schools

Genesee Community College is ready to welcome students to campus under the state's new free-tuition plan for SUNY schools, known as the Excelsior Scholarship, said College President Jim Sunser, but implementing the program won't be without a few snags.

First, Sunser said, not all the guidelines and rules have been released yet, so school counselors have less information than is ideal for advising students. Second, the program could have a small impact on cash flow for the college.

The way the program works is, students must successfully complete two semesters of 15 credits each. The state will pay the first semester, but no payments will be released to school for both semesters until the student has successfully completed a full 30 credits.

"From a cash-flow perspective, we would have to wait until the student finishes before we’d see the dollars, so there is an eight-month lag," Sunser said.

Based on the current school population and demographics, GCC expects about 100 students to enroll in the program, and since most would be expected to successfully complete 30 credits, the negative cash flow impact is expected to be something the college can absorb.

Of course, one of the goals of the Excelsior program is to encourage more students to enroll in college, and the college is ready to embrace a higher enrollment if that's the outcome, Sunser said.

"We would very much like to see as many students as possible take advantage of it and take advantage getting an education here in New York, for sure," Sunser said.

The Excelsior program is a "last dollar in" scholarship, meaning if a student has other grants or scholarships, those would be used first to pay for tuition and Excelsior would make up the difference.

Because of the 30-credit requirement, Excelsior may not be the best option for some students who might otherwise qualify, so school counselors will work with students to help them find the best fit.

"When they come in, we’re going to individually advise them through Student Success Center and we’re going to let them know if this is the best possible avenue for them to pursue or even if campus-based scholarships might make more sense," Sunser said. "We’ll work with them one-on-one to make sure they get to where they need to be."

Sunser spoke about the scholarship program after providing the County's Ways and Means Committee with a budget update Wednesday afternoon.

The college trustees have not yet approved the budget, but it's expected that it will call for an increase in spending from $40,537,000 to $40,923,000, which Sunser noted is less than a 1-percent increase in spending. 

"On our budget, we are already cost conscious and make sure we are as responsible as we can be," Sunser said.

The county, as the sponsoring county, is required to make a sponsorship contribution to GCC's budget.

Currently, the county's contribution is about 6 percent of GCC's budget. Sunser said that's the second-lowest sponsoring county's contribution in the state.

In recent years, the amount of the county's contribution has been going up by $50,000 per year. Last year, there was some sentiment on the part of legislators that they didn't get enough time to provide input or deliberate its contribution, so there was no $50,000 increase and Sunser agreed to open up communications with legislators earlier in the process. He said he provided an update in the fall and then yesterday's appearance was made in advance of the final budget being approved.

This year, the college is asking for a $100,000 increase in county share, covering the $50,000 not provided last year and $50,000 for this year.

Sunser said the trustees are looking to approve the budget next week. The committee took no action yesterday on the request.

Batavia City School District:

Budget - $49,870,585 (increase of $5,504,146 or 12.41%: $0.00 increase in tax levy)
Yes - 374 (81.84%)
No  - 83 (18.16%)

Establish $7.5 Million 10 Year Capital Reserve 2017 -
Yes -  370 (80.96%)
No -    87 (19.04%)

Board of Education positions (2):
Two terms from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 
Barbara Bowman, 293
Tanni Bromley, 279

 

Oakfield-Alabama Central School District
Proposition #1-Budget
Yes:  297
No: 53

Proposition #2-Buses
Yes: 290
No: 60

Proposition #3-Athletic Equipment
Yes:  258
No: 92

Proposition #4-Capital Reserve Fund
Yes:  288
No: 59

Board Members (Three Vacancies)
Chris Haacke, 208
Bonnie Woodward, 171
Jennifer Kirkum, 170
Tim Edgerton, 162
Andrew Merkel, 142
Bruce Pritchett      141

 

Elba Central School District

Proposition #1 Budget - $9,273,839
Yes: 136
No: 26

Proposition #2 – Authorization to establish the 2017 General Capital Reserve Fund 
Yes: 132
No: 29

