education

Shawn Clark, current principal of Jackson School in Batavia and soon-to-be principal of Batavia High School, got bullied Thursday night. Teachers and students ganged up on him, as parents looked on, in a church no less.

The sham was a demonstration called a "bullying circle," used to help educate people about how bullying tends to work in a school environment.

Clark spoke to the community at Batavia's First Presbyterian Church about a new district-wide anti-bullying initiative.

According to Clark, the district is using the popular Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which has more than 30 years of research behind it.

The vast majority of students who make up that "middle ground" -- that is, those who are neither bullies nor bullied -- is a key focus of the program.

"Most kids want to (help the victims)," Clark said, "but they don't know how."

It is very important, Clark said, for teachers and students to know how and when to respond to incidents of bullying.

"Research shows that when no action is taken, empathy goes down over time."

People then think that either bullying is no big deal or it's the victim's fault, and the problem gets worse.

This program, he said, educates kids and adults on what they can do to help stop bullying in its tracks.

At Jackson, a group of staff have formed a committee called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports to help build a positive, comfortable and friendly environment where every student can feel safe and welcome.

Once per week, the committee facilitates classroom discussions wherein kids can engage in face-to-face interactions with each other and discuss what's going on in their lives. They can talk about anything from problems at home to what they did on vacation.

"The point is to cultivate a family environment where the kids can feel safe talking about issues," Clark said.

Another function of these discussions, according to Clark, is to encourage an atmosphere of empathy. In talking about this, he made a distinction between sympathy, which is a feeling, and empathy, which is a "learned skill."

"Sometimes if the kids who are bullying know what's going on in the victims' lives, then they'll see them as human beings who deserve respect."

When asked if he has seen a difference as a result of these types of intervention, Clark replied: "Absolutely."

"The kids feel much more comfortable coming to adults and talking to them about their issues (including those that can be symptoms of, or precursors to, bullying)," he said. "And when we get the kids to work things out, the problems tend to be so much more minor than if we had let them go. (This way) we can take care of them before they escalate into something more serious."

The district's bullying prevention initiative has had its critics, though. Clark said that some people have suggested to him that what staff members really should be doing is "toughening kids up" so that they can fend for themselves.

According to Clark, it's not that easy.

"Research shows that kids who are bullied are so traumatized by it that they can't help themselves," he said.

Bullying can cause problems in kids' lives that make it very hard for them to stick up for themselves. The trauma resulting from bullying can lead to psychological disorders like anxiety and depression, and can even cause physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea and trouble sleeping.

Problems like these can, in turn, lead to frequent absence from school, which negatively impacts the student's overall academic performance.

Another challenge is the stigma attached to "snitching," or telling on a bully. But Clark maintains that there is a huge difference between "tattling," which means telling on others because you want to get them in trouble, and "informing," which is a way of keeping people safe.

"I never understood the (anti-snitching) mindset," Clark said. "It's okay to ignore the situation when someone is being bullied, but it's wrong to tell an adult about it?"

For Clark, this is all about rights.

"Do the kids at our school have the right to come to school and get an education without having to be afraid? I think the answer is yes."

But the concerns surrounding the reality of bullying don't just apply to the victims. Clark also talked about the risks bullies themselves face.

"(Bullying) can be a sign of a behavioral disorder that can escalate," he said. "Kids who bully are four times as likely to be convicted of crimes (by their 20s). They are also four times as likely to join gangs."

He speaks from experience, having formerly taught at an elementary school in inner-city Rochester. One of his former students has since joined a gang, and was recently killed.

As far as what people can do to reach out to kids who bully, Clark warned against the temptation to assume that they are outcasts who need a boost in self-confidence.

"The bullies might be the most popular kids in school," he said. "Many times, a lack of self-confidence is not the problem -- they have too much self-confidence."

These kids tend to have good leadership abilities, but they use those skills in a negative way.

Principal Clark appealed to citizens to do their part to help eradicate this scourge of mistreating others.

"If you have sons, daughters, nieces, nephews or friends in the Batavia schools," he said, "just talk to them about bullying. The more people talk about it, the better. The more information we can get out there, the better."

In addressing parents, Clark pointed out the role modern technology -- which he called the "new playground" -- has in the whole bullying phenomenon.

"It's so much harder for kids to escape bullying now than ever," he said.

Whereas bullying used to be more or less confined to the schools, now bullies can reach their victims through computers, cell phones, etc. Even at home, over the weekend, and on vacations, someone can make comments about a schoolmate on Facebook or send him/her a harassing text message.

"Parents should monitor what their kids are doing," Clark said. "The kids are not necessarily doing anything wrong, but someone else might be doing wrong to them."

Clark noted the very positive, caring environment at Jackson Schooland and its great group of students, teachers and staff.

There are more than 400 kids at Jackson, and Clark knows them all by name.

Clark's talk was part of a free spaghetti dinner hosted by Peaceful Genesee, a coalition of local community members and organizations dedicated to fostering nonviolence as a way of life in Genesee County.

Photos taken by Steve Ognibene

GCC President Jim Sunser is going through his first budget process with the college and he told county legislators Wednesday that he would rather not, at this stage, be asking the county for more money.

But, he said, for the sake of maintaining the quality of the institution, the county needs to provide another $50,000 in funding.

The proposed $37 million budget also anticipates the first tuition increase in four years -- raising the price for full-time students by $75 per semester.

"Any new president in his first year as an administrator would enjoy having the luxury of coming to the legislature or the students in the community and saying we're not going to increase funding from any source," Sunser said.

"But I don't think that would be in the best interest of the institution or the students we serve. We're developing an extremely austere budget as it is. I think it's important to take a look at these adjustments so we can maintain the quality of the academic program and the student services we provide."

Sunser met with legislators during the Ways and Means Committee meeting, which GCC hosted in its board room.

Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock said of course the legislature would like to do everything it can to support the college, she isn't sure the money will be available to increase the county government's share of funding.

The county is looking at $1.8 million in increases in mandates expenses such as Medicaid, health care and pensions, which far exceeds any tax increase the county could enact without the State Legislature overriding the tax cap law.

Plus the county is looking at a multimillion bill to repair roads and bridges, some of which will soon be unsafe for autos to driver over.

"These are the things that are frustrating for legislators, because these are the kinds of initiatives we would like to support," Hancock said. "These are very difficult times."

Sunser said the $50,000 increase in the county's share of funding would still represent only about 5 percent of the county GCC's budget.

He said that given the fact that Genesee County's share is the lowest in the state for any single-sponsor community college, the county faces the possibility of losing control of the college without an increase in funding.

As a single-sponsor college, all of the trustees are local residents appointed by the legislator who have a keen understanding of the community's educational needs, Sunser said.

It's possible in the current economic environment that state officials will look at that 5 percent funding level and conclude the county has an outsized amount of authority over the college for the small size of the contribution.

"I want to make sure folks in Albany and else where understand how supportive Genesee County is of the college," Sunser said. "The legislature, the community and the board of trustees devote an inordinate amount of time supporting the college in all kinds of ways. That's a relationship I would like to maintain."

The budget includes 2.75-percent pay increase for faculty and staff, which is mandated by current union contracts.

While the county share of GCC's budget is the smallest in the state, GCC also keeps its budget lower than other community colleges, Sunser said. 

Typically, GCC professors earn less than they might at other nearby community colleges, and that has been a problem recently as the college has tried to get accreditation for its new veterinarian tech program.

The accreditation agency is concerned that while the college has qualified instructors now, the college is not paying salaries that are competitive enough to retain the faculty and then replace them if they leave, which would render students in the program without qualified teachers.

