Transcript Considering Centralization

Educating our Children
{ Community Discussions
Brocton & Westfield
Our school buildings are 8 miles apart
& our communities are similar
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Community Demographics
Population
Enrollment
Similar financial challenges
Existing collaborations and shared services
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Brocton Central
The District is 35.8
square miles and has
a K-12 campus serving
248 students in K-5,
120 students in 6-8
and 166 students in 912.
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Westfield Academy
The District is 41.9
square miles and has a
K-12 campus serving
301 students in K-5,
166 students in 6-8
and 256 students in 912.
If centralized the new District would be
77.7 square miles and serve approximately
549 students in K-5, 286 students in 6-8 and
422 students in 9-12.
Considering
Centralization
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Brocton Central School District &
Westfield Academy and Central School District
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Brocton Central K-12
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Westfield Academy K-12
200708
201213
201718
202223
202728
2007- 2012- 2017- 2022- 202708
13
18
23
28
634
534
493
454
419
807
723
701
713
720
Declining Enrollment
The projections above are from the Centralization Feasibility Study. For a
historical perspective, it should be noted that in 2003-04 Brocton had 740
students enrolled K-12 and Westfield had 951 students enrolled K-12. If
centralized, the new district would have an estimated enrollment of 1242
students in 2014-15 and 1190 students in 2027-28.
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Brocton Central
The study projects that
BCS will expend its
fund balance and
reserves by the start of
the 2017-18, starting the
year with a deficit of
-$375,019.
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Westfield Academy
The study projects that
WACS will expend its
fund balance and
reserves by the start of
the 2017-18, starting the
year with a deficit of
-$171,570
Declining Resources
The Districts have already made program cuts and
reductions over the past three years. If projections
hold true, both Districts will exhaust fund balance
within the next five years and no longer have
resources to offset the tax levy with reserve funds.
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Brocton Central
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15.5 Teachers
7 Support Staff
Athletic Offerings
Extra-Curricular
Offerings
Educational Field Trips
Classroom Equipment
and Supplies
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Westfield Academy
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6.75 Teachers
2.5 Support Staff
Elective Offerings
Athletic Offerings
Extra-Curricular Offerings
Educational Field Trips
Classroom Equipment and
Supplies
Declining Educational Opportunities
Moving Forward
The Boards of Education authorized a centralization
feasibility study, appointed Advisory Committee
Representatives and authorized the superintendents and
District employees to provide data and information to the
consultants to prepare a centralization feasibility study. The
study was released in March.
Study Question
Will creating a new school district through
centralization enhance or maintain educational
opportunities and at the same time increase
long-term efficiencies and lower costs for the
taxpayers of both Brocton Central School
District and Westfield Academy and Central
School District?
Recommendations
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Merge to create a new district
Do not level up, but create new contracts
Consider a longer school day for staff and students
Keep both bus garages during initial configuration
Maintain 2 bus runs (elementary/secondary)
Create a new transportation policy to deal with issues
of walkers, railroad crossings, etc.
Reduce administrative staff in the areas of
superintendent, principals, business office staff and
transition to Central Business Office through BOCES
Recommendations
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Add the position of K-12 assistant principal for at
least 5 years
Add the position of part-time curriculum coordinator
Create a Director of Pupil Services
Make Technology Director a single full-time position
and have 2 FTE technicians through BOCES
Efficiencies in other areas:
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.5 Athletic Director
1 school psychologist
2 guidance counselors
1 social worker at elementary level
1 transportation director
1 cafeteria manager
1 head custodian
Recommendations
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Reduce health service personnel by .5, district treasurer by 1,
district clerk by 1
New superintendent’s priority to review staffing levels in
clerical, custodial, mechanics, buildings and grounds, food
service, transportation. All can be gradually decreased.
Reassign a support staff person to provide door security in each
building.
