At Tuesday's school board meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Batavia City School District honored three students with certificates of appreciation for being good students and good classmates.
Top photo: Dominic Darch and Board President Pat Burk.
Amelia Tripp
Sophia Lawrence
Batavia City School District Superintendent Chris Dailey is moving up the career ladder to a larger school district. He will be formally appointed as the new superintendent of the Gates Chili Central School District on Tuesday, it was announced today.
Gates Chili Board of Education President Jeff Pettenski praised Dailey's leadership skills in an announcement by that district.
Dailey will be officially appointed at the Gates Chili Board of Education meeting April 9.
“We are impressed with his record of accomplishment and commitment to the community he serves," Pettenski said in an announcement. "We are confident he is committed to teaching and inspiring excellence for all learners.”
Dailey's administrative career started with the completion of an internship and being department chairperson at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton. He next served as an assistant principal at Churchville-Chili Senior High School before becoming Batavia High School principal. He was quickly promoted by the Batavia Board of Education to deputy superintendent before taking over as superintendent in January 2013.
“I am excited and honored to have been chosen as the next superintendent," Dailey told Gates Chili school officials. "I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board of Education, staff, parents and community to provide a phenomenal education to our students.
"My mission is to celebrate the excellent programs, activities and services that contribute to the student success and outstanding pride that sets Gates Chili schools apart. I commit to modeling the character, integrity and fairness expected of the leader as we write the next great chapter in the tremendous story of the Gates Chili Central School District together.”
Dailey will begin in Gates Chili on July 1, pending contract negotiations.
The Gates Chili Central School District in Monroe County has about 4,000 students, more than 850 employees, and an operating budget of approximately $100 million annually ($24,503 per student).
District officials have trimmed more than $1.1 million in proposed spending from February's draft budget for the Batavia City School District. Combined with an additional $500,000 in state aid, it means the proposed 2019-2020 tax levy will stay below that state-mandated tax cap amount and allow local homeowners to get their annual rebate checks.
That's a pretty good deal for Batavia homeowners, who have received an average of $500,000 more in rebates each of the past five years than whatever increase in taxes the school district has initiated for the year.
Voters will be asked to approve the $50.518 million spending plan, which anticipates a tax levy of $19.5 million.
Tax rates won't be set until assessments are done but Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said the early estimate is that local property owners will see a tax-rate increase of 27 cents on each $1,000 of assessed value.
In the search to cut proposed spending, Rozanski said the district will delay $300,000 in technology spending, reduce spending on new library books to the state-aid amount of $24,000, and delay additional equipment purchases for another $19,000 in savings. Some personnel's salaries can be covered by grants.
Last year, the tax levy increased by $444,000 and local residents received rebates on school property taxes of $1.1 million. The three previous years, there was no increase in the levy and taxpayers received cumulative rebates of $424,000, $ $825,506, and $535,194.
The 2014-15 school year was the one year in which the tax levy increased more than rebates, with about a $150,000 difference.
Rebates for local residents are set based on an income formula so people with lower incomes receive bigger rebates proportionally.
Since the tax cap became law, the district has kept the tax levy below the allowable tax cap amount. For the 2019-2020 budget, it will be $331,886 below the potential levy amount.
Over the previous seven years, the district budgets, cumulatively, have been $3.8 million under what the tax levies could have been in those years.
Previously: No significant program cuts anticipated as City School District looks to trim spending by $750K
With each budget revision of the Batavia City School District budget for 2019-2020, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski gets a little closer to trimming $750,000 in spending.
He said school officials are also hoping state aid will increase for the year so the district can keep the property tax levy from growing more than 4.69 percent.
In the latest revision, Rozanski has penciled in $51,118,155 in spending.
He expects about $25 million in state aid, though hoping for more, and local revenue of more than $27.4 million. That would include spending $3.1 million in fund balance with a tax levy of $20,608,000.
But that tax levy amount would mean an increase of 8.78 percent, well above the legal limit of the state's property tax law.
Over three revisions, Rozanski has already trimmed off more than $500,000 but he still needs to find enough savings to get the levy down to $19,834,000, or lower.
