March 5, 2021
Dear Lyndonville Families and Community,
We are beginning to have more sunshine, our COVID numbers are going down, and we have more faculty and staff who have received the vaccine, so I write this update with a touch of optimism and hope.
I have number of key updates for this week, so I am going to break them down into categories.
Educator and Staff Member of the Year
Nominations are still open for this wonderful program to recognize faculty and staff excellence in what has been an especially challenging year, so please consider taking the time to complete a nomination by opening this link: Faculty and Staff Recognitions
New York State Testing
Last week, the United States Department of Education denied New York State’s request to waive all required state testing for students in grades 3-8 and 9-12 high school regents. Therefore the district will be required to test all in-person learning students in grades 3-12 in Math, ELA and various Regents exams. The state did already indicate that these assessments will only be used for diagnostic purposes and will not negatively impact school accountability. The state is now discussing not using Regents exams as a requirement for high school graduation. We expect more detailed information to come out on testing and its impact on graduation, and we will certainly share that. Stay tuned…
Staff Vaccinations
Thanks to an outstanding partnership with the Orleans County Health Department, more and more of our faculty and staff have either been fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19, which means our school community will be even safer moving forward.
Board of Education Meetings
We have fully restored our license with Google and it is no longer necessary to register to view the Board meetings virtually. Simply click on the public link and log in with the following credentials:
username: stream@lcsdk12.org
password: Lyndonville
The link for this Monday’s Board of Education meeting may be found here: livestream link
2021-22 Budget
The 21-22 budget has and will continue to pose challenges for us. Our state aid is essentially flat, our expenses continue to rise, and we have limited ways to raise additional revenue. At Monday’s Board meeting, we will be presenting to the Board a variety of options to have a fiscally responsible budget, while seeking to maintain programs, and at the same time being sensitive to our taxpayers and managing our reserves (“savings”) responsibly.
I you invite to review the following links for additional context, and the presentation we give on Monday night will be posted to our website by going to “Budget Central” under the Board of Education tab:
If you would like to hear a brief state perspective on the budget from the Executive Director of the Rural Schools Association, please open this link: Rural School perspective
Here is the budget presentation given to the Board in February: February budget presentation
Athletics
Congratulations to our winter student-athletes and coaches on their successful, albeit shortened, seasons. Although our attendance has been limited, I know many have been watching the games on our livestream link, and we are hopeful that we will continue to be able to offer this service post-COVID!
Fall II season athletics (volleyball and merged football with Roy-Hart and Barker) are scheduled to being shortly, followed by spring athletics.
Final Thoughts
As you know, we continue to be open for full instruction 5 full days a week for all students. Other districts across the state are now starting to explore ways to do what we have been doing since September. None of this would be possible without the full commitment of all members of the Lyndonville school community, and it has been a personal and professional pleasure (and challenge) leading this entire process.
Here is hoping for warmer weather, more sunshine, more vaccines, and assistance from our state and federal governments to meet our financial burdens.
Jason Smith,
Superintendent of Schools
E-mail: Jasmith@lcsdk12.org
Phone 765-3101
Twitter: @LyndonvilleCSD
@JasonJasmith
Facebook: Lyndonville Central School