Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his State of the State address last week and is expected to present his Executive Budget early next week.
In his State of the State, the governor made “jobs and education” a focal point of his blueprint for economic development and recovery in the state. He also spoke about a number of worthwhile education reforms for New York (one of which was early childhood education that I’m proud to say our district already provides with our UPK program). The governor spent roughly 7 minutes of an hour-plus speech outlining recommendations for improving K-12 education in the state, but interestingly, gave little indication as to how these many reforms would be funded.
What is even more concerning is the lack of attention Gov. Cuomo has paid to another significant and more pressing reform: fixing the state’s flawed state aid formulas that result in inequitable distribution of funding to the small city schools and rural districts that need it most.
A high quality education is important to our state’s prosperity, our country’s future—but equally as important, it is vital for the success of the children in this district and across the state. As superintendent of the Watervliet City School District, my priority remains our district’s ability to provide a high quality educational programs that will help students achieve their goals—whether it be attaining higher education, pursuing a career path or both.
Given the state’s deficit and the anemic economic recovery, I recognize that state leaders are in no position to offer schools more in the way of funding, but they can and should change the formulas to fix the glaring inequities in the allocation of state aid. Our state leaders must also tackle the issue of unfunded mandates that are crippling our ability in Watervliet—and in many other school districts across the state—to preserve the academic programs students need in order to be college and career ready upon graduation.
If these issues go unresolved, our district and others will continue to move closer to insolvency. If you value education as I do, I strongly encourage you to help advocate for our schools. Watervliet has assembled a stakeholder team and will join with 46 other Capital Region school districts for a regional advocacy event featuring Dr. Rick Timbs of the Statewide School Finance Consortium, to learn about the severity of the fiscal crisis that is looming for schools throughout our area and what we, as a community, can do to have our voices heard and advocate for solutions. The forum, 'Your Schools in Fiscal Peril - Running Out of Time & Options,' will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31 at Columbia High School in East Greenbush. I encourage you to call my office at 629-3201 if you are interested in participating in the Jan. 31 event or just want more information about how you can help advocate for education and our schools.
The entire WCSD staff, Board of Education and I will continue to fight to preserve programs and people that will afford our students the top-notch education they are entitled to. We will advocate for every student, every day.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Holidays a time to reflect
The holidays are often a time to reflect on the year that has passed and look ahead to a new year.
Recent events have cast a solemn mood over the season—the tragic accident that claimed the lives of two Shen students and seriously injured two others, and the unspeakable violence in a Newtown Connecticut school that has shattered the lives of so many families. These heartbreaking tragedies make us think about and appreciate even more the good in our own lives.
Throughout the past week, I have had the privilege of attending concerts at both the high school and the elementary school, and have been reminded of the talent and abilities of our students from the elementary level through the middle and high school grades. The performances by the Garnet and Grey Band and the Cannoneer chorus under the direction of Mrs. Terry Bradway and Mr. Joseph Bonville, as well as the elementary school band and chorus led by Mr. Jeff Roberts and Mrs. Mary Collett—were outstanding. I applaud our student musicians of all ages for their effort and dedication to learning the music and practicing the songs, and presenting thoroughly enjoyable performances for family, friends, fellow students and staff.
The wrestling team held its annual Teacher Appreciation Night on Dec. 13 to recognize educators who have encouraged and supported the wrestling program and its student athletes. Each wrestler invited a teacher, administrator or other staff member to attend the evening’s matches as the wrestler’s guest. I was honored to be among the approximately 30 educators who were recognized that evening. I thank Coach Dennis Lane and Coach Dan Mueller for taking the initiative each year to organize this event that brings together our staff and student athletes.
Having worked in the district for several years—as the high school principal and now as the superintendent—I am grateful for all the dedicated and talented educators who work in our Watervliet schools. I know they are commited to ensuring the success of our students—academically and personally—I see it every day. So many of our teachers go above and beyond their classroom responsibilities, investing additional hours advising extracurricular clubs, coaching our athletic teams, and providing homework and Regents review help. I celebrate our teachers and the gifts of time and talent that they give every student, every day.