Rep. Kathy Hochul was in Batavia today, making three stops, including one at Batavia High School, where she presented an award to Siena Pullinzi, winner of the annual NY-26 Congressional Art Competition.

Hochul noted that Siena beat out students from five other counties in the district.

Siena's artwork is to be displayed in the halls of the Capitol for the next year. She will also now have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to participate in a ceremony for Congressional Art Competition winners.

While at the school, Hochul stopped by both art classes that were in session and stopped to talk with several students, noting their good work and encouraging them to continue on with art.

At one point she stopped and said, "I can just feel the creativity in this room."

Besides BHS, Hochul spoke at a luncheon at Terry Hills for Independent Living of Genesee Region and this afternoon will visit Arctic Refrigeration, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 Business of the Year.

This is the stone pathway that leads into Alexander Elementary School's outdoor classroom (see the May 2 article, "New classroom will give Alexander students a place to learn in the great outdoors," for more details).

On Wednesday, the school held an open house for community members. A group of fifth-grade volunteers manned the various learning stations and explained to visitors what each one was all about.

The path led to a bridge that fords a stream, which visitors crossed in order to reach...

...Station B: "The Gathering Area," which McKenna Moran described as a "beginning and ending point" for students and teachers.

Here are some more close-up pictures of what that will look like:

This area will also include a storage bin for educational materials about nature, as well as for stories about nature written by the students.

"We find that when kids come out into nature it opens up their creativity," said teacher Ellie Jinks, who affirmed that the outdoor classroom can be used for all academic subjects.

Kolbee Koch and Jacob Przybylski had the job of explaining the "Messy Materials" station, which will give kids the opportunity to engage in unstructured play. Koch said it will also include "seasonal materials," such as pumpkins.

Alyssa Dudley and Haley Alvord hung around to talk about the "Building Area," which is where students will be able to work on their math, visual and spatial abilities by building models "on a scale impossible indoors" (according to Dudley) using blocks and other natural materials.

Taya Townley manned the "Wheeled Toy Area," which is kind of self-explanatory. The photo below gives an idea of what it will develop into.

Nick Allen staffed the "Sand and Dirt Digging Area," which will have a large, in-ground planter surrounded by stone in the center. Students will use this space for "digging, planting and plant care" opportunities.

Paige Cumming's job was to help showcase Station L, where kids will hone their "music and expressive movement" abilities. This area will include a 100-square-foot, handicap-accessible stage and two installed musical instruments.

Cumming said that students will also be able to use this space to put on performances.

And here is the "Bird Watch Area," which is for the observation of wildlife. Landscapers will plant a variety of vegetation to attract wildlife, in addition to installing bird feeders and similar structures.

As an additional educational perk, the classroom includes signs identifying the types of trees that grow there:

(This is a Norway spruce. The letters on the sign were more visible before the picture was resized.)

The school district is working on this project with the help of the Nebraska-based organization Nature Explore. This will be the first certified Nature Explore outdoor classroom in Western New York, and it is designed to benefit students of all learning styles.

But it is not meant only to benefit the school district. According to Sheila Hess -- an Alexander parent and employee of Conservation Connects, which is also involved in the project -- people in the community will be encouraged to use this space as well (for picnics, a place to bring the kids, etc).

For more information, visit the Alexander Central School District's Outdoor Classroom Page.

Supplemental Photos

A drawing of what will eventually be the arch of entry:

Footprints in the pathway:

Today was the inauguration of Genesee Community College's fourth president, James M. Sunser, Ed.D. He replaces Stuart Steiner, who recently retired after serving as the college's president for 37 years.

Sunser is pictured up front and center in the above photo, along with the distinguished guests -- including GCC officials, members of the Genesee and Orleans county legislatures, officials from the SUNY system, private colleges and some representatives from the state government.

The fact that GCC has only had four presidents in the nearly 45 years of its existence made this a particularly significant event. Mary Pat Hancock, chair of the Genesee County Legislature and the third speaker at the ceremony, lauded the college's thorough and careful selection process during this "crucial transition."

In his speech, Sunser expressed his enthusiasm for the job.

"It is my honor and privilege to stand before you to reflect on this significant and special day," he said. "I am humbled and honored by the confidence you have shown in me, and I assure you that I will aspire toward the highest standard of excellence, for which this college is known."

He also said that he was proud to be part of a college with such a legacy of "resourcefulness, dedication and faith in the future," pointing out the ordinary citizens who "banded together against conventional wisdom and the community's expectations" to found GCC 45 years ago.

Sunser believes that not only meeting, but exceeding expectations is the challenge of education and anyone who wants to make a lasting difference in the world.

As examples of people who have done this, he talked about key historical figures like Albert Einstein (who grew up with a speech impediment) and Rosa Parks, as well as the aforementioned citizens who pushed for GCC's foundation and the pioneers who first came to this region 200 years ago, "pushing beyond expectations."

"I promise to meet and exceed your expectations at GCC," he said. "I believe there is no more powerful, no more enduring gift than education. (At GCC), we will develop programs and curricula that will bring the best to our work force and help shape the vibrant economic prosperity of the region."

Toward the end of his speech, Sunser also encouraged his partners in the community and ordinary citizens to make a difference.

"Each of us can help change our community," he said. "Let us leave a legacy that makes those who follow us proud."

Sunser is an alumnus of Onondaga Community College (OCC), Syracuse University, SUNY Brockport and the University of Rochester. Before coming to GCC, he worked at OCC for 22 years -- first as bursar, then as vice president of finance, and finally as vice president for continuing and extended learning.

OCC president Debbie L. Sydow, who was one of the greeters at today's ceremony, spoke of Sunser's passion for education and dedication to the service of others.

"He always puts the students' interests first (at OCC)," Sydow said.

She described Sunser as "no-nonsense yet good-natured, smart yet down-to-earth."

For more information on President Sunser, see his biographical page on GCC's website.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Carlson.

The auditorium at UMMC's Cary Hall (next to the YMCA) is all set up for important patient care -- with all of the care stations, instruments and devices of good medical care ready to help heal any teddy bears or dolls that are brought in today.

The event is UMMC's annual Teddy Bear and Doll Clinic, designed to give pre-schoolers, kindergarteners and first-graders an understanding of what is involved in medical care in case they or anybody else they know needs significant medical care.

The clinic is sponsored by Healthy Living Department and is open until 5 p.m.

What started as a Pepsi Challenge award for a new playground has evolved into something much more ambitious at Alexander Elementary School.

Rather than build just another set of swings, slides and monkey bars, faculty at the school have started an ambitious project to build an outdoor classroom.

"There's a lot of the research out there no indicates that kids don’t get enough time outside," said Ellie Jinks, the teacher behind the push for the $50,000 Pepsi grant, but after doing more research, realized the money would be better spent starting an outdoor classroom.

Jinks noted that research shows that children who don't play and learn outside are more susceptible to obesity and later in life, substance abuse.

Principal Matt Stroud also thinks it's important to get children outside more often.

"I know with my own kids at home we try to push them outside as much as possible, but in a school setting it sometimes gets pushed to the wayside," Stroud said. "This is just a great opportunity to get them back to what kids used to do."

Phase one of the project -- which must be completed to specification for the area to be certified as an outdoor classroom -- has 10 stations, with each having a different learning focus.

The goal of the outdoor classroom is to offering learning experiences in not just nature and science, but math, music, art, reading and physical education.

"The focus really is on learning," Stroud said, "but there will also be unstructured play time."

The Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation are helping with the planning of the outdoor classroom, but once construction is complete, Dimensions will also provide teacher training and professional development to help Alexander's educators get the most out of the four-acre classroom for the kids.

While the elementary school has pushed the initial effort for the classroom, it's not intended to be just a young-child learning and play area. Once the focus shifted from a playground to an outdoor classroom, teachers from the high school were also brought into the planning process and the classroom is designed to meet the needs of students all the way through 12th grade.

Jinks, who teaches pre-school, hopes the classroom will give students a chance to explore, to learn cooperation, but also develop an appreciation for nature.

"When my pre-schoolers go out now they just want to step on all the bees and kill all the ants," Jinks said. "We talk about protecting nature and why we want to protect it, so we hope that will be an outcome of the classroom."

To complete all three phases, it will take more community support, Jinks said. The school is actively looking for volunteers to help with the project, as well as donations of money and material.

At 6 p.m., May 9, the school will host a community open house, when residents can see first hand what the outdoor classroom is all about and learn how they can contribute. The school is located at 3314 Buffalo St. in Alexander.

For more information about the Alexander outdoor classroom, click here.

Top photo: Pre-school students Deacon, Catrina and Rachael check out some of the animal prints pressed into the concrete walk way at the entrance of the outdoor classroom.

Jinks and Stroud

Deacon on the wheel toy path.

It was Deacon's birthday Tuesday, and when asked how hold he was, he happily showed us. He's 5.

Voters in the Batavia City School District will be asked to approve a 1.99-percent increase in the tax levy May 15, Superintendent Margaret Puzio said Tuesday following a public hearing on the proposed 2012-13 school district budget.

The budget -- at least on paper -- increases spending to $40,086,732, up $720,687 over the previous year.

But Puzio said the increase can really be attributed to changes in accounting rules.

In fact, district spending will decrease, according to Gary Stich (top photo), who made part of the budget presentation.

The 1.99-percent increase in the levy is still well under -- according to state formulas -- the property tax cap. The district could have increased the levy by 2.59 percent and still been below the cap, Puzio said.

The budget will include an allocation of $330,000 in anticipated state aid to cash reserves, which have beed depleted in recent years because of increased mandated costs and less state aid.

At one time, the reserve was $1.5 million. This year it dropped to $55,000.

The reserve is necessary to help cover expenses when there's no revenue coming in during the summer months, or to deal with budget-breaking, unannounced cuts in state aid, which has happened at least once in recent years.

One of the biggest mandated expenses for the district is payment into the state's teacher retirement fund, which in recent years has gone from a $916,000 contribution to a $1.9 million contribution.

"That's almost $2 million in expense and it has a huge impact on the district," Stich said. "Again, we have no control over it."

About 45 percent of the district's funding comes from state aid, and another 45 percent from local taxes. 

Last year, a big part of the difference was made up by dipping into reserves.

The district will realize cost savings this year from school consolidation, Puzio said.

At the same time, the distirct is restoring some programs cut in the past year, include the Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) program and some music programs.

To help students compete in the fast-evolving job market where written communication skills are more critical than ever, the district will focus more education resources on core state standards, which means more text study in all classrooms.

New teacher and principal accountability standards are also being implemented, by state mandate, including a requirement that principals spend 70 percent of their time with teachers in classrooms.

Also on the ballot May 15 is a measure to change student transportation rules, putting all middle-school students on the same transportation eligibility standard.

This will mean an additional 120 students will be eligible for bus transportation, but only about half of the current eligible students use school transportation, so the district doesn't know yet how many new riders will use the bus.

The change is necessary because of the school consolidation plan.

There are also five candidates in the election for three school board positions. The candidates are Gretchen DiFante, Phill Ricci, Gail Stevens, Gary Stich and Dennis Warner.

Polls on May 15 are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and locations are John Kennedy Elementary School and Batavia High School.

The Elba Elementary Central School will operate under the supervision of an interim principal for the remainder of the school year, according to District Superintendent Jerry Piwko.

Last month, the school board was unable to reach a consensus on who to hire permanently for the position and two weeks ago, Tom Cox, a retired administrator from Lyndonville, was placed into the job temporarily.

A new recruitment and interview process won't start until the school year closes, Piwko said, adding that he hopes a new principal can be hired by August, if not sooner.

"The sooner the better, and we'll go from there," Piwko said.

The position has been vacant since early December, when former principal Jason Smith resigned to accept a superintendent's job in Lyndonville.

"Jason is a great person and a great administrator and he was offered a great opportunity," Piwko said.

The process used to try and find a replacement for Smith involved a faculty search committee, a second interview community, parental involvement and the final two candidates interviewed with Piwko.

However, at their April meeting, the board was unable to come to an agreement on hiring a candidate.

Piwko said the process will be reviewed and he anticipates using a similar process this summer.

Press release:

Batavia Downs Casino will continue to enhance education, both of the sport of harness racing as well as classroom academics, by continuing its scholarship program for its third consecutive year.

The $7,500 one mile Dash for the Cash will be held on Saturday night, Sept. 15.

Five area high school seniors from the graduating class of 2013 will participate. The schools can use any criteria they wish to pick their students. This year’s participating high schools are Batavia, Notre Dame of Batavia, Elba, Pembroke and Alexander.

Kaley Falkowski of Batavia High School with professional Jim Mulcahy alongside won the inaugural event. Last year Elizabeth Shuknecht representing Elba High School with professional Jim Graham took top honors.

Beginning in August, the five participating students will attend at least five training sessions at the track with their professional to learn the safety and skills needed to drive a racehorse. Then between the fourth and fifth live harness races on Sept. 15, they will line up behind the starting gate and compete for scholarships checks of $3,000, $2,000, $1,200, $800 and $500.

“The enthusiasm in the crowd leading up to the race is amazing and it brings an entirely different demographic to the racetrack,” said Todd Haight, general manager of live racing. “These kids train very hard and definitely come away with a better understanding of our sport.”

Again the scholarship event is co-sponsored by the horsemen, breeders and owners of Western New York through the Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association, Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs Casino.

Batavia Downs Casino, America's oldest lighted harness track, opens for its 66th racing season on Monday, July 23, for 72 racing dates with a new post time of 6:25 p.m. Racing will be conducted on a Sunday afternoon, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night basis in August. For more information, visit www.bataviadowns.com.

John Kennedy School kicked off a reading program today with a "Dancing with the Stars" contest in the school's auditorium.

The stars were faculty and staff dressed up as characters from popular children's stories, from Shrek to Snow White and Puss 'n' Boots.

It was a full, multi-media event with rehearsal videos and zingers from the judges.

Children earn tickets to vote for their favorites by completing nightly reading assignments with their parents.

It's Kicks Butt Day and members of the Pembroke Intermediate School SADD Club (Students Against Destructive Decisions) protested at their school against the marketing tactics of Big Tobacco wherein cigarette companies deliberately target teens as potential customers.

Photos submitted by Aaron Brown.

Summary of the school board meeting provided by Batavia City School District:

Highlights from the BCSD Board of Education meeting on March 12, 2012:

Parent Shares Concern Regarding Consolidation
A parent addressed the Board of Education, voicing concerns regarding the proposals for consolidation and cutting programs. In regard to consolidation, her concerns were about people losing their jobs and about test scores decreasing as class sizes increased. In addition, claiming that Batavia is growing, she felt the District will need to reverse the decision soon in order to accommodate an increase in students. In regard to cutting programs, she also cited concern for people losing jobs, keeping students involved in productive activities, and providing students withoutlets for accomplishments that enhance their college applications. Her recommendation was to avoid consolidation and cuts to programs, move administration functions to the Middle School (rather than fifth graders), have a voluntary pay freeze, and have staff increase their portion of paying for benefits to 20%.

