BOCES Employee Newsletter
March 2023
Employee Recognition Ceremony Survey Results
A big thank you to all the employees who came out to celebrate and acknowledge our employee milestones, retirement and the Ron Dougherty Award winner, Jamie Thorne. It was important for us to get input about the ceremony so that we can improve it for everyone moving forward.
Here are some of the results from the survey.
- 70% attended the event
- 22% watched the ceremony via the Live Stream
- 3% watched the recording after the event
- 5% didn't attend or watch
Overall 95% of employees thought the ceremony was a positive event that had good raffle prizes, good food and was fun. A number of employees also said the enjoyed the Ron Dougherty award video this year and the quicker pace of the ceremony. Some suggestions for making the ceremony better next year included: having a live stream chat available, reading off names of those who reached important milestones and were retiring, splitting the raffles evenly among in-person and virtual attendees and better audio during the ceremony.
At BOCES, we are dedicated to enhancing the experiences of our employees through the cultivation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We firmly believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect, recognizing the inherent value that a diverse workforce brings to our organization. This diversity fosters creativity, innovation, broadens the range of skills and talents within our team, improves decision-making, boosts employee engagement and retention, and heightens our understanding of diverse needs.
Our DEI committee is at the forefront of these efforts, working to celebrate diversity, promote equity and inclusion, and create a sense of belonging within BT BOCES. We strive to foster an environment conducive to listening, learning, and dialogue, which are integral to our commitment to improving the employee experience.
Our DEI initiatives are focused on several key areas:
- Ensuring our DEI committee is representative and inclusive by regularly reviewing its members and inviting new representatives.
- Developing a clear understanding and definition of diversity, equity, inclusion, safety, belonging, allyship, and identity.
- Thoroughly analyzing and improving our onboarding process to be more inclusive and welcoming.
- Expanding opportunities for staff training, fostering open dialogue, and promoting personal and professional growth.
- Enhancing the visibility and impact of our DEI committee's work within our organization.
All of these efforts are firmly rooted in our core values, which emphasize the importance of dignity and respect for all, the essential role of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the need to guard against bias. We are proud to acknowledge our employees as our most valuable resource, and we are committed to upholding professionalism, integrity, and excellence in all we do. Furthermore, we value creativity and continuous improvement, supporting learning in a safe, challenging, and nurturing environment, and understand the essential role of customer service and collaboration in being a successful and trusted partner.
If you are interested in the DEI committee or would like to participate in the work please take the participation interest survey below.
Renovations at the ISC are just about buttoned up. We are now full speed ahead in our plans to renovate the Ed Center building. As you may have already noticed the inside of the Ed Center is changing. The hallways are being painted and we are renovating our indoor playground with new lighting and playground equipment. We are also currently working on replacing the dust collector for our carpentry shop and have plans to construct a new sensory space for the 112 suite. The outside of the building will be changing as well, we recently had Kyle Vimislik and his masonry students help replace a long portion of sidewalk right outside of the ISC.
Over the summer we currently have plans for even more outdoor work like repave a large portion of the campus and refurbishing the exterior concrete walls along the bus lane by the CTE bays. I know HVAC is the top priority amongst our staff and we are doing our best to address this. We currently have multiple HVAC projects in the works, however we are still facing post pandemic supply chain issues. Safety and security was also high and your priority list as such we have new fire panels on the way to replace our ancient ones, new access control software, as well as locks and hardware to go with it. We will also be removing and re-securing all of the TVs on the campus as there have been several issues with TVs here and at other school districts. We want to be ahead of the game to keep our staff and students safe.
Moving away from the Ed Center we simultaneously have multiple projects running at our off site campuses. At our Loder Ave building we have a new conference room in the works and a large electrical project. At West Learning Center we have new windows on the way and long overdue we finally have a plan in place to add the much needed additional parking our staff has been requesting. Stay tuned there is a lot more to come.
Don't Hang Up
As we work to improve communications we kindly ask that if you receive any calls or emails from one of our utility providers please forward them to the O&M department.
In order to ensure we maintain a clear and concise communications with our utility providers it is important that the O&M department receive all of these calls directly.
If for some reason you receive a call from one of our Utility partners such NYSEG, the Water Department, or any other pertinent Servicing Agents DO NOT HANG UP: Please forward all calls from to John Garcia at the O&M department at extension 3369.
Master Facilities Plan
We're excited to share our new Master Plan for Broome-Tioga BOCES. Our organization is unique in how we are allowed to improve our facilities. To expand our facility's footprint, all residents in our 15 component school districts must vote on a proposed project. For substantial improvements that entail borrowing but don't increase the footprint, district boards must vote for approval. Meanwhile, ongoing maintenance is funded through our Operations and Maintenance budget or surplus funding.
In the constantly changing world of education, we're adapting to the evolving needs and expectations of our students, communities, and the wider world. Great learning institutions do not remain static. They embrace change and adapt to the evolving needs and expectations of students, communities and the world.
To address the increasing student enrollment and expanding cooperative services we've created a comprehensive Master Plan to guide our growth over the next decade. You can see the full plan by clicking on the button below. This plan aims to optimize our physical spaces and resources and offers efficient, budget-friendly expansion recommendations. It's a clear blueprint for our growth, keeping the districts we serve informed and involved. A big thank you goes out to all who contributed to this Master Plan. Your unwavering commitment and support are vital to achieving our goal of "Enriching Lives Through Education."
We will also be hosting online forums to explain the plan in more detail and allow for questions. More information about these forums will follow in an email.