Proposition #3 – Authorization to appropriate and expend from Transportation Vehicle and Equipment Capital Reserve to purchase one (1) 65 passenger school bus
Yes: 134
No: 28

Two Board of Education seats with two candidates running:
Travis Torrey, 149
Michael Augello, 134

 

Byron-Bergen Central School District

Proposition 1, Budget
Yes: 327
No: 153

Proposition 2:  Bus purchase
Yes: 340
No: 150

The day at Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School was dedicated to leadership, with several classroom events built around themes from Stephen Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," such as "Think Win Win," "Be Proactive," Put 1st Things 1st," and "Begin with the End in Mind."

There were also musical performances from both middle school and high school students, and a talent show, along with a student-parent picnic in the gym.

Voters will be asked tomorrow whether they support the 2017-18 Batavia City Schools budget, with a spending plan of $49,870,585.

That's an increase of 12.41 percent over last year, due entirely, school officials say, to a change to record debt service expenditures in the general fund as recommended by the comptroller's office.

Even so, local property owners will not be hit with an increase in school-related property taxes. The property tax levy isn't being increased at all.

This is the fourth straight year the district's tax levy is below the state's increase cap, so homeowners will be eligible for a state property tax rebate, sent directly to homeowners in the fall of 2017.

The budget represents a $10,859 per student in general education, $28,502 per Special Education student, or $19,241 per student on average. All three figures are below state averages, which are $11,949 and $30,667 and $22,536, respectively.

Of the district's total revenue, more than 52 percent comes from state and federal aid. The tax levy is 37.1 percent of total revenue. This budget calls for use of $2.7 million of fund balance (reserves).

Polls are open Tuesday, May 16, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Robert Morris (residents north of Route 5) and Batavia High School (residents south of Route 5).

Press release:

Students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade at St. Joseph School had the opportunity to participate in their annual spelling bee this past week. Twenty five brave students gathered on the stage for a spelling competition that lasted 35 rounds.

In the end, three eightth-graders took the top three places winning cash prizes:

• First Place -- Rachel Nickerson
• Second Place -- Katelyn Zehler
• Third Place -- Anne Marie Kochmanski

The other top spellers are: James Weicher II, Gabriel Weicher, Andrew Ricupito, Lucia Sprague, Madalyn Bochicchio, Sarah McGinnis and Isabelle Cooper.

Congratulations to this year’s top 10 spellers!

Submitted photos and info:

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley visited fourth-graders at Pembroke Intermediate School. Students have been studying the history of New York State, the government of New York, and how New York has helped shape America.

Assemblyman Hawley discussed his responsibilities and duties, while students participated in a question and answer session. Earlier in the year, students from Mr. Brown's Social Studies class wrote to Assemblyman Hawley after learning about the branches of government in New York.

Four area high school students were honored by the Arc of Genesee Orleans on Thursday night at the agency's annual meeting with scholarships from the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded to students interested in working with people with disabilities.

The scholarships were awarded to Natalie Bigelow, Batavia HS, who plans to attend Daemen College and study Physical Therapy; Alyssa Weaver, Pembroke HS, who plans to enter a Physician's Assistant Program; Hannah Bowen, Notre Dame HS, who plans to attend Clarkson University, and she will pursue a career in Psychology; Marlaina Fee, Byron-Bergen HS, who plans to study Elementary Education at Geneva College, with a focus on Special Ed and Sign Language.

Representing the schoalrship fund was Molly George.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia, as it does every year, honored the top students from Batavia High School at its weekly lunch at the ARC facility on Woodrow Road, Batavia.

Pictured are: Campbell Anderson, Margaret Cecere, Madison Grover, Celia Flynn, Elizabeth Piedmont, Zachary O'Brien (back), Chyenne Ernst, Madison Moore, Serena Strollo-DiCenso, Abigail Stendts, Cassidy Miller, McKenna Dziemian, and Quenten Branciforte.

Members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra visited Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School yesterday to meet with students from each grade to talk with them about classical music and the instruments they use. Above, Bob Knipe talks about his French horn. 