Use Operating Incentive Aid as follows: 40% to reduce taxes,
35% to improve programming and cover personnel costs and
25% for the OIA reserve fund, including funds for the local share
of capital improvement projects (2%)
Recommendations
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New BOE to ask for voter approval of the reserve accounts.
Review the secondary program to ensure that it meets SED
expectations and 21st century learner needs, and consider
the following:
Reinstatement of lost electives, including the ag. program
so long as there are 8 to 10 students to enroll in them.
Provide AP classes and more programs linked to colleges.
Maintain class sizes of 20 students in secondary (7 – 12)
courses.
Recommendations
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Assess building needs for future use.
Project student enrollment annually and respond to the
findings.
Staff should organize into bargaining units as soon as
possible and negotiations should begin at once.
Create a 9 member board of education with members elected
for 5 year periods
A new Recommendation…
Both Boards are committed to using existing facilities.
The Study presented a housing option that was not acceptable to
the Boards of Education. The Boards have adopted a
recommendation that is outside of the study. The supported
initial configuration would utilize both campuses for
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Primary and elementary education in both schools
House a middle school on the Westfield Campus
House a high school on the Brocton Campus
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Campus in Brocton
Under the
configuration adopted
by the Boards of
Education, this
campus would house
Pre K-Grade 5 and 912 Students.
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Campus in Westfield
Under the
configuration adopted
by the Boards of
Education, this
campus would house
students in Pre-KGrade 5 and 6-8
Students.
Using current enrollment data, the campus
in Brocton would house approximately 670
students and the campus in Westfield would
house approximately 587 students.
Replacing a Recommendation
Changing a recommendation may change the findings in the
study. To provide an accurate snapshot of possible
centralization, we have asked for guidance from the study
team members that the impact of the configuration change be
integrated throughout the study creating an addendum to the
document.
Questions on New Recommendation
Can the new configuration be cost effective?
How does this affect:
• Administrative and faculty staffing
• Transportation
• Class size
• Building costs
Administration & Faculty
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Adding a Dean of Students to the Westfield Campus
incurs an additional cost of approximately $83,000
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Reduction of 15 faculty members would be possible
by maintaining new class size recommendations
from ( Recommendation 18). This would provide a
$278,000 savings over the original configuration.
Transportation
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A shuttle bus approach is recommended for
transporting students between campuses.
Building
 An increased cost of $126,000 for
maintaining additional building space.
Conclusion
 If the revised recommendations were followed, the new
district could see a net savings of $68,000 more than the
original proposal.
What would Centralization mean?
Centralization directs
approximately $25 Million
dollars in new funding toward
the Brocton and Westfield
communities
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Paid over 14 years as Operating
Incentive Aid.
Operating Incentive Aid
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Projected Tax Rates from
original configuration
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Projected Tax Rates from
original configuration
Brocton
2012-13
2014-15
2016-17
Westfield
2012-13
2014-15
2016-17
Stand alone
23.15
21.76
20.72
Stand alone
17.92
17.62
17.32
17.26
16.83
Combined
w/OIA
( 40% OIA)
17.26
16.83
Combined
w/OIA
(40% OIA)
The combined tax rate for the newly formed district
has 40% of operating aid applied to the tax levy.
Use of Operating Incentive Aid
In the numbers
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Roughly $900,000 for each of the first five years
to fund educational programming
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Approximately $1,044,000 for each year of the
first five years to offset the tax levy
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Approximately $653,000 for each year of the
first five years for reserves for future use
How our students benefit…
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Committed educational teaming
Community elementary schools
Greater instruction specialization
Additional funds to implement Regents Reform Agenda
Continue to offer enriched secondary curriculum
Economy of scale in creating new district with approximately
1250 students will maintain educational and extracurricular
opportunities.
Why we are here…
The Boards of Education have each accepted the study and
adopted a housing configuration for students. The Boards of
Education are now engaged in gathering comments and
questions from the two communities, and sharing
information about the possibility of an advisory referendum
for a centralization of the Brocton and Westfield Central
School Districts.