Students Voice Support for Music Department
Five students addressed the Board to show support for the Music Department. In addition to mentioning the fun and enrichment of participating in musical productions and performances, several emphasized that the District’s music program had helped them identify what they wanted to pursue as a career and had offered opportunities for achievements and recognition that helped them stand out on college applications. Two are pursuing careers in music, with one majoring in Music Education and Performance at Ithaca College, and the other majoring in Fine and Performing Arts at Genesee Community College. Noting that cuts were made to the music department during the past two years, several mentioned that, although they were graduating, they would like underclassmen to have the same opportunities to grow in skill and confidence that they were given. All were particularly grateful and complimentary to music teacher Daniel Grillo, who they said has been an inspiration and mentor as well as a skillful teacher of music.

Update on 2012-2013 Budget Preparation
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski provided an update on the District's preliminary spending plan for the 2012-2013 school year, presenting a “roll-over” budget, or one in which minimal adjustments to the services provided in 2011-2012 (current)school year were made. This roll-over budget amounts to $40,622,313.

As noted previously, one significant change in expenses is an accounting change which affects the budget total but not the tax levy: in the past, instead of budgeting for such expenses as post-retirement and unemployment, those items were charged directly to the reserve funds - regarded somewhat as a sidebar to the budget. Now both are added into the budget figures as both an expense and a revenue, creating a larger number in both columns but no impact on the tax levy. Partly as a result of the accounting change, the budget shows an increase in expenses of $1.256 million or 3.19% over the current 2011-2012 school year. When the accounting change (which represented about two-thirds or $850,000 of the increase), is factored in, the real increase is about $403,000 or 1%.

The consequent tax levy needed to close the gap between roll-over expenditures and lessening revenue from such sources as State Aid, shows an increase of$980,957, or 5.515%. This amount is well over the District’s tax cap limit or threshold of 2.59%.

As mentioned in previous reports and news articles, the Tax Cap legislation is referred to as a 2% Tax Cap, when in reality, the “2%” figure is only one of the factors used in an eig determine each school district's and municipality's allowable tax levy increase that requires simple majority approval. Anything over that allowable limit or threshold requires a supermajority (60%) voter approval to pass. The School District’s Tax Cap Threshold is 2.59%; any higher increase requires a super majority of voter approval.

In order to bring the budget down to within range of a 2% to 2.59% tax levy increase, between $520,074 (for the 2.59% threshold) and $625,241 (for a 2% limit) would need to be cut from expenditures.

In providing direction to Mr. Rozanski on how to proceed with the budget, Board members agreed that preserving programs to whatever extent possible was a high priority. With that in mind, they opted to support a budget that does not exceed the allowable threshold increase of approximately 2.59%. This, they noted, will still require cuts totaling slightly more than a half-million dollars.

Board of Education Legislative Committee Chairperson Patrick Burk indicated that members of the NYS Assembly are working to restore approximately $178 million in aid through a more equitable basic Foundation Aid formula, while members ofthe NYS Senate or working to earmark $200 million in Gap Elimination Adjustment aid. Whether either of those efforts will succeed is unknown, and our budget preparation uses the projected figures released by the governor’s office.

School Consolidation Update
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio requested that the Board provide direction on the much-discussed consolidation of schools. Weighing the difficulties and reluctance expressed by some families affected by the change against the educational efficiency and benefits of having grade levels in the same building and the financial benefits of being able to preserve more programs for students, the Board adopted the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the Batavia City School District has invested heavily in its facilities as an important vehicle through which it delivers its quality educational program; and
WHEREAS, Board of Education is charged with ensuring that District buildings are being deployed in the most efficient manner in order to provide the best possible educational opportunities for students at the lowest possible cost; and
WHEREAS, the Batavia City School District Board of Education has officially established the Buildings and Grounds Committee as a sub-committee of the Board to make recommendations regarding the condition and use of District facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Buildings and Grounds Committee is composed of a number of individuals including Board of Education members, District administrators, and a certified architect; and
WHEREAS the Batavia City School District Board of Education referred to the Buildings and Grounds Committee (June 7, 2011) the review of a possible building consolidation process that included the possible closing and reorganization of specific buildings for the purpose of increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs; and
WHEREAS, at various times public forums were held to obtain community input related to multiple options for building consolidation; and
WHEREAS, a final report was presented by the Buildings and Grounds Committee to the Board at the February 6, 2012 meeting, recommending the clustering of elementary grades Pre-K through 4 in two elementary buildings and 5th grade at the Batavia Middle School; and WHEREAS, the Board of Education has determined that it is in the best interest of the community to adopt the recommendations contained in the Batavia City School District Consolidation Feasibility Study.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS - the Robert Morris Elementary School shall close effective June 30, 2012, and Jackson Elementary will be converted to a facility housing primary students in grades Pre-K through 1, and John Kennedy Elementary will be converted to an elementary facility housing students in grades 2through 4, and 5th grade students will be educated at the Batavia Middle School. District administrators and necessary to effectuate the assignment of affected students who previously attended each school to another school building. While details of the plan have yet to be worked out, parents who are registering their child(ren) for kindergarten are still asked to so at their neighborhood elementary school.

Superintendent’s Report Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio reported briefly on several other items:

* Petitions     for election to one of the seats on the Board of Education are now     available and can be picked up in the Administration Building’s Business     Office. * Student     Artwork is on display in Richmond Library, with a celebration of the     artists scheduled for this Friday at 6:50 p.m. * The     Administration Building, currently up for sale, has had many showings,     much interest, but no offers to date. * There     have been inquiries about utilizing one of our school buildings if     consolidation was to take place; now those inquiries can be pursued. * Friday,     March 16, will be a full day of staff development, with the focus being on     implementing the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) adopted by NYS.     The Staff Development focus will be on Common Core Literacy, with specific     attention on “Deconstruction of Common Core Standard” for identifying     learning targets, cognitive load, learning progression, and daily objectives;     “Close Reading” for making sense of complex text; “Building Academic     Vocabulary” for acquiring and comprehending more sophisticated vocabulary;     and “Writing to Respond to a Text-Dependent Prompt” for attending to persuasive and explanatory writing that utilize reasoning and evidence,   organized in logical ways. (The Common Core State Standards Initiative     is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association     Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The     standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school     administrators, and other experts, to provide a common understanding of     what students are expected to learn, and a clear and consistent framework     to help all children become well-prepared for college and the workforce     through rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills.)

Post-Graduation Report
Administrator of Student Assessment/Data Analysis Pam Buresch presented a summary of the District’s Post-graduation Report, obtained through working with the National Students Clearinghouse (NSC), a not-for-profit organization that tracks student enrollment in colleges. Ms. Buresch noted that tracking this information helps the District evaluate our academic programs and curriculum to assess their value in helping District students to be college andcareer ready, to align coursework with college and work expectations, and toensure a rigorous curriculum where students are prepared to succeed in a global economy and society. NSC tracks such things as the percentages of college enrollment; the timetable for enrollment (immediately after graduation orlater); the types of institutions attended - public or private, two-year or four-year; whether the institutions are in-state or out-of-state; the rate of freshman to sophomore year “persistence” (whether students return after freshman year); degree completion rates and timetables; and the most common institutions for enrollment.

