LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

At some point today, it is expected that the NYS legislature and Governor's office will reach an agreement on a state budget. There are several items within the budget that are worthy of careful attention by public schools throughout our state. Most importantly would the increase of foundation aid, above the Governor's initial draft executive budget. Currently, the 'rumors' coming out of Albany project this number to be somewhere between $50 million and $300 million in additional funding. Obviously, the higher the number, the better for our local budget outlook. Beyond the addition of foundation aid, it will be important to learn about how they are going to distribute the additional aid. Each year, there tends to be different factors put into play so that the additional funding is funneled toward targeted districts. In the end, based on historical trends and general conversation that we are hearing, I my best guess estimate for additional aid coming into Rome as a re...

March 25th through March 29th this year marks the second annual Public Schools Week throughout our nation. While all schools make a difference in the future of our children and our communities, public schools comprise the vast majority of educational opportunities for our children and families. With all of the turmoil surrounding public school funding at both the state and federal level, there couldn't be a better time to shed some light on the positive impacts that our public schools have on our children. Public schools are the centerpiece of the hopes and dreams of our families, and the growth and wellbeing for our communities. Nine out of every ten students attend a public school throughout our country. Public schools welcome every child, regardless of ability, race, wealth, language, country of origin, or needs. Supporting public schools today will build a stronger workforce of tomorrow. On an increasing basis, a system that was meant to be built as a state education system,...

During the course of the year, you can hear a lot of things related to building projects that are frustrating to the general person; mostly because they don't have any working experience with the intricacies of a public school project. More challenging, during budget season (and when things are difficult); a large majority of people like to point fingers at building projects in an attempt to place blame somewhere. Unfortunately, placing blame and pointing fingers is the last thing that any community needs when attempting to band together to achieve what they are justifiably due. Regardless, people do it because that is our human nature; which is perfectly fine. However, in an effort to help people understand building projects; here are just a few points of information that may help you realize their impact on the school budget, taxes, and expenditures. While educating the Board of Education about school budget the last two years, I have explained that school finance is nothing...

This week, we presented the currently proposed operational budget for the 2019-2020 school year. While there is a lot of information circulating about the negatives included with the budget, there is very little about the facts related to the negatives. Unfortunately, public schools are the only public institution that is required to present a balanced budget (revenue and expenditure match) and have it voted upon. Local, State, and Federal governments operate in significant deficit each year because their budgets only need to be presented as an expenditure budget and do not require voter approval. For this reason, school districts across New York State become targets each year during this time. In Rome, for the 2019-2020 school year, there is currently a project revenue deficit of $5 million. The largest factor for diminishing revenue is State aid, also known as foundation aid. As you know, local taxes are the only source of revenue that a school district controls; and a community ...

Unfortunately, there are two potentially dangerous internet/social media activities gaining popularity with children around the country. By now, you may have heard about the MOMO challenge, which targets children of all ages (5-18); but you may not have heard much about the 48-Hour Challenge, which targets mainly secondary children, but could be taken up by any child heavily involved in social media usage. Below are some details about both online concerns, including some links for more detailed information. MOMO Challenge : The MOMO Challenge has been ongoing world-wide for several years, but has recently resurfaced and is making it's largest impact on the United States currently. MOMO (pictured above) is a Japanese piece of art that is appearing in popular YouTube videos through online hackers and attempts to get children to engage in a series of challenges. It has been appearing in youth videos such as Peppa Pig, Minecraft, and Fortnite. In those instances, the image appear...