I appreciate, too, the parents and community members who turn out to support our students and our schools at events throughout the school year.
Since September, our district has also had the good fortune to have been awarded two state grants that will have a direct and positive impact on education in the years to come. One of the grants will fund professional development initiatives to strengthen classroom instruction and improve student learning. The other grant will help establish new virtual Advanced Placement (AP) courses for students in Watervliet and six other area schools. This grant will also pay exam fees for low-income students enrolled in AP classes, which could help them earn college credit while in high school.
I hope you will take time this holiday season to reflect upon the positive aspects of your lives, and enjoy the most precious gift of all—time spent with family and friends. May you all enjoy a relaxing and peaceful holiday season.
Recent events have cast a solemn mood over the season—the tragic accident that claimed the lives of two Shen students and seriously injured two others, and the unspeakable violence in a Newtown Connecticut school that has shattered the lives of so many families. These heartbreaking tragedies make us think about and appreciate even more the good in our own lives.
Throughout the past week, I have had the privilege of attending concerts at both the high school and the elementary school, and have been reminded of the talent and abilities of our students from the elementary level through the middle and high school grades. The performances by the Garnet and Grey Band and the Cannoneer chorus under the direction of Mrs. Terry Bradway and Mr. Joseph Bonville, as well as the elementary school band and chorus led by Mr. Jeff Roberts and Mrs. Mary Collett—were outstanding. I applaud our student musicians of all ages for their effort and dedication to learning the music and practicing the songs, and presenting thoroughly enjoyable performances for family, friends, fellow students and staff.
The wrestling team held its annual Teacher Appreciation Night on Dec. 13 to recognize educators who have encouraged and supported the wrestling program and its student athletes. Each wrestler invited a teacher, administrator or other staff member to attend the evening’s matches as the wrestler’s guest. I was honored to be among the approximately 30 educators who were recognized that evening. I thank Coach Dennis Lane and Coach Dan Mueller for taking the initiative each year to organize this event that brings together our staff and student athletes.
Having worked in the district for several years—as the high school principal and now as the superintendent—I am grateful for all the dedicated and talented educators who work in our Watervliet schools. I know they are commited to ensuring the success of our students—academically and personally—I see it every day. So many of our teachers go above and beyond their classroom responsibilities, investing additional hours advising extracurricular clubs, coaching our athletic teams, and providing homework and Regents review help. I celebrate our teachers and the gifts of time and talent that they give every student, every day.
I appreciate, too, the parents and community members who turn out to support our students and our schools at events throughout the school year.
Since September, our district has also had the good fortune to have been awarded two state grants that will have a direct and positive impact on education in the years to come. One of the grants will fund professional development initiatives to strengthen classroom instruction and improve student learning. The other grant will help establish new virtual Advanced Placement (AP) courses for students in Watervliet and six other area schools. This grant will also pay exam fees for low-income students enrolled in AP classes, which could help them earn college credit while in high school.
I hope you will take time this holiday season to reflect upon the positive aspects of your lives, and enjoy the most precious gift of all—time spent with family and friends. May you all enjoy a relaxing and peaceful holiday season.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Education's fiscal cliff
You may be familiar with or have heard the phrase “fiscal cliff” quite a bit recently. Journalists and news commentators have adopted this phrase when referring to the nation’s economy and the national debt.
For school districts this phrase is not new. Many districts around New York State—small city schools and rural schools alike—have been heading toward a fiscal cliff for the past few years as the costs associated with education continue to escalate, while state aid and other revenues continue to shrink or disappear.
In the past two years, our school district has been able to avoid the “fiscal cliff” despite significant decreases in state aid and the state’s tax levy cap, which limits the amount schools can raise in property taxes to balance their budgets. When the tax levy cap was introduced, Governor Andrew Cuomo promised to deliver mandate relief along with it to help ease the financial burden on school districts and municipalities, however to date, no meaningful mandate relief has materialized.
In Watervliet, we have made some difficult decisions to close fiscal gaps during the last two budget cycles. To balance our current school budget, the district had to eliminate approximately 14 positions, consolidate bus runs, reduce some services—including elementary summer school—and place a few of our athletic teams on hiatus. Still, we were able to keep intact the academic programs we offer students.