A levy under that amount would allow the budget to pass on a simple majority and ensure district property owners would be eligible for a tax rebate from the state in the fall.
A Tuesday's school board meeting, Rozanski said administrators and department chairs found $166,000 in purchases that could be canceled or delayed.
The district will also be able to save $120,000 by letting positions stand vacant after staff retirements.
When asked by a board member why the positions weren't being filled, Rozanski said, "We need to look at things a little bit differently in how we're operating so we're looking for savings."
Those are the kind of cuts Rozanski continues to look for in the budget. He said he doesn't anticipate any significant program cuts.
Overall, the school district expects to cut spending by more than $2.8 million but $2.1 million of that spending came from a statewide bond initiative five years ago that allowed school districts through the state to improve technology-related infrastructure. The cut in revenue and expenditure offset each other as the program comes to a close.
The other $750,000 that must be cut is the result of an NYS Comptroller audit a few years ago that found the school district was estimating revenue correctly but underestimating expenditures in its annual budgets. This was leading to a growing fund reserve. The reserve had become 7 or 8 percent of overall expenditures when it shouldn't be more than 4 percent. That money, the report noted, should be returned to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts.
The district had a reserve fund for debt service but the Comptroller said debt service should be paid out of the general fund so, over the past two years, the district has been transferring money from the debt service fund to the general fund. The debt service fund is now tapped out, hence the need to cut $750,000 in expenses.
Dr. Joseph Zambon and Mrs. Paula Fischer are Outstanding Community Members
In recognition of their work to include our students’ families in the Give Kids a Smile Day, Dr. Joseph Zambon and Mrs. Paula Fischer were nominated to receive Outstanding Community Member Awards.
While Dr. Zambon was unable to be present, Mrs. Fischer was presented with the award by Board of Education president Patrick Burk at the BCSD Board meeting on March 12.
They were nominated by Julia Rogers, district coordinator of Assessment and Instructional Services, who wrote:
"Dr. Zambon, dean of the UB School of Dental Medicine, and Notre Dame alumnus, and Mrs. Fischer, director of School-Based Programs at the UB Dental School, and BHS alumna, coordinated the partnership between the Batavia City School District and the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine for their annual Give Kids A Smile Day.
"The event, for children 1-18 years of age, took place on Feb. 9. They coordinated with Fidelis Care to offer free transportation to UB for families to attend if they needed it. The UB Dental’s Give Kids a Smile event offered free dental care -- including exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions, orthodontic consultations (braces), hearing and vision screenings, and healthy eating demonstrations.
"Every child and parent received oral health supplies and lunch bag. We are so grateful to UB Dental for their inclusion of BCSD families in this event.”
Esayas Reinhardt -- Outstanding Student Award
Esayas earned this award because of his perseverance in meeting high academic and behavioral expectations. Esayas has overcome many challenges throughout his intermediate years at John Kennedy. He has worked hard to improve academic focus, attention to details and motivation to learn. Esayas has made marked gains in mathematics, reading and writing.
His greatest achievement has been in leadership. Esayas has grown into a successful communicator and leader. He has chosen to consistently do his best in support services, classroom lessons and in social settings. He recently completed his post office position with recognition by Mrs. Whitehead.
He is currently acting as a student council member at John Kennedy Intermediate. Esayas participates in Miss Cole's guided reading groups and includes with Mrs. A's fourth-grade art and Friday Free Choice.
Esayas is both a student and role model for his classmates and the school community. Congratulations on a job well done!
Nominated by Mrs. Neumann.
Eryn Dunn -- Certificate of Appreciation
The NYSSMA conference brings together the best high school singers and musicians from across the state to take part in four days of rehearsals and concerts each year in Rochester.
Eryn went to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 29, to register for the event and took part in hours of rehearsals over the next few days, culminating in a concert on Saturday evening at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater. The concert was absolutely breathtaking, and Eryn's participation and performance were truly inspiring.
Nominated by Mr. Grillo.
Katrina Cox -- Outstanding Staff Award
Miss Cox is an English-as-a-New-Language teacher at John Kennedy has extended her role as not only a teacher for her students but also as an ambassador for our new families that have moved into the district and need support in both language and understanding cultural traditions.