Muris Director / Conductor S. Shade Zajac

Haily Davis, a senior at Oakfield-Alabama High School, reacts to her attempt to keep control of a car in a simulator while also texting. The simulator was part of the Save A Life Tour, which stopped by O-A yesterday, giving students a chance to experience just how distracting distracted driving can me. Another simulator mimicked the difficulty and dangers of driving drunk.

Davis said the simulator really opened her eyes to how hard it is to text and drive at the same time.

"I learned that it’s not as easy to text and drive as I thought it would be and that’s it’s not just you," Davis said. "You have to be careful because of other people running red lights or other people turning when they’re not supposed to be. If you look down and swerve into the other lane you could hit somebody."

Getting to work on parts that NASA will actually use on the International Space Station is definitely something to brag about, said Dominick Brown, a senior at Batavia High School (at right, in photo above) and a student in BOCES precision machinery program.

Brown and about a dozen other students are part of a program begun this year at BOCES by teacher Tim Gleba, who persisted in his pursuit last year to get Batavia's machine shop course accepted into NASA's HUNCH program. HUNCH is a nationwide program started in 2003 that gives high school students the chance to design and manufacture hardware for NASA. The program has since expanded to include culinary arts as well so that students can come up with ready-to-eat meals for astronauts.

Students have made single-purpose storage lockers to hold experiments being taken up to the space station and one of the next projects is new handrails.

Brown's reaction was like a lot of students in a video presented by NASA scientist Florance Gold, Ph.D, yesterday at a press conference about the program in Batavia. The students all said the program inspired them to think about engineering, science and aerospace careers and gave them the confidence to think it might be something they could pursue.

"It’s really awesome that we actually get to work for NASA and it’s something I can put on my resume," Brown said. "I’m always bragging to my friends, ‘OK, I work for NASA now.’ It’s kind of cool. I’m definitely very grateful for everything my teachers and NASA have presented to me to be part of this amazing program. I’m crazy grateful. Unlike test hardware, we’re making actual hardware that is going into the space station, so it’s something that I can say, ‘I made parts that are in the space station.’ ”

Tim Gleba with the first part his precision machine students made for NASA.

NASA scientist Flo Gold

Nancy Hall, an aerospace engineer with NASA, who works at the Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

A couple of weeks ago, BOCES students were able to visit the facility. Hall said it's special getting to work for NASA.

“One thing I want to pass onto the students is think about the opportunity you have in front of you," Hall said. "You’re going to be making parts for NASA, which is just neat in itself. Even myself, working for NASA, I still pinch myself."

Amanda Phelps, a HUNCH support machinist with one of the storage lockers designed and made by high school students.

With song and dance, Mr. Eco entertained students at John Kennedy School this morning, providing lessons along the way about the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

The event was sponsored by the Building Technologies Division at Siemens and hosted in conjunction with the fourth-grade innovators' STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) programming at John Kennedy School and the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC).

Mr. Eco uses hip-hop, sing-along, dance and between-song patter to emphasize the active role people play in creating a sustainable environment, decreasing energy usage, increasing recycling, and working to keep communities free of litter. He has performed for more than 135,000 children across the United States, Canada, Turkey, South Africa, Colombia, St. Lucia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Ninth-graders from throughout the GLOW region were at GCC today for the 2nd Annual Precision Agriculture Day. The series of lectures and demonstrations were an opportunity for students to learn about career options in agriculture that involve technology. It was a chance for them to see how technology is changing farming to increase yields and reduce costs, whether it be GPS-guided plows and seeders, or drones that use aerial photography to determine the level of nutrients in soil so farmers know better how to manage fertilizing their crops.

The demonstrations included soil fertility, crop management, drones, GPS/GIS mapping, data analysis, animal technologies and auto steering.

"We would really like to see our youth return to the field of agriculture," said Jennifer Wakefield, program coordinator with the BEST Center. "It’s our area. It’s where we live. We need young people to work in these fields."