Some ofthe findings indicate that college enrollment is typically in the mid-70% range, that our students are more likely to enroll in public institutions, aremore likely to enroll in-state, that enrollment has been higher for four-year institutions than two-year, and overall persistence rate is about 85%.

For more details, the full National Student Clearinghouse report is available on theBatavia City School District web page: http://www.bataviacsd.org/documents.cfmby clicking on the file folder labeled “District Forms and Publications,” then on the file folder labeled “District Information,” then on the document labeled “National Student Clearinghouse Graduation Report.”

District Calendar for 2012-2013
Deputy Superintendent Christopher Dailey announced that the calendar committee finalized the District Calendar for 2012-2013. It is available on the District’s website.

News from Batavia High
Student Ex-Officio Board Member Taylor Harkness reported to the Board that auditions for the High School play are scheduled, and that spring sports are starting. She also passed on a request that the Board look into inequity of improvements that have been made to the VanDetta Stadium site, noting that the boys’ locker room has received some updates and cosmetic improvements while the girls ’locker room has not, and still has, for example, only one bathroom stall. The matter was referred to the Buildings and Grounds Committee which will meet next week.

Press release:

Genesee ARC is accepting applications for the Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship Program. Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to high-school seniors interested in working in human services, special education or related fields.

Applications for the 2012 program are available at high school guidance offices throughout Genesee County or at the Genesee ARC website at www.gencoarc.com. Completed applications must be submitted by the April 1 deadline. Winners will be recognized at the Genesee ARC Annual Banquet & Awards Ceremony May 18 at the Clarion Hotel. The scholarship is named in memory of Mary Anne Graney, a special education teacher, who died in 2004.

The scholarship program began in 2006, when one $1,000 award was presented to Pavilion native Caylin Clark, now a teacher at St. Joseph School. During a recent interview, Caylin talked about what it was like to receive the scholarship recognition.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

After graduating from Pavilion High School, I went on to SUNY Geneseo.  I graduated with a degree in childhood special education, and I also obtained an additional certification in math for grades 7-12.

Can you share your thoughts about being the first winner of the Genesee ARC Scholarship program?

Being the winner of the Genesee ARC Scholarship was a great experience. The money helped pay for some of my schooling. It was incredible to get a scholarship from Genesee ARC because I really enjoy the field of Special Education.

How long have you been teaching at St. Joseph School and what do you teach?

This is my second year teaching at St. Joe's and I teach sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math.

What other activities have you participated in that support people with disabilities?

During my freshman year of college I got involved in Special Olympics and have been very involved ever since. I coach four sports per year (basketball, floor hockey, volleyball and softball), traveling with the team for both regional and state level events. In addition to coaching, I also help run some events for the Genesee Region. The events include basketball skills, softballs skills and one track meet per year. I dedicate a lot of my time to Special Olympics and I really enjoy it.

Do you have any words of encouragement for seniors thinking about applying for Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial scholarship program?

APPLY! Don't let the fear of not getting an award keep you from trying for it. I wasn't expecting to get it, but I applied anyway and it worked out really well for me. Also, if the students are majoring in education I highly recommend getting multiple certifications, special education, in particular!

Anyone with questions on the scholarship or application process may contact the scholarship chair, Genesee ARC Director of Development Shelley Falitico at 343-1123 or sfalitico@rochester.rr.com.

Batavia City School District officials are trying to use the posting of a video on Facebook of two middle school girls fighting as a "teachable moment," according to Deputy Superintendent Christopher Dailey.

He met with reporters from area TV stations Friday afternoon to answer questions.

Dailey admitted there were things he would rather do on his Friday afternoon than meet with the media over a little dust-up involving student conduct, but was hopeful that lessons can be learned from the incident.

"It's a teachable moment about what not to do on Facebook," Dailey said. "Unfortunately, in this day and age when something is out there online, it doesn't go away, even though we acted very quickly to get it removed.

"There is the potential for ongoing (problems). We don't want anything out there to come back and harm kids later on."

Getting the "Batavia Fights" page removed from Facebook was a combined effort involving the school district, Batavia PD, along with the cooperation of the parents of the child who created the page and the staff at Facebook, Dailey said.

"In this case, somebody let us know last night (about the video)," Dailey said. "Even if we hadn't learned about it last night, we would have found out about it today. We have wonderful kids in Batavia. We have kids who really care about their community."

There is a constant effort in the schools, Dailey said, to educate children about the pitfalls of online behavior.

"It's a new media and we try to teach them the right way to handle it," Dailey said.

The district is still investigating the incident and officials have yet to determine if the fight was staged for the benefit of a video camera or if it was a spontaneous fight.

Two middle school girls were involved in the fight and they suffered minor bumps and scrapes, according to Dailey.

At this time, officials don't believe the fight was related to any specific ongoing bullying issue, but officials were concerned that if the video stayed on Facebook, it might lead to harassment and bullying.

The fight occurred just after dismissal at the middle school, Dailey said, and in the 26th second of the video, a teacher at the school is seen arriving and intervening.

"Facebook is a blessing and a curse," Dailey said. "I used it for the reunion of my high school class and it was wonderful. When not used correctly, it can be hard for kids to handle."

The video was captured by WBTA's Geoff Redick before it was removed. The version below was altered by Redick to obscure the faces of the youngsters involved.

UPDATED 1:39 p.m.

For a brief time overnight and this morning, a page appeared on Facebook called "Batavia Fights," which promoted itself as a place for students to post videos of their friends and classmates fighting.

One video was posted of two girls reportedly at Batavia Middle School involved in a fight as classmates cheered them on.

Christopher Daily, assistant superintendent of the school district, said the district was aware of the page and video and were investigating possible student involvement.

"Obviously, we don't condone it," Daily told WBTA. "We will work with the authorities as well to make sure that our students' safety is of utmost concern."

The school district contacted Batavia PD this morning and according to Det. Todd Crossett, the PD used a special law enforcement phone number to contact Facebook and alert the social network to the page.

Crossett he didn't have information on whether Facebook removed the page or if the original poster removed it.

There's nothing criminal, Crossett said, about shooting or posting the video and the actual fight itself is a school disciplinary matter and at this point law enforcement isn't involved.

Comments on the video were mostly approving, calling it "cool" and "funny."

At the end of the video an adult appears to enter the shot and break up the fight.

The video appears to have been posted around 5 p.m., Thursday.

By 11:40 p.m., the page was no longer available on Facebook.

A screen shot and the video were saved by WBTA's Geoff Redick before the page disappeared. Redick blurred the video to make it harder to identify individuals in the shots.

Press release:

Following the announcement that Holy Family School in Le Roy had exceeded the first of three benchmarks required to keep the school open, Dr. Rosemary Henry, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Buffalo, issued this statement:

“I wish to congratulate the entire Holy Family School community for responding to last November’s call to action. By meeting their first goal, they have shown a commitment to sustaining and growing Catholic education in Genesee County.

“But much work remains to be done in order for Holy Family School to remain open beyond June. In the coming weeks, we need to see greater engagement on the part of supporters of Catholic education to ensure each individual benchmark is met,” Dr. Henry said.

As of March 2, the school had registered 70 students for the 2012-13 school year and raised $47,000, surpassing the March 1 benchmark of 40 paid registrants and $40,000 raised.

After a series of meetings last year, it appeared that Holy Family School would merge with St. Joseph School in Batavia, but upon hearing from members of the Holy Family community and local leadership, Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo, agreed to give the community time to rally around the school in an effort to keep it open.

Two additional benchmarks must now be met:

April 15, 2012: a total of 80 paid registrants with nonrefundable deposits and an additional $40,000 on deposit. June 1, 2012:  a total of 120 paid registrants with nonrefundable deposits and an additional $45,000 on deposit.