This year, as we begin to develop the 2013-14 school budget, if circumstances do not change—and it’s unlikely they will—we will be forced to confront our most difficult decisions, yet. As the leader of this small city school district, I believe it is important for the community to be aware of and prepare for the tough road ahead. It’s time for everyone in our community to give serious thought about what we value most in education, what is vitally necessary to be able to prepare our students for college and 21st century careers, and how best to keep moving forward with fewer and fewer resources.
In the coming weeks, I will be encouraging everyone to advocate for our schools and students and to implore our local and state representatives for a more fair and equitable distribution of state aid. Please look for future blog posts on this topic and updates on our district’s website about how you can get involved.
In the meantime, I encourage Watervliet residents, families and staff members to contact Governor Andrew Cuomo and our other elected state representatives Senator Neil Breslin (who is on the NYS Senate Education Committee), Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, and NYS Senate Education Committee Chair Senator John Flanagan, with your concerns and questions. Below are links to their web pages where you can submit your messages electronically.
Contact Governor Andrew Cuomo
Contact Senator Neil Breslin
Contact Assemblyman Canestrari
Contact NYS Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator John Flanagan
For school districts this phrase is not new. Many districts around New York State—small city schools and rural schools alike—have been heading toward a fiscal cliff for the past few years as the costs associated with education continue to escalate, while state aid and other revenues continue to shrink or disappear.
In the past two years, our school district has been able to avoid the “fiscal cliff” despite significant decreases in state aid and the state’s tax levy cap, which limits the amount schools can raise in property taxes to balance their budgets. When the tax levy cap was introduced, Governor Andrew Cuomo promised to deliver mandate relief along with it to help ease the financial burden on school districts and municipalities, however to date, no meaningful mandate relief has materialized.
In Watervliet, we have made some difficult decisions to close fiscal gaps during the last two budget cycles. To balance our current school budget, the district had to eliminate approximately 14 positions, consolidate bus runs, reduce some services—including elementary summer school—and place a few of our athletic teams on hiatus. Still, we were able to keep intact the academic programs we offer students.
This year, as we begin to develop the 2013-14 school budget, if circumstances do not change—and it’s unlikely they will—we will be forced to confront our most difficult decisions, yet. As the leader of this small city school district, I believe it is important for the community to be aware of and prepare for the tough road ahead. It’s time for everyone in our community to give serious thought about what we value most in education, what is vitally necessary to be able to prepare our students for college and 21st century careers, and how best to keep moving forward with fewer and fewer resources.
In the coming weeks, I will be encouraging everyone to advocate for our schools and students and to implore our local and state representatives for a more fair and equitable distribution of state aid. Please look for future blog posts on this topic and updates on our district’s website about how you can get involved.
In the meantime, I encourage Watervliet residents, families and staff members to contact Governor Andrew Cuomo and our other elected state representatives Senator Neil Breslin (who is on the NYS Senate Education Committee), Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, and NYS Senate Education Committee Chair Senator John Flanagan, with your concerns and questions. Below are links to their web pages where you can submit your messages electronically.
Contact Governor Andrew Cuomo
Contact Senator Neil Breslin
Contact Assemblyman Canestrari
Contact NYS Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator John Flanagan
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thank you for service to schools, community
Next week marks School Board Recognition Week in New York State (October 29 - November 2, 2012), and I want to publicly thank our school board members, President Mark Scully, Vice President Chris Chartrand, Jeffrey Clermont, Jennifer Donovan and Matt Ethier for working tirelessly on behalf of our students and our schools.
School board members are district residents—elected to three-year terms—who are responsible for making decisions at the local level about what is best for our students and for the community. The five members of our school board serve voluntarily and are often called upon to make tough decisions and confront the numerous challenges we face in public education today.
School board members are true advocates for our students—they attend numerous school functions and provide financial stewardship and leadership to ensure that our mission of educating every student, every day is achieved in a safe and healthy environment. Our board generously volunteers their time and energy to improve the education we offer to Watervliet’s students while also considering and balancing the concerns of local taxpayers.
