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CAMPBELL-SAVONA CENTRAL SCHOOL

BOARD OF EDUCATION

AGENDA

May 19, 2014

1. Call to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Set Agenda

4. Presentations/Reports

A. Superintendent’s Report

B. Assistant Superintendent of Management Services’ Report

Building Condition Survey and Maintenance Plan Presentation – Charlie Woodcock

and Tim Thomas

C. Audit Committee’s Report

D. Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor’s Report

School Report Card and Accountability Report Presentation

E. Director of Pupil Personnel Services’ Report

F. Elementary Principal’s Report

G. High School Principal’s Report

5. Action on Minutes

A. Proposed Resolution: to accept the following minutes as presented:

April 23, 2014 Regular Meeting

May 12, 2014 Special Meeting Public Budget Hearing

6. Business Matters

A. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts the financial reports as presented in writing.

B. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts the Report of Examination by the Office of State Comptroller of the

preliminary district budget for 2014-2015.

7. Personnel Matters

A. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education makes the following appointments:

Name of Appointee Position

Maria Tyler K-12 Substitute teacher, PK-6 Classroom Aide,

Clerical

Penelope Jamison Substitute Cleaner

Cassandra Gerow Substitute Food Service Helper

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B. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education approves the following people as Fitness Room Monitors at the rate of $9.00

per hour.

Jeff Allen

Terry Pavlick

Joel Rosko

Cheryl Wright

Steve Hawken

Collin Wright

Laura Sutphen

Bryan Seager

C. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education approves the following people as Lifeguards at the rate of $13.35 per hour.

Amanda Boughan

Amy Chaffee

Mitchel Colvin

Sarah Hauryski

David Herron

Matthew Heywood

Hannah Jensen

Monique Knapp

Robert Loveless

Amanda Reed

Starlit Rogers

Joel Rosko

Megan Rosko

Bryan Seager

Dawn Shanks

Michael Simkin

Caleb Smith

Gabriel Smith

Robert Wightman

Laura Wright

D. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts a letter of intent to retire from Janet Latour, Elementary Teacher,

effective June 30, 2014.

E. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts a letter of intent to retire from Joanne C. Thilbault, Bus Driver,

effective June 6, 2014.

F. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts a letter of intent to retire from Paul A. Thilbault, Bus Monitor, effective

June 6, 2014.

G. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts the letter of resignation from Collin Wright, Fitness Room/Pool

Supervisor, effective May 1, 2014.

H. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education appoints Dawn Shanks as Fitness Room/Pool Supervisor, effective May 1,

2014 with a stipend of $4,000 annually (prorated).

I. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education approves the request from Andrew Hain for military leave beginning May 18,

2014 through May 30, 2014.

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8. Other Business

9. Public Comment

10. Discussion Items

11. New Business

12. Executive Session to discuss matters made confidential by state or federal law – Special

Education classification and placements and collective negotiations pursuant to Article 14

of the Civil Service Law.

A. Proposed Resolution: upon the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of

Education accepts the Committee on Special Education classifications and placements

as presented.

13. Adjournment

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VISITORS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD

The Campbell-Savona Central School District welcomes public comment. Visitors are asked to

sign in. Visitors wishing to address the Board should indicate so below. In addition please

indicate the topic you wish to address the Board on and contact information so the district may

contact you in terms of your question or issue. Anyone addressing the Board with a question or

concern will be contacted as soon as possible, following the meeting, by either the Board clerk

or an administrator in regards to your question or concern.

In general, Board comments should be kept to three (3) minutes. The Clerk will notify you when

30 seconds remain.

The Board will listen to your comments carefully. This is an opportunity to provide your thought

so the Board may include concerns in its consideration of the item you address.

Board members will not answer specific questions or engage in a dialogue or debate. If you

have a question or request further discussion of an issue, the Clerk will take your contact

information so that the appropriate staff member can respond at a later time.

PUBLIC EXPRESSION AT BOARD MEETINGS

As it is important to us that you feel free to express yourself, you should be aware of the

following:

Discussion involving individual District personnel or students is not permitted. Such

matters should be presented to the appropriate person beginning with the Building

Principal.

Upon being recognized by the President, speakers should identify themselves and any

organization they may be representing.

Comments should be addressed to the President of the Board.

Speakers may comment on any matter related to District business.

Speakers are expected to conduct themselves in a civil manner. Obscene language,

malicious statements, threats and statements of a prejudicial nature are all unacceptable.

At the President’s discretion, in order to allow all who wish to address the Board an

opportunity to do so, statements may be limited to 3 minutes per statement and one

statement per person.

The President has the right to discontinue any presentation which is contrary to the above

conditions or is otherwise seen as inappropriate.

The Board will listen to your comments, but may not respond at this time. This may be to

afford enough time for all who wish to comment to do so; or to give your remarks due

consideration and form the best course of action or response to the issue presented.

Thank you for your participation.

Special Meeting Page 73 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School LGI Room April 23, 2014 The Board of Education met in Executive Session at 1:02 pm at the Campbell-Savona High School LGI to discuss matters made confidential by state or federal law – Special Education classification and placements and the employment history of a particular person. On a motion by Rosplock, seconded by Orcutt, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education appoints Kathy Hagenbuch as Clerk Pro Tem. Vote: 4 Yes 0 No Motion Carried On a motion by Smith, seconded by Rosplock, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education accepts the Committee on Special Education placements and recommendations as presented. Vote: 4 Yes 0 No Motion Carried On a motion by Orcutt, seconded by Smith, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education moves out of Executive Session at 1:12 pm. Vote: 4 Yes 0 No Motion Carried Regular Meeting Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 December 16, 2013

Present: Tami Orcutt, Sara Rosplock, Tom Hauryski, Bill Caudill (1:30), Craig Smith Attending: Timothy Allard, Kathleen Hagenbuch, Kelly Costa, Lisa Hawken, Angela Pavlick, Destiny

Taft, Patty Presher, Sara Balliett, Joni Makowiec, Erica Siebert, Joe McKenna, Jim Anderson, Leo Rice, Craig Hopkins, Keith Miller, Tom Fleet, Jadyn Gardner, Emma Kephart, Katie Austin, Caine Taft, Kelley Meade (1:34), Bob Wilson (1:38), Monique Knapp (1:45), Rolf Lewis (1:45), Danielle Hankinson (1:45)

Absent: Greg Cacace, Paul Seager The meeting was called to order by President Tom Hauryski at 1:32 pm in room 1058 at the high school building followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda was set for the afternoon. Reports were given by the: Superintendent:

Board classroom visit update

STEM Community Cafe´ update

Grades 3-8 testing update

2014-15 budget update

Board of Education candidate update

Regular Meeting Page 74 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 April 23, 2014 Assistant Superintendent of Management Services:

Capital Project Phase II presentation – Keith Miller, Hunt Architects and Engineers and Craig Hopkins, Welliver

Audit Committee: No report given Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor:

Common Core support update

May 27 & 29, 2014 Community Cafe´ update

Flip Learning Technology presentation – Monique Knapp, Rolf Lewis and Danielle Hankinson Director of Pupil Personnel: No report given Elementary Principal:

Character Kids presentation – Joni Makowiec, Destiny Taft, Caine Taft, Katie Austin, Emma Kephart and Jadyn Gardner

5th Grade Data Driven Instruction presentation – Joe McKenna and Destiny Taft

Earth Day Grant update

NWEA testing update

Village of Savona Comprehensive Survey update

Math & Science Night update

USA Masters anti-bullying presentation update

5/6 report card update High School Principal:

Announced year-end events

2014-15 master schedule update

Testing update On a motion by Caudill, seconded by Orcutt, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education accepts the following minutes, as presented: March 24, 2014 Regular Meeting

March 26, 2014 Special Meeting April 2, 2014 Special Meeting

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried On a motion by Smith, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education accepts the financial reports as presented in writing.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

Regular Meeting Page 75 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 April 23, 2014 On a motion by Smith, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education accepts the final budget resolution as stated:

RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CAMPBELL-SAVONA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT BE AND HEREBY IS AUTHORIZED TO EXPEND THE SUM OF $23,399,013 FOR THE 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried On a motion by Smith, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members that the Board of Education approves the following resolution:

That the Campbell-Savona Central School District Board of Education approves the 2014-2015 Schuyler-Steuben-Chemung-Tioga-Allegany Board of Cooperative Educational Services Administrative Budget in the amount of $6,935,350.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Smith, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

approves the following resolution:

Be it resolved that the Campbell-Savona Central School District Board of Education casts

one ballot for each of the following candidates for membership on the Schuyler-Steuben-

Chemung-Tioga-Allegany Board of Cooperative Educational Services:

Donald Keddell X

516 W. Third Street

Elmira, NY 14901

Elmira City School District

Robert K. Wheeler X

7110 Golf View

Bath, NY 14810

Bath Central School District

Amy Dlugos X

7699 Williams Road

Prattsburgh, NY 14873

Prattsburgh Central School District

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

Regular Meeting Page 76 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 April 23, 2014 On a motion by Orcutt, seconded by Rosplock, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

awards the following contracts for work on CS2010 Phase II capital projects at the Campbell Jr.-

Sr. High School (Project #57-06-03-04-0-001-017), the Savona Elementary School (Project #57-06-

03-04-0-003-016), and the Campbell-Savona Bus Garage (Project #57-06-03-04-0-006-004):

Description Company Bid Amount

General Trades Iverson Construction Corporation $910,800

Mechanical Kimble, Inc. $49,200

Electrical Billitier Electric, Inc. $37,700

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Orcutt, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

approves the following resolution:

RESOLUTION OF BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR ALL CAFETERIA SUPPLY BIDS SCHOOL YEAR 2014-2015 incl. Milk, Ice Cream and Bread for following year WHEREAS, It is a plan of a number of public school districts in the Greater Southern Tier (GST) BOCES Area in New York, to bid jointly, Cafeteria Supplies including the following items on the following dates: Meat and Grocery – July 19, 2014, September 3, 2014, November 19, 2014, January 28, 2015, April 8, 2015 and April 8, 2015 (for summer prime vendor award) Equipment – February 11, 2015 Produce – weekly throughout the school year Paper – July 9, 2014, October 22, 2014, February 18, 2015 Ice Cream – May 6, 2015 Milk – May 6, 2015 Bread – June 3, 2015 for WHEREAS, The Campbell-Savona Central School District is desirous of participating with other districts in the GST BOCES area in the joint bidding of the commodities mentioned above as authorized by General Municipal Law, Section 119-o, and WHEREAS, The Campbell-Savona Central School District wishes to appoint a committee made up of participating schools to assume responsibility for drafting of specifications, advertising for bids, accepting and opening bids, tabulating bids, awarding bids to the lowest bidder who meets the specifications and reporting the results to the schools; therefore; BE IT RESOLVED, That the Board of Education of the Campbell-Savona Central School District hereby appoints the GST BOCES to represent it in all matters relating above, and

Regular Meeting Page 77 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 April 23, 2014

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Education of the Campbell-Savona Central School District authorizes the above committee to represent it in all matters leading up to the entering into a contract for the purchase of the above mentioned commodities, and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Education of the Campbell-Savona Central School District agrees to (1) assume its equitable share of the costs of Cooperative Bidding; (2) abide by majority decisions of the participating districts on quality standards; (3) that it will award contracts according to the recommendation of the committee.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried On a motion by Orcutt, seconded by Smith, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

makes the following appointment of tenure:

Name of Appointee: Timothy Allard

Tenure Area: Assistant Superintendent of Management Services

Date of commencement of

service on tenure: July 1, 2014

Certification Status: Permanent School District Administrator

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Smith, seconded by Rosplock, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

makes the following appointments:

Name of Appointee Position

Kimberly Grover Substitute Food Service Helper

Samantha HerrNeckar Base Camp Enrichment Facilitator or Tutor

Melvin Calkins Modified Softball coach’s aide

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Smith, seconded by Rosplock, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

approves the request for parental leave beginning on September 2, 2014 through June 26, 2015 for

Nicole Housel as unpaid leave.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Smith, seconded by Rosplock, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

acknowledges Jessica Pcionek as a student teacher from Elmira College who will be placed with

Robert Sherburne beginning April 22, 2014 through May 28, 2014.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

Regular Meeting Page 78 Board of Education Campbell-Savona High School Room 1058 April 23, 2014 On a motion by Rosplock, seconded by Smith, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

approves the amended 2013-2014 District Calendar as presented in writing.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

Public comment: No comment On a motion by Orcutt, seconded by Caudill, and carried by all members that the Board of Education

accepts the GST BOCES 2014-2015 Proposed School Calendar as presented in writing.

Vote: 5 Yes 0 No Motion Carried

On a motion by Caudill, seconded by Smith and carried by all members present that that the meeting be adjourned at 2:57 pm. Vote: 6 Yes 0 No Motion Carried Respectfully submitted, Kelly J. Costa District Clerk _________________________________ _________________________________ Tom Hauryski, President Sara Rosplock ABSENT Tami Orcutt, Vice President Gregory Cacace ABSENT Craig Smith Paul Seager Bill Caudill

Public Hearing Page 79 Board of Education Campbell-Savona Jr./Sr. High School LGI May 12, 2014 Present: Vice President Tami Orcutt, Greg Cacace, Craig Smith, Sara Rosplock Attending: Kathleen Hagenbuch, Timothy Allard, Kelly Costa, Angela Pavlick, Jim Anderson, Lisa

Hawken, Jenny Peer, Jason Demong, Rick Salvagin, Mary ??, Mark Northrop, Shawn Corey

Absent: President Tom Hauryski, Paul Seager, Bill Caudill Visitors: The Public Hearing was called to order by Vice President, Tami Orcutt 7:02 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. All in attendance were asked to turn off all cell phones at this time. Vice President Orcutt introduced the Board of Education Members that were in attendance. Vice President Orcutt announced that the Annual Vote on the Budget and Board Member Election would take place on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 from 12:00 Noon to 8:00 pm in the District Office Lobby at the Campbell Jr./Sr. High School. Vice President Orcutt announced the appointment of Tammy Clark, Loretta Aungst, Karen Wilson, and Robert Wilson, as Election Inspectors and Michael Carson as Alternate Election Inspector. Vice President Orcutt announced that nominating petitions had been received from Ricky Salvagin and Jason Demong for the five year expired term of Tami Orcutt. Each candidate was introduced and invited to speak, but they both declined. Superintendent Hagenbuch thanked all who attended and presented the Mission Statement and Vision Statement for the District. Timothy Allard, Assistant Superintendent of Management Services, presented the 2014-2015 budget The Budget Statement was made available to those attending. Question and answer period followed the budget presentation. On motion by Cacace, seconded by Smith, and carried by all members present that the Board of Education adjourn the meeting at 7:56 pm. Vote: 4 Yes 0 No Motion Carried Respectfully Submitted, __________________________________ Kelly J. Costa, District Clerk

Public Hearing Page 80 Board of Education Campbell-Savona Jr./Sr. High School LGI May 12, 2014 ABSENT Tom Hauryski, President Tami Orcutt, Vice President ABSENT Bill Caudill Gregory Cacace ABSENT Craig Smith Paul Seager Sara Rosplock

