The Clarkstown Connection
January 2025
A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Clarkstown Central School District Families and Staff,
I hope everyone enjoyed the day off on Wednesday and, to those who celebrate, Happy Lunar New Year!
Earlier this week, the District acknowledged another important date — International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27). As you are aware, CCSD partners with the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education (HMCTE) in Suffern to not only teach our students age-appropriate curriculum, but reinforce positive values and traits. Yesterday, HMCTE brought their Kindness is Contagious program to Laurel Plains Elementary School. The assembly highlighted how good deeds can help combat hatred in the world and build a better one, honoring the lessons learned from history.
While we are only one month into the new year, school districts throughout New York State are already developing their 2025-26 budgets with one goal in mind — to give our children the best-possible educational experiences. At the regional level, the Lower Hudson Education Coalition (LHEC) hosted a legislative forum last evening with our elected officials in Albany to advocate for the fair and equitable funding of our public schools. At the district level, various stakeholders have been providing input as to how we can continue to balance a quality education with responsible spending. More detailed information can be found in the A Look Ahead section.
Now, let’s take a look back at some of the memorable moments and accomplishments from January!
Sincerely,
Marc P. Baiocco, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Clarkstown Central School District
Elementary-aged children engaged in global competence lessons and activities leading up to the Lunar New Year holiday on January 29. At Strawtown, students attended an assembly featuring Dance China New York and learned a variety of traditional dances. At Lakewood, kindergartners worked with their Grade 5 buddies to create paper lanterns. They also visited with parent speakers, who shared various aspects of their culture with them.
Hot off the presses! South's NEW Science Literary Magazine Club recently published its first edition of The Summit. As lifelong learners, members — along with advisor Richard Bertrand — created the piece to better understand past breakthroughs in the field and keep up with new developments. Knowledge is power and, thanks to the Club, we have access to more of it all in one convenient medium. Be sure to check it out!
NYS Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this month unveiled her Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget. The Budget totals $252 billion, which includes $37.4 billion in total school aid ($1.5 billion in Foundation Aid). This ensures that every district will receive more funding than the previous year. As a result, the Clarkstown Central School District during the 2025-26 academic year will benefit from a:
- 7.66% change in total aid
- 9.06% change in Foundation Aid
To that end, initial conversations regarding next year's budget are taking place throughout CCSD. Across all schools, principals are meeting to discuss priorities for students and staff in their buildings. They include:
Curriculum development
Professional development
Digital literacy
Recruitment and retention of highly-qualified staff
Community partnerships
Special Education programming
More information regarding the District's 2025-26 Proposed Budget will be shared once available. In the meantime, we encourage you to view our Budget Priorities presentation from the January 23 Board of Education meeting. Mark your calendars! The annual School Budget Vote and Board Election is on Tuesday, May 20!
