Audit revelations and fiscal stress

A recent state audit of our school district’s finances was fairly critical of the district’s budgeting practices. The audit cited the district for exhausting our fund balance in recent years to balance our school budgets. This is not news to those who have followed or participated in our budget development process during the past few years. The board and I have been quite open about the district’s financial situation, especially with regard to fund balance.

To put the audit findings in context, it is important to note that our district has been among those hardest hit by the one-two punch leveled by the state in recent years. Public school districts have two primary sources of revenue: state aid and property taxes. Watervliet, like most other small city schools, has historically relied on state aid for the majority of its revenue. The state, however, has failed to provide equitable and sufficient funding for education for small urban school districts.

In fact, just days ago the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group called New Yorkers for Students Educational Rights (NYSER) and its right to proceed with litigation filed earlier this year against the state, Governor Andrew Cuomo and other government officials. The lawsuit seeks to compel the state to follow through on its constitutional responsibility ensuring all New York schools have sufficient funding to meet the educational needs of students.

Another major factor in our district’s fiscal struggles is the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), which was implemented by the state five years ago to address its budget woes. Under the GEA, a portion of the state’s funding shortfall is divided among every school district in New York based on a formula, and state aid is then reduced to each district accordingly. As a result of the GEA, our district has lost approximately $4 million in promised aid and has faced significant budget gaps each year since the legislation was introduced. Add to that the state’s property tax levy cap imposed four years ago, which limits school districts’ abilities to raise local revenue to help offset state aid reductions.

As a result of these challenges, we had little choice but to spend down the fund balance to safeguard our academic programs and prevent significant increases in school property tax. Let’s not forget either that since taking office, Governor Cuomo has repeatedly urged school districts to use fund balance to offset losses in state aid. The irony is that now the state comptroller is taking us to task for doing just that. You might call it a textbook Catch 22 situation.

As recommended in the audit, the Board, school business manager and I are currently developing a fund balance policy that we anticipate will be adopted prior to the end of this year and that will help us establish a sufficient threshold of fund balance to maintain and provide appropriate cash flow to reduce dependence on short-term borrowing.

The report also indicated that the district did not “properly monitor” capital project finances dating back to 2006, which allowed for cost overruns. It is important to note that this occurred in an earlier phase of the district’s construction project—not the most recently completed project (Phase IV).

The cost overrun referred to in the report is linked to an early phase of the building project during which asbestos that had not been detected initially was uncovered after building renovations were well underway. District officials at the time had no other choice but to pay for abatement because it presented a health and safety risk. This type of unforeseen situation does tend to occur in older buildings that are undergoing renovations and is typically a costly fix.

We subsequently established internal controls to better keep track of capital fund expenditures and ensure costs did not exceed authorized amounts.

The audit contained a total of six recommendations to the Board of Education for managing finances going forward. Some of the recommendations have already been implemented as noted in the district’s corrective action plan, which was developed in response to the auditor’s findings.

For example, the audit recommended that the Board of Education develop “structurally balanced budgets for the general fund that include realistic estimates for revenues and expenditures.”

Steps implemented in fiscal year 2014 have allowed the district to better align recurring costs and revenues and we have since been able to erase 80 percent of the district’s deficit. We will also continue to seek ways to cut costs, such as our shared service agreement with the city for trash removal and our summer school partnership with the Cohoes City School District that allowed us to provide academic support for at-risk students during the summer.

Thanksgiving wishes

On another note, as Thanksgiving nears, I want to wish everyone a relaxing and blissful day shared among family and friends. I am thankful (and proud) every day to work in a district with such dedicated, hard-working teachers and staff, talented and enthusiastic students and a supportive community. Happy Thanksgiving!

Paperless education in a digital world

In recent months I have read various education articles and blogs expressing concerns about how schools are stuck in a time warp—teaching with outdated 20th century tools—blackboards and chalk, traditional textbooks, photocopied handouts, etc. These tools were generally effective when I was a student—but times have since changed and with the advancement of technology, education continues to change at warp speed.

