POPLAR RIDGE - The Southern Cayuga Central School District Board of Education decided Monday to hire a professional to project future enrollment, but one board member voiced concern that such information could be used to unilaterally close a district building.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Southern Cayuga school board member Teresa Lipfert waves to get the attention of fellow board member Jim Wilcox, not shown, during a discussion on enrollment projections. Board member Joe Lonsky, left, looks on during the board meeting in the high school library on Monday.
Southern Cayuga school board member Teresa Lipfert waves to get the attention of fellow board member Jim Wilcox, not shown, during a discussion on enrollment projections. Board member Joe Lonsky, left, looks on during the board meeting in the high school library on Monday.
The board voted in favor of hiring Dr. Paul Seversky based out of the Madison-Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services to conduct in-depth research and project future enrollment as part of the district's long-range facilities planning process during its regular meeting Monday.
The cost to the district will be $1,211, as Seversky's services are 68 percent state aidable.
While board member Ted Rejman believed the information was not only pertinent, but also requisite to determining the future of the district, he was adamantly opposed to the board using the projections as a means to close Emily Howland Elementary School, a notion he perceived some board members espousing.
“I don't want this to be a focus of how fast, how soon we can shut Emily Howland down,” he said. “I do not want to see this as a goal in mind...
“At the current time, whether some of you want to believe it or not, Emily Howland happens to be a magnet for this district, and there's got to be - I'm not saying that it won't be the answer, but what I'm saying is we have to look at all the options ...”
Fellow board member Joe Lonsky responded by saying that Emily Howland wasn't relevant to the discussion.
“It's a whole other discussion,” he said. “We're just talking about who's going to do what has to be done. It's one step at a time.”
Last month, a Long Range Facilities Planning Committee comprised of district stakeholders was formed to study the district's current and future facilities needs.
Working with the Manlius-based King and King Architects, the committee will scrutinize each of the school buildings and how they may relate to the district's future. While the district conducts a census every two years to internally project enrollment, Superintendent Mary Kay Worth said that information would not be sufficient for long-range planning. Upon the recommendation of King and King, Worth said it was necessary to have a professional provide a more accurate projection using demographics, real estate and business information.
Board member Jim Wilcox initially questioned the need for a professional, stating that internal projections have been on target. After a conversation between Worth and board members, he ultimately supported hiring Seversky.
In other news:
* The board voted unanimously to replace an inoperable bus lift, appropriating no more than $100,000 from the unreserved, unappropriated fund balance.
The project, deemed an ordinary contingent expense, is up to 81 percent state aidable and must be completed by the end of this academic year.
While the district has a second bus lift used to provide maintenance to the bus fleet, district officials are unsure how much longer the lift will be operable.
“Something has to be done, and something has to be done rapidly or as soon as possible,” Vice President Dean Winspear said, “because if something happens to the other bus lift, there will be no way to service our bus fleet in-house.”
Worth and Business Administrator Martha Stevermer were both confident that the lift could be replaced at $100,000 or less.
* The next board meeting will be 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at the high school library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The cost to the district will be $1,211, as Seversky's services are 68 percent state aidable.
While board member Ted Rejman believed the information was not only pertinent, but also requisite to determining the future of the district, he was adamantly opposed to the board using the projections as a means to close Emily Howland Elementary School, a notion he perceived some board members espousing.
“I don't want this to be a focus of how fast, how soon we can shut Emily Howland down,” he said. “I do not want to see this as a goal in mind...
“At the current time, whether some of you want to believe it or not, Emily Howland happens to be a magnet for this district, and there's got to be - I'm not saying that it won't be the answer, but what I'm saying is we have to look at all the options ...”
Fellow board member Joe Lonsky responded by saying that Emily Howland wasn't relevant to the discussion.
“It's a whole other discussion,” he said. “We're just talking about who's going to do what has to be done. It's one step at a time.”
Last month, a Long Range Facilities Planning Committee comprised of district stakeholders was formed to study the district's current and future facilities needs.
Working with the Manlius-based King and King Architects, the committee will scrutinize each of the school buildings and how they may relate to the district's future. While the district conducts a census every two years to internally project enrollment, Superintendent Mary Kay Worth said that information would not be sufficient for long-range planning. Upon the recommendation of King and King, Worth said it was necessary to have a professional provide a more accurate projection using demographics, real estate and business information.
Board member Jim Wilcox initially questioned the need for a professional, stating that internal projections have been on target. After a conversation between Worth and board members, he ultimately supported hiring Seversky.
In other news:
* The board voted unanimously to replace an inoperable bus lift, appropriating no more than $100,000 from the unreserved, unappropriated fund balance.
The project, deemed an ordinary contingent expense, is up to 81 percent state aidable and must be completed by the end of this academic year.
While the district has a second bus lift used to provide maintenance to the bus fleet, district officials are unsure how much longer the lift will be operable.
“Something has to be done, and something has to be done rapidly or as soon as possible,” Vice President Dean Winspear said, “because if something happens to the other bus lift, there will be no way to service our bus fleet in-house.”
Worth and Business Administrator Martha Stevermer were both confident that the lift could be replaced at $100,000 or less.
* The next board meeting will be 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at the high school library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