Miss Cox can be seen attending family movie nights, book fairs, the Color Run, even trick-or-treating with the families to help them take part in the many traditions that the students can take part in by being students at JK and living in Batavia.
Miss Cox has truly been a steward in welcoming our families and has helped support the families' transition to living here in Batavia and attending our school. Thank you, Trina, for truly taking care of BCSD and always modeling the JK way in building relationships with your both students and their families!
Nominated by Mrs. Cook.
Laura Whipple and Lindsey Heassler -- Outstanding Staff Award
Laura and Lindsey have worked tirelessly over the last year and a half to restructure reading and book choices for their high-level reading classes. The two have collaboratively adjusted the way developmental reading is taught so that our highest readers are pushed to new levels!
Through their attention to detail, particular literature selection and reflection on connections to ELA and Social Studies curriculum, this pair has created a learning environment for their students that is challenging, connecting and rewarding. It is safe to say that their sixth-grade students are not only becoming better readers, but also more knowledgeable students.
Nominated by Mr. Sutton.
Sources of Strength is a suicide prevention program at Batavia High School that trains volunteer students to provide peer-to-peer assistance or help guide students who might otherwise be unwilling to talk with an adult to guide them to the right adult.
Currently, at Batavia HS, there are 10 adult advisers and 43 peer leaders.
Five of those peer leaders made a presentation about the program to the Board of Trustees Tuesday night.
The program also brings in campus speakers from Mental Health, GCASA, the Youth Bureau, and the YMCA.
Last month, peer leaders volunteered at the NYS Veterans Home, making Christmas cards with residents for armed service members overseas.
Training was provided by founders of the organization from Denver.
Students participating in the presentation Tuesday were Lily Whiting, AT Thatcher, Gavin Tucker, Stephanie Dibble, and Ben Best, with adult advisers Kelly Deneka and Heidi Meides.
People really should attend the City School District's annual art show in March at the Richmond Memorial Library, Superintendent Chris Dailey said after art teacher Amanda Antonucci provided a department review Tuesday night at the Board of Trustees meeting.
"It's amazing what our kids produce," Dailey said.
This year the art show will feature a districtwide project: art students are drawing portraits of just their eyes. The pair of eyes will be displayed side-by-side on one long wall.
The opening night reception will be held March 15.
Antonucci went through several projects students are working on at schools in the district, including the fourth-annual monster swap project, where elementary students draw a monster and high school students make a sculpture of those monsters.
"It's my favorite project," Antonucci said.
Teachers at Jackson, John Kennedy, and the Middle School are all integrating STEM into their art instruction.
This includes learning about nature through art, using perspective to learn math and geometry, and science with Lego-related projects.
Dom Grazioplene is the most recent student selected for a solo art show at GO ART!, with an opening reception Thursday night.
There are art appreciation nights planned in May for Jackson and the high school and in May the middle school will host its annual human rights activists project.
Students in the Batavia City School system are showing slow, steady progress in proficiency on that state's standardized tests, Molly Corey, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction, told trustees Tuesday night during her report.
One way Corey tracks the district's progress is a comparison to scores in other small city school districts.
For the second year in a row, Batavia ranks #1 in eighth grade in the English Language Assessment, and first in seventh grade, compared to 14th a year ago. The district is second in third, fifth and sixth grades and fourth in grade four.
For math, the district is second in third grade, first in fourth, fourth in fifth, third in sixth, fifth in seventh, and in grade 12, eighth.
There are 15 other schools in the ranked comparison, though the names of the schools are blanked out in Corey's report.
Overall, Corey indicated she is happy with the improved performance of district students.
"I’m a believer having continual improvement," Corey said. "Though we want things to change dramatically, it’s that slow, steady climb that will get us there."
In ELA performance, the district is showing improvement in grades three through eight, with grade three going from 22 percent proficiency in 2012-13 to 46 percent this year. Grade four, has gone from 34 percent to 39 percent, grade five, 28 to 32 percent, grade six, 32 to 47 percent, grade seven, 26 to 35 percent, and grade eight, 35 to 45 percent.