Formation of a New District
Ultimately, the decision is a yes or no for the
formation of a new school district by centralization.
The timeline has periods for informational public
hearings before the advisory referendum is
authorized and binding referendum ordered.
A snapshot of the timeline
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Four Informational Public Hearings April 30 –May 16
Boards vote on Advisory Referendum—May 21
If authorized by both Boards, Advisory Referendum slated for
June 18 in both districts.
Passage of Advisory Referendum in both communities would
lead to binding referendum vote in October 2013.
If authorized by voters in October 2013 in both districts, a new
district would be created July 1, 2014
Essential Question
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Should the Brocton Central School District and
Westfield Academy and Central School District be
joined together as a single district by centralization?
Previous Questions…
We would like to share information from our previous sessions with
you at this time. We have also reserved time for your questions and
thoughts.
Terminology?
The term centralization, consolidation and merger are all the
same. The official term that the New York State Department of
Education is using is centralization. You will see all three
words used in the final consolidation study.
More Administration Now?
With the increased Federal and State requirements such as Race To The
Top, No Child Left Behind, 2 teacher observations a year on each teacher
(APPR), student testing both State and local, regulations on
attendance, discipline, bullying laws, safety requirements, graduation
requirements, Common Core Curriculum requirements, faculty
meetings, parent meetings, student meetings along with the extracurriculum programs, school administrators have more duties than they
did 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
Reserve Funds?
There are approximately 15 different reserve funds that school districts
can use to keep money for future needs in specific areas. The new
Board of Education, with advice from the Superintendent and Business
Official, may put 25% of the (OIA) in accounts they feel will best fit
the needs of the District at that time. The intent is that the District
become fiscally responsible with the OIA monies and uses them for
future needs as well as current needs.
Capital Reserve Fund?
The study recommends having the voter approve putting some
of the 25% OIA into a capital reserve account to be used for
future capital projects (Recommendation 17). The new
District building aid will be at 98% with only a 2% local
share necessary for such capital projects. This 98% is only
available for the 1st 10 years of the new district. The State will
then re-evaluate what percentage the District building aid
should be set at. So it was recommended that the new district
put some monies in a Capital Reserve Account but not all
25%.
Binding Decisions?
Besides the first recommendation of moving forward with the
consolidation process, the new Board of Education is not
legally bound by the remaining 22 recommendations.
This study and these recommendations are a road map for the
current Boards of Education and the new Board of Education to use
as they try to design the best educational program for the students
and at the same time increase long-term efficiencies and lower cost
for all taxpayers.
Board Configuration?
If the Districts get to the point of voting for a referendum to
consolidate the two districts, then an official vote will take place in
early October 2013. Not only will the people be able to vote for the
consolidation but they will also design the make-up of the new Board of
Education. There will be 3 choices for the number of Board of
Education members for the new District - that of 5 members, 7
members or 9 members. Also, how long will the terms of these
members be - 3 years, 4 years or 5 years? The voters will determine
this by a majority vote.
Equal Representation?
This will be a new school district and all new members will be
voted as “at large candidates” coming from the entire 77 square
mile new school district. There can be no wards or precincts
where a certain number of Board of Education members must be
selected from.
New discussion format?
The Superintendents, Board of Education Presidents and the
District Superintendent are discussing this possibility. It is
required by law that there are four public hearings (two in each
District) to allow for information and public feedback. We will
look into how we can meet this requirement and at the same time
come up with a different way to ask and answer questions.
Questions & Comments
We are here to gather any questions you may have. In order to provide
full and accurate answers, we will record all questions. Questions and
answers will be posted on school web sites. Copies of questions and
answers will be made available in community locations and reviewed at
the next three public information sessions.
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Please state your name and residence before asking questions or adding
comments when you speak at the microphone.
We ask that you limit your time to three minutes to allow all people an
opportunity to be heard.