I just dont know enough on the subject yet to answer this question intelligently. We believe we could provide better programs for our students if we look at how we are structured and contemplate making some significant changes, McLaren said. The school serves the towns of Woodstock, West Hurley, Olive, and Shandaken, each comprising several small hamlets including Glenford, Ashokan, Beechford, Brodhead, Brown's Station, Cold Brook, Davis Corners, Krumville, Olivebridge, Samsonville, Shokan, Winchell, West Shokan, Bearsville, Byrdcliffe, Montoma, Daisy, Shady, Willow, Wittenberg, parts of Zena, Phoenicia, Pine Hill, Ohayo, Oliverea, Mt. All our communities lost their K-6 schools and every community had same-household siblings split up, she said. Closing up in Kabul on Monday. This would still save them money if that is truly what they are after. I asked the board about a central campus back then. Why are we changing this? Security forces with the Taliban administration broke up the protest using fire hoses and shot weapons into the air to disperse the crowd. Education is defined and provided by educators, not by a building even one that has held so much love. McGill said she and her colleagues still must finish their analysis of all reconfiguration scenarios, but they have concluded that each would to save more than $2 million in conjunction with other changes to district operations that she has been researching. This is U.S. Census data. August 25, 2022. As the parent of four children, a business owner and the daughter of a Marine, I know that one must always be willing to improvise and adapt. I moved upstate to give her a safe, healthy environment, a vibrant community, she explained And I hear I want to be part of that. Rural towns need schools. The initial announcement ordering salons to close prompted a rare public protest early this month in Kabul, the capital, where dozens of salon owners and beauticians marched down the street while holding signs opposing the ban. Seeing that building there evokes so much emotion and a sense of learning and a sense of community. Former school board president and 14-year board member Laurie Osmond said that the board president and vice president meet with the superintendent the week before the monthly meeting to set the agenda. The Princeton plan was a fancy shell game. Out of 127 students attending Phoenicia, only 55 live in the Town of Shandaken, Bishop said, while 72 live in Bearsville, Boiceville, Glenford, Hurley, Olivebridge, Shokan, Stone Ridge, West Hurley, West Shokan and Willow. What is happening here is a complete lack of transparency, she said. Im fed up with the district saying every few years that theres a problem but then not doing anything about it. Closings and delays as of 7/28/2023 1:53 PM. Wallis equated the situation to an old couple whose children have moved out of the house and have to deal with downsizing. The resolution passed by the board May 2 commits the district to working toward a unified central campus by 2028. That plan is expected to change in 2028 when Woodstock would close, which will require another board vote for a new configuration plan. The vote was the culmination of many meetings, beginning with a 2019 study conducted by Dr. Kevin Baughman that laid out six options. Subscribe now. We are a small business entrepreneurs in this town, also thinking about making a major investment in this town, and Im reconsidering that right now., Brooks was not thrilled with the idea of her daughter riding the bus for three extra hours per week if Woodstock Elementary eventually closes. Is it $70 million? Write-in candidate Caroline Jerome has been elected to the Onteora School Board, besting incumbent president Emily Sherry in a vote that brings in three new trustees after a recent board decision to close the Phoenicia and eventually the Woodstock elementary schools. BOICEVILLE, N.Y. Residents are continuing to express consternation over plans to close Phoenicia Elementary School in 2024 and ultimately Woodstock Elementary School in favor of a central campus using two Boiceville buildings. The school that opened in 1964 came up on the short end of a 6-1 Board of Education vote Tuesday, when anger and tears werent enough to match statistics involving declining enrollment and the need to consolidate resources. Included were: Closing Bennett Elementary School, having Phoenicia and Woodstock elementary schools each house kindergarten through fifth grade, have grades 6-8 in the middle school, and grades 9-12 in the senior high school. McGill said she would present further details at the school boards next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 13, but noted that implementing the Princeton Plan would be roughly equal, financially, to closing a school. Is this what Phoenicia and Woodstock are facing in their future?. They gave no response. There are still steps to take before a central campus happens, including the development of an architectural and financial plan, an environmental review and voter authorization. Were expecting a lot more employees to be starting there in the next few years Im assuming several of those people will be living in similar situations like me with a young family., Onteora board votes to close Phoenicia school, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Onteora board votes to close Phoenicia school despite pleas from residents, Snapshot: Dragonfly lights upon a reed in Shokan, Mid-Hudson Valley people On the move for July 31, 2023, Ulster County, Kingston meetings for the week of July 31, 2023, Mid-Hudson Valley business calendar for the week of July 31, 2023, Kingston Police arrest 3 in connection with fatal shooting, Saugerties police chief was put on leave over controversy from state AG's report, supervisor says, 28-year-old killed in Kingston shooting, police say, Mid-Hudson Valley arrests report: July 29, 2023, Marijuana farmers markets OK'd by village of New Paltz, Mid-Hudson Valley arrests report: July 28, 2023, Sarra Gilbert, Ellenville woman guilty of murdering mother, loses appeal, Ulster County Human Rights Commission receives new appointments, Man seriously injured in car-motorcycle crash in Wallkill, Hurley board to decide on Route 28 Dunkin' plan, Thought it was gone? Superintendent Victoria McLaren said the district