In math, there's an improvement at every grade level except eighth grade. For third grade, from 25 percent to 55 percent; grade four, 37 to 64 percent, grade five, 27 to 42 percent, grade six, 17 to 43 percent, grade seven, 24 to 35 percent.
In eighth grade, the students have gone from 10-percent proficiency to 8 percent, though the eighth-grade students achieved 18 percent in 2014-15 and 21 percent in 2015-16.
To help improve math performance, Corey is planning on taking a leadership team to a seminar at Stanford University where a nationally recognized math teacher will provide instruction on deep mathematical thinking. The goal she said is to make mathematical thinking a bigger part of the learning culture in the district.
"We have a solid team throughout the district that got us here and we want to be thinking about what we can do above and beyond to change that culture, to change that mindset, and it starts with the leadership team," Corey said. "We have our dream team here in Batavia and I'm excited to see what is going to happen in each and every building."
Marco Marascio, project manager for Campus Construction Management Group, provided the trustees of the Batavia City School District an update Tuesday on construction projects that are part of the Vision 2020 capital improvement plan, which voters approved in March.
In addition to demolition of Van Detta Stadium (top photo), the foundation is being dug for the new locker rooms, while across the street, the playground is being moved and replaced with a new parking lot. At John Kennedy School, the foundation has been laid for the classroom expansion.
The $26.7 million in districtwide projects are being completed without an increase in local property taxes.
Photos courtesy Marco Marascio.
The project includes a number of significant upgrades to all of the school facilities in the district as well as a new sports complex at Union and Richmond, the current site of Van Detta Stadium, in Batavia.
Below, Board President Pat Burk, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Superindentent Chris Dailey.
The Batavia City School District Board of Education and administration invite you to serve as a Budget Ambassador to assist with the 2019-20 Budget process.
Residents of the District are invited to become Budget Ambassadors and make recommendations regarding the school budget. No experience necessary.
If interested in serving, please notify the District in writing by Thursday, Jan 10.
Send written letter interest to:
Christopher J. Dailey
Superintendent
260 State St., Batavia, NY 14020
Or email letter to: CJDailey@bataviacsd.org
Ambassadors will be expected to attend three budget Monday sessions from 6:30 to p.m. on Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 25 in District Administration Conference Room #49.
For questions or additional information, please contact the District Office at 343-2480, ext. 1000, or e-mail Superintendent Dailey at CJDailey@bataviacsd.org
With Batavia City School District’s yearlong reconstruction project at the Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium at Woodward Field set to begin next week, the last day the track will be open to the public is Sunday, Oct. 14.
Likewise, the current playground across the street from the stadium (adjacent to the Robert Morris Building) also will be closed after Oct. 14. The playground will be relocated to a different area of the Robert Morris grounds and reopen in the spring.
Another part of the 2020 Vision Capital Project that will begin this month is the addition of four classrooms and interior renovations at John Kennedy School.
The exterior and interior renovations at Richmond Library will begin in December. Improvements to Jackson are slated to begin in February the High School projects are scheduled to start in May.
Press release:
On Thursday, Sept. 27, at Jackson Primary School, a first-grade student left the building and started walking home. School officials immediately instituted their Emergency Procedures and contacted the police.
The child was located shortly thereafter and was returned safely to school.
The District immediately reviewed its procedures to determine how this incident occurred and have made the necessary changes. Student safety is the top priority in The Batavia City School District and will always take the appropriate measures to protect them.
Press release:
New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced today the approval of Smart School Investment Plans for three school districts in Genesee County, including $2,543,552 for high-tech security and school connectivity. The funding is part of the Smart Schools Bond Act.
“Our children have unlimited potential to succeed, but only if our school districts get their fair share of state dollars,” Ranzenhofer said. “This investment will turn that potential into reality by ensuring Batavia City, Le Roy and Pavilion schools get the best resources to foster student success in a global economy.”
High-tech security funding has been authorized in the amounts of $1,940,585 for Batavia City School District and $348,300 for Pavilion School District. Le Roy School District has been approved for $254,667 in school connectivity funding.