Automotive techs are in demand and the demand is growing, according to Peter DeLacy, owner of DeLacy Ford in East Aurora, which is why the WNY Ford Dealers started a program three years ago to donate cars with "real world" experience to local high schools.

The goal is to help and encourage high school students with an interest in auto repair to stick with it as a career choice and gain valuable experience working on cars with some of the last technological advancements.

"They're often working on 15-year-old cars and there isn't much interest in working on cars that don't have the latest technology," DeLacy said.

Yesterday, the dealers donated at 2014 Ford Fusion to the automotive shop at BOCES.

"We rely on donations like this in order for our kids to get the best training possible so that when they leave school, they can go right out to the workforce and do the best they can," said BOCES in Batavia Principal Jon Sanfratello (speaking at the podium in the photo above).

The dealers pool their resources to acquire cars from Ford Credit that have come out of the lease program. Delacy said auto teachers want cars with some mileage on them and in need of some maintenance, not brand-new cars, for their students to work on. Once the dealers have ensured all auto shop programs in the region have cars, they will start a three- or four-year rotation process of providing newer slightly used vehicles to the schools so students always have close to the latest technology at their fingertips.

There isn't much about a Ford or a GM or a Toyota that is so proprietary that a student can't learn a broad range of applicable skills, regardless of which car it is, Delacy said. Many car components, and the technology today that enables and manages them, are built to government-mandated specifications, so when a tech hooks up a diagnostic computer to a car, the readout is the same regardless of the make or model.

"The diagnostic codes, how you access the primary powertrain control module, how you do all of these things is pretty much the same for all manufacturers," Delacy said.

The goal for the Ford dealers, of course, is to ensure as many young techs come out of high school and two years of college with an interest in working at Ford dealerships, but as long as there are more techs in the market, it's better for everybody.

"The technicians we have now, they’ve put their time in and they want to retire," Delacy said. "There’s not a big pool of talent to choose from, so knowing that the Ford dealers of Western New York, including myself, decided to ask, ‘where do we get technicians? How do we get them interested?’ Because a lot of people don’t want to get into that. They want to be other things and this is a very good pay program when you get into the dealership level."

It's a good career choice, Delacy said, because it's stable, it pays well and dealership jobs are good jobs, and since the only college required is couple of years at a community college, so the career makes sense financially.

"The great part is it's not a huge investment," Delacy said. "They don't have student loans to pay for five or 10 years. They’re out in the real world, earning real money, keeping their money and investing it, so we’re on the ground floor of great opportunity, allowing students to get a good education and they’re ready to go when they get out of college and they don’t have a huge debt load, so it’s a win-win-win for everybody."

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced today that legislation (S4281),raising the monetary limit to $150,000 for school districts to purchase local produce without approval from the State Department of Education, has passed the New York State Senate unanimously.

Under existing law, a waiver from the State Education Department is required for food purchases above $50,000. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ranzenhofer, would amend state procurement laws to conform with Federal rules.

“Requiring a waiver at current levels creates unnecessary, burdensome paperwork for schools districts, discouraging the purchase of food products from local farmers,” Ranzenhofer said. “This legislation makes it easier for schools to buy more local produce and support the local agriculture economy, while offering healthier options– more fresh fruits and vegetables– to students.”

The New York Farm Bureau supports the initiative. The bill will be sent to the State Assembly. The legislation is sponsored by Assemblywoman Addie Jenne.

The 2017-18 State Budget raised the threshold from $25,000 to $50,000. In 2016, Senator Ranzenhofer successfully worked to establish an initial threshold at $25,000.

Press release:

International recording artist, environmentalist, and educator, Mr. Eco, will be visiting John Kennedy Primary School on Tuesday, May 9^th at 9:30 a.m. for a special performance. Mr. Eco combines hip hop music with lyrics that inspire children to be environmentally conscientious.

The event is being sponsored by the Building Technologies Division at Siemens and hosted in conjunction with the fourth-grade innovators STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) programing at John Kennedy School and the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC).