When I think of the district’s most recent accomplishments—our new athletic facilities being recognized as an outstanding project in a national architectural magazine, the state grant we have received to improve teacher and leader effectiveness in our classrooms—behind all of it is the unwavering support of our school board.
During the October 16 Board of Education meeting, I read a Proclamation from Governor Andrew Cuomo, which commends board members for their many hours of volunteer service to elementary and secondary public education as they continually strive for improvement, progress, and excellence in education. The proclamation states, “The members of New York's local school boards respond to the educational needs of the communities they serve, and in doing so, these leaders help strengthen our state’s educational system and improve future prospects for our children.” Read the Executive Chamber Proclamation
I ask that when you see our school board members out in your neighborhoods next week or any time, that you join me in thanking them for their dedicated leadership in public education and their continuing service to children, our schools and the community.
School board members are district residents—elected to three-year terms—who are responsible for making decisions at the local level about what is best for our students and for the community. The five members of our school board serve voluntarily and are often called upon to make tough decisions and confront the numerous challenges we face in public education today.
School board members are true advocates for our students—they attend numerous school functions and provide financial stewardship and leadership to ensure that our mission of educating every student, every day is achieved in a safe and healthy environment. Our board generously volunteers their time and energy to improve the education we offer to Watervliet’s students while also considering and balancing the concerns of local taxpayers.
When I think of the district’s most recent accomplishments—our new athletic facilities being recognized as an outstanding project in a national architectural magazine, the state grant we have received to improve teacher and leader effectiveness in our classrooms—behind all of it is the unwavering support of our school board.
During the October 16 Board of Education meeting, I read a Proclamation from Governor Andrew Cuomo, which commends board members for their many hours of volunteer service to elementary and secondary public education as they continually strive for improvement, progress, and excellence in education. The proclamation states, “The members of New York's local school boards respond to the educational needs of the communities they serve, and in doing so, these leaders help strengthen our state’s educational system and improve future prospects for our children.” Read the Executive Chamber Proclamation
I ask that when you see our school board members out in your neighborhoods next week or any time, that you join me in thanking them for their dedicated leadership in public education and their continuing service to children, our schools and the community.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
New challenges, higher expectations
September was a busy—and a successful—month at Watervliet schools.
Students, teachers and staff have settled into their daily routines and continue to work hard heading into the second month of the 2012-2013 school year. Parents and students seem to have adjusted well to the transportation changes and new drop-off and pick-up procedures at Watervliet Elementary School. Principal O’Brien and I thank everyone for their cooperation and their patience during the opening days of school.
Turnout for Meet the Teacher Nights at both schools was outstanding and gave teachers the opportunity to get to know parents and share information about academic programs and expectations for learning. The connection between home and school has always been important to student achievement, and will continue to become even more essential as schools face new challenges and mandates year after year.
Speaking of new challenges and mandates, this school year brings with it several new challenges for students, faculty and administrators alike. Most notably, schools in New York State are mandated to implement a new evaluation system for teachers and principals as a requirement of the federal Race to the Top initiative. Watervliet’s Annual Professional Performance Review—or APPR—plan was approved by SED on Sept. 11, making us among the first districts in the area to receive state approval. The new APPR process is very different from past practice, in that for the first time ever, a portion of the evaluation—40 percent—is tied to student growth and achievement on state exams. In addition, the new APPR has required teachers, principals and other school administrators to participate in ongoing training, develop new student assessments, and work together to create student and building-wide learning targets or goals.
This year, parents will also hear a lot about Common Core Learning Standards, which have been adopted by most states across the country, including New York. The standards are part of a national effort to provide a clearer understanding of what students are expected to learn at each grade level and better prepare them for college or the workforce. The Common Core Learning Standards replace the learning standards that were in place for the past decade and as a result, Watervliet teachers and school leaders have been working to revise the district’s curriculum and rewrite lesson plans to reflect the new standards.
The Common Core Learning Standards and the new APPR will increase the number of assessments your children take this year. The assessments are needed for the school district to have baseline data that will enable us to target academic growth over the course of the school year. Although these assessments will not count toward your child’s overall grade, they are still important.