Reference books like encyclopedias and dictionaries are quickly becoming the dinosaurs of our time, as students instead turn to online resources to research information in a fast-paced world where events are often documented in real time on Twitter and Facebook.

Today’s students have grown up with technology—and they are comfortable using it—from playing digital games on Nintendo DS as children to creating videos on Smartphones to share with friends via social media as teens. Not surprisingly, studies suggest that when technology is used as an educational tool, students become more actively engaged in the learning process.

When our students graduate and head to college, it is likely they will be required to submit assignments and other coursework electronically via Google Docs or another document sharing program rather than handing in papers as I did in college. They may access their professors’ lessons online rather than in a lecture hall. Knowing this, I applaud our many teachers who have embraced technology and are utilizing it in the classroom on a regular basis.

In Watervliet, we have a variety of technology—including portable laptops, interactive whiteboards, computer labs in the elementary school and the high school—available to teach skills that are relevant and valuable in today’s world. By using digital tools in class today, our students will be better prepared for the reality of post-secondary education and tomorrow’s careers.

Paperless education is more than a cost-saving measure

Large industries and small businesses alike have been moving increasingly towards a paperless system for two main reasons: it reduces operating costs, which makes good financial sense; and it saves trees reducing carbon dioxide emissions, which is good for the planet.

I understand that implementing a fully paperless approach may not be entirely realistic for schools, but keep in mind that instructional technology does offer an effective way to cut costs and maximize resources. After being designated the most fiscally stressed school district in the state last year, the cost savings alone would seem reason enough for Watervliet to embrace a paperless education to the extent possible.

From my perspective as an educator though, adopting a paperless approach in education is less about saving the environment or cutting costs (although both are important!) and is more about evolving our classrooms and teaching the 21st century skills that our students clearly need to be successful in college and the careers of tomorrow.

Upcoming Smart Schools Bond Vote

Our district and others around the state soon may have an opportunity to expand instructional technology in classrooms through the state’s Smart Schools Bond Act proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The proposition calls for the state to invest up to $2 billion in schools for classroom technology and high-speed internet connectivity to equalize opportunities for children to learn, high-tech security features and enhanced or modernized facilities to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs.

If voters approve the Smart Schools Bond Act, which will appear as Proposition 3 on the November 4 general election ballot, each district will receive a share of the funding based on a state aid formula. It is estimated that Watervliet schools would receive $1.4 million under the proposal.

Districts then will be required to submit a “Smart Schools Investment Plan” to a Smart Schools Review Board, comprised of the state education commissioner, the state budget director, and the chancellor of the State University of New York. The plan will detail how the district will use the Smart Schools Bond Act funds. Grant funding will be released to individual districts upon approval of the plans.

Projects developed with Smart Schools grants will be fully funded by the state with no local financial contribution required from the school district. If the referendum passes, equipment purchases would have to be made via a cooperative bidding process.

Field opening celebration

Watervliet's varsity football team will kick off the first home game of the 2014 season on Friday, September 12 in a big way: hosting Voorheesville under the lights for the first time on the high school's new turf field.

Seems like not so long ago, we just broke ground on the site of the new field and track. Now here we are approximately 16 months later, and our student athlete teams have held practices and scrimmages in this state-of-the-art-facility—preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the very first home game “under the lights.”

Before the game, we will mark this special occasion with a brief grand opening ceremony to recognize and to thank those who have worked diligently throughout the process to make this a reality for our students and our community.

It’s symbolic that this beautiful new facility is situated directly alongside our majestic and historic Junior-Senior High School building. It serves as a reminder of the importance the athletic program has on the overall education of our students. Research suggests a strong and positive correlation between high school sports participation and academic achievement. Interscholastic sports also teaches life lessons and builds character by strengthening responsibility, leadership, teamwork, and more.

For this, I personally want to thank the community without whose support this project would not have been possible. In December 2011, Watervliet residents approved the construction of the turf field and six-lane track as part of a larger $18.9 million project. With your approval, we were also able to invest funding in renovations to classrooms and other learning spaces in both school buildings; new seating, sound system, lighting and stage rigging in the high school auditorium; roof replacement at the elementary school; upgrades to the heating and ventilation systems and the installation of energy-efficient windows district-wide.

