The James Prendergast Library

JAMESTOWN – The James Prendergast Library Board of Trustees will wait until at least the fall before it determines whether or not it will change its bylaws to determine how future trustees are selected and whether or not to establish a residency requirement.

The Prendergast falls under the category of an Association Library in New York State. Earlier this month residents approved a proposition to create an Association Library District for the library, which allows it to raise $350,000 each year through a library property tax that will be added to the Jamestown School District tax bill. The library district – which follows the same boundaries as the school district – was established to help offset a recent reduction in funding from city government. The new $350,000 levy also can not be adjusted or eliminated unless another public vote takes place.

As a library board, the trustees have the fiduciary responsibility of overseeing the annual budget, which now will include the annual library tax paid by all property owners in the district.

If the Prendergast were a Public Library instead of an Association Library, it would be required by state law to hold elections for its board members or have them appointed by other elected officials, such as the mayor and city council. There is no state law mandating a process for selecting trustees for association libraries, but the New York State Education Department (NYSED) states at its website that an association library can emulate the basic characteristics of a public library by providing a process for, among other things, the public election of its trustees. NYSED also states, “Association Library bylaws should be amended by the board of trustees to ensure that all eligible voters within the library’s service area can ‘join’ the library association as members and participate in annual elections to select library trustees.” NYSED also states that while not mandatory, residential requirements for the board of trustees may be established in an association library’s bylaws.

As it currently stands for the Prendergast Library, only those individuals who serve on the board of trustees are considered “members” and have the ability to select any new trustees to join the board.  And anyone is invited to apply to be a member of the board of trustees, regardless of residency. The bylaws also state that the number of trustees shall not be less than seven nor more than fifteen. As of this month, there are seven trustees who reside within the district and five who do not.

Prior to the vote approving the $350,000 library tax levy, one of the questions that was raised in the community was whether or not there would be a residency requirement for the board of trustees if the district was approved – or even if city residents would be able to directly vote for who they want to serve on the board, similar to what currently happens with the school board.

“This board could vote to institute that. If that’s important to people, let us know,” explained recently-retired Prendergast executive director Tina Scott during a “community conversation” meeting last October. But Scott also added that there hadn’t been a lot of interest in board participation from within the community, or for there to be stricter requirements on who would serve on the board. “It’s tough to get people to sign up to be on the board and [if there was a required public vote] we would need to pay to hold a vote. But if that’s what the community would want, then absolutely. We’d love the participation,” Scott said.

The library’s new executive director Anne Greene also told WRFA earlier this month that changing the bylaws is something the board is willing to consider.

“The board is open to this idea. However, this year it is impossible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve been focusing on providing service and adhering to public safety guidelines that we have to maintain. But they are definitely open to that and they’ve been discussing it. There would have to be candidates, a campaign, and elections and what not, but they definitely are investigating it,” Greene said.

Because the board doesn’t typically meet during the summer months, the next time it meets wont be until September 17. Whether or not there will be discussion on changing the bylaws for selecting future trustees and also a implementing a residency requirement at that time remains to be seen.

Fletcher Elementary School fourth graders Nivette Hunter, Sara Randolph and Coleson Barber worked on BrainWare Safari software during the Fletcher Advantage Afterschool Program. The award-winning software helps build 41 cognitive skills in six areas for third through sixth graders: attention, memory, thinking, visual processing, auditory processing and sensory integration in fun games. JPS currently uses BrainWare in fifth and sixth grade classrooms during the school day creating a school to afterschool academic connection. “I love playing the game because it helps me think of different ways to get through a maze and solve a problem and it’s so much fun,” said fourth grader Darius Freeney.

JAMESTOWN – Good news for some after school programming at Jamestown Public Schools.

Jamestown Public Schools was recently awarded a one-year extension to its New York State Education Department Extended School Day Grant. The district has received the grant since 2010. The newest extension will conserve existing after school programs and services through June 2016.

The district receives $342,078 annually to help provide a number of high-priority out-of-school time services, including elementary after school programs at Bush, Fletcher, Love and Ring schools, Chautauqua Striders tutoring, visual and performing arts experiences with Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, educational presentations with Chautauqua Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Council, literacy and family night events, after school robotics program in the middle schools, After School Amigos Family Literacy Program at Love School, and a “Literacy Café” middle school reading program.

“This extension is a welcome reprieve from our anticipated funding dilemma,” said JPS Director of After School Programs Julie Poppleton. “We were advised that the existing Extended School Day grant would definitely sunset this June, and were anxious about our chances of capturing another award in light of growing competition for shrinking dollars. We are constantly working hard to secure funding that supplements modest parent fees so that we can sustain service to our community. We know that after school programs not only keep kids safe, they can also inspire learning, help improve students’ academic performance, school attendance, behavior and health, and support working families.”

Jamestown Public Schools serves over 400 students each day in its after school programming. Jamestown Public Schools, in partnership with Chautauqua Striders, YWCA of Jamestown, The Y, and other community organizations, provides academic support, a wide array of youth development activities that complement the regular school day, and family involvement opportunities at four district elementary, and two middle schools.