As an even higher level of expectations is placed on our students, teachers and administrators this school year, I thank everyone for your continued cooperation and support. If you have questions about APPR or Common Core Learning Standards, my door is always open. I also encourage you to keep the lines of communication open with your children’s teachers and building principal.
Students, teachers and staff have settled into their daily routines and continue to work hard heading into the second month of the 2012-2013 school year. Parents and students seem to have adjusted well to the transportation changes and new drop-off and pick-up procedures at Watervliet Elementary School. Principal O’Brien and I thank everyone for their cooperation and their patience during the opening days of school.
Turnout for Meet the Teacher Nights at both schools was outstanding and gave teachers the opportunity to get to know parents and share information about academic programs and expectations for learning. The connection between home and school has always been important to student achievement, and will continue to become even more essential as schools face new challenges and mandates year after year.
Speaking of new challenges and mandates, this school year brings with it several new challenges for students, faculty and administrators alike. Most notably, schools in New York State are mandated to implement a new evaluation system for teachers and principals as a requirement of the federal Race to the Top initiative. Watervliet’s Annual Professional Performance Review—or APPR—plan was approved by SED on Sept. 11, making us among the first districts in the area to receive state approval. The new APPR process is very different from past practice, in that for the first time ever, a portion of the evaluation—40 percent—is tied to student growth and achievement on state exams. In addition, the new APPR has required teachers, principals and other school administrators to participate in ongoing training, develop new student assessments, and work together to create student and building-wide learning targets or goals.
This year, parents will also hear a lot about Common Core Learning Standards, which have been adopted by most states across the country, including New York. The standards are part of a national effort to provide a clearer understanding of what students are expected to learn at each grade level and better prepare them for college or the workforce. The Common Core Learning Standards replace the learning standards that were in place for the past decade and as a result, Watervliet teachers and school leaders have been working to revise the district’s curriculum and rewrite lesson plans to reflect the new standards.
The Common Core Learning Standards and the new APPR will increase the number of assessments your children take this year. The assessments are needed for the school district to have baseline data that will enable us to target academic growth over the course of the school year. Although these assessments will not count toward your child’s overall grade, they are still important.
As an even higher level of expectations is placed on our students, teachers and administrators this school year, I thank everyone for your continued cooperation and support. If you have questions about APPR or Common Core Learning Standards, my door is always open. I also encourage you to keep the lines of communication open with your children’s teachers and building principal.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Welcome to a new school year!
I am excited and eager to begin my first full year as superintendent of Watervliet schools.
Throughout the summer my leadership team and I have been preparing for the 2012-13 school year, and are looking forward to welcoming back students, teachers and staff and to again have our buildings bustling with teaching and learning.
During the summer, I received word from the State Education Department (SED) that the Watervliet City School District and our schools are in “good standing.” Earlier this year, the federal Education Department granted New York State a waiver to certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, and granted permission to calculate and communicate student progress differently. As a result of this newly implemented state accountability system and because of the hard work and collaboration of our teachers, support staff and the individualized instruction they provide, Watervliet’s students achieved adequate progress on state tests.
This is good news. Now, we must do all we can to move forward and maintain our “good standing” status, which could prove particularly challenging this year in light of significant changes in public education including the implementation of new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and a new evaluation system for teachers and principals.
With the new standards, SED will make changes to English language arts/literacy and math exams designed to assess student performance in grades 3-8. Also beginning this year, students’ scores on state assessments will be part of the teacher and principal annual professional performance review. The combination of these two factors will make state testing especially intense this year for both students and teachers.
State and federal regulations, unfunded mandates and increasing expectations continue to increase the challenges for our schools. We must all work together—parents, teachers, school leaders and staff—to support and prepare our students to be successful in college, career and in a competitive 21st century workplace.
I encourage parents, teachers, students, staff and the community to stay informed about our district’s challenges and our successes through the different communications channels we offer including our website, School News Notifier (SNN), Facebook and Twitter, and also WVLT, Watervliet Housing Authority's cable access channel.
We must continue to rise to the challenge, and educate every student, every day to the very best of our ability. Welcome back everyone, let’s make this another great year!
