Community Message 5/10/2024

Dear Lewiston-Porter Community,

I hope this message finds you well. I would like to share some important updates with all of you.

On Monday, May 13th at 6:00 pm in the Boardroom at the Community Resource Center, we will host our annual district budget presentation for the 2024-25 school year. We will present a $54,651,119 budget to support our educational programming. This year has been challenging due to a lack of revenue from New York State Foundation Aid, which resulted in a ~3.7% decrease in overall state aid. Despite this, no program cuts were made that directly impacted students. The budget seeks a 2.1% tax increase to sustain school programs and eliminate 20.5 staff positions, mostly through retirement or attrition. The overall budget-to-budget increase is just 0.1%, or $57,807. Also, that evening, the LPHS 12th-grade Participation in Government students and the PTSA will sponsor a Meet the Candidates Night. We have three candidates running for two seats on the Board of Education. The 2024 slate of candidates includes:

• Steven J. Tarnowski

• Sara Ohenessian

• Tessa Connelly

The candidates will respond to questions posed by the 12th-grade government students and offer the opportunity to express their views on the direction of the district and school programs.

Voters will be asked to determine the next steps in a proposed $11.15 million capital project. This initiative includes refurbishing the athletic turf fields at Blakeslee and Elia Stadiums and installing solar panels at the Intermediate Education Center and Middle School. This work is crucial as the fields need repair, and the solar project will significantly contribute to our energy cost savings. The local share within the budget will remain consistent within the project, with the scope of the work primarily funded through New York State building aid and the New York State Power Authority settlement.

Do you love to travel? Consider joining our trip to China in Fall 2024 from November 5-17, 2024. We will fly from Buffalo to Beijing, stay with host families in Tianjin, and tour major sites like the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City. Eligible high school students (including 8th graders moving to 9th grade) can participate. To learn more, join us for an information meeting on Wednesday, May 15th, at 6:00 PM in the LPHS Library, or contact Mrs. Anika Fetzner at afetzner@lew-port.com or 716-286-7263. All internal travel costs, including sightseeing, accommodations, and meals, will be sponsored by Tianjin Normal University and the Tianjin Education Association for International Education.

The Superintendent's Student Advisory Council is excited to launch a dual-initiative school supply drive to support students at Ebenezer Nursery and Primary School in Tanzania. You can:

• Drop-Off Supplies: We are collecting paper, pens, pencils, folders, and more. Please place donations in the collection boxes in the middle and high school hallways.

• Sponsor a Backpack: Sign up to fill a backpack with supplies for a student. There will be designated drop-off times just after Memorial Day. Here is the link to the backpack sponsorship form.

Congratulations to seniors Emily Mountain and Matthew Long, who represented Lewiston-Porter at the annual Thomas E. Hewitt Scholar/Athlete Awards brunch on May 5th. Each received a $400 scholarship, and Matthew won the $2,500 overall male scholarship award, besting candidates from seven other schools.

Thank you for your continued support of our district and students. We hope to see you on Monday, May 13th at 6:00 pm.

Warmest regards,

Paul J. Casseri,

Superintendent of Schools

Lewiston-Porter Central School District