PORT BYRON - The Port Byron Central School District is giving the people a choice.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Port Byron resident Bernie Ryan asks Superintendent Neil O'Brien why a school resource officer would be better than a truancy officer during a budget hearing on Wednesday night.
Port Byron resident Bernie Ryan asks Superintendent Neil O'Brien why a school resource officer would be better than a truancy officer during a budget hearing on Wednesday night.
On the school budget and board of education election ballot, on May 20, will be a proposition asking voters to authorize a $59,180 expenditure to bring on a school resource officer from the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
The money will fund the salary of the SRO, an experienced police officer who provides law enforcement, disciplinary and student counseling services for the school community. Port Byron hasn't had an SRO in six years.
During a public hearing on the proposed school budget held Wednesday, village resident Bernie Ryan Sr. asked Superintendent Neil O'Brien why the district is considering an SRO instead of a truant officer.
“I go around in the village and I see a lot of kids that should be in school - I don't know why; you know the attendance - but it seems that an awful lot of kids aren't in school,” Ryan said.
O'Brien said many of those children not in school have either dropped out or are on long-term suspension, a trend the district has endeavored to curtail.
Overall, he said the district has a high attendance record, but noted those numbers include only the students that are currently enrolled.
“I don't think there is any provision that says the SRO can't go out into the village and look for a child, too,” he said,
In fact, O'Brien said it was important to the district that the SRO have access to a car to be mobile and drive around the village if necessary.
In order to fund the SRO, the district will need to eliminate Pre-first, an early education retention program for students not ready to move onto first grade.
Pre-first has been replaced by Response to Intervention, a proactive model that assesses student learning and provides interventions to ensure students keep up with their peers, O'Brien said.
While retentions under this program will be minimized, the option is still open in certain cases.
Should voters approve the proposition, the district will likely see an SRO in the schools by January. A rookie officer will attend Onondaga Community College's Central New York Police Academy in June. Upon completion, the officer will train on road patrol and eventually free up an experienced officer to come to the district as the SRO.
In other news:
* Embedded in the proposed 2008-09 budget is a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program that, for the first time, will serve all children that express interest, O'Brien said.
A pre-first teacher moved to UPK for the next academic year, allowing the district to hold 1.5 sections of the program.
“This is a dream that we never thought would come true,” he said.
* O'Brien also addressed decreasing enrollment numbers, a trend that, according to recent projections, will continue through 2020.
The district is currently strategizing on how to responsibly and methodically downsize as enrollment continues to decline, he said. One thing Port Byron is going to look at with future employees is dual certification so teachers are not restricted to one subject area or age group.
* Taxpayers can vote on the proposed 2008-09 school budget of $18,093,561 with an estimated tax levy increase of 5.5 percent on May 20. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the large group instruction room at Dana West High School, 30 Maple Ave., Port Byron.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The money will fund the salary of the SRO, an experienced police officer who provides law enforcement, disciplinary and student counseling services for the school community. Port Byron hasn't had an SRO in six years.
During a public hearing on the proposed school budget held Wednesday, village resident Bernie Ryan Sr. asked Superintendent Neil O'Brien why the district is considering an SRO instead of a truant officer.
“I go around in the village and I see a lot of kids that should be in school - I don't know why; you know the attendance - but it seems that an awful lot of kids aren't in school,” Ryan said.
O'Brien said many of those children not in school have either dropped out or are on long-term suspension, a trend the district has endeavored to curtail.
Overall, he said the district has a high attendance record, but noted those numbers include only the students that are currently enrolled.
“I don't think there is any provision that says the SRO can't go out into the village and look for a child, too,” he said,
In fact, O'Brien said it was important to the district that the SRO have access to a car to be mobile and drive around the village if necessary.
In order to fund the SRO, the district will need to eliminate Pre-first, an early education retention program for students not ready to move onto first grade.
Pre-first has been replaced by Response to Intervention, a proactive model that assesses student learning and provides interventions to ensure students keep up with their peers, O'Brien said.
While retentions under this program will be minimized, the option is still open in certain cases.
Should voters approve the proposition, the district will likely see an SRO in the schools by January. A rookie officer will attend Onondaga Community College's Central New York Police Academy in June. Upon completion, the officer will train on road patrol and eventually free up an experienced officer to come to the district as the SRO.
In other news:
* Embedded in the proposed 2008-09 budget is a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program that, for the first time, will serve all children that express interest, O'Brien said.
A pre-first teacher moved to UPK for the next academic year, allowing the district to hold 1.5 sections of the program.
“This is a dream that we never thought would come true,” he said.
* O'Brien also addressed decreasing enrollment numbers, a trend that, according to recent projections, will continue through 2020.
The district is currently strategizing on how to responsibly and methodically downsize as enrollment continues to decline, he said. One thing Port Byron is going to look at with future employees is dual certification so teachers are not restricted to one subject area or age group.
* Taxpayers can vote on the proposed 2008-09 school budget of $18,093,561 with an estimated tax levy increase of 5.5 percent on May 20. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the large group instruction room at Dana West High School, 30 Maple Ave., Port Byron.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The Citizens' Say
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tome8689 wrote on May 8, 2008 9:29 PM: