April Shoup, Celia Wilson

Two Jamestown Public School teachers will be honored by the Western New York Educational Service Council.

Jamestown High School English as a New Language paraprofessional, Celia Wilson, will receive the Award for Excellence for Support Staff Services. Bush Elementary School First Grade teacher April Shoup will receive the Award of Excellence for Teaching. Both will be honored at the WNYESC’s 16th Annual Awards Banquet on April 26th.

The annual banquet honors teachers, support staff, administrators and Board of Education members. Nominations highlight how the nominee demonstrated dedication and exemplary service to the district and the regional educational community, how the individual demonstrated leadership, how he or she made a difference in the district, and why he or she is an outstanding member of the district.

Mrs. Shoup has taught for seven years in Jamestown and is a member of the Bush Elementary School Building Leadership Team, K-8 Literacy Curriculum Advisory Committee and Spirit Committee.

Mrs. Wilson has also been with Jamestown Schools for seven years. She assists in classrooms, works on ENL skills with 15-20 students per semester, translates during Regents exams and helps to communicate with families.

WNYESC is a non-profit educational organization affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo representing 70 school districts in an eight county region.

Last Month the school board selected Western New York Educational Service Council (WNYESC) as the district’s search consultant. The group will help to assist the Jamestown School Board with candidate recruitment, credential reviews, and on-site consultation in the hiring process.

WRFA talked with school board president Paul Abbott on March 28 about the search effort, and he said things are moving along.

“We’re going to set deadlines for applicants, and as soon as we get those applicants and as soon as we have those applicants in, we’ll start reviewing them and going through the process of narrowing down an initial group of interviews, a group of finalists, and then selecting from that group of finalists,” Abbott said.

As of April 5, the superintendent’s position has yet to be listed on the WNYESC “Superintendent Searches” web page.

Abbott also said that ideally, the board would like to have a new superintendent hired by August – before students return to classes for the new 2017-18 school year, although it could take longer.

“I think that would be the time that we would hope for. I’m not necessarily expecting they will be here by the first of August, I would certainly say that we as a board are driving to have our new superintendent in place by the time school starts in September, but of course, the right candidate is more important than the first candidate,” Abbott said.

The district is in the process of finding a new superintendent following the departure of previous superintendent Tim Mains, who left the district in February after taking a job with the Pine Bush School District on the eastern side of New York State, near the Hudson Valley region. The district has hired Sylvia Root to serve in the interim.

Meanwhile, the board held a meeting Tuesday night to continue to discuss the 2017-18 $83.9 million budget. The tentative spending plan – which is still being discussed and is not final – doesn’t call for any tax increase and officials are considering adding on a total of eight new positions, which include two middle school teachers, two language positions, two paraprofessionals, a music instructor and a school psychologist.

The board will finalize and vote on the budget later this month and it will go to public vote during the board of education elections on May 16.

(From Left to Right) Jamestown High School Secretary LeighAnn Bellitto, Ring Elementary School Instructional Coach Marci Centi, and Jamestown Public Schools Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Jessie Joy recently learned they will be honored at the Western New York Educational Service Council’s (WNYESC) 11th Annual Awards Banquet on April 27, 2016.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Public Schools Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Jessie Joy, Ring Elementary School Instructional Coach Marci Centi, and Jamestown High School Secretary LeighAnn Bellitto recently learned they will be honored at the Western New York Educational Service Council’s (WNYESC) 11th Annual Awards Banquet on April 27th.

Joy will receive the Award of Excellence for Administration, Centi will be honored with the Award of Excellence for Teaching and Bellitto will receive the Award for Excellence for Support Staff Services. The awards will be given out at the 11th Annual Awards for Excellence program honoring teachers, support staff, administrators and Board of Education members.

Nominations highlight how the nominee demonstrated dedication and exemplary service to the district and the regional educational community, how the individual demonstrated leadership, how did he or she make a difference in the district, and why he or she is an outstanding member of the district.

Joy has worked for Jamestown Public Schools for 23 years. She began as a math teacher at Jamestown High School. She was promoted to district math department chairperson in 2004 and curriculum coordinator for math in 2006. In 2008, Ms. Joy was named to her current position, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.

Centi began with JPS 11 years ago and was a second grade teacher at Ring Elementary School for most of those years. Last year, she accepted a position as Ring Elementary School’s Building Instructional Coach.

Bellitto started at JPS 20 years ago as a paraprofessional. She was promoted to the Health and Attendance Clerk at Persell Middle School and became the Jamestown High School secretary in 2010.

“Jamestown Public Schools is very proud of Ms. Joy, Mrs. Centi and Mrs. Bellitto,” said JPS Superintendent Tim Mains. “We know that our staff is extraordinary, but it is gratifying when an outside organization, such as WNYESC, recognizes the excellence of our employees. Ms. Joy, Mrs. Centi and Mrs. Bellitto exemplify the high-quality work of our administration, teachers and support services that all JPS employees strive to achieve. Congratulations to all three on a well-deserved honor.”

WNYESC is a non-profit educational organization affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo representing 70 school districts in an eight county region. For the 10th consecutive year, it has sponsored an Excellence Recognition Program for support staff, teachers, administrators, superintendents, and board of education members. Those honored for this recognition have all had a very positive impact on their schools and school districts and the students they serve.