It's not too late to register for an informative session about becoming a school board member, says Patrick Burk, executive director of the Genesee Valley School Boards Association.
This is for anyone with interest about serving on your local Board of Education. Local experts will answer questions as well as provide insight into what it is like to be on a board, and prepare you for what to expect when you are elected.
The session is at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Genesee Valley BOCES Center, 80 Munson St., Le Roy.
Mandatory Trainings will be covered and expected duties and responsibilities will be discussed. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.
"Join us for this informational session," Burk says.
2024 File Photo of BCSD Superintendent Jason Smith greeting students on the first day of school. Photo by Howard Owens
Laying off nearly half the staff en route to an eventual goal to dismantle the U.S. Education Department has not left school officials with much certainty about the future of their district funding or even rudimentary items such as school lunches, Pat Burk says.
The department, which oversees $1.6 trillion in college loans, enforces civil rights laws, and provides federal funding for needy districts, announced on Tuesday the plan for the second round of mass layoffs to meet President Trump’s apparent goal to eliminate the department altogether, according to Reuters.
As executive director of the Genesee Valley School Board Association, Burk has been hearing from school superintendents that it’s the not knowing that’s creating the most angst.
“The big concerns that are happening, from an educational standpoint with the Department of Education and other areas that deal with it, including the Department of Agriculture and other areas that the federal government, that deal with our local schools, is that the uncertainty is causing just as much of a problem as the certainty,” Burk said, offering an example. “The Department of Agriculture processes payments for school lunch, and part of that money is because of the Department of Agriculture to make sure that American agricultural products are processed through the school lunch program and used through school lunch programs. Now, what happens if they determine that those products are still going to be ‘used’ for the Agricultural Department and through school lunches, but they get rid of the 600 people that process the payments for that to happen?”
“That's the biggest uncertainty right now is that they can do things, and things can happen that do not necessarily change the ‘laws of the land,’ but can deter the process from being economical for school districts. And you look at some of our districts that have such a huge amount of money involved in federal school lunch programs and other areas like special education, what if the processes, the dollar process, is slowed down?” he said. “I think that's the big thing about the uncertainty. And I think that our local superintendents in my 26 schools that I represent, and the superintendents that are involved in this, are really very much on top of that, and we did have a really good session with Senator Schumer's office at our legislative event that we held, and we're in constant contact with people, but again, there's just no way that the uncertainty, which is really all it is, there's no way that the uncertainty is not going to have some impact.”
If this latest cut happens, the U.S. Education Department will have 2,183 workers left from a total of 4,133 when Trump took office in January.
Batavia City Schools Superintendent Jason Smith addressed district concerns by sending a question-and-answer message home to families Friday about the impending actions to be taken with the federal Education Department.
What will happen if they eliminate the Department of Education by Executive Order? “At this time, we do not have a definitive answer. However, eliminating a department established by Congress requires congressional approval,” Smith said. “Even if such an action were approved, the executive branch would need to reassign the Department of Education’s responsibilities, as federal law mandates certain functions currently overseen by the department.
“For example, just in the past few weeks, the executive branch directed the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to open several investigations,” he said. “If the Department of Education were eliminated, another federal agency would have to oversee these responsibilities.”
What about all of the grants we receive from the Federal Government? “BCSD receives several significant federal grants, including Title I, II, and IV grants under ESSA, as well as 611 and 619 grants under IDEA. The total annual allocation of these grants is currently around $1,736,838. While $1,736,838 is a significant amount, it represents only about 2.9% of our annual revenue,” he said. “Like other responsibilities of the Department of Education, these grants are mandated by congressional acts. If the department were eliminated, the executive branch would have to decide which agency would oversee and distribute these funds.”
What is the impact of the elimination of USDA(Dept. of Agriculture) programs for school meals? “The recent termination of two USDA programs — the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) —could significantly impact districts nationwide,”Smith said. “The full impact remains unclear, as these programs are interconnected with other federal and state initiatives.
“Additionally, New York State plays a role in funding school meal programs, though some state programs rely on federal funding,” he said. “We are closely monitoring this situation, and I anticipate that the New York State budget may include provisions to maintain school meal funding if federal support is reduced or eliminated.”