Throughout the summer my leadership team and I have been preparing for the 2012-13 school year, and are looking forward to welcoming back students, teachers and staff and to again have our buildings bustling with teaching and learning.
During the summer, I received word from the State Education Department (SED) that the Watervliet City School District and our schools are in “good standing.” Earlier this year, the federal Education Department granted New York State a waiver to certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, and granted permission to calculate and communicate student progress differently. As a result of this newly implemented state accountability system and because of the hard work and collaboration of our teachers, support staff and the individualized instruction they provide, Watervliet’s students achieved adequate progress on state tests.
This is good news. Now, we must do all we can to move forward and maintain our “good standing” status, which could prove particularly challenging this year in light of significant changes in public education including the implementation of new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and a new evaluation system for teachers and principals.
With the new standards, SED will make changes to English language arts/literacy and math exams designed to assess student performance in grades 3-8. Also beginning this year, students’ scores on state assessments will be part of the teacher and principal annual professional performance review. The combination of these two factors will make state testing especially intense this year for both students and teachers.
State and federal regulations, unfunded mandates and increasing expectations continue to increase the challenges for our schools. We must all work together—parents, teachers, school leaders and staff—to support and prepare our students to be successful in college, career and in a competitive 21st century workplace.
I encourage parents, teachers, students, staff and the community to stay informed about our district’s challenges and our successes through the different communications channels we offer including our website, School News Notifier (SNN), Facebook and Twitter, and also WVLT, Watervliet Housing Authority's cable access channel.
We must continue to rise to the challenge, and educate every student, every day to the very best of our ability. Welcome back everyone, let’s make this another great year!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Reflecting on 2011-12
As I reflect back on the 2011-12 school year and my first six months as superintendent of schools, I am proud of all we have accomplished as a district, especially in this era of significant changes in education.
This year, school districts across New York were required to develop budgets within the limits of the state’s new property tax levy cap law. Achieving this was especially challenging for small city school districts, like ours, because of inequities in state aid formulas and disbursement. We were able to rise to the challenge and passed the school budget by a 71 percent margin—thanks in large part to the spirit of cooperation and team work in our school community and the support of the greater community.
Watervliet’s teachers and administrators invested a great deal of time this past year preparing for the implementation of the state’s New Common Core Learning standards, which will take effect this coming school year. Many, many hours have been spent working to make sure that our curriculum reflects the new standards.
In addition to the new standards, in 2012-13 New York’s schools must enact a new more rigorous system for teacher and principal evaluations or risk losing state aid. Fortunately, Watervliet is on track with its new evaluation process and was one of only a handful of schools in the immediate Capital Region—and 164 districts across the state—to submit its Annual Professional Performance Review plans to the State Education Department (SED) on time.
Despite the changes and challenges before us, Watervliet schools continued to focus on our mission: to inspire, educate and challenge every student, every day! I wanted to share with you a list of just some of what we accomplished this year and should all take pride in.
2011-12 accomplishments:
October 2011: WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inducted one championship team and nine athletes, coaches.
November 2011: Three Watervliet City School District teachers achieved National Board Certification – a voluntary credentialing process widely considered to be the "gold standard" for teaching excellence.
December 2011: The community approved an $18.9 million facilities renovation project by a vote of 234-30. The district will now move forward with renovations that will improve the learning environment and enhance the athletic fields, including the addition of a track.
January 2012: A video project produced by junior high school students and teachers won a grand prize of $2,500 in the Blueshield of Northeastern New York healthy video contest.
February 2012: Watervliet Junior-Senior High School music teacher Theresa Bradway was named a WNYT Channel 13 Top Teacher.
February 2012: Mayor Michael Manning chooses Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School as the site to deliver his 2012 State of the City at Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School.
February 2012: The Watervliet Teachers’ Association ratified a new contract by an overwhelming margin, and agreed to changes that will save the school district nearly $4 million over the length of the five-year deal.
March 2012: Watervliet Boys’ Basketball standout Jordan Gleason was selected for WNYT’s Boys’ All Star team!
March 2012: Watervliet High School junior Ailayia Demand was named to the Times Union Small School Girls' Basketball All-Star Team for the third time!
