AUBURN - In the past seven years, the Auburn Enlarged City School District has had fewer bodies in its classrooms.
In a presentation to the Board of Education Tuesday, Auburn Superintendent Joseph D. “J.D.” Pabis said that, since 2000, enrollment in the district has decreased, on average, by 1 percent per year.
“Looking at the 1 percent decrease over the past seven years, it's important to note that as the general population decreases 1 percent on average per year, our programs and need for facilities has increased,” he said. “We are operating more programs to less students, so the configuration that you see in the high school and middle schools; we are utilizing our buildings at capacity.”
However, a reconfiguration of the elementary schools is necessary, he said. There are inequities in several buildings, notably at Herman Avenue Elementary and Genesee Elementary schools, which have seen overcrowding conditions, while Seward Elementary and Casey Park Elementary schools can accept students.
“So prior to the end of this year, with the help of Egelog and our transportation, we will look at a configuration to hopefully utilize all of our buildings more efficiently,” he said.
Egelog is a program used district-wide to accurately calculate distances of neighborhoods from district schools.
Pabis also presented to the board, the daily attendance rate from September to present in comparison to the attendance rate from that time last year, despite initiatives to contact parents when their child is absent from school.
“We are staying within one percentage point. Not too happy with that, we have not improved, even with the amount of phone calls that are made on a daily basis, especially in the high school,” he said.
The daily attendance rate, district-wide, in Sept. 2006 was 92.87 percent; in Sept. 2007 it was 92.88 percent. In Oct. 2006 it was 91 percent; in Oct. 2007 it was 92 percent.
“One of the changes instituted last month, besides leaving messages on answering machines, we will now be contacting - we have been contacting for the last month - parents at their places of employment and/or cell phones,” he said. “The reason for this is we've found that often the answering machines were erased prior to the parents coming home.”
The district is currently investigating parent notification solutions that would place phone calls to both landlines and cell phones, send e-mails and text messages to parents in emergencies. The system would also be employed to notify parents on attendance. The district has narrowed down its search to two systems, and is looking to get the system online by the end of this academic year so it would be completely installed for the beginning of school in September.
In other news:
* Pabis updated the board on Phase III of the energy performance contract. Phase III would include the installation of a computerized reader system that would provide computerized and accurate readouts of all electrical systems, including thermostats, as well as the installation of energy efficient windows at Seward Elementary School in an effort to provide significant energy savings.
* The board voted unanimously to establish the Sarah E. Smith Scholarship.
Smith, a 16-year-old Auburn High School student, was killed Oct. 28 when the car she was riding in collided with a bus on Route 20 in Sennett.
* The next Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Auburn High School library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
“Looking at the 1 percent decrease over the past seven years, it's important to note that as the general population decreases 1 percent on average per year, our programs and need for facilities has increased,” he said. “We are operating more programs to less students, so the configuration that you see in the high school and middle schools; we are utilizing our buildings at capacity.”
However, a reconfiguration of the elementary schools is necessary, he said. There are inequities in several buildings, notably at Herman Avenue Elementary and Genesee Elementary schools, which have seen overcrowding conditions, while Seward Elementary and Casey Park Elementary schools can accept students.
“So prior to the end of this year, with the help of Egelog and our transportation, we will look at a configuration to hopefully utilize all of our buildings more efficiently,” he said.
Egelog is a program used district-wide to accurately calculate distances of neighborhoods from district schools.
Pabis also presented to the board, the daily attendance rate from September to present in comparison to the attendance rate from that time last year, despite initiatives to contact parents when their child is absent from school.
“We are staying within one percentage point. Not too happy with that, we have not improved, even with the amount of phone calls that are made on a daily basis, especially in the high school,” he said.
The daily attendance rate, district-wide, in Sept. 2006 was 92.87 percent; in Sept. 2007 it was 92.88 percent. In Oct. 2006 it was 91 percent; in Oct. 2007 it was 92 percent.
“One of the changes instituted last month, besides leaving messages on answering machines, we will now be contacting - we have been contacting for the last month - parents at their places of employment and/or cell phones,” he said. “The reason for this is we've found that often the answering machines were erased prior to the parents coming home.”
The district is currently investigating parent notification solutions that would place phone calls to both landlines and cell phones, send e-mails and text messages to parents in emergencies. The system would also be employed to notify parents on attendance. The district has narrowed down its search to two systems, and is looking to get the system online by the end of this academic year so it would be completely installed for the beginning of school in September.
In other news:
* Pabis updated the board on Phase III of the energy performance contract. Phase III would include the installation of a computerized reader system that would provide computerized and accurate readouts of all electrical systems, including thermostats, as well as the installation of energy efficient windows at Seward Elementary School in an effort to provide significant energy savings.
* The board voted unanimously to establish the Sarah E. Smith Scholarship.
Smith, a 16-year-old Auburn High School student, was killed Oct. 28 when the car she was riding in collided with a bus on Route 20 in Sennett.
* The next Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Auburn High School library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
