Superintendent Update

Dear Families,

I hope the extra day added to the Memorial Day break was helpful and enjoyable for you. Thanks again to the mild winter we experienced and to our Board of Education for its understanding and support in adjusting the school calendar. The change was made with your needs in mind, and we hope it provided a much-needed break before the final sprint to graduation. More importantly, it offered the opportunity to consider and reflect upon the tremendous sacrifices of our military, especially those who paid the ultimate price. We must always remember them.

Our schools are buzzing as we wrap up the school year. Students are working hard to close the year as most secondary students prepare for Regents and local examinations. A reminder the last day of school for students will be:

• Thursday, June 13th for Grades 9-12
• Monday, June 24th for Grades K-8

For dates and times of the June 2024 NYSED Regents examinations, please click HERE.

Our students and staff continue to excel in and out of the classroom, and their achievements deserve recognition. These accolades are a testament to their hard work and dedication, and they are only possible because of the care and encouragement of our supportive community. The late, great Whitney Houston captured it best when she urged us to believe in our children. We must continue to teach them well and let them lead the way. Our future is in great hands as our students continue to achieve very high levels.

Finally, the 2024-25 school budget and annual Maintenance Capital Project gained support from the majority of our voters, reflecting the faith and investment you all have in our schools. Thank you to everyone who joined us in voting. We appreciate your support and engagement in ensuring our children have the tools and supports to thrive in the coming year.

In partnership,

Aaron R. Johnson

Superintendent of Schools

With the approval of the 2024-25 school budget, plans are now in motion to continue to expand our continuum of K-6 Special Education programs. This aligns with our five-year Strategic Plan, which will soon start Year 4. For the past two years, we have been closely reviewing current Special Education staffing at the elementary level to expand our continuum. This school year, we opened two 8:1:1 self-contained classrooms (one at Colebrook and one at Iroquois) to begin.

For 2024-25, we'll add new Special Education teacher positions to help build North and South end Integrated Co-Taught (ICT) classrooms starting in kindergarten. This is an important aspect of our expansion because it will help students who need an ICT program to either remain in their home building or move to a K-3 building which feeds to their home 4-6 building (Rogers or Iroquois). After next year, we will continue to add an additional ICT at the Kindergarten level until we are fully staffed for North and South end ICTs at each K-6 grade level. We are thankful for the support from the West Irondequoit community so that we may best serve our students receiving special education services.

This spring, our district applied for a Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK)

expansion grant through New York State. It would allow us to open more Pre-K slots for the 2024-25 school year, as well as support Pre-K students at the funding rate of $10,000 per Pre-K student per school year vs. our federal allocation per student. which is currently $6,600 per student per school year. The current allocation of $6,600 has been a barrier to the expansion of our Pre-K program as it has been fiscally difficult for community-based organizations (CBOs), like local daycare facilities, to run UPK classrooms at their center.

We are pleased to share that we have been awarded initial approval of the SUFDPK expansion grant which allows us to begin working with local CBOs/daycare facilities to expand the number of awarded slots for Pre-K for the 2024-25 school year. Families who are on the current waitlist will be notified as soon as we have more concrete details.

There are a few steps remaining prior to final approval. NYSED is required to obtain the approval of the Division of Budget and the Office of the State Comptroller of the expansion grants. NYSED must also review and approve our budget. In the meantime, we will be working diligently behind the scenes to work with CBO's to secure additional Pre-K/UPK slots for the 2024-25 school year!

VISIT OUR PRE-K PAGE

West Irondequoit voters approved the 2024-25 School District Budget and Proposition #1, a new Maintenance Capital Project, on May 21, 2024, and elected three new Board of Education members. Thank you to our community for its support. Voter turnout was down throughout Monroe County but we still ranked fifth (see graphic above) for total votes cast. Congratulations to new Board of Education members Mrs. Kate Copeland, Mr. Kevin Schoepfel and Ms. Tarmara Wall. Below are the results:

District Budget (74% approval)

YES – 1,237

NO – 436

Proposition #1 (Maintenance Cap. Project)

YES – 1,322

NO – 352

Board of Education election (three available seats)

Gary Adams – 949 votes

Kevin Schoepfel – 1,073 votes

Kate Copeland – 1,341 votes

Tamara Wall – 1,110 votes

Mrs. Copeland, Mr. Schoepfel and Ms. Wall start the 3-year terms July 1, 2024. For more info on the 2024-25 Budget and $1.62 million Maintenance Capital Project, go to our Vote Page.

One of first aspects of the R.I.S.E. Capital Project - new playgrounds at Iroquois and Rogers middle schools - is set to start this summer. You can see the renderings above. To see a full/projected R.I.S.E. Project timeline, click here. The project was initially scheduled to start earlier this spring but due to a backlog of requests, approval from the State Education Department was delayed.

NYS Education Law requires each school district to have a comprehensive Code of Conduct and to review that Code of Conduct on an annual basis. This year’s committee to review our Code of Conduct consists of 26 people inclusive of students, staff, and family representation. The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to provide guidance and clarity for all who are part of our school community and/or access our school district facilities and grounds. It must include:

• Provisions regarding conduct.

• Provisions prohibiting harassment and bullying.

• Provisions for safety inclusive of violence and weapons.

• Guidelines for disciplinary consequences/restorative interventions.

• Provisions for communication and professional development in support of the plan.

The goal when annually reviewing the Code is to partner with our community to provide a comprehensive educational experience for our students that balances high expectations, diverse opportunities, intellectual growth, and personal responsibility. To support this, the Code was reviewed to:

• Ensure compliance with section 2801 of the New York State education law.

• Afford multiple members of the greater West Irondequoit community the opportunity to analyze the district’s current code of conduct and provide input that aligns with the district’s mission and core commitments.

• Ensure equity for all members of the West Irondequoit community.

A public hearing of the recommended revisions to the Code of Conduct for the 2024-2025 school year was held at the May 30, 2024 Board of Education meeting (watch it here).

The annual New Teacher-Mentor Celebration was held in May for educators district-wide! Each year veteran teachers partner with first-year educators to help them along as West Irondequoit "rookies." CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY!

Email: public_info@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: westirondequoit.org
Location: 321 List Avenue, Irondequoit, NY, USA
Phone: 585-342-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestIrondequoitCSD
Twitter: @WestIrondequoit