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

Superintendent's Office & BOE $167,400 $167,400 $144,770 $167,351 $49

Business Administration $140,800 $140,800 $120,378 $140,050 $751

Auditing $100 $100 $0 $0 $100

Tax Collector $1,875 $1,875 $1,875 $1,875 $0

Operation of Plant $290,000 $290,000 $243,686 $285,750 $4,250

Maintenance of Plant $210,000 $210,000 $171,248 $197,009 $12,991

Curriculum Dev. & Super. $20,500 $20,500 $17,836 $20,174 $327

Supervision - Regular School $450,000 $450,000 $382,306 $445,726 $4,274

Teaching - Regular School $3,282,750 $3,282,750 $2,900,431 $3,407,285 -$124,535

Students with Disabilities $765,000 $765,000 $562,612 $655,356 $109,644

Library and Audiovisual $95,000 $95,000 $61,860 $72,777 $22,223

Computer Assisted Instruction $46,000 $46,000 $40,973 $47,442 -$1,442

Attendance $35,500 $35,500 $29,614 $35,340 $160

Guidance $171,000 $171,000 $149,789 $173,152 -$2,152

Health Services $64,000 $63,400 $54,432 $64,207 -$807

Psychologist $10,500 $10,500 $16,807 $19,538 -$9,038

Co-Curricular $61,000 $61,000 $12,285 $58,475 $2,525

Interscholastic Athletics $134,000 $134,000 $91,013 $130,194 $3,806

Transportation $550,000 $550,000 $443,550 $530,051 $19,949

General Fund Total $6,495,425 $6,494,825 $5,445,464 $6,451,751 $43,074

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

ERS Contributions $330,000 $330,000 $284,359 $254,803 $75,197

TRS Contributions $795,000 $795,000 -$40,593 $803,365 -$8,365

FICA $485,000 $485,000 $418,879 $489,003 -$4,003

Workers' Compensation $107,500 $107,500 $113,598 $103,800 $3,700

Unemployment Insur. $15,000 $15,000 $12,257 $16,343 -$1,343

Health Insurance $1,966,000 $1,966,000 $2,092,830 $1,935,521 $30,479

Dental Insurance $71,000 $71,000 $67,682 $40,416 $30,584

Health Insurance Waiver $74,000 $74,000 -$401 $63,113 $10,887

Teacher FLEX Plan $28,000 $28,000 $6,796 $22,123 $5,877

Medicare Reimbursement $136,000 $136,000 $99,924 $135,276 $724

Employee Benefits Total $4,007,500 $4,007,500 $3,055,331 $3,863,762 $143,738

As of May 15, 2014

Expenditure Status Report

PAYROLL

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

As of May 15, 2014

Expenditure Status Report

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

Deficit Financing - Principal $345,000 $345,000 $0 $345,000 $0

Deficit Financing - Interest $56,400 $56,400 $31,320 $56,400 $0

Serial Bonds - Principal $2,100,000 $2,100,000 $0 $2,100,000 $0

Serial Bonds - Interest $313,845 $313,845 $153,803 $313,845 $0

BANs for Buses - Principal $85,000 $85,000 $85,000 $85,000 $0

BANs for Buses - Interest $3,188 $3,188 $3,188 $3,188 $0

BANs for Construction - Prin. $455,000 $455,000 $0 $435,000 $20,000

BANs for Construction - Int. $205,452 $205,452 $124,653 $205,452 $0

Debt Service Total $3,563,885 $3,563,885 $397,963 $3,543,885 $20,000

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

Board of Education $1,000 $1,000 $0 $1,000 $0

Business Administration $207,500 $207,500 $0 $205,487 $2,013

Purchasing $7,400 $7,400 $0 $7,799 -$399

Personnel $43,000 $43,000 $0 $40,131 $2,869

Public Information $14,500 $14,500 $0 $14,081 $419

Operation of Plant $13,000 $13,000 $0 $12,672 $328

Central Mailing $21,000 $21,000 $92 $17,346 $3,654

Central Data Processing $650,000 $650,000 $4,797 $655,318 -$5,318

BOCES Administration $201,000 $201,000 $0 $200,739 $261

BOCES Capital Costs $64,000 $64,000 $0 $63,217 $783

Curriculum Dev. & Supervision $132,000 $132,000 $0 $129,034 $2,966

Research, Planning, & Eval. $87,500 $87,500 $0 $88,095 -$595

Inservice Training $90,000 $90,000 $0 $88,299 $1,701

Teaching - Regular Ed. $107,500 $107,500 $0 $105,379 $2,121

Teaching - Students w/ Dis. $1,950,000 $1,924,000 $15,223 $1,666,394 $257,606

Occupational Education $890,000 $890,000 $0 $883,905 $6,095

Special Schools $285,000 $285,000 -$2,338 $276,256 $8,744

Library and A/V $20,000 $20,000 $0 $19,673 $327

Computer Assisted Instruction $80,000 $80,000 $0 $78,004 $1,996

Interscholastic Athletics $800 $800 $0 $791 $9

Transportation $160 $160 $0 $160 $0

BOCES Total $4,865,360 $4,839,360 $17,775 $4,553,780 $285,580

DEBT SERVICE

BOCES

As of May 15, 2014

Expenditure Status Report

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

Business Administration $25,000 $25,010 $9,055 $20,000 $5,010

Auditing $16,900 $16,900 $16,800 $16,800 $100

Legal $50,000 $50,000 $26,575 $40,000 $10,000

Fuel for Schools $160,000 $160,000 $104,012 $115,000 $45,000

Electricity for Schools $280,000 $280,000 $224,271 $270,000 $10,000

Telephone for Schools $15,000 $15,000 $9,261 $12,348 $2,652

Maintenance $60,000 $60,000 $30,750 $60,000 $0

Central Mailing $18,000 $18,000 $10,519 $18,000 $0

Insurance $95,000 $95,000 $93,136 $93,136 $1,864

Teaching - Regular School $90,000 $45,675 $15,780 $45,000 $675

Teaching - Students w/ Dis. $35,000 $61,000 $47,691 $61,000 $0

Interscholastic Athletics $30,000 $35,500 $31,991 $35,000 $500

General Transportation $40,000 $40,000 $32,754 $40,000 $0

Fuel for Transportation $155,000 $155,000 $97,379 $115,000 $40,000

Bus Garage $38,250 $38,250 $25,182 $30,432 $7,818

Contractual Expenses Total $1,108,150 $1,095,335 $775,154 $971,717 $123,619

Description

Original

Approp.

Current

Approp.

Current

Expenditures

Projected

Expenditures Difference

Payroll $6,495,425 $6,494,825 $5,445,464 $6,451,751 $43,074

Employee Benefits $4,007,500 $4,007,500 $3,055,331 $3,863,762 $143,738

Debt Service $3,563,885 $3,563,885 $397,963 $3,543,885 $20,000

BOCES $4,865,360 $4,839,360 $17,775 $4,553,780 $285,580

Major Contractual Expenses $1,108,150 $1,095,335 $775,154 $971,717 $123,619

Other $1,230,900 $1,452,093 $986,079 $1,609,606 -$157,513

General Fund Total $21,271,220 $21,452,998 $10,677,765 $20,994,500 $458,498

MAJOR CONTRACTUAL EXPENSES

SUMMARY

GENERAL: CAPITAL:Beginning - $8,293,878.10 Beginning - $3,198,225.54Receipts - $549,140.12 Receipts - $10,190,596.01Expenditures - $1,212,703.36 Expenditures - $10,180,461.01Ending - $7,630,314.86 Ending - $3,208,360.54

SCHOOL LUNCH: TRUST AND AGENCY:Beginning - $233,488.07 Beginning - $247,273.48Receipts - $44,454.61 Receipts - $1,360,538.96Expenditures - $32,840.04 Expenditures - $1,328,369.21Ending - $245,102.64 Ending - $279,443.23

SPECIAL AID: DEBT SERVICE: Beginning - $266,015.56 Beginning - $643,989.84Receipts - $189,529.17 Receipts - $44.40Expenditures - $247,485.47 Expenditures - $0.00Ending - $208,059.26 Ending - $644,034.24

Worker's Compensation Reserve:Unemployment Insurance Reserve:Employee Benefit Reserve:Insurance Reserve:Capital Reserve:Tax Certiorari Reserve:Retirement Contribution Reserve:

Total Reserves:

FUNDS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 2014

$106,111.54

$2,053,640.75$397,504.85$119,674.22

$1,023,981.97

$227,648.91$128,699.03

$50,020.23

Code Description

OriginalEstimatedRevenue

RevenueReceived

as of 5/15/14

Current Estimated Revenue

ProjectedBalance

A1001 Real Property Taxes $3,498,012 $3,539,317 $3,493,817 -$4,195

A1081 Other Payments in Lieu of Taxes $165,000 $179,767 $179,767 $14,767

A1085 STAR Reimbursement $1,197,306 $1,200,161 $1,200,161 $2,855

A1090 Interest & Penalties on Taxes $14,000 $17,585 $17,585 $3,585

A1410 Admissions $13,000 $18,723 $19,000 $6,000

A1489 Other Charges for Services $0 $0 $28,731 $28,731

A2230 Tuition for Foster Children $25,000 $28,731 $28,731 $3,731

A2401 Interest & Earnings $12,000 $6,488 $8,300 -$3,700

A2413 Rental of Real Property $120,000 $0 $126,300 $6,300

A2450 Commissions $0 $0 $0 $0

A2620 Forfeiture of Deposits $0 $0 $0 $0

A2650 Sale of Scrap and Excess $5,000 $14,768 $14,768 $9,768

A2666 Sale of Transportation Equipment $40,000 $0 $47,000 $7,000

A2670 Sale of Instructional Supplies $0 $0 $0 $0

A2680 Insurance Recoveries $0 $0 $0 $0

A2701 Refunds of Prior Year's BOCES Expenses $200,000 $301,554 $301,554 $101,554

A2703 Other Refunds $30,000 $52,020 $52,323 $22,323

A2705 Gifts and Donations $0 $625 $625 $625

A2770 Unclassified Revenues $60,000 $43,757 $75,000 $15,000

A310* State Aid $14,350,000 $10,637,725 $14,408,441 $58,441

A326* Textbook, Software, Library, Computer Tech. Aid $87,000 $87,421 $87,421 $421

A4601 Medicaid $50,000 $29,433 $35,000 -$15,000

A5031 Transfers from Reserves $214,600 $0 $214,600 $0

A599 Appropriated Fund Balance $1,190,302 $0 $1,190,302 $0

Totals $21,271,220 $16,158,075 $21,529,427 $258,207

As of May 15, 2014Revenue Status Report

Total amount of checks: $1,088,050.59

Top 10 or over $2,000:Purpose Amount

Payroll Salaries and stipends $670,319.19Steuben Area Schools Emp. Benefit Health insurance premiums (1 month) $195,999.00FICA Social security tax $45,411.95Various retirees Quarterly Medicare reimbursements $33,043.50Energy Cooperative of America Electricity $26,256.44Band Shoppe Band & colorguard uniforms $17,807.80Empire Natural Gas Corp. Natural gas $14,858.97FICA Medicare Social security Medicare tax $10,620.59Robert M. Sides Inc. Percussion equipment $7,565.35Griffith Energy Diesel fuel $7,267.37NYSEG Electricity service $7,246.32Corning Natural Gas Corp. Natural gas service $7,063.89Apple, Inc. iPads (13) $5,742.00Family Service Society, Inc. Counselor (1 month) $2,587.50Thyssenkrupp Elevator Corp. Quarterly elevator maintenance $2,126.21Laux Sporting Goods, Inc. Spring sports supplies $2,021.18

Total: $1,055,937.26Percent of total amount: 97.0%

MONTHLY GENERAL FUND WARRANT SUMMARY REPORTApril 2014

Vendor

RESPONSE TO 2014 BUDGET REVIEW

Budget review (p. 2): “Furthermore, District officials have used operating surplus to

create or increase reserves to ensure that fund balance did not exceed the 4 percent

limitation allowed by law.”

Response: In last year’s budget review, the following statement appears: “We

recommend that District officials review the tentative budget and use unexpended surplus

funds in excess of the 4 percent limit to benefit taxpayers. Such uses could include, but

are not limited to, increasing or establishing legal reserves…” As you can see, last year

one of the recommendations was to use operating surplus to increase or establish legal

reserves. This year we are being criticized for doing just that.

Budget review (p. 3): “The District anticipates spending $20,827,418 in the 2013-14

fiscal year, which is approximately $440,000 less than 2013-14 budgeted appropriations.

However, based on historical trends and current fiscal year expenditures, the District’s

projected expenditures for 2013-14 are not realistic…. We estimate that the District will

spend … a total of $19.7 million, which is at least $1.1 million short of the District’s

projection.”

Response: The chart below shows the historical trend for expenditure projection in

February compared to actual expenditures for the year.

Year Projection in Feb. Actual Expenditures Difference

2007-08 $17,114,802 $16,725,594 Over $389,238

2008-09 $17,446,874 $17,557,786 Under $110,912

2009-10 $19,017,619 $18,723,370 Over $294,249

2010-11 $18,859,825 $18,711,838 Over $147,987

2011-12 $18,830,291 $18,462,143 Over $368,148

2012-13 $19,587,023 $19,509,900 Over $77,123

As you can see, the historical trend has been for the February estimate to be over

anywhere up to $389,238. The methodology I am currently using to make the estimates

is basically the same as I have used in the past. It is highly unlikely that the projection

will be $1.1 million over the actual expenditures when it has never been above 36% of

that amount.

Budget review (p. 3): “As of February 18, 2014, the District has spent $8.4 million of its

2013-14 budget appropriations.”

Response: As of February 18, 2014, the District had spent $7,361,177 of its 2013-14

budget appropriations. I have no idea where the $8.4 million value came from.

Budget review (p. 3): “We estimate that the District will spend another $11.3 million for

employee salaries and benefits, debt payments, BOCES services and encumbrances over

the remainder of the fiscal year, for a total of $19.7 million…”

Response: Without seeing the auditor’s notes, I can’t tell from where this number is

coming. My estimate of what will be spent after February 18, 2014 is $13.5 million,

using the same methods as I’ve used in the past with success.

Budget review (p. 3): “District officials underestimated State aid in the 2014-15 tentative

budget by almost $680,000. According to the recently adopted State budget, the District

is expected to receive $17,564,872 in State aid which is significantly higher than the

District’s estimated amount of $16,885,000.”

Response: The District’s estimate of $16,885,000 was made prior to the State budget

being adopted. The adoption of the State budget resulted in an additional $78,972 in

foundation aid, a reduction of the gap elimination adjustment by $199,561 and a

restoration of building aid of $77,692. As a result, the budgeted amount for state aid was

increased to $17,235,000. The figure of $17,564,872 that the auditor used, although

being the total on the state aid run, is not realistic. It includes a $185,647 increase in

BOCES aid and a $46,229 increase in transportation aid. Neither of these numbers are in

line with our expenditures this year.

Budget review (p. 4): “Using the District’s current projections and the 2014-15 proposed

amount of appropriated fund balance, the District’s estimated unreserved fund balance in

the general fund … will be 4.3 percent of the ensuing year’s appropriations … However,

since we have determined that the District’s proposed 2014-15 budget appropriations and

2013-14 projected operating results are unrealistic, this percentage will be even higher.

… appropriating $469,595 as planned will not ensure that the District is in compliance

with stature limits.

Response: As noted above, the determination that the budget figures are unrealistic is not

backed up by the data. The amount appropriated in the final budget is in line with values

that have been determined using a proven methodology.

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Bruce Fraser, Executive Director

btf27@cornell.edu 607-255-8056

Thomas Marzeski, Deputy Executive Director

tem75@cornell.edu 607-255-8056 Gary Mix, Associate Director

gtm44@cornell.edu 585-590-0322

Richard Rose, Associate Director

518-441-2495

Office: 607/255-8709 Fax: 607/254-2896

Rural Schools Association of New York State

Department of Development Sociology, Kennedy Hall

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

www.RSANYS.org

RSA NEWS May 2014 Issue

RSA Board of Directors :

Edward Engel, Chair Gordon Daniels, Vice-Chair Janet Ahola Robin Blakely-Armitage Patrick Brady Richard Calkins Charles Chafee John Evans Robert Everett Linda Gonyo-Horne Gilbert Green Darrell Griff Doug Gustin Charlene Harvey Timothy Hayes Thomas Huxtable Rosemary Joy Linda King Douglas Ann Land James Loomis Kevin MacDonald Patrick Michel Thomas O’Brien John O’Connor Carolyn Ostrander Joseph Rotella Nicholas Savin John Sipple Leueen Smithling Daniel Starr Cheryl Steckly Dan Tespleky Mark Vivacqua Donald Vredenburgh Charles Walters Michael Wendt

Dr. John Sipple

Outstanding Program Offered for RSA’s Annual Conference Conference Chair Jacklin Starks and RSA Deputy Director Thomas Marzeski have worked very hard to develop an outstanding program for the RSA Annual Conference scheduled for July 13-15 at the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown. The main speakers (pictured on this page) include:

President NY Farm Bureau Dean Norton, Cornell Prof. and Chair of the NY Center for Rural Schools, Dr. John Sipple, Regent James Dawson, NY State Education Commissioner, Dr. John King, and Executive Director NYS School Finance Consortium , Dr. Rick Timbs .