April 2012: Two Watervliet City School District unions—administrators and support staff—agreed to health insurance changes that will result in nearly $100,000 in savings.
May 2012: The Watervliet High School Spring Blood Drive was a huge success; collecting 86 pints of blood, and exceeding its 77-pint goal.
May 2012: Watervliet voters approved the $23.1 million budget for the 2012-13 school year by a margin of 234 to 95.
May 2012: Twenty-two (22) Watervliet High School students were inducted into the National Honor Society.
June 2012: Watervliet High School senior Amelia Walker—a student in the BOCES Career & Technical School’s Computer Network Technician program—was named Capital Region BOCES Career and Tech Center Student of the Year.
June 2012: More than 100 Watervliet High School seniors received their diplomas in June; and more than 95 percent of the Class of 2012 plan to continue their education at either two- or four-year colleges in the fall.
This year, school districts across New York were required to develop budgets within the limits of the state’s new property tax levy cap law. Achieving this was especially challenging for small city school districts, like ours, because of inequities in state aid formulas and disbursement. We were able to rise to the challenge and passed the school budget by a 71 percent margin—thanks in large part to the spirit of cooperation and team work in our school community and the support of the greater community.
Watervliet’s teachers and administrators invested a great deal of time this past year preparing for the implementation of the state’s New Common Core Learning standards, which will take effect this coming school year. Many, many hours have been spent working to make sure that our curriculum reflects the new standards.
In addition to the new standards, in 2012-13 New York’s schools must enact a new more rigorous system for teacher and principal evaluations or risk losing state aid. Fortunately, Watervliet is on track with its new evaluation process and was one of only a handful of schools in the immediate Capital Region—and 164 districts across the state—to submit its Annual Professional Performance Review plans to the State Education Department (SED) on time.
Despite the changes and challenges before us, Watervliet schools continued to focus on our mission: to inspire, educate and challenge every student, every day! I wanted to share with you a list of just some of what we accomplished this year and should all take pride in.
2011-12 accomplishments:
October 2011: WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inducted one championship team and nine athletes, coaches.
November 2011: Three Watervliet City School District teachers achieved National Board Certification – a voluntary credentialing process widely considered to be the "gold standard" for teaching excellence.
December 2011: The community approved an $18.9 million facilities renovation project by a vote of 234-30. The district will now move forward with renovations that will improve the learning environment and enhance the athletic fields, including the addition of a track.
January 2012: A video project produced by junior high school students and teachers won a grand prize of $2,500 in the Blueshield of Northeastern New York healthy video contest.
February 2012: Watervliet Junior-Senior High School music teacher Theresa Bradway was named a WNYT Channel 13 Top Teacher.
February 2012: Mayor Michael Manning chooses Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School as the site to deliver his 2012 State of the City at Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School.
February 2012: The Watervliet Teachers’ Association ratified a new contract by an overwhelming margin, and agreed to changes that will save the school district nearly $4 million over the length of the five-year deal.
March 2012: Watervliet Boys’ Basketball standout Jordan Gleason was selected for WNYT’s Boys’ All Star team!
March 2012: Watervliet High School junior Ailayia Demand was named to the Times Union Small School Girls' Basketball All-Star Team for the third time!
April 2012: Two Watervliet City School District unions—administrators and support staff—agreed to health insurance changes that will result in nearly $100,000 in savings.
May 2012: The Watervliet High School Spring Blood Drive was a huge success; collecting 86 pints of blood, and exceeding its 77-pint goal.
May 2012: Watervliet voters approved the $23.1 million budget for the 2012-13 school year by a margin of 234 to 95.
May 2012: Twenty-two (22) Watervliet High School students were inducted into the National Honor Society.
June 2012: Watervliet High School senior Amelia Walker—a student in the BOCES Career & Technical School’s Computer Network Technician program—was named Capital Region BOCES Career and Tech Center Student of the Year.
June 2012: More than 100 Watervliet High School seniors received their diplomas in June; and more than 95 percent of the Class of 2012 plan to continue their education at either two- or four-year colleges in the fall.
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