Will all of this impact staffing or programming at BCSD? “At this time, we do not anticipate any immediate changes to staffing or programming as a result of these federal actions, but we will continue to monitor developments,” he said. “As with school meal funding, we expect the New York State budget and legislative actions to address some of these concerns and provide further clarity.”
Burk said he thinks the uncertainty isn’t necessarily that the impact will be felt “sooner rather than later.”
“I was in a meeting with what's called the Coalition of Local School Boards Association yesterday, and we had a long conversation about the fact that we don't have anything to ‘worry about from the law side,’ because they haven't gone against the laws,” Burk said. “But when you have a commissioner secretary of education who admits her job is to close the department down without having the answers of how are the services going to be handled, that uncertainty is going to drive us into another whole realm.
“I mean, it's just unbearable for many people to think about it. Think about schools who have a high level of Title I kids, actual poor kids that, for whatever reason, have major economic difficulties who are in Title I schools who have a tremendous amount of need for additional funding,” he said. “Even they all want kids to succeed, but they don't want to pay for the extra reading or whatever. Where's that Title I funding going to come from if the Department of Education is closed down? We're finding that it's more and more of a, I don't even want to say it's a delicate balance. It's just like a ridiculous balance of what is being considered.”
If you've ever been interested in becoming a school board member, and think that perhaps it would be a great way to be connected to your community, Genesee Valley School Boards Association is hosting a program designed to answer your questions and provide details to help you decide if it’s something you might like to try.
An information night has been set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Genesee Valley BOCES Service Center, 80 Munson St., Le Roy.
“We will go through the process of the election and discuss expectations and outcomes once you are elected,” GVSBA Executive Director Patrick Burk says. “If you have a basic interest, this is step one to learn what your commitment would be, as well as what to expect from this much-needed community service position.”
He invites anyone with interest to join the board for an informal discussion and presentaton that will “enlighten you on what to expect, and the important duty of seeing our public educational system.”
Registration is required. To register or for more information, contact Burk at pburk@gvboces.org.
The Genesee Valley School Boards Association (GVSBA) is pleased to announce the Excellence in Student Services Awards Recipients for 2024. The awards will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 9 a.m. at Byron-Bergen Central School. Award recipients are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP for this event to pburk@gvboces.org by Thursday at noon. School staff are also invited to attend this program.
Congratulations To:
Alexander Central School Student Leadership Conference
Attica Central School Elementary Steam Ahead
Avon Central School Peer Mentoring & Buddies Program
Batavia City School District Tilly Time – Therapy Dog Program
Byron- Bergen Central School Therapy Dog Program
Caledonia-Mumford Central School Outdoor Classroom
Dansville Central School Entrepreneurship Program
Genesee Valley BOCES TIG Program
Geneseo Central School Varsity Blue Devil Bowling (With Mt. Morris Central School)
Keshequa Central School History Adventure Room
LeRoy Central School Community Service Project
Letchworth Central School Transportation Department
Livonia Central School Choices Program
Mt. Morris Central School Varsity Blue Devil Bowling (With Geneseo Central School)
Pavilion Central School Child Success Team at D. B. Bunce Elementary
Pembroke Central School SHIELD Program
Perry Central School Youth Mental Health First Aid
Warsaw Central School FFA Program
Wayland-Cohocton Central School Middle School Summer Enrichment Program
York Central School Middle/High School STEAM Education
Are you interested in running for a seat on your local school board? The Genesee Valley School Boards Association (GVSBA) is holding an informational meeting for potential school board candidates at 7 p.m. on March 20.
The meeting will be held at the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, 80 Munson St. in Le Roy.
This meeting will help you understand the steps that you must take to be included in the election, and what you can expect as a board member.
The meeting will also include panel discussions, featuring Patrick Burk, executive director of the GVSBA; other panelists are a newer board of education member, a veteran member, as well as a school superintendent.
The program will be a comprehensive look at what is required to run for election, some basic education law and the roles and responsibilities of a board of education member.
“This is an excellent way for a community member to become involved with the educational program in their home town,” Burk said.
Local school boards are comprised of five, seven or nine members, depending on the school district, and terms are either three or five years. Commitment, time and skills as well as required training and programs will also be discussed.
Refreshments will be served. Registration is required; please contact Burk or Sandra Lee James at (585) 344-7537.