You may recall that the school district utilized a combination of Qualified Construction Bonds and state building aid to have the facilities improvements done at no additional cost to local taxpayers.

Upcoming golf tournament to raise funds for extracurricular opportunities for Watervliet students

I believe that without extracurricular opportunities such as athletics, our dropout rate would soar and our graduation rate would plummet. Because of harsh fiscal realities during the past several years, our district has had to make difficult choices including the elimination of many extracurricular programs at both the elementary and secondary level. 

Last year, we were able to restore several of our programs thanks to the generosity of the Arsenal Partnership, which raised more than $16,000 for the school district during its annual golf outing. The Partnership is hosting a golf tournament this year on Monday, September 22 to benefit our schools. I encourage community members and readers of my blog to participate in the upcoming Arsenal Partnership golf tournament. Please register to golf on that day, donate a raffle item or make a sponsorship donation. Information on the upcoming tournament is available here.

In the meantime, I hope that you will join us for Friday’s night home opener to cheer on our student athletes and check out the school district’s beautiful new athletic field under the lights. Go ‘Vliet!

Welcoming the 2014-15 school year

As the summer quickly draws to a close, it is with pride and excitement that I welcome back faculty, students, staff and parents for the 2014-15 school year. I hope that over the summer everyone found time to enjoy time with family and friends and re-energize for the start of the new school year, which begins on Wednesday, September 3. 

Building project winding down, district goals set

Over the summer, the transformation of our facilities continued in earnest at both buildings. From the installation of new floors and more energy efficient windows at the elementary school to a completely rehabbed auditorium at the junior-senior high school with new ceiling lights, seats, and stage lights and rigging. Our football, soccer and track teams have already been out practicing on the new all-weather field and track that stand ready to host home games and meets this year.

I commend our maintenance staff for their hard work over these past few weeks preparing classrooms, offices and hallways ensuring a safe and clean learning environment for students and staff alike. 

District goals developed in collaboration with the Board of Education have been established for the betterment of all students and stakeholders. These student-centered goals outline opportunities, expectations and supports for our students. Building leaders will discuss the goals in depth with staff during the opening days of school and will reinforce the goals throughout the year. The district goals and other information about building policies and procedures, as well as contact information and much more may be found online at www.watervlietcityschools.org.

Communication is key

In addition to our website, the district employs several communications tools for parents and the community to stay connected to our schools. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for School News Notifier (SNN) to receive school news and information via email. I encourage parents to register for Parent Portal, an online student information system that offers parents secure access to information about their child's academic program and progress, and provides another way to communicate with their child's teachers.

The past few years have been challenging with the rapid and radical changes in education at the state and federal levels. I thank our teachers, instructional support staff and administrators for continually working to meet the demands of these changes and for bringing their “A-game” to the learning environment for every student…every day. Education is the noblest profession and there is no more dedicated teachers and staff than in Watervliet schools! 

Welcome new staff

With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that approximately 20 outstanding educators will join the district in September taking the place of retirees or others who have left the district seeking other opportunities. The group includes both new and familiar faces—all with an abundance of experience and positive energy to bring to the classroom and share with our students! I hope you will join me in welcoming them—in some cases welcoming them back—to the Watervliet school community.

New staff members includes: Jennifer Donovan has stepped down from the Board of Education to accept a position as a speech teacher at the elementary school. She joins Kaleigh McGrouty, also a speech teacher. Denise Cusack will teach 3rd-4th grade special education as well as Annie Amaya working as a teacher’s assistant. Through grant funding, Geraldine Ferris—a familiar face to our UPK families—has become a district employee working in her same capacity in the UPK program.                                                           

At the junior-senior high school, Loida Lewinter, who once was our BOCES math coach, and later worked at the State Education Department—will serve as an assistant principal. Michael Foust becomes an assistant principal and athletic director. Jaclynne Lewis joins our science department; Rebecca Young is the new ELL teacher; Noreen Gill is our new social worker, Lisa Dubrule will be the library aide, Carol Connelly, Evan Thorpe and Robina Hussein will serve as teaching assistants. Giovanna Parente is a new hall monitor. Theresa O’Connor will be a part-time reading teacher. I welcome back John Grill to our social studies department and Corrina Pelkey to our English department.

