Cortland Board of Education member Donald Chu, and Cortland Enlarged City School District's Kristopher Williamson (Business Administrator) and Jordan Ashley (Director of Instruction, Equity and Instructional Personnel), listen in on Cortland BOE's meeting. (Photo Source: Chelsea Horak of The Cortland Voice).
The Cortland Enlarged City School District Board of Education (BOE) held a meeting recently to hear about the summer curriculum writing and to approve several measures for the upcoming year.
Cortland’s next BOE meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept.13 in the Kauffman Center.
Curriculum Creation
The board first heard a presentation about the work that faculty had put in over the summer to develop this year’s curriculum. Jordan Ashley, Director of Instruction, Equity and Instructional Personnel, presented on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) goals and how they were determined based on state and national standards. He also noted that language surrounding SEL goals had been made uniform across school buildings so students have less to adjust to when moving through grade levels.
Amanda Viel, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, then presented on the academic side of planning. Part of that planning includes determining the essential skills that are necessary at a student’s grade level and what they will need to advance, and creating a curriculum around developing those skills. Teachers collaborated as teams to create a pacing guide in order to work through the material at a rate that is consistent for students, and used time over the summer to start their lesson plans.
Safety First
The BOE voted to approve the Safety Plan for the 2022-23 school year. The safety plan includes instructions and expectations for students, parents, and staff in the event of a natural disaster, accident, disease outbreak, and other safety related events. Further instruction on early dismissal procedures will be distributed to parents by October. The plan is revised yearly to keep all contact information and other aspects up to date, and can be viewed on the district website.
Taxes & Transfers
The board approved several transfers of funds from the Unappropriated reserve from the 2021-22 school year. The funds will replenish the individual reserves for items such as teacher retirement, unemployment, workers compensation, capital projects, and repairs. These reserves are established and maintained according to New York State law.
The BOE also approved the Tax Certiorari Settlement and 2022-23 tax rates. Residents can expect tax bills in the mail in the coming weeks, and are encouraged to reach out if they do not arrive. Taxes are due to be paid by Sept. 30, with penalties being added for those paying late.
Before the meeting came to a close, CECSD superintendent Bob Edwards and board member Donald Chu announced that they would be leading the first of several volunteer beautification efforts around the district. Edwards and Chu brought their gardening expertise to Barry Elementary School during the afternoon of Aug. 24, in the first round of landscaping updates they have planned. Future dates and locations will be available on the district website.