Schools can invest these funds in classroom technology, school connectivity, and high-tech security upgrades to better prepare students for success in the 21st century.
“The Batavia City School District is going to use SSBA funds to install and upgrade high tech security to assure the safety and well-being of our students and staff in all buildings to assist in maintaining a safest possible learning environment. We are planning on installing new card readers, new door contacts, electronic door strikes, wireless locksets, fixed high-definition cameras, door closers, and motion detectors," said Batavia City School District Superintendent Christopher J. Dailey.
"These improvements will allow our focus to remain on student learning while creating a safe environment for our students and staff to work, learn and grow,”
Pavilion Central School Superintendent Kenneth J. Ellison said “Pavilion Central Schools will use the recently approved Smart School Investment Plan funds to upgrade our video security system to provide a safe and secure learning environment. The existing system was installed many years ago has limited coverage and minimal storage capacity.
"Our goal is to upgrade our system and expand coverage in all areas. These funds will make it possible to cover all targeted areas on campus with a state of the art camera security system."
The Smart Schools Review Board is responsible for approval of the plan. In 2014, voters approved the $2 billion statewide school investment to finance educational technology and infrastructure.
The new City Schools property tax rate is not quite a zero-percent increase for 2018-19, but it's close.
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski told the board of trustees last night that property owners this year will be asked to pay $21.495880 per $1,000 of assessed value.
That's an increase of .00849 percent over, or not even percent, over the 2017-18 rate.
Last May, voters approved a tax levy of $18,945,404 but the district can't set the tax rate to achieve that levy until properties have their final assessed value for the year.
The rate increase isn't even two-tenths of a cent compared to last year and will amount to a 14-cent increase on homes assessed at $100,000.
For the fifth-straight year, homeowners in the district will be eligible for a STAR rebate.
The tax rate has decreased an average of 3.5 percent over the past two years.
Tax bills will be mailed out to residents by the end of September.
Learning to get along has always been one of the toughest challenges for schoolchildren and when children fight, it's disruptive to a school's instructional environment.
Educators in the City School District think they've found a better way to help children avoid angry resentments and reduce lost class time because of conflicts.
Administrators and teachers have been trained in the practices of peace circles and restorative conversations. The practices are being used in all four of the district's schools.
"It aligns with our districtwide model on promoting social-emotional learning," said Kia Evans, principal at Jackson Elementary. "At our level, with 5-year-olds, social-emotional learning for us means helping kids learn to process very, very big emotions, helping them deal with different situations; helping them come up with the words to articulate it instead of some of the negative behaviors that are attached to it."
Currently, the district has a pretty young crop of principals. Ashley John Grillo is entering his third year at Batavia Middle School; Paul Kesler was principal at John Kennedy but is entering his first full year at Batavia High School; Evans is entering her second year at Jackson; and Amanda Cook took over at John Kennedy Intermediate in the second half of last year.
But a test of whether an innovative program is really working is whether its proponents would carry it with them if they changed employers and all four principals said, about peace circles and restorative conversations, yes, they would, absolutely.
"What’s nice about those things is you get kids talking about those things and then they start writing about them and it just flows nicely," Grillo said.
Grillo said the practices of the peace circle aren't just used in conflict situations. Students also get a chance to use them and learn from them in academic situations.
"In the science lab, you have hypothesis and conclusion, and as you go around the circle, they're all going to have different results in some cases," Grillo said. "Then they can come up with a consensus in class and decide, what is the main takeaway from doing this activity. We call those academic circles but those fall on the same protocols as doing peace circles or a restorative circle."
A peace circle usually involves an entire class and at least one adult facilitator (though at the higher grades students can become their own facilitators). An object, such as a ball, is used -- the peace object -- and only the person holding it is allowed to speak. The students are encouraged to talk about what's bothering them in respectful ways and what concerns them about a particular situation. There are guidelines to follow but the students respond well, even at the younger grade levels, the principals said.
"It forces you to listen and process and a lot of times if you’re still upset and you're passed the ball, you might say pass," Evans said. "But the next time it comes around, you’ve heard and you’ve had an opportunity to process things, you can go further. Sometimes the person who was upset never contributes but it still feels like a healing process."