The end of the school year marks the time when CBO staff are working diligently to close the financial activity for each of the component school districts. June 30 is the longest day of the year for us! We work closely with district staff to ensure items are authorized and properly recorded in the correct school year!
Steve Moschak named Assistant Principal of the year
We learned in mid-May that Steve Moschak, our assistant principal for the Center for Career & Technical Excellence, who receive the 2023 SAANYS Region 9 Assistant Principal of the Year Award at an event held at Celebrations on the Avenue in Endicott. (SAANYS stands for School Administrators Association of New York State.)
Steve received a letter from the association, appropriately signed by East Learning Center Executive Principal Chuck Wheeler, who also serves as the Region 9 chairman for SAANYS. In part, the letter read: "From your dedication to the education of our children to the support you provide fellow educators, you symbolize the leadership we are looking to acknowledge."
Matt Sheehan named 2023 Distinguished Volunteer
In mid-May, Matt Sheehan, our Director of Instructional Programs for Career & Technical Excellence, received from the Broome Chamber of Commerce their 2023 Distinguished Volunteer of the Year Award.
Matt is a highly proactive and influential individual known for his exceptional ability to turn ideas into reality. Whether it's mobilizing a team of teacher volunteers for events like the SPARK program, organizing the "Kids Can Build" event to fight hunger and showcase student creativity, serving as vice president on multiple community boards, or coaching various sports teams, Matt's dedication and leadership shine through in his efforts to make a positive impact.
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NYS Assessment Report Availability
New York State is set to release a series of important educational reports this summer. These will contain vital information about student assessments and instruction for various grade levels and subjects.
Intermediate science reports for the state assessments and instruction will be released sometime in mid to late June. These will include the performance levels and scores of the students.
The instructional reports for the June Regents exams, however, will be available a little later, around mid to late July. Interestingly, the performance levels and scores for these exams will be available earlier than the instructional reports, as soon as the answer sheets are scanned.
Meanwhile, the instructional reports for Grade 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Math will be released by June 8 and June 14 respectively. These reports will not include the scale score or performance level data.
These reports are intended to aid educators in their end-of-summer planning and preparations. However, it is important to note that these reports must not be shared in public forums or meetings, such as Board of Education (BOE) meetings.
For further information or for any queries, you can reach out to sirshelp@btboces.org.
Reserve a Shared Space at the SCRIC for Fall 2023
Exciting news, the SCRIC is launching an amazing shared desk booking system! Whether you prefer working from the comfort of your own home or need a change of scenery, we've got you covered!
Introducing the SCRIC Booking System! Now, you can easily reserve a desk, a virtual meeting room, an office, or even a cozy pod for the day. No matter where you are, you can have a dedicated workspace just for you!
Ready to dive into the future of flexible working? Booking a desk is a breeze! Simply hop onto My Apps and reserve your spot with a few clicks. If you prefer the good ol' fashioned way, give us a ring at 607-766-3800, and we'll assist you with your booking.
Training for Online Social Media Threats
Our team recently had some really valuable training on how to spot online social media threats. Unfortunately, dealing with these kinds of threats has become all too common in schools around our region. But now our team is equipped with the skills to assess those threats and know exactly what information to pass on to law enforcement.
On top of that, we've been running around like crazy with all the end-of-year ceremonies and graduations happening. From creating those beautiful graduation programs to celebrating the awesome achievements of our students, we've been there every step of the way. And let's not forget how important it is to keep families in the loop with vital information. We've been working hard to make sure everyone stays informed and connected.
It's been a whirlwind of activity for our team lately. But we're loving every minute of it!
This year we printed and mailed 13 of 15 of our component districts for a total of 73,794 newsletters and 52,151 budget cards. Many thanks to CPR group for their dedication and cooperation in assisting Doc Svcs staff to have a successful budget campaign. All were done on time without delay.
We had a team-building double elimination dart tournament last month. Congratulations to Amy Tomminello and Dusty Day on their win. The team had the opportunity to be together in some friendly and spirited competition.
We are planning to have additional team building events like a cook out and a corn hole tournament.
PLIC Plans for Summer Learning
The team is preparing to support districts in 2023-24. The summer is a busy time for professional learning and the team just recently released their summer catalog of learning opportunities. You can learning more about the opportunities provided to educators across the BT BOCES region here- PLIC Summer PD_2023_MASTER
Kristin Bailey
Kristin has worked as an Instructional Support Specialist for ELA and Literacy for the past two years. She just recently completed her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from SUNY Cortland and has accepted a position as the Director of Special Programs with the Waverly Central School District starting July 1. Congratulations, Kristin!
Val Waters
Val has served as the program assistant for the Virtual Learning Academy for the past two years. Val has accepted a position as a special education teacher with the Ithaca City School District for 23-24. Congratulations, Val!
Marissa McNamara Receives Tenure
Congratulations to Marissa McNamara whose tenure appointment was recently approved!- Marissa supports multiple districts in the BT BOCES region with the integration of instructional technology into instruction. Marissa’s recent focus areas include curricular connections with the Computer Science and Digital Fluency standards and digital citizenship.
Caela Whetsell
Community School Coordinator
Caela is not new to BT BOCES, having worked as a special education teacher in the Oak Tree since 2013. We are excited to welcome Caela to the PLIC to support the community schools strategy, working to create relationships and connections between the families, students, and their community!
Kailey Graver
Community School Coordinator
Kailey just joined the BT BOCES team after having served in a similar role outside of NYS. She looks forward to continuing her work with students and their families in our region!