According to a plan agreed upon and presented to the Holy Family School leadership and the local community, as well as a letter sent by Father Michael Rock, OdeM, canonical administrator of the school, to the Holy Family community on Dec. 2, 2011, meeting the benchmarks will allow Holy Family School to remain open.

“Parishioners, school supporters and alumni are encouraged to continue this impressive momentum to ensure Catholic elementary education is maintained in Le Roy,” Dr. Henry said.

Report released by the city school district:

Highlights from the Batavia City School District Board of Education meeting on Feb. 6 include the following:

School Consolidation Update

On behalf of the BOE’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, Board Member Steve Mountain presented their completed feasibility study and a recommendation for consolidation of schools. The report also will be shared with the Budget Ambassadors as they review the district’s preliminary budget  and make recommendations to the board. The committee’s recommendation takes both fiscal and educational progress into account and includes:

-- Selling the Administration Building and relocating staff to available spaces around the District;
-- Utilizing the Jackson Elementary building for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grade one;
-- Utilizing John Kennedy for students in grades two through four;
-- Placing grade five students at the middle school;
-- Revising the transportation policy so that all K-8 students who live farther than one mile from their school would be eligible for free busing; and,
-- Maintaining the Robert Morris building, making its classrooms and offices available for rental or lease.

Among the considerations behind their recommendation were the advantages of a “cluster model” for schools in which all students in a specific grade level are in the same building, providing for a more focused and deeper instructional plan. Research indicates that students benefit when curriculum is more consistent, and having all students of each grade in one building will facilitate this consistency as well as regular collaboration and sharing of strategies and resources. It also enables greater balance of class size as well as balancing concentrations of students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students among classrooms.

While this cluster model would also describe the middle school, part of the recommendation is to have fifth-grade classrooms in a different part of that building, set off from the older students. Another suggestion is to create a house model --  a school within a school that has its own educational program, staff and students -- for both fifth- and sixth-graders. The study also noted several nearby districts which currently and successfully have fifth grade as part of their middle schools.

Jackson and John Kennedy elementary were designated as the sites for lower grades after all three of the current elementary buildings were analyzed in regard to number and size of classrooms, parking and parent drop-off/pick-up, bus loops, gymnasiums, cafeterias, library media centers, and size of the school grounds.

In regard to the finances, overall, the committee estimated an anticipated net savings in the first year of slightly more than $1 million. A reduction in staffing would have the greatest impact, followed by lower utility costs for the Robert Morris building. Relocating the Information Technology Department from the Administration Building, which involves moving the fiber optic cables that make up the district’s computer network, would be a one-time expense increase. This is recommended only upon the event of the sale or lease of the Administration Building, in which case the proceeds from the sale or lease could be used to mitigate the impact of the expense. Transportation costs would increase if more students become eligible and if those eligible students use district transportation, but, using current formulas for NYS transportation aid, approximately 90 percent of the costs would be returned the following year. 

BMS Comprehensive Educational Plan

More after the jump (click on the headline to read more)

Batavia Middle School (BMS) Principal Sandra Griffin presented highlights of the middle school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP), as mandated by NYS Education Department for all schools designated as being a School in Need of Improvement (SINI). BMS was classified as a SINI for not making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in meeting the higher proficiency targets in English Language Arts (ELA). While BMS has already begun implementation of practices to improve 
ELA proficiency, the CEP requires official board approval before being sent into the NYS Education Department.

The CEP includes three parts. Part I is a comprehensive school profile consisting of data on various topics -- such as enrollment, attendance, demographics, assessment data and survey results -- related to students, teachers, the district, the community, and the subject area of concern. Part II consists of the CEP team’s analysis of the data whereby patterns and root causes of low performance are identified and plans for improvement emerge. In Part III, the section for a detailed action plan, Mrs. Griffin highlighted two major strategies. First, the ELA staff will improve literacy instructional practices and make progress toward the college- and career-ready standard by more tightly aligning curriculum with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Secondly, the BMS community will learn, practice, and model research-based literacy strategies by having all departments taking responsibility for improving student literacy skills and increasing opportunities for students to interact with informational text.

Mrs. Griffin stressed that utilizing data analysis, interim assessments, and an interdisciplinary approach while increasing the scope, span and rigor  of expectations will help more students reach the raised bar of achievement.

Superintendent’s Summary

In addition to other reports on various current district projects, Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio, briefly noted the following:

-- While the board had recommended a zero increase in the district budget for 2012-2013, so far, the preliminary numbers are at approximately a 3-4 percent increase, which reflects an approximate 5 percent increase in the tax levy. Budget Ambassadors will begin reviewing the preliminary budget this week, and their recommendations as well as those from administrative reviews will be forthcoming.

-- A committee of district employees representative of the variety of staff positions has come together to investigate ways to reduce health care costs in order to preserve more jobs and programs. Rising health care costs continue to be a great concern in budget projections.

-- The district is well on its way to implementing the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) adopted by NYS in 2009. A recent training was held in Syracuse, and every department chair will be part of an upcoming district-wide presentation to staff on what and how CCSS are implemented.

School Board Association Awards

Superintendent Puzio formally thanked board members Patrick Burk and Amy Barone and congratulated each for receiving a Board Achievement Award from the NYS School Boards Association (NYSSBA). The NYSSBA’s School Board U recognition program is meant to acknowledge the extensive time and effort invested by members as they continually strive to expand their knowledge and skills for better board governance.

Update on Evaluation Procedure for Teachers and Principals

Deputy Superintendent Christopher Dailey provided an update on the emerging evaluation procedure for teachers and principals, noting that the State Education Department has requested permission to utilize pieces of our district plan as an example for other districts throughout the state.

The plan is in response to new legislation, first reported to the board by Puzio last fall (Nov. 1, 2011). At that time she noted:

-- Chapter 103 of the Laws of 2010 added a new section (3012-c) to the Education Law regarding annual professional performance reviews of all classroom teachers and building principals.
-- The new law applies first to all evaluations conducted by school districts on or after July 1, 2011, of teachers of “common branch subjects” (any or all of the subjects usually included in the daily program of an elementary school classroom) or English language arts or mathematics in grades four to eight, and principals employing such teachers.
-- By July 1, 2012, the process will be phased in for all classroom teachers and principals conducted by school districts or BOCES.
-- The new section of the law builds on current performance reviews, as opposed to replacing them.
-- The evaluations are intended to be a significant factor for employment decisions including but not limited to promotion, retention, tenure determination, and termination.
-- Performance reviews will yield a single composite effectiveness score (1-100) that incorporates multiple measures of effectiveness.
-- The measures used for scoring include student growth data on state assessments (initially 20 percent of the score, then 25 percent); locally selected measures of student achievement (initially 20 percent of the score, then drop down to 15 percent); and locally developed and negotiated criteria (for 60 percent of the score).
-- If a teacher or principal is rated as either developing or ineffective, the district must formulate and implement an improvement plan including such elements as the needed areas of improvement, timeline for achieving improvement, the manner in which improvement will be assessed, and differentiated activities to support improvement in those areas.
-- Districts must have an appeals procedure, established through negotiations, for teachers and principals to challenge their reviews.
-- This education law also establishes separate rules and for a Teacher Tenure Hearing related to charges of teacher or principal incompetence based solely upon an alleged pattern of ineffective teaching or performance (i.e., two consecutive annual “ineffective” ratings). In order to expedite the process of being able to remove an ineffective teacher or principal, the charges are to be heard by a single hearing officer within seven days after the pre-hearing conference and completed within 60 days thereafter. (A limited and time specific adjournment beyond the 60 days is available only if the hearing officer determines the delay is attributable to a circumstance or occurrence beyond the control of the requesting party and that an injustice would result if the adjournment was not granted.)