The balance of the program features concurrent presentations designed to assure your district can efficiently focus available resources upon delivery of instruction for students, the full Conference Program is detailed beginning on the next page of this newsletter. Conference Registration In-formation is available from this link ..http://education.cornell.edu/rsa/conference.html

Regent James Dawson Dr. John King

Mr. Dean Norton Ms. Jacklin Starks

Dr. Rick Timbs

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2014 Rural Schools Conference Program

The Annual RSA Conference will convene on Sunday evening, July 13, 2014. Sunday’s schedule features a Wel-come Reception at 5:45pm, followed by the Sunday Banquet, with a keynote address by Dean Norton, President of the New York Farm Bureau.

Our program on Monday July 14th begins with an “Early Bird” session featuring Dr. John Sipple, Associate Pro-fessor of Sociology at Cornell University and Director of the Community and Regional Development Institute (CARDI).

Following this general session, the conference will break into concurrent sessions as outlined.

“Early Bird Session”– Monday July 14, 2014 at 8:30am Dr. John Sipple will provide an informative presentation on current items of interest affecting rural schools with statistical reference based on current research.

Concurrent Session I – Workshop Program

Monday at 10:30am to 11:45am

1. “Imagine, Inspire, Innovate: The Children and Youth Learning Initiative at Alfred University”

Elizabeth Viszt, Alfred University

This initiative provides a program that ensures students of Allegany County have an opportunity for educational experiences at the Alfred University campus. CYLI serves as an interface between Alfred University’s resources and local school districts to provide students with the opportunity to develop their educational and career aware-ness. The partnership raises the consciousness of students from under-served, rural communities about the benefits and opportunities of college education and increases their understanding of the relationship between future careers and their academic preparation in middle and high school. The program also offers students the opportunity to ex-plore STEM and learn about careers by bringing the students, their teachers and AU faculty members together for experimental learning activities on campus each semester. Other highlights include scholarships for select students to attend a week long residential STEM summer camp and participation in a day long Youth Summit on the AU campus.

2. “Pre-Tech/STEM Program” Sullivan County BOCES Career and Technical Education Center

The Pre-Tech program is a 9th and 10th grade credit-bearing career exploration program where students gain a foun-dation of basic skills in multiple vocational areas while also managing a student-run business. The STEM compo-nent offers an array of renewable energy practices as well as alternative food production projects. These activities mirror changes in the world and require students to take a different type of approach for responding to the problems of today. The program affords an opportunity for students to experience different trades and technologies to help them make an informed decision as to what trade and/or technology they want to pursue in their junior or senior year. It also educates students through project based learning focused on traditional and alternate energy technolo-gies. For some students this program will help them choose an educational path to a career in the fields of renewa-ble energy or alternative food production systems. 3. “Effective Dropout Prevention Strategies with Graduation Rates as Identified in Rural School Districts in

New York State” Stacey DeLaney, Jr./Sr. High School Principal, Schoharie Central School District This interactive presentation is based on a doctoral research project related to dropout prevention efforts, with a specific focus on rural school districts in New York State. This program will provide recommended dropout pre-vention strategies for rural schools and discuss the economic benefits of students who graduate from high school,

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along with the personal and societal costs of students who drop out of high school. The results of the survey used for the study will be discussed, including a description of intervention strategies school districts employ. Partici-pants in the presentation will be provided with an explanation of the connection between graduation rates and inter-vention strategies. A dropout prevention model will be shared that is based on action research completed in the Schoharie Central School District. Specific facets of the model and the impact the model has had on graduation rates in the district will be reviewed.

4. Follow-up presentation on “Virtual Advanced Placement Programs” Mary Dematteo, Virtual AP Coordina-tor, Madison-Oneida BOCES

At the 2013 RSA Conference, the Madison-Oneida BOCES provided a presentation on Virtual AP Programs. This follow-up presentation will provide information on progress made in year one of the implementation and an over-view of the three AP Courses utilized by seven component school districts during the 2013-14 school year. Partici-pants will be reacquainted with the Virtual Advanced Program grant goals and objectives. The presentation will provide updates on the grant’s progress and lessons learned through experience. The results of independent evalua-tion completed will be shared including the program’s impact on instructional strategies, student learning/achievement and availability of AP Courses in rural school districts. A demonstration of the AP U.S. History Course created will be provided, including an overview of experiences encountered in course development and im-plementation steps necessary for a blended technology learning environment.

Concurrent Session II – Workshop Programs

Monday at 1:30pm to 2:45pm

1. “The Influence of Wireless Devices on Student Engagement in the Rural School Classroom” Dr. Robert

Pritchard, Superintendent, Mexico Academy and Central school This program will demonstrate the use of wireless, mobile computing technology to improve or expand learning opportunities for students in school districts where resources are limited. In the 2010-11 school year, the Mexico Academy and Central School installed wireless “hotspots” in all five district school buildings. Each school in the district received mobile computing carts for students who do not own their own devices. In addition, teachers were offered professional development opportunities to incorporate teaching strategies for a wireless classroom. School staff assisted with the development of curriculum that reflected fewer, clearer and higher standards of student learn-ing within the context of a wireless classroom. Mobile learning has the potential to influence educational develop-ment in a social context and may effectively supplement school programs, especially for rural communities where technological resources are limited.

2. “Sharon Springs Central School District IPad Project: Year One Summary” Patterson Green, Superinten-dent, Sharon Springs Central School

The Sharon Springs Central School District implemented an IPad Project during the 2012-13 school year. The goals of the project included: promoting equal opportunity to learning technology resources, involving students in active learning through technology, a focus on using computer technology as a tool to learn rather than learning about computers, providing professional development for teachers on the use and integration of learning technolo-gies, and preparing students for college and jobs in the work place that require technological skills. The program presentation will review the scope of the project, funding sources utilized, continuing efforts toward project imple-mentation and project evaluation.

3. “A Centralized Bus Maintenance Facility and Service- A case Study for Rural Schools” Frank, Slawiak, Transportation Supervisor, Madison-Oneida BOCES

Madison-Oneida BOCES has operated a central bus maintenance program since 1980. With two sites and six-teen mechanics who service over 400 buses and other vehicles, participating school districts are provided with a one-stop, systematic maintenance and repair program for all district-owned school buses and support vehi-cles. The program has become a model for other schools and BOCES across the state. An overview of the

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history of the centralized service and the challenges, benefits and efficiencies associated with the shared ser-vice will be reviewed.

Concurrent Session III – Workshop Programs

Monday at 3:15pm to 4:30pm

1. “Panel Discussion on Career and Technical Education Initiatives in NY State” David Arntsen, Director of CTE, Madison-Oneida BOCES

A panel of CTE Administrators from Central New York will provide information on current initiatives and emerging trends that are taking place across the state. Recent developments within the state impacting Career and Technical Education will be discussed including Career Pathways, CTE Program Approval, newly estab-lished CDOS Credential, the success of CTE related to the Perkin Indicators, Career and College Readiness Initiatives and the development of statewide APPR assessments. Rural Schools will face significant challeng-es due to fiscal constraints and having a plan that prepares students for their future careers is critical. Focused educational pathways to help develop a skilled workforce are critical to our nation’s economic growth. CTE Pathways help provide students with a planned approach to exploring career interests, a roadmap to a plan that is specific to their interest and the ability to be college and career ready.

2. “Central Early Childhood Direction Center Community Awareness Project” Susan Calandra, Project Coordinator, Central Early Childhood Direction Center The project was designed to provide area health care providers with a comprehensive development surveil-lance toolkit and ensure that they have information about available programs and services for families of young children. Key elements of the Community Awareness Project will be presented, which include special education identification, referral and process overview, developmental monitoring and screening, screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and sample materials for physicians’ offices. The ECDC provides rural school districts with a link between the community, families and schools. Goals of the Community Awareness Project include helping to close the gap for young children from rural, lower socio-economic areas and helping health care providers shift their focus to prevention and developmentally-oriented directions. A final goal of ECDC is to foster partnerships between families, educational providers and community agencies and resources.