Former board member Chris Daus was appointed during the August 21 Board of Education meeting to complete the remainder of Mrs. Donovan’s term.

I begin this school year with great enthusiasm and high expectations, and am grateful for the continued support our parents and the community have shown our schools over the years.

Best wishes for a productive and successful year!

Sun sets on the 2013-14 school year

When school begins each September, it seems like June and the end of the school year are so far away. Yet here we are … it is June and again we join together as a school community to celebrate as our prekindergarten, kindergarten, sixth-graders and our high school seniors mark important milestones in their young lives.

It is truly a bittersweet time of year for educators—as we prepare to say farewell to students that we have nurtured and watch grow over the year or years—and as we welcome summer and the opportunity it offers to relax and enjoy time with family and friends.

Our UPK (photo gallery) and kindergarten (photo gallery) Moving Up celebrations took place on June 23 and 24, respectively. Our sixth-grade students will graduate from the elementary school on June 25, and then on June 27 the Class of 2014 will receive their diplomas beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Harry Tucker Gymnasium at the high school. Pictures of all these milestone celebrations will be available on the district website.

It is with pride that I recognize Muhammad Khan and Brittanie Clickner for earning top honors as valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 2014, respectively. Muhammad plans to attend Siena College in the fall to study biochemistry, while Brittanie will pursue a degree in chemical engineering at RPI. Both students are National Honor Society officers and were involved in several extracurricular activities throughout their school careers. I have no doubt they will be highly successful in their future endeavors!

I speak on behalf of the faculty, staff and administrators when I congratulate all of our graduates as each moves on to the next stage of their lives, whether that means first grade, the junior high school or pursuing college and careers!

 

Staff kudos

The challenges we face as a small urban school district are ongoing and numerous. We continue to have to accomplish more with less resources—even so, I have witnessed so many of our educators and staff rise to the challenges. Throughout the year as I visited classroom after classroom, I saw highly engaged students learning rigorous material under the instruction of highly trained, dedicated teachers and support staff.

Clerical staff have pulled together to collaborate as more and more responsibility has fallen on their desks with far less help than was available in the past.

Custodians have worked hard to ensure our buildings are clean and safe for children and adults (without the assistance of a full-time night crew) and administrators have burned the candle at both ends wearing many hats (instructional leaders, evaluators, and ensuring a safe environment that is conducive to learning and teaching).

Above all, our students have demonstrated the ability to think critically and even if they were struggling at times to learn certain skills and concepts, they maintained a “never surrender” attitude. Teachers have commented on the higher-level thinking skills students are developing as well as their love of learning. This is a tribute to our educators and our administrators who never lose sight of our mission to educate every student, every day.

Finally, I thank our retiring teachers and staff for their years of service and dedication to the district’s children, and wish our students, educators and staff a safe, relaxing and fun summer vacation! I look forward to welcoming you back in September.

Thanks for your support!

On behalf of the Board of Education and myself, I thank everyone who participated in the school budget vote and Board of Education election on May 20.

I am grateful for a community that remains supportive of our schools despite the ongoing fiscal struggles presented by escalating costs and declining revenues. In recent years, we have had to make tough decisions to balance our budgets, while balancing our responsibilities to students and remaining mindful of our taxpayers.

I thank our educators and support staff for their commitment to our students and our educational program. In approving the school budget, the community has demonstrated that they value your hard work and dedication, and support our district’s mission to inspire, challenge and educate every student, every day.

I thank the Board of Education for developing a balanced budget that maintains educational programs for our students. This budget represents the first time in recent years that we haven’t needed to make any cuts to programs or staff. Still, it is disappointing not to be able to restore opportunities that provide our students the well-rounded school experience they deserve.  