Mr. Eco’s songs emphasize the active role we all have in creating a sustainable culture, decreasing energy usage, increasing recycling, and working to keep communities free of litter. He has performed for more than 135,000 children across the United States, Canada, Turkey, South Africa, Colombia, St. Lucia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“Conveying how important it is to take care of our environment to children at a young age is critically important,” said Christopher Dailey, superintendent of Batavia City School District.

“We want to ensure that our students develop environmentally friendly habits early on and we are really looking forward to having Mr. Eco teach them this in such a fun way. We are also very proud of our fourth-grade innovators program and the STEAM course work they have completed this year, so this will be a natural extension of what these students have been learning.”

Siemens’ sponsorship of the concert is in keeping with its support of student achievement, STEAM and sustainability.

“We are excited to honor the students at John Kennedy and the leadership at Batavia City School District for their outstanding accomplishments this year,” said Joseph Peters, Northeast zone manager, Siemens’ Building Technologies Division.     

“An important component of economic development is mitigating the impact of construction projects and other infrastructure work on the surrounding environment,” said Chris Suozzi, vice president of Business Development at GCEDC.

“We need to prepare the future workforce of our county and region to understand this delicate balance so that we can continue growing the economy while protecting the environment.”

For more information about Mr. Eco please visit www.mreco.org.

Jaden Pocock, third from left, is the winner of the 2017 Character Award at the 13th Annual Liberty Partnerships Empire Promise Youth Summit at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany. He is pictured with his brother Logan, his father Joel and Shelly Bartow, Ph.D., Conference chairperson. 

Photo and info submitted by Patrick McGee.

Sofia Branche and Sheldon Silverling were named outstanding students for the month at last night's City schools board meeting. They were honored for their leadership examples they set at John Kennedy School.

Teresa Morrill, named Outstanding Employee.

Jane Haggett and the students and staff involved with Winter Guard were honored for their efforts with a proclamation. Students pictured, Mina Sanchez and Mary Murphy.

Lisa Robinson, right, and the volunteers who helped organization Mr. Batavia, were recognized with a proclamation by the board. Students pictured, Lindsie Cook and Madison Moore.

Aimee Nelson, named Outstanding Employee.

Caryn Wood and Daniel Grillo along with the cast and crew of "Hairspray" were recognized with a proclamation recognizing their efforts to stage the musical. 

Eileen Ognibene, named Outstanding Employee.

Rob Vanderwerf, named Outstanding Employee.

Press release:

Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School was awarded a Silver Medal in the national rankings of U.S. News & World Report, placing in the top 10.3 percent of schools in the country. In New York State, the Oatkan Knights ranked 170 (moving up 10 spots from last year) out of 1,270 high schools and are among 206 schools who were awarded either Gold or Silver.

U.S. News & World Report started ranking schools in 2007; last year was Le Roy's first time being awarded a medal, winning a silver.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report releases its annual Best High Schools rankings awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to top performing public schools at both the state level and national level. The 2017 rankings include data on more than 22,000 public high schools across the country.

The report’s criteria are based on overall performance of students on state tests, participation and performance on advanced placement exams, and graduation rates. The goal of these rankings is to provide an unbiased picture of the top performing schools and how well those schools serve all of their students. There were 500 high schools or 2.4 percent that received Gold medals; 2,109 or 10.3 percent of schools earned Silver and 3,432 or 16.8 percent took home Bronze. 

"As an entire district and school community, we are thrilled and excited to receive this prestigious recognition. This is just one of the many examples of the hard work and dedication from our administrators, teachers, support staff, and students that occur on a daily basis. We are proud and will look to build off this positive trend upward as we shoot for the gold!" said Merritt Holly, Le Roy Central Schools superintendent.

“The Silver Medal reflects our community’s commitment and dedication to offering an innovative school experience for all students. It also represents a growing number of students who desire to challenge themselves and use this school as a launching pad to their college and career aspirations. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated staff throughout our entire district that goes above and beyond the call of duty every day growing our Oatkan Knights!” said Tim McArdle, Jr.-Sr. High School principal.