3. “Project SOAR: Successful Opportunity for Positive Academic and Behavioral Results” Renee Worn, Assistant Director for Alternative Education, Madison-Oneida BOCES

The Alternative Education Leadership Team from Madison-Oneida BOCES will share information about Pro-ject SOAR, a non-traditional model for high school students exhibiting challenging behaviors and limited so-cial skills. Project SOAR goals focus on serving the most challenging, hard-to-reach students who are not suc-cessful in an established alternative education program. Unique features of the project include: instruction in social skill attainment; customized scheduling; participation in community service; the use of innovative tech-nology to deliver instruction and encourage student engagement; and many in-kind external supports. Audi-ence members will learn about the model, its challenges and potential outcomes, and be able to assess the po-tential for replicating the model in their schools. A Cocktail Reception is scheduled starting at 6pm in the Exhibitors’ Area, followed by the Monday evening Banquet at 7pm, featuring a keynote address by Dr. Rick Timbs, Executive Director of the Statewide School Finance Consortium. RSA Annual Awards will be presented at this ceremony.

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Concurrent Session IV – Presentation on “The State of Rural Schools”

Tuesday July 15, 2014 at 8:15am-9:45am

Presenters: Dr. John King, Commissioner of NYSED Dr. James Dawson, Board of Regents, NYSED Concurrent Session V – Workshop Programs

Tuesday July 15 at 10:00am to 11:15am

1. “Partnership for STEM Education: Creating Opportunities for Place-based, Interdisciplinary STEM Learning and Teaching Experiences Across the Generations” Mary Podsiedlik, TREP Director, Tully Central School District

A model for STEM learning partnerships will be presented which is designed to bring opportunities for hand-on, experimental, place-based STEM learning to children in rural communities. The partnership includes the Tully Regional Enrichment Program, SUNY Oneonta and Cornell University. The relationship between a yearly summertime place-based program for rural school teachers, outside of school time learning opportuni-ties for youth and the rural schoolchildren’s interests and aspirations in STEM education will be discussed. Information provided will focus on the youth outcomes, spotlighting teaching strategies and learning activities developed by program facilitators. The information covered will include the framework of the programs, feed-back received from program participants and how the partnership has led to greater collaboration between the groups involved for the benefit of all participants.

2. ”Opening Doors to Global Awareness” Naomi Graham, French Teacher, Laurens Central School Initiatives to promote global awareness will be presented including various exchange opportunities practiced by students and staff of the Laurens Central School over the last ten years. These include exchanges with multiple countries and activities ranging from email correspondence to students being hosted from overseas in the school district. Students participating in the program from overseas are provided housing in the district and attend school for classes and other events. Information provided will include the background and ra-tionale for the importance of increasing global awareness among students, a history of the different types of initiatives tried at the school and a plan for overseas partners that provides support and encouragement to fac-ulty to pursue these connections.

3. “Increasing Learning Modalities Through the Use of Commercial Wireless Internet” Mark Dupra, Superintendent, Charlotte Valley Central School A critical “have and have not” issue for low wealth rural school districts continues to be access to the internet. Without internet access students’ development of higher level computer skills has been impaired. The pro-gram presentation will provide a “how to” synopsis with respect to the District’s implementing continuous internet access for secondary level students, as well as information relating to staff development measures needed to give teachers the ability to use IPads effectively for instruction and strategies teachers are currently using in core subjects including English, Science and Mathematics. Program content will include virtual learning strategies and specific information on instructional implementation in all three subject areas.

The New York State Rural Schools Association represents approximately one of every eight public school students enrolled in NY State. We believe every one of those students has a right to a sound basic education. We are committed to equitable funding for all students who attend New York school districts.

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A Word From the Executive Director…Dr. Bruce Fraser

Spring Focus on Outreach: Plans to Visit Regions/Districts With the NY State Budget adopted for 2014-15 we now move into a critical phase of the school year for local school districts. As an organization, the RSA will intentionally remain quiet as we do not want to create any controversy that might distract from your focus on accurately communicating information with voters regard-ing your proposed budget. One thing that I will be doing over the next several weeks is visiting school districts and regions of the state. My personal priority for visiting school districts includes: 1. Visiting the ten school districts that did not renew their RSA membership for 2013-14. Five of these

school districts were working through Superintendent changes this past year. We hope our outreach will convince the new district leader of the value of rejoining the RSA.

2. Visiting as many new Superintendents as possible. When the RSA was founded in 1978 a major focus of the group was to assist new district leaders in handling the broader responsibilities of the Superintendent role. Spending a half hour with new district leaders hearing their biggest concerns can help build a sup-portive relationship.

3. Finally, I will make an effort to reach out to a number of Small City School Districts. This past year we contacted members of this group of school districts promoting the idea that by working with the RSA we can better advance regional interests. That outreach more than doubled our membership of Small City School Districts—we are pleased to welcome Oswego, Fulton, Canandaigua, Batavia, and Oneonta to the RSA. They join our longer term Small City members--Salamanca, Norwich, Ogdensburg, and Cortland. This Spring, I will focus upon visiting the five Small City Districts that NY State categorizes as Rural/High Need School Districts (Amsterdam, Geneva, Hornell, Gloversville, and Little Falls) but will also reach out to several other small cities in rural regions that are similar in character to current RSA member districts (Dunkirk, Olean, Oneida, Johnstown, and Sherrill).

While I have shared my personal priorities for visiting school districts, I would also appreciate an op-portunity to visit current members to hear concerns—and determine how the RSA can be supportive of member needs! If you would like me to visit your district please do not hesitate to contact me by email btf27@cornell.edu or by phone (w-607-255-8056).

RSA Board Approves $1,000 Donations In support of Two Legal Challenges At the April 25th meeting of the NY State Rural Schools Board of Directors a motion to donate $1,000 in sup-port of the ongoing legal challenge brought on behalf of eight Small City school districts was strongly en-dorsed. The Small City School District case was initiated on the heels of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity Case as a means to pressure NY State to provide a settlement that would benefit all NY State School districts. Without this follow up legal challenge the CFE settlement may well have focused solely upon New York City (the CFE plaintiff). New York State’s response to the case has been to delay trial and drive the costs of litiga-tion higher for the eight school districts that remain parties to this legal matter. The RSA Board recognizes that the court system may be the most direct means by which rural school districts can impact funding equity on behalf of our member school districts. A second legal initiative which the Board of Directors chose to support is the legal action initiated by Michael Rebell on behalf of a group called New Yorkers for Student Educational Rights (NYSER). The NYSER legal action is supported by virtually every NY State Educational Advocacy organization. The Rural Schools As-sociation assisted NYSER in identifying students and parents who were interested in becoming a party to this legal challenge. While most of the costs of this legal action are being provided on a pro bono basis we have requested that our organization’s $1,000 donation be directed to help our rural plaintiffs offset any travel costs related to this litigation.

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Glens Falls Post Star Editorial Merits Statewide Circulation Over the past three years we have sought permission to republish three editorials from the Glen Falls Post Star. In the pages that follow you will find another editorial from the Post Star that deserves broader publica-tion. From the editorial it is clear that the Post Star “gets it” in regards to the damaging impact suffered in poor rural communities when the state continues to shift the burden of funding local education back onto property tax payers. While New York State collects significantly more revenue from taxpayers since 2008-09, and analysis of the 2014-15 budget indicates that our member school districts will be provided $64M less in state aid than they received six years ago. The quality of program provided in rural districts are being com-promised and the burden on local property tax payers has soared. Rural communities will continue to lose businesses and population until NY State resumes its responsibility to fairly fund rural schools! We appreci-ate the editorial support of a high quality newspaper (as recently as 2009 the Post Star Editorial Team won a Pulitzer prize for their work) on this critical issue! Partnership with Farm Bureau We continue to value an expanding partnership with the NY State Farm Bureau. In early March, a number of RSA’s leaders attended the Farm Bureau’s Legislative Re-ception at the Capital. The event provided us a great op-portunity to speak with legislators during an informal event. Like the RSA, the Farm Bureau is not a “tax and spend” organization. We trust this partnership will contin-ue to grow as both organizations value the benefit of main-taining quality rural educational opportunities while recog-nizing that rural communities can only remain vital if the shift toward greater reliance on the local property tax is reversed! Reminder: NEIREL “Rural Poverty Webinar”-Wednesday—May 7—3 to 5PM We want to provide a second reminder on the upcoming program titled “Students and Families Living in Rural Poverty: Research and Strategies for Educators.” http://www.relnei.org/events/strategies-support-rural-poverty.html The program is offered free of charge by the Northeast and Islands Regional Education Lab. The featured presenter for this program is Dr. Thomas Hirschl, from Cornell’s Department of Devel-opment Sociology. Also featured in the Webinar will be Lynn Macan, Superintendent of the Cobleskill-Richmondville CSD. For more information, and to register to benefit from this opportunity please utilize the following link reneiinfo@edc.org . Update on Plans for Selection of New RSA Executive Director During the April 25th Board of Directors meeting a discussion was held concerning plans to move forward with selection of a new Executive Director. The Board wisely determined to post the vacancy in a manner that provided the greatest flexibility in selecting a new leader. A number of other issues that had been intro-duced (including merger with the NY State Center for Rural Schools and expanding use of regional repre-sentatives) will be placed upon the back burner until a new Executive Director has been hired. The Board of Directors want “to cast the widest net possible” to hire an outstanding leader so they are not including a re-quirement for residency in Ithaca in the posting. The Board also indicated they wished to be flexible on the commitment expected from a new Executive Director posting the position as between .6 to .8 Full Time Equivalency. The timeline for filling the vacancy will be dictated by the Cornell hiring process. The RSA’s Draft of the posting can be found at this link. http://education.cornell.edu/rsa/rsa/RSA%20Exec%20Director%20%20Document%205-1-14.pdf