In a later update to the Board of Education (November 1, 2011), Mr. Dailey and Robert Morris Principal Diane Bonarigo outlined progress in working with the Batavia Teachers Association to determine measuring points and effective methods of evaluation for the locally determined 60 percent portion of the scoring measures. Utilizing ideas from the work two educational experts, Kim Marshall and Charlotte Danielson, Mr. Dailey and Mrs. Bonarigo presented a model that consists of approximately five annual, unannounced, mini-observations lasting 5-10 minutes, looking for evidence of “highly effective” to “ineffective” practices in three of the Four Domains taken from Danielson’s work: Planning and Preparation; Classroom Environment; Instruction; Professional Responsibilities. Then, within 48 hours, the principal would either provide written feedback, and/or have a conversation with the teacher to discuss that particular “snapshot” of teaching as well as invite the teacher to reflect.

The most recent report to the board included an update on the appeals process being negotiated, and on the 20-percent portion of the scoring measure. This portion of the measure is focused on defining the Student Learning Objective (SLO), which is particularly important for those subject areas in which there is no state assessment that can be used for teacher evaluation. Mr. Dailey outlined the five decisions that need to be effectively addressed before June 2012:

-- Assess and identify priorities and academic needs;
-- Identify which grades/subjects will have state-provided growth measures and which will require SLOs  as “comparable growth measures";
-- Determine district rules for how specific SLOs will get set;
-- Establish expectations for scoring SLOs and for determining teacher ratings for the growth component;
-- Determine district-wide processes for setting, reviewing and assessing SLOs in schools.

Booster Fundraising Proposals

Superintendent Puzio noted that, with the anticipated reductions in the number and in the scope of individual school programs, several parents have requested approval for forming booster groups to provide financial support for activities. Noting that difficult budget years are likely to continue, so too are these requests. As such, Mrs. Puzio suggested that the board consider formalizing a policy to handle such requests, and she asked for members’ initial thoughts and concerns. Some of the thoughts expressed by individual board members during this preliminary and exploratory discussion included:

-- The board should do whatever it can to preserve programs, including creating booster policies that would enable the preservation or support of activities;
-- A note that programs cannot become “pay to play” and that participation cannot become hinged on the ability to raise funds;
-- Any plan would need to consider the timeline for planning and scheduling (For example, any athletic group would need to be able to secure funding before the district could commit to scheduling competitions for the team.);
-- Breaking down all related expenses and forecasting the cost of activities could be burdensome;
-- Recently, some board members had expressed a concern about fundraising becoming too much of a burden for parents, yet this policy would likely increase the amount of fundraising that occurs.

Mrs. Puzio will consolidate the ideas and concerns in preparing a proposal for discussion next month at the March 26 school board meeting.

In a community meeting Wednesday night to discuss an unusual outbreak of tics among female students at Le Roy High School, a state health official steadfastly refused to reveal the cause of the outbreak.

Citing not just HIPPA as a reason for keeping the diagnosis of 11 girls private, Dr. Gregory Young said that as a matter of principle he didn't want to see the girls "labeled" by what their doctor has found.

Young, from the NYS Department of Health, said the cause (or causes) isn't related to the environment; it isn't anything a person "catches"; it doesn't come from exposure to something, or from anything ingested. Nor does the cause stem from prescribed drugs or illicit drugs.

State health officials know what is behind the outbreak, but Young would not disclose it. Yet he tried to reassure parents that it's safe to send their children to school.

In all, according to Young -- though some in the audience disputed the number -- at least 11 girls have come down with the "tic manifestations" (Young cautioned against calling it a syndrome). 

The doctor's explanation, and a stone barrier he put up regarding the cause, didn't go over well with parents or students.

James Dupont Jr. spoke passionately about the need for officials to be more forthcoming about what physicians have found. Dupont complained that although Young said the cause has been diagnosed, nobody's told him what caused his daughter to develop tics.

After he spoke, he went into hallway and was mobbed by reporters.

"We all have to respect that (keeping medical information private), but I tell you what, if my daughter had a diagnosis and I knew that, as a parent, I would tell you -- because I’m not a doctor and I don’t care about HIPPA," Dupont said. "I care about getting these kids better or finding what’s causing it so it doesn’t get any worse."

Later, from the back of the auditorium, Dupont called out Young on his repeated insistance that a diagnosis has been completed for the 11 students. 

Dupont asked parents in attendance whose daughters had developed tics to raise their hands. More than a half dozen adults raised their hands. Then Dupont asked how many had been told by their daughters' doctors what caused the tics. Several said they had not been given a diagnosis.

One parent spoke up and said he was told the cause was "conversion disorder."

Young said he couldn't respond to that comment.

Conversion disorder is a neurosis usually brought on difficulties in a person's life, according to Wikipedia. It is marked by numbness, blindness, paralysis or fits. Britannica.com lists tics as a manifestation of conversion disorder.

After more questioning about conversion disorder, Thomas Wallace, from the state's mental health office, said it isn't really a diagnosis. He said it can be a symptom of other issues and that it can be found in clusters of patients.

The number of patients is not out of line with national statistics for tic manifestations among a group of 500 youngsters (in fact, in a group of 500, there should be at least 20 children with tics, based on national statistics).

What is unusual, he said, is that all of the patients are girls (boys develop tics at a 4-1 ratio over girls, according to national statics, Young said) and that they all developed the manifestations at about the same time.

Several students got up to ask questions or speak out, including a girl who said her name was Jessica.

"You think it's unethical for you not to give us the cause," Jessica said. "I think it's wrong for you not to tell us."

"If you were one of the individuals involved, you might feel differently," Young shot back.

"We're friends with these people," Jessica said. "Half of them haven't even been diagnosed yet. You're not telling us the truth because you don't really know what's going on."

Young repeated that he feels uncomfortable sharing private medical information. Later, he spoke about how he's always hated bureaucrats and he realized he was being one, but he said he simply couldn't share private medical information.

The one commonality Young said he could share was that all of the girls showed a greater manifestation during times of stress.

It's not unusual, he said, for people to manifest tics in time of stress, and there are a lot of stress factors in a young person's life. All people deal with stress differently, but it's well documented that stress can cause a number of physical reactions.

One big stresser for kids today is social media.

"There's a lot that goes on in social media today that parents don't know about, that schools don't know about," said Young, noting that the community meeting coincides with the start of the school session, and the students susceptible to tics will be under a new round of stress.

Just announcing the meeting created stress for the students involved, he said, and parents should be prepared for an increase of tic activity as reports about the meeting hit the media.

Dupont and other parents afterward said they don't believe it all boils down to stress especially since, for some of the students, the tics don't seem to become less frequent when school is out (though one mother who spoke said her daughter didn't have tics over Christmas vacation).

Among Dupont's suggestions is that a parent support group be formed. Then, perhaps, parents could share more information and find commonalities among their daughters (not all of the girls know each other or necessarily had contact with each other prior to the tic manifestations arising).

Young agreed this would be a good idea and also said that in a closed group of just the parents involved, he could speak more freely about what physicians have found.

