How will we determine if we are successful in this endeavor? We all define success differently but I define it in one word: choices. The staff, teachers, administrators and Board of Education of the Watervliet City School District have fulfilled their mission if every student who graduates from our school has choices.
We want our students to have myriad choices. Students could choose to attend college and will be academically prepared to do so. Students could also choose to attend a vocational school, join the military or enter the job market. We will have done our job if they leave here prepared to excel in the complex world of the twenty first century through their ability to think, problem solve, and work collaboratively and cooperatively.
The key is that our students will not only have all of these options open to them, but they will have the confidence and readiness to make important decisions about their future. Possessing the skills and abilities to choose to do what we want in life is the ultimate success.
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