Bruce Fraser, Dean Norton,

Ed Engel, and Mike Wendt

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Glens Falls Post Star Editorial

Governor Andrew Cuomo Drives Schools to Brink March 29, 2014 10:11 pm Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ambition for higher office is leading the state’s poor, rural school districts toward destruction. His insistence on building a reputation as a tax-cutter and his reliance on the gap elimination adjustment to balance the state budget have driven districts that were already poor and struggling to the brink of educational and financial bank-ruptcy. The gap elimination adjustment was supposed to be an emergency mechanism to balance the state budget in 2010, when New York had sunk into the swamp of a financial crisis. Now, even though the state is enjoying a budget surplus, the gap elimination adjustment has been made permanent. This funding mechanism, which pulls back state aid money from school districts across New York, hits poor districts harder than wealthier ones, because poor districts like Glens Falls are more reliant on state aid. In the lean years since 2010, poor districts have already cut any fat they may have had in their budgets. Surplus funds have been depleted. Class sizes have increased. In Glens Falls, the district closed one of its elementary schools. Now, Glens Falls will have to lay off numerous teachers, cut some sports programs, eliminate middle school band, scrap language classes for fifth- and sixth-graders and pull out of the alternative education program that helps struggling stu-dents. After all that, the district will still be about $1 million short. But the state is taking $2.4 million from Glens Falls through the gap elimination adjustment. If the school district had

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that money, its situation would be far less dire. Gov. Cuomo is not just balancing New York’s budget on the backs of its poorest schoolchildren; he is standing on them to reach for the presidency. When he goes on the road, he gets to brag about the budget surplus New York recorded this year. That surplus comprises the pain of students and their parents statewide. It was realized through teacher layoffs, extracurricular program cuts and the scaling back of academics. Over the past four years, the state has taken more than $2 billion a year away from school districts through the gap elimi-nation adjustment. What Gov. Cuomo is calling a budget surplus is really a school district funding deficit. But because of Gov. Cuomo’s ambitions for higher office, the illusion of a surplus must be maintained. The governor insists on capping local property taxes at a low rate, and we endorse property tax relief in principle. But the governor has fashioned a set of pincers, with school districts in the middle, by combining deep reductions in school aid — accomplished through the gap elimination adjustment — with a property tax cap. School districts have fixed costs that have been rising, such as health care coverage and public employee pension contri-butions. With state aid falling and tax increases capped, districts have no option left but slashing programs. Students suffer and places like Glens Falls, where the school is the community’s cultural and social focus, suffer, too, because of the governor’s ambitions. The suffering would be easier to bear if it were distributed equally across the state, but it isn’t. The very communities least able to absorb blows to their public institutions — places like Glens Falls and Hudson Falls and the small rural dis-tricts throughout Washington County — are taking the hardest hits. In the midst of this painful winnowing of our educational offerings, it’s astonishing the education issue taking up most of Gov. Cuomo’s time is funding for prekindergarten. Something is askew when the state’s leaders are debating how many hundreds of millions they should spend on pre-K, while the state is at the same time eviscerating elementary and high school programs through reductions in aid. The dysfunctional upstate-downstate dynamic is playing a part in this crisis as well. The governor’s newfound interest in pre-K is a reaction to the push by newly elected New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio for pre-K programs in the city. Mayor de Blasio wanted to tax wealthy New Yorkers to raise money for the pro-gram, which sounds better to us than using scarce state education dollars. But to avoid the tax-and-spend label that could hurt him in a national election, Cuomo has insisted on incorporating the pre-K spending without raising extra money to pay for it. Meanwhile, teachers have been laid off by the busful. Everything our governor does can be understood through the lens of presidential ambition. Sometimes, as with his ef-forts to promote and support New York’s farmers, his ambitions benefit our region. But sometimes, as with his neglect of the needs of New York’s schools — particularly its poorer schools — the conse-quences of his ambition are locally devastating. Cuomo may be able to walk away from New York and onto the national stage on the strength of characterizations such as “tax-capper” and “budget-cutter.” Rural New Yorkers will not be able to walk away but will have to endure the legacy of his ambitions in failing schools and poorly educated children. Local editorials represent the opinion of the Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Rick Emanuel, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle and citizen representative Karen Stites. Post Star - reprinted with permis-sion.

New York, you have done your part ... with a great bill, S5525C, passed August 1, 2012, that gives school districts and municipalities greater purchasing fl exibility. A new bill, S3766A, was passed November 13, 2013, which makes it even easier to take advantage of the savings available by using national cooperative contracts.

The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) is pleased to be a part of it too, with purchasing strength that helps New York government organizations save time, cut costs, and avoid compliance worries. TCPN’s contracts leverage the purchasing power of over 37,000 actively engaged government entities. All contracts are competitively bid and awarded by a single government entity – Region 4 Education Service Center. TCPN monitors contracts through third-party audits and regular reviews to ensure vendor accountability. You can rely on the ISO certifi ed process of TCPN’s lead agency, 100+ combined years of government purchasing experience, and 50+ combined years of auditing experience.

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Analysis of 2014-15 Enacted New York State Budget’s Impact on Rural School Association Member School Districts

We are very disappointed in the 2014-15 State Budget enacted in late May. The Association’s 2014 Legislative Position Paper, which placed a heavy emphasis upon Gap Elimination Adjustment restorations, was developed last November based upon significant input from member school districts. When we reflect back to last November, rumors were just emerging that the Governor would be pushing for a range of tax cuts in advance of an election year. That fact contributed to a sense of optimism that we could make significant progress through a focused effort on ending regressive GEAs. Our Board members reasoned that the Governor and Legislature could not politically get away with declaring a surplus and enacting state tax cuts while continuing a Gap Elimi-nation Adjustment mechanism instituted to help the state address a structural budget def-icit that no longer existed! We are appreciative of the extensive advocacy efforts made by member school districts that placed pressure upon their legislators to end GEA’s. In the last several weeks before the budget was finalized we felt positive. Almost every legislator we met with acknowl-edged, “they had heard community concerns regarding GEA’s,” and, “were intent on finding every dollar they possibly could identify in the budget to address GEA reduc-tions.” While we understood that the Assembly would push for Foundation Aid reduc-tions that more directly addressed the needs of large city school districts, we were tre-mendously disappointed when the Senate made it a priority to provide $300 million in funding to support UPK programs in NYC ahead of further GEA reductions! A Few Positives: While we are disappointed in the final budget we can point to the following facts and take some slight satisfaction: The adopted budget increased support for education by $1.12B. This amount slightly exceeded last year’s aid in-

crease. While the total statewide aid increase was calculated to be 5.3% members of the RSA obtained a 6.0% increase in

state aid (calculated based upon un-weighted average of district percent increases). The enacted reduction to Gap Elimination Adjustments statewide was just over $600M—well above the figure pro-

posed in Governor’s Cuomo’s executive budget ($323M.). Pressure applied at the very end of the budget process resulted in the adopted budget providing significantly more aid

to districts than called for in either of the one house resolutions.