My gratitude to Assemblyman John McDonald, as well, for his support of our schools. He continues to be in our corner advocating for our schools and working tirelessly to restore state education funding. His presence at board meetings and budget workshops this past spring demonstrates his commitment to our schools and to a strong public education system.

Thanks to everyone who helped get the “message out,” reminding people to vote and supporting our budget process throughout the past year. Our poll workers also deserve thanks, as do the students who volunteered to work our first exit poll, results of which will be shared in the coming weeks.

Going forward, we must continue to work together to come up with solutions that will meet our district goals and mission and that will continue to earn the support of our community.

Remember to vote Tuesday, May 20

The annual school budget vote and school board election will take place on Tuesday, May 20 from noon to 9 p.m. during which Watervliet voters will consider a $24.95 million budget for 2014-15 that preserves our educational mission and bears a tax levy increase within the district’s tax levy “cap.”

Budget proposal maintains status quo: no cuts, no restorations 

 When we first began developing the 2014-15 school budget earlier this year, the Board of Education and I anticipated having to find a way to close a six-figure budget gap based on state aid projections within the governor’s proposed executive budget.

Faced with an $860,000 deficit, I braced for yet another round of difficult, if not impossible, fiscal choices—continued downsizing of staff and/or further reductions in non-mandated programs and services—while remaining mindful of student needs and community concerns. With a program that is arguably bare bones now, I was dreading the decisions that would need to be made.

 Thanks to some widespread advocacy efforts made by concerned stakeholders from school districts across the state—including our own—legislators took notice and injected some additional aid for education in their state budget proposals. As a result, once the state’s budget was finalized on April 1, it included an increase in school aid, which put Watervliet in a fairly better position than we had originally expected and will spare us from having to make cuts to staff or programs in 2014-15.

Still, after four consecutive years of reductions in aid, this increase does not afford any restorations to programs or opportunities for students that have been reduced or eliminated, nor does it allow us to replenish any of the 25 positions that have been reduced in recent years.

Given the fiscal struggles we have faced during the past several budget cycles, however, being able to maintain the status quo is a welcome reprieve.  

 

Could state funding be used to restore programs or staff instead of an artificial turf field and track?

The new track and field that are being constructed at the Jr./Sr. High School campus are without question the most visible renovation occurring within our Phase IV facilities project. The project, approved by voters in 2011, is being funded through a combination of state building aid and Qualified Construction Bonds that our district was eligible to receive.

Some have asked during budget workshops this spring, if the district could use that funding, which is provided by the state, to restore teaching positions and programs. The answer is no; state building aid is prescriptive, meaning the district is not allowed to use it on anything other than construction and renovations. Watervliet receives state building aid reimbursement of 93.5 cents per dollar spent on the Phase IV project. The balance of the project is offset with Qualified School Construction Bonds, a state-sponsored funding program that was available for a limited time to only 30 districts in the state, Watervliet being one.

Because state building aid can be used only to pay for “brick and mortar” projects, it cannot be used for operational costs, such as staffing or instructional programs. Still, when this opportunity to secure funding became available, we sought to take advantage of it and address existing structural needs and also make improvements to our facilities that will benefit our students and our community for years to come.  

Two polling locations this year

Remember that voting will take place on Tuesday, May 20 from noon to 9 p.m. at two polling sites in the city this year: the Watervliet Elks Lodge at 501 4th Avenue and the Watervliet Elementary School at 2557 Tenth Avenue.

If you did not have a chance to attend our budget workshops in March and April, please plan to attend the district’s public budget hearing on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 p.m. in the WJSHS conference room to learn more about the proposed plan.

And finally, every resident of this community 18 and older has a voice in the funding and elected leadership of our school district. Whether you’ve been voting for years or will cast your first ballot on May 20, whatever your opinion may be, I encourage you to vote. Please make an informed decision by learning as much about the proposed budget as possible before you head to your polling location. Visit the district's budget web page and read the budget newsletter, which residents should have received recently in the mail. All provide detailed information about the proposed 2014-15 school budget and its impact on our schools and community. Every vote matters!