Grillo said a peace circle is a safe setting with rules of engagement and the students respect the protocols.
“I’ve seen it work beautifully," Grillo said.
Peace circles are also a way of building a sense of community among students.
"Teachers are using it to set values," Cook said. "This is a classroom community. We are all learners. How are we going to best take care of our classroom?"
Restorative conversations more often take place at the high school level, Kesler said. They usually involve a student who has been the subject of disciplinary action but the conversations are a chance to resolve conflicts once the disciplined student returns to class.
"It really does allow both parties to share how they feel they've been harmed what express what they would like to see as the intended outcome," Kesler said.
Kesler said not all of the BCSD teachers have been trained in peace circles. Many have taken the one-day seminar, several others have been through the full, three-day training session during a summer break.
As evidence students respond to it, Evans recalled the time a student saw a friend being mistreated in a hallway before class and he came to the teacher and requested a peace circle.
"He was in first grade," she said.
It might seem like peace circles take away from precious classroom academic time, but all four principals said the time spent on peace circles is a good investment.
"Your return on that time you’ve invested in a peace circle is going to pay back 10, 20 fold because you’ve already laid that groundwork," Cook said.
If small conflicts fester, other kids start picking sides and egging on the main antagonists. That's what administrators and teachers are trying to avoid.
"That 15 minutes is well spent," Evans said, "because later on the teacher has to address the behavior or address situation that could have been mitigated with a peace circle. That will cost more time academically."
The main data point the principals have to know protocols are working is the number of referrals to the principal's office. At his school, Grillo said referrals are down 50 percent.
"I really feel a big part of that, I’m not saying it’s the only answer but a big part of that is the restorative practices that the two assistant principles, the counselors, myself, and the teachers are all using," Grillo said. "We try to really get control of student issues and be proactive instead of reactive. I always feel that secondary education is reactive when it comes to discipline and I feel like we’ve turned that tide at the middle school."
Press release:
The Batavia City School District (BCSD) applied for and was granted federal funding that will allow all students attending a District school to receive one nutritious breakfast and one nutritious lunch each day that school is in session.
This four-year funding will begin in 2018-2019, with the District being eligible to reapply for additional four-year terms as long as the federal program is funded.
Batavia qualifies for this Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) funding – a provision of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act – because of its classification as an economically disadvantaged community due to a significant number of students already qualifying for free or reduced meals.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for the District, and we are very excited to be able to take advantage of a federal program that allows us to offer every student one healthy breakfast and lunch every school day at no cost to our families,” says Superintendent of Schools Christopher J. Dailey.
“Research is conclusive that good nutrition is a critical factor in learning. This is a program that allows us to bring some of our federal tax dollars back to our community to provide nutritious meals for all of our students.”
The CEP funding is for the first full breakfast and first full lunch. If a student would like a second breakfast or second lunch, or would like one or more particular separate items (“a la carte” items), then those will need to be purchased. Purchases can be made with cash or through My School Bucks – the Nutrikids computerized payment system which has been used by families in the District for several years.
Because all children will receive one breakfast and one lunch at no cost, the option of charging items to a tab to be paid at a later time will no longer be available.
To qualify for other income-based funding and grants – a process which was formerly measured by information recorded on the Free and Reduced Meal Applications -- all students’ families will be asked to submit a short household form to establish the level of community need.
The District currently receives a significant amount of money in grants and other funding based on economic need. Collecting data from all households will permit us to continue to apply for and receive funding for which we are eligible.
The new form is currently being developed to ensure that the information required for applications to grant-funding agencies is gathered while not being unnecessarily burdensome or invasive to families.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for Batavia City School District
Question: Who receives free meals?
Every student enrolled in the Batavia City School District will receive the first breakfast and the first lunch at no cost each school day regardless of the family’s household income. Students are not required to participate; students may still bring their lunch if that is their preference.
Question: Is my child able to make purchases, such as for milk (if bringing lunch from home), for other a la carte items, or for a second school meal?