would save $370,000 to $750,000 annually in facilities costs and $880,000 per year in transportation expenses under the new configuration. However, three things bother me about the imminent closing of Phoenicia Elementary. The board recently approved the first step of the reconfiguration by moving the sixth grade to the middle school beginning with the 2024-25 school year. 11WOODSTOCK, N.Y. Options for closing one or more elementary schools in the Onteora Central School District have brought objections from people who are not convinced the statistics . I never imagined a pandemic in my lifetime. One of the options on the table with the Princeton plan was a central campus. A national teacher shortage was creating difficulties in a district where 30 percent of the teachers will reach retirement age by 2028. School Closings and Remote Instruction | News - Story - Phoenicia Elementary School < Back to News January 26, 2023 Dear Parents/Guardians, As you are aware, the District had allocated six (6) snow days as part of the 2022-2023 school calendar and our plan was to use these days if needed. Thats a reduction of about twelve percent. Our elementary buildings are significantly underutilized, however. New parents can choose: I have said before that this was being timed to happen before the election so there was no chance of a new trustee getting a vote. One Onteora imagines a district that addresses the myriad of learners we have with educational equity and opportunity. The transition to a central campus comprising the middle/high school and Bennett Elementary and leading to the eventual closure of Woodstock Elementary will require voter authorization of a bond. More about Christina Goldbaum, A version of this article appears in print on, Taliban Shut Beauty Salons, One of Afghan Womens Last Public Spaces, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/world/asia/taliban-beauty-salons-afghanistan.html. I just implore you to consider not taking a vote tonight.. Our children follow after our example. F: 845.657.8742. Have you seen the West Hurley School? The Onteora School Board voted 6-1 to close Phoenicia Elementary School on Tuesday evening, May 2, in all likelihood likely sealing the same fate for the Woodstock Elementary School. We break apart teacher cohorts in fourth and fifth grade that we know are working, Lynch said We prolong the separation with two schools instead of bringing them together, strengthening the culture of one Onteora. I have said before that there was an agenda and that numerous former school board members have heard the superintendent say over the years that she wanted a central campus, and I was told there was no agenda, Osmond said. Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:29, "4-year graduation rates improve in most area school districts", "Onteora Indian mascot to be replaced by eagle", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Onteora_High_School&oldid=1141864264, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:29. What, if anything, would make you change your mind on the subject? PHOENICIA Onteora school district leaders are studying three options to reorganize the districts elementary schools, two of which involve closing a school. o Closing one building and splitting the remaining two schools into separate K-3 and 4-6 alignments. He spent four years as City Hall reporter for Fosters Daily Democrat in Dover, NH, then moved back to Woodstock in 2003 and worked on the Daily Freeman copy desk until 2013. Tremper, Mt. Its rotting in a community. To reach the best solution, I believe conversation, connection, and compromise are all necessary. Published January 24. Implementing the Princeton Plan would allow the district to even out class sizes and streamline operations by equalizing the number of sections in each building, McGill said in explaining the savings associated with the configuration. F: 845.657.8742. A teacher shortage doesnt make it any easier. When the weather is bad, look for the CBS 6 News SchoolWatch system to keep you up to date on closing information for the. Many expect the eventual closure of Woodstock Elementary School as well. Overall turnout was more than two and a half times last years, with voters forming a line the length of Woodstock Elementary School in an election that typically gets somewhere around 700 voters. This makes just absolutely no sense. Independent. I want one Onteora, not several towns fighting against each other. Resident Esther Downton encouraged board members to work with groups that object to the school closings. He spent four years as City Hall reporter for Fosters Daily Democrat in Dover, NH, then moved back to Woodstock in 2003 and worked on the Daily Freeman copy desk until 2013. It closed West Hurley Elementary School in 2004. and an incredible library. Information on participating the group sessions is available through Sharon Wood at (845) 657-8851. When you look beyond that, there is no denying that the district can no longer sustain the model we have now. Superintendent's Letter December 23, 2021 - free COVID testing event at Onteora High School January 9, 2022; Superintendent's Letter December 23, 2021 - COVID testing kits available during the break and free COVID testing event at Onteora High School January 9, 2022 . Take a look at Zillow. When Onteora was created in 1952, it was in one building, with the same number of students that we have today, 1000. In doing so, the District will not have to take days away from Spring Recess. I feel strongly these small community based schools are the best option for our children. Jerome, a Woodstock Library trustee, will begin her term July 1. May 23, 2023 in Education 0 Write-in candidate Caroline Jerome has been elected to the Onteora School Board, besting incumbent president Emily Sherry in a vote that brings in three new trustees after a recent board decision to close the Phoenicia and eventually the Woodstock elementary schools. May 8, 2023 in Education 0 (Photo by Dion Ogust) The Onteora Central School District's trustees last week voted 6-1 to close Phoenicia Elementary School at the end of the 2023-24 school year, as well as approving an eventual central campus in Boiceville that would house all students in grades k-12 by 2028.
Read-only To Edit Word Converter, Articles O