Aggregate State Aid for RSA Members Remains $64M Below 2008-09: RSA Member school districts had $89.9M of their Gap Elimination Adjustments restored through the 2014-15 State Budget. Despite that restoration, our 272 mem-ber school districts still have $157.9M of their GEA remaining in place. The aggregate reductions to RSA member school districts state aid represented by GEA’s has now climbed to $1.409B (five year total). As our colleague, Dr. Rick Timbs of the Statewide School Finance Consortium notes those GEA pull backs impact (1) district programming, (2) district staffing levels, and (3) district fund balances, and (4) district local property tax rates (to the extent allowed under the Levy Cap). Every voter in NY should be astute enough to understand that any State Tax Cuts that Gover-nor Cuomo and the Legislature enacted this year are the result of the state shifting tax burden back onto local property tax payers! We trust that the RSA’s focus upon GEA restorations is helping the public grasp that the annual increases that Governor Cuomo emphasizes in his media efforts still have not restored state aid to 2008-09 levels. Enacted 2014-15 State Aid (without building aid) for our 272 member school districts continues to be $64M below 2008-09 State Aid received by the same districts. A full two thirds of our member districts (182/272 districts or 66% of members) will be provided State Aid at lower levels in 2014-15 than they received in 2008-09. Wide Disparity in GEA Restorations For RSA Member School Districts: It is troubling to note the wide disparity in the size of 2014-15 GEA restorations—and the remaining per pupil GEA’s for RSA member districts. The average per-pupil GEA restoration for our member school districts was $305. That leaves the average remaining GEA at $535 per

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pupil for RSA member school districts. Sixty of our member districts had 70% of their remaining GEA restored (seventy percent was the maximum restoration allowed under the GEA reduction formulas put in place this year). Overall, our member district average GEA reduction (%-unweighted) was calculated to be 36.7%. That figure closely parallels the Statewide percentage reduction for the GEA (36.6%). Unfortunately, nine of our member school districts received the minimum GEA restoration (14.1%) allowed under the GEA restoration formulas. On a per pupil basis the restorations provided in the 2014-15 budget ranged from $852 per pupil (Averill Park) to $78 per pupil (Lake George).

On a per pupil basis, remaining GEA amounts range from $2,043 (again, Averill Park) to $67 (Tuckahoe Common). Ten Separate Formulas Drive GEA Restorations - Political Targeting Apparent: The wide disparity in GEA’s that remain in place after the adoption of the 2014-15 State Budget are an outcome of the ten distinct Tiers (or, separate formulas used to allocate pools of GEA restoration funding) that were used to calculate each district’s GEA restoration. While several of the tiers impact a wide range of school districts and appear to be constructed to address legitimate measures of stu-dent need and community wealth, a number of the Ti-

ers are clearly politically targeted. Over the course of the next three newsletters we will examine several of these po-litically targeted Tiers - giving them the close attention needed to expose the political considerations behind them. We hope that our detailed examination of these Tiers will allow our member school districts to ask their local legislators, “How could you support this travesty?” Three Sevens Equals Jackpot: One example of the targeting that the RSA finds offensive is the Tier in the GEA Restoration Formula that drives money to school districts that: 1. Average more than 800 student per square mile (this eliminates all RSA

members from consideration for funding under this Tier), 2. Have a Tax Effort Ratio greater than 4.0 (many RSA members exceed this

criteria—actually having some of the highest Tax Effort Ratios found in the state), and

3. Have experienced enrollment increases since 2010-11 (districts with large enrollment increases probably deserve consideration given that Founda-tion Aid has been frozen since 2008-09).

The blatant political targeting reflected in several Tiers needs to be exposed—and utilized by RSA member school districts to support our call for state aid allocation to become, “depoliticized.” The RSA maintains we need a Berger Commission to assure that the large amounts of money New Yorkers provide for State Aid is allocated rationally to insure equal educational opportunities for students and balanced local tax burdens across the state! New York State residents deserve sound school funding formulas—and the Legislature has proven itself incapable of providing fair funding formulas! Shares Agreement Continues Despite Incompatibility With Tax Cap Legislation: In a recent newsletter we noted that Governor Cuomo appears to have given up on any deviation from the “Shares Agreement” that for too long has directed annual state aid allocations. Both the Governor, and the legislature must recognize that the tax cap they enact-ed necessitates an end of the “Shares Agreement.” When a 2% levy increase in the poorest 10% of school districts rais-es $52 per pupil—and the same 2% levy increase raises over $450 in the wealthiest 10% of school districts per pupil spending disparities that were unacceptable in 2010-11 widen annually. Efforts to maintain the “Shares Agreement” deprives student in many regions of the state of a sound basic education. Where Do We Go From Here? The two major positions the RSA advocated on behalf of during the past budget ses-sion remain critical for rural school districts and should remain our focus for next year! Sometimes you work hard and effectively communicate your concerns—and just do not get traction! Given frustration with legislative outcomes many may be tempted to alter priorities. Right now—I am convinced that we should stay the course! Ending GEA’s as soon

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as possible—and broadly reforming educational funding formulas should remain our priority! Data Analysis/Acknowledgement: We are most appreciative of our ability to utilize the data tools developed by Bob Lowry, Deputy Director of the NY State Council of School Superintendents. Bob provides an analysis for every school district in the state on how the adopted 2014-15 State Budget impacts their district. Bob’s data for each district in-cludes a number of valuable charts and graphs. Bob’s data for our 272 RSA Member districts was entered by hand to permit a focused analysis to be developed for RSA districts. As such, any data inaccuracies that might be identified should be brought to the attention of Dr. Bruce Fraser—not Mr. Lowry. Two spreadsheets based upon RSA member data can be linked to below. Lacking official enrollments for the 2013-14 School Year the Estimated Enrollment figures from last Spring’s Local Property Tax Report Cards were utilized for calculating per pupil measures. Analysis Change’08-09 to’14-15

GEA&FoundationAidTotals’14-15

http://education.cornell.edu/rsa/rsa/2014-15%20Analysis%20of%20RSA%20Member%20State%20Aid20Increases.xlsx

Third Annual Community Vitality Award Nominations Sought This is the third year that our colleague, Dr. John Sipple has sought nominations for the NY State Center for Rural Schools’ Commu-nity Vitality Award. John should be commended for seeking to identify rural communities where the school district is engaging with the broader community in ways that enriches the quality of life in that community. Beyond offering quality learning opportunities well run rural school districts work closely with their communities to enhance the quality of life within a community. Partnerships that promote community vitality should be recognized and we hope that Dr. Sipple will have a solid response to his call for nominations! Outreach from the Clinically Rich Teacher Training Program

I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the Clinically Rich Teacher Training Initiative when Melissa Greene reached out to me via phone. Melissa is our contact at NYSED’s Office of Higher Education and coordinates this initiative which is supported through Race to The Top funds. This program operates at a number of upstate SUNY Centers including Cortland, Oswego, Binghamton and Albany. Graduates of this program are provided significant incentives (loan forgiveness) when they work in High Need school districts making it attractive for them to consider working in High Need Rural School Dis-tricts. This program provides students significantly more clinical experience than traditional teacher prep pro-grams and graduates have been exposed to working in challenging educational settings. As such, our High Need Rural School Districts are encouraged to reach out to Melissa to find out about the candidates who are completing this program and interested in career placement. Melissa noted that this initiative focuses upon training students to be certified in several of the highest demand areas where rural districts can have problems identifying a pool of applicants. Additionally, Melissa shared with me that the graduates of this program fre-quently obtain dual certification making them attractive candidates to small, rural school districts. For more information on this training initiative (including information on how to contact Melissa) please link to a writ-ten description of the program here http://education.cornell.edu/rsa/rsa/CR%20Program%20Descriptions-%201%20Document.pdf or directly to the programs web-site here. http://www.highered.nysed.gov/CRFaces.html

3rd Annual NYSCRS

Community Vitality Award

Please nominate a school district that “through the work of the district or

school is actively enhancing the vital-ity of the community it serves. “

Nominations due June 2, 2014

See http://NYRuralSchools.org for details