Yes, students may make purchases instead of or in addition to the first free breakfast or first free lunch. The purchase of all a la carte items will remain the same, in that families are responsible for payment. Additional meals are not covered under the program and it is each family’s responsibility to pay for those meals. Payment is due at the time of purchase. Purchases may be made with cash or through My School Bucks, the Nutrikids computerized payment system which has been used by families in the District for several years.
***Please note: there is NO charging allowed for additional meals or a la carte items.
Prices for second meals and additional milk (or milk purchased a la carte) for 2018-2019 are:
Jackson and John Kennedy Middle School and High School
Second Breakfast $1.35 $1.45
Second Lunch $2.10 $2.30
A la carte Milk* $0.60 $0.60
Milk is included with the first breakfast and the first lunch or any additional paid meals. However, milk purchased separately (for students who bring their lunch) will be charged at a la carte prices, which is $0.60.
Question: How does the program work?
The New York State Child Nutrition (CN) Department began this program several years ago with federal funding backing the program. School Districts must be eligible based on their specific poverty rates and have to apply to CN for approval. Batavia City School District is eligible because it has an Identified Student Percentage of 40 percent or higher according to building level data. An Identified Student refers to any student certified to receive free meals by any means other than the submission of individual paper applications, such as SNAP and Medicaid.
Question: What impact does this program have on school taxes?
There is no impact on school taxes. The General Fund budget (which the taxpayers vote on each year) is completely separate from the self-sustaining School Lunch Fund.
Question: Who needs to fill out the CEP Household Income Eligibility Form?
All District families are asked to fill out the CEP Household Income Eligibility Form. The completion of this form is essential for the District. Many state and federal programs use socioeconomic data (that is, household and income information) to determine eligibility for their programs. In addition primary state funding calculations use socioeconomic data.
In order to continue to receive such funding and grants, the income information still needs to be gathered from our student population. The form is available in the school calendar, online at the Batavia City School District Nutritional Service Web page at: https://www.bataviacsd.org/Page/5872 and will also be available at all school open house events.
Question: If I have questions about the Household Income Form or if I received a letter this school year indicating that my children are approved for free meals, who can I contact?
Please contact the Food Service Department at 585-343-2480, ext. 1007. The office will be able to assist you with any questions or paperwork.
Question: Who do I include as members of my household and what if my monthly income is not always the same?
You must include all people living in your household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives or friends) who share your income and expenses. You must include yourself and all children living with you. If you live with other people who are economically independent (people that you do not support, who do not share income with you and your children and who pay a pro-rated share of expenses), do NOT include them.
List the income that you normally receive if your monthly income varies. If you have lost your job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.
Question: Does this program change the quality of food that can be served?
There is no impact to the quality of food that is served. The District must still continue to follow all food and dietary guidelines that are set by New York State Child Nutrition Program.
Question: What constitutes a complete meal for breakfast and lunch?
The District complies with the Federal Program: Choosemyplate.gov.
For breakfast, the District offers two grains, a fruit, and a milk. Students must choose at least three of the four offered items, and one of those chosen must be the fruit. For lunch, the District offers a protein, a grain, a fruit, a vegetable and a milk.
Students must choose three of the five offered items, and one of those chosen must be the fruit or vegetable.
Question: May a student be charged for an incomplete meal if the student refuses to select the required components for a complete meal?
The District will offer a complete meal to each student in order to qualify for the CEP fully funded reimbursable meal. However, if a student refuses to take the complete meal then the student will be charged a la carte prices for the foods selected on their tray.
Question: My child has a positive balance on his/her “MySchoolBucks” account. What happens to the current balance?
The balance on the My School Bucks account can be used for a la carte purchases or for any additional/second meals.
If you would like a refund of your account balance please send an email to: Susan Presher at slpresher@bataviacsd.org or a written letter to Susan Presher, Nutritionals Services Director, 260 State St., Batavia, NY 14020.
This morning the Class of 2029 participated in their “Moving Up” ceremony. This celebrated the young classes completing Pre-K to first grade at Jackson Primary and moving up to second grade at John Kennedy School.
Kia Evens, principal of Jackson primary, was host for the event that took place in Batavia HS auditorium and was attended by the Class of 2029's parents, guardians and family members.
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