Dr. Paul Brill Barry Miller

Press release:

Byron-Bergen Central Schools has named two alumni to the district’s Hall of Fame for 2017. Dr. Paul Brill (class of 1982) and the late Barry Miller (class of 1983) join the ranks of other distinguished Byron-Bergen alumni honored with a place in the Alumni Hall of Fame for their achievements after graduation.

The Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes the accomplishments of the district’s graduates, providing young people with positive adult role models and showing that graduates of Byron-Bergen can achieve high levels of accomplishment in their lives. This honor is in its 14th year and has become part of the school district culture. It is a permanent reminder to students about the outcome of hard work and diligence.

While at Byron-Bergen, Dr. Brill was involved in junior varsity and varsity baseball and track, along with Boys’ State. He also participated in peer counseling, yearbook planning and the Campus Life Club. After graduation, he attended Roberts Wesleyan College for two years prior to transferring to The College at Brockport where he graduated summa cum laude in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

He obtained his medical degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, graduating magna cum laude in 1991. Dr. Brill served an internship in internal medicine at Allegheny General Hospital and residency training in diagnostic radiology at the University of Cincinnati. He switched career paths in 1994, and returned to at Allegheny General for his neurology residency. An additional fellowship year of training in neuromuscular was done at Duke University.

In 1998, he joined Anderson Neurological Associates (a group practice in Anderson, South Carolina), and has worked there as a neurologist ever since. Dr. Brill serves as the Neurology Clinical Director for the Medical University of South Carolina – AnMed Campus. He also has a teaching responsibility at The Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2014, Dr. Brill received the Patients’ Choice award, the Compassionate Doctor Recognition award, and was selected as one of the Top 10 Doctors in the State of South Carolina. Dr. Brill and his wife have two children, and are active in their local church and home school association.

In consideration of his civic duty and his dedication to healthcare and human services, Dr. Paul Brill serves as an inspirational role model to the youth of Byron-Bergen.

Barry Miller was Byron-Bergen’s senior class president in 1983, and worked with the lighting and sound crews for school musicals. He attended Genesee Community College and, in 1985, earned an Associate of Applied Science in computer repair technology. Three years later, he received a Bachelor of Science in organizational management. Miller was part of the graduating class of Leadership Genesee in 2008.

 

From 1986 through 1995, he worked at Business Methods, Inc., working his way up to the position of vice president of customer support. In 1996, he started Miller Millworks, Inc., his own company that provided cabinet and finish carpentry in Bergen. Additionally, he was one of the proprietors of the Beaver River Lodge in Stillwater, New York.

Miller served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) for Bergen Volunteer Fire Department from 1983 to 2015, having held the position of president, secretary, and a member of the Board of Directors. A dedicated member of the rescue squad, he served as lieutenant, captain, and assistant chief. Miller also started the Bergen Fire Department EMT Explorer program, where he mentored members and provided training for becoming an emergency medical technician.

He served as one of the Genesee County coroners and was a member of the Bergen Town Board, Bergen Business and Civic Association, and Bergen United Methodist Church.

Miller was killed in 2015 while responding to an emergency call with the Bergen Fire Department. In 2016, through legislation proposed by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, Congressman  Chris Collins, and signed by then-President Obama, the Bergen Post Office was renamed the “Barry G. Miller Post Office.” Miller was posthumously awarded the Liberty Medal, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate. The award is given to individuals who have merited special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of fellow New Yorkers.

Miller continues to inspire the youth of the Byron-Bergen learning community through the legacy of his love, service, and support for the people in his hometown of Bergen and his passion and dedication to helping others.

The 2017 Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame inductees will be honored on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at 7 p.m. in the Byron-Bergen High School Auditorium. Dr. Brill and a member of the Miller family will briefly speak to students and receive their Alumni Hall of Fame plaques during the school’s National Senior Honor Society induction ceremony. Dr. Brill will spend the day visiting with Byron-Bergen students and sharing how his school experience influenced his life.