UPDATE AND CLARIFICATION: The mention of types of drugs above wasn't meant to exclude from the meaning, as it does, that designer drugs weren't investigated as a cause. They were and subsequently ruled out as a cause. PANDAS has been ruled out as a cause. HPV vaccine has also been ruled out as a cause, according to Dr. Young. ODD or ADHD can make a child more susceptible to tics, but that isn't a cause. One thing Young intimated is that there is no one cause for all the girls.

Submitted by Kathie Scott, coordinator of public information, Batavia City Schools

Highlights from the Batavia City School District Board of Education meeting on Jan. 9 include the following:

Important Calendar Change
A recent change in the New York State Education Department’s assessment schedule has forced the district to revise the school calendar. Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio noted that April 27, initially scheduled as a Superintendent’s Conference Day, a scoring day for the State ELA tests, and a day off for students, is now a testing date for state math assessments.

The proposed calendar change that is under consideration for the district is to have a half-day of school on April 27 to accommodate the state math assessments in the morning and accommodate the scoring of ELA tests in the afternoon. As soon as the decision is final, it will be announced.

District-wide Bullying Prevention Program
As many media announcements, some tragic, have documented, one of the greatest threats to the safety of schoolchildren today is from bullying by their peers. Because the safety and well-being of our students is such a high priority, staff members have been researching and preparing a district-wide anti-bullying program for the past year.

Superintendent Puzio announced the official implementation of the program, noting that a letter and brochure will be sent home to parents to explain important elements of the program and to enlist their support and cooperation.

The brochure highlights key points of the program such as the Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior (1: aggressive behavior; 2: typically involves a pattern of behavior, repeated over time; and 3: includes an imbalance of power or strength) and the Four District Behavioral Expectations. (1: We will not bully others. 2: We will try to help students who are bullied. 3: We will try to include students who are left out. 4: If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.)

Click on the headline to read more

A special parent education meeting with nationally known guest speaker Andy Thibodeau will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 13 at Batavia High School. Child care, provided by BHS students, will be available during the program.

Students will be introduced to the program during assemblies. Nationally known speaker Jim Jordan will speak to primary grade students in a program titled,"Friends Helping Friends,” and to students in grades three through five in a program titled, "Super Hero -- Stop Bullying." Andy Thibodeau, in addition to speaking to parents, will address middle and high school students in February with his program, "Share Your Care! Care in class, in school and in life!”

Parent Shares Concern Regarding Consolidation
A parent addressed the Board of Education, voicing concerns regarding the proposals for consolidation. She stated that she -- as well as teachers and parents she has spoken to -- do not feel middle school is a good environment for fifth-graders for safety and academic reasons. She also related that many Batavia families have purchased their homes based on the location of particular elementary schools, and that they do not want to see the community school model changed.

She noted that parents she has spoken to are exploring the options available for enrolling their children in nearby districts or private schools should the consolidation take place. While recognizing that the district needs to rein in expenditures, she urged board members not to vote for any proposal that would include moving fifth-grade students to the middle school.

Backpack Food Drive Runs This Week
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio reminded all who were present that the food drive to benefit the Backpack Program is running through this week  (Jan. 9-13). Donation boxes are set up at each of the schools as well as at the administration building, and she urged all who can to contribute to it.

She also reminded those present that admission to the Batavia High School  boys’ basketball home game on Friday, Jan. 13, will be free with a donation of at least one food item to benefit the program. (The boys play the Pittsford-Mendon Knights, with JV game starting at 6:15 p.m. and varsity at 7:45 p.m.) Suggested items are those that are nutritious and that require little or no preparation such as cereal (individual or 12 oz. boxes), juice boxes, canned soups, macaroni and cheese, applesauce, fruit cups, pudding cups, oatmeal, canned foods (vegetables, ready-made pasta with sauce, etc.), trail mix, cheese and crackers, peanut butter crackers, raisins, peanuts and fruit snacks.

Monetary donations are also welcome. Checks may be sent directly to the Salvation Army, payable to the Salvation Army with a notation for the “Backpack Program” on the memo line. The Backpack Program was started in 2010-2011 in partnership with the United Way and the Salvation Army to provide weekend food supplies for some of our neediest students.

Approximately 100 of our students receive a backpack of nutritious non-perishables each Friday to help provide for their needs through the weekend. Initially funded by the United Way, the goal was to have the program sustained through donations so, soon after the program began, the district sponsored a food drive to collect items from students and staff.

Thanks to their generosity, enough food was collected to support the program through the end of last school year. Puzio is hoping for a similar result during this year’s food drive.

Top Ten Achievements in 2011 for Richmond Memorial Library

Library Director Diana Wyrwa presented the library’s Top Ten Achievements for 2011. Noting that a long-range plan that had been put in place in 2007 is now coming to completion, and that this year will be one of evaluation and new goals. She stressed that planning and partnerships were prime features of the noteworthy achievements. Her “Top Ten” list included:

• 10) A new window in the Children’s Room of the library, which is more energy efficient as well as aesthetically pleasing.
• 9) Affiliate Library Status with Family Search International, providing a huge boost to those interested in the field of genealogy.
• 8) A total of 1112 programs offered, including, for example, story hours, book discussions, computer classes (in partnership with NIOGA Library System),various craft classes for adults, monthly “Reel” Discussions for movies, and A Tale for Three Counties (in partnership between libraries in Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans counties).
• 7) A New England Authors Literary Tour (in partnership with 1st Choice Travel) as part of the “Novel Destinations” theme of the adult summer reading program.
• 6) The hiring of a new children’s librarian, Vinise Campanella.
• 5) The purchase of many of its own ebooks.
• 4) Redesigning the first floor, incorporating a bookstore model of placing new material up front and center.
• 3) Hosting an American Library Association (ALA) Traveling Exhibit, “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, 1910‐1965.” (These exhibits are offered through the ALA Public Programs Office for Library Cultural Programming.)
• 2) A library book van to be used in partnership with GCASA’s drug-free coalition. In addition to containing educational literature chosen by GCASA, the van can carry a variety of books to places such as the senior citizen residences, Head Start, and the New York State School for the Blind.
• 1) The successful opening of Best Sellers Café, which was the number one item voted for in the library’s 2008 survey. The café serves a variety of beverages, lunch items and snacks.

Financial Summary Report for November 2011
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the November 2011 revenue and expenses for the district. Total recorded revenues were up by slightly more than  $1,237,000, or 5.4 percent.

A significant portion of the increase was a BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) surplus refund of nearly $202,000 or 56 percent over last year at the same time. The refund reconciled the amount owed for BOCES services actually used, with billing that had been based on anticipated use of services for the 2010-2011 school year.

Three other revenue categories also contributed to the increase: State and federal aid, the real property tax levy, and non-property tax items (utility tax). State and federal aid were up $327,000 or 7.3 percent over last year at the same time. This is primarily because of the increase in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) payment in November, which the state makes on districts’ behalf as part of their annual aid, and which is therefore recorded by districts as revenue.

The tax levy, up $706,000 or 4 percent, is recorded as revenue when it is levied as opposed to when it is received. The utility tax, as previously reported, had been in decline for several school years including 2010-2011, but has been trending upward this year, including the November increase of nearly $80,000 or 33 percent.

Expenses were down by about $1,244,000 or 10 percent, as compared to November 2010.

Slightly more than one third of the decrease, $448,000 or 15 percent, was due to the timing of health insurance payments. Nearly another third, a decrease of slightly more than $368,000 or 26 percent, was in the category of Central Services. This was due in part to a change in the district’s purchasing cycle and the subsequent timing of orders being processed. For example, work done to the administration building to repair the roof and fix earthquake damages were initially charged to the general fund until they could be reconciled at year's end and charged to repair reserves.