According to an article in Elmira’s Star Gazette, a parent-led effort to opt their children out of New York’s standardized tests appears to have gained momentum in recent weeks, with the head of the state’s teachers union, various labor-backed groups and even the Working Families Party of New York throwing support behind the movement.

The surge in opt-outs could may cause problems for local school districts, who are facing a threat of potential sanctions from the state Education Department if participation rates on the exams are low. If a district falls below a 95 percent participation rate, the state can impose sanctions – with the most severe punishment being a cut in federal funding.

Some officials say as many as 200,000 parents and students could opt out this year, with many of them living her in Chautauqua County. Last week during the Jamestown School board meeting, Superintendent Tim Mains briefly talked about the importance of the exams, explaining that its crucial for the district to have a high number of students take the exam because it is state law and the district is not in any kind of position to be faced with possible sanctions.

According to the Star Gazette article, the state doesn’t tally the number of parents who refused the test on their children’s behalf. But 67,000 students who didn’t take the 2014 math exam had no “known, valid” excuse, along with 49,000 students who skipped the English Language Arts test, according to the state Education Department.

The “opt out” movement gained steam last year with both parents and teachers voicing concern over the state’s widely criticized rollout of the Common Core, a more-challenging set of education standards being implemented in New York and more than 40 other states.

Robert Bennett

Current board member Robert Bennett is dropping out of Race

ALBANY – Regional State Board of Regents member Robert Bennett is giving up on his bid for a fifth term in office.

Bennett said he’s learned that Assembly Speaker Carl Heasite has decided to back Bennett’s challenger, Catherine Collins, for the region’s post on the board, so he’s dropping out of the race.

Collins is one of two challengers for the seat. The other is John B. Licata. Both are former Buffalo School Board members.

The seat represents Western New York’s 98 school systems, including those in Chautauqua County. The state legislature is scheduled to vote on the matter this week.

Bennett was in Jamestown in December 2013 along with then-state education commissioner John B. King, Jr., who left that post at the end of 2014 to take as a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Education. Both Bennett and King were in town in an effort to alleviate concerns over common core. Bennett had aligned himself with Commissioner King and supported the current Common Core model, which has not sat well with the powerful teachers’ unions across the region.

Bennett has served on the Board of Regents for 20 years. His term will end on March 31.

New York State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. speaks with reporters prior to a public forum on public education at Jamestown High School on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.

ALBANY – The largest teachers’ union in New York State has publicly come out against the state’s top education commissioner, calling for his removal.

According to the NY Daily News, the board of the New York State United Teachers declared they had “no confidence” in the policies of John King, Jr.

In a prepared statement, NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi said, “The commissioner has pursued policies that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully. Instead of listening to and trusting parents and teachers to know and do what’s right for students, the commissioner has offered meaningless rhetoric and token change.”

Iannuzzi criticized King for not backing a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for standardized testing. The NYSUT board also withdrew its support for the Common Core standards.

In a joint statement, Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and state education commissioner King defended the education policies, saying now is not the time to weaken standards. They also stated that they will make necessary adjustments and modifications to the implementation of the Common Core with the help of the governor’s office and state legislature.

King was in Jamestown in December 2013 to host a forum on the common core and public education in New York State and was meant with criticism from parents, teachers and students. Audio from the forum is available at our Soundcloud Page.

JTA President Christopher Reilly addresses the state education commissioner as the audience listens during the public forum on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

JAMESTOWN – A lot of Western New Yorkers are concerned about the current state of public education in New York.

That was the message last night as hundreds of people filled the Jamestown High School auditorium to meet with New York State Education Commissioner John King Jr. to share their thoughts and asks questions about the controversial 21^st Century Learning Standards – more commonly known as “Common Core.”

More than 30 people had an opportunity to speak directly to the commissioner, including Jamestown Teachers Association President Christopher Reilly. Reilly said the teachers in Jamestown are dedicated to improving student achievement, but the new teaching standards imposed by the state has not made it easy.

Jamestown Teachers Association President Christopher Reilly addresses the State Education Commissioner and other education officials on Wednesday Night.

“The expectations of the common core are often times unclear,” Reilly explained. “The modules designed to assist teachers in implementing the Common Core are laced with errors. Teachers should not have to check ‘Engage New York’ to be alerted to errors found in modules. It’s unsettling when good veteran teachers consistently question the modules and their focus and appropriateness.”

Fredonia Middle School principal Andrew Ludwig also spoke out against the Common Core. He said that he’s not only opposed to it as an educator, but also as a parent.

“I can not possibly share with you all of my concerns in the time I am allotted, but you have heard many of these concerns over and over again in different times and different places,” Ludwig said. “You nod your heads, sometimes you smile, but I’m not sure you’re really listening. Unless major changes are made in the 3 through 8 testing program, I believe that many, many parents across the state will refuse your test.”

A few current students also spoke during the public comment, including one who said that the current education model and testing has created anxiety for him. He said he’s also seen his performance slip since the new standards have been implemented.

“Last year I received a [score of] 4 on the New York State test. This year I received a 3. How do you think that made me feel?” he said, adding, “Because of all the anxiety I’ve experienced, I’ve opted out from testing for this coming year. I know I am smart and I don’t need your tests.”

The vast majority of those who spoke expressed various concerns to the education model, ranging from poorly planned implementation models to over-testing and even corporate interests behind the creation of Common Core. However, there were some in attendance who were school administrators from throughout the region who spoke in favor of the standards.

New York State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. speaks with reporters prior to a public forum on public education at Jamestown High School on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.

Commissioner King responded to many of the concerns that were brought forward by the parents, students and teachers who spoke, with some of response aimed at refuting the claims made by those who spoke. His overlying message what that the standards are still new and will take time to adjust to. He added that the state is allowing for the performance evaluations to be slowly phased in over a seven-year period.

Prior to the public forum, WRFA specifically asked him about the amount of stress that the new teaching standards and assessments have created for students, parents and teachers. The commissioner’s response was that stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“There’s a balance you have to strike. There is some productive stress,” King said. “Most things in life that are worth doing require hard work. They require practice. They require preparation. So I think its important that we not say stress is inherently bad. But of course we worry about students feeling stress about the assessments or the educators feeling stress about the assessments. The assessments have to be treated as moment in time that gives us good information about student progress towards the goal, but not become the curriculum.”

The commissioner will hold one more public forum on the common core – most likely in Buffalo – prior to bringing his findings to the State Education Department and the Board of Regents.

WRFA will also have more from Wednesday Night’s public forum during Community Matters, which airs at 6 p.m. Thursday on WRFA.

New York State Chancellor John King, Jr. (Photo via nydailynews.com)

JAMESTOWN – The top public education administrator of New York State will be making a visit to Jamestown this afternoon.

New York Education Commissioner John King, Jr. will host a public educational forum to discuss the controversial Common Core Learning Standards and the New York State Board of Regents’ reform agenda. The forum will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Jamestown High School Auditorium.

In addition to providing information on Common Core and other education reform, the forum will also provide audience members an opportunity to ask questions. Volunteers will be on hand beforehand, circulating a sign-up sheet for audience members who wish to ask a question. Anyone wishing to pose a direct question to King may want to arrive earlier than the 5 p.m. start time in order to get their name on the sheet.

Along with King, Board of Regents Chancellor Emeritus Robert Bennett will also be in attendance.

The forum being co-hosted by the Jamestown school district and Jamestown Community College and will be moderated by the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters.

Again it begins at 5 p.m. in the Jamestown High School Auditorium and is open to the public.

Under NYS Community Schools, approximately 30 schools will be selected in the first round to receive grants of up to $500,000 each over three years. These grants will go toward building strong community partnerships that deliver critical academic, health, extra-curricular and social services primarily in the school building.

The NYS Council on Children and Families, which comprises of the State’s 12 health, education and human services agencies, in coordination with the State Education Department has developed a Program Overview and Grant Implementation Plan to describe how NYS Community Schools will be implemented. The Education Department will accept applications until September 18. Participants will be selected at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.

Ripley residents approved the tuitioning of seventh- through 12th-graders by a 282-262 vote in February. A group of Ripley residents, led by Wanda Bentley, have filed a suit with the state Education Department asking for the vote to be nullified and a new election held. The petition cites a number of complaints implicating the districts’ board members in alleged violations of election law that the community group says changed the results of the Feb. 5 vote.

According to the Post-Journal, Ripley board president Robert Bentley said he was served Tuesday and was advised to refrain from comment.

Jamestown Superintendent Deke Kathman said that when the school closed in January 22 because of severely cold temperatures, 175 students were unable to take the state English exam, 54 students missed the state algebra exam, and 17 students missed the global studies RCT exam. He said that because the New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires those tests to be given only on the day they were initially scheduled, the students missed them in January will now mostly likely not be able to take them until June.

That news was unsettling to several school board members, including Paul Abbott, who said that considering New York State – and Western New York in particular – is known for severe winter weather, the state should have a make up policy in place for when some districts close on test days.

“I find it surprising the state does not already have a system in place to provide for these sorts of events so that they can have retesting [for the] Regents exams,” Abbott said. “This is obviously something that is very important to our students, some of them trying to graduate in January and this is a hurdle for them. It would be important for the school board as an individual body, but also the state school board association, to impress upon the education department that there has to be system in place when you have January Regents in New York Sate.”

School board President Joe DiMaio echoed Abbot’s sentiments, adding that the fact there is no make-up policy puts district superintendents like Kathman in a tough position, on whether or not to close school, knowing that those students who were scheduled to take the exams would be impacted.

“One of the things I think gets left behind is the pressure that it puts on somebody like Deke, who is in ultimate charge of having to do this,” DiMaio said. “You stop to think about it. The temperature at the time was minus 20 with the wind chill factor and we’ve got kids walking up English Street to Bush School, maybe not dressed properly, and that’s a tremendous risk when the temperature is that low.”

The school board is planning to send a request to the state education department, asking that it consider establishing some kind of system to make up exams when they are missed because of snow days. Kathman also said that he has requested the education department make an accommodation for those students who recently missed their test date here in Jamestown because of the school cancelation, but so far he has yet to hear back from them.