The Port Chester school community is bracing for a budget that could bring layoffs, a switch to half-day kindergarten and the loss of benefits and full-time status for aides and nurses.
No announcements have been made yet, but presumably the 2012-13 budget will conform to the 2 percent statewide tax cap and make some serious cuts in the school program. A draft 2012-13 budget was due for release Thursday night, but the school board said it was still reviewing the options and awaiting decisions on state aid. Students and parents have been enlisted in a lobbying push, which now focuses on $250 million in state funding that could go toward districts in need. Or not.
Rather than announce a plan for budget cuts, the board heard a presentation by Port Chester High School Principal Mitchell Combs that was decidedly more cheerful.
Combs gave an update on efforts to create an International Baccalaureate program that could eventually replace Advanced Placement. (See an online presentation here.) He also charted several years’ worth of improvements in the high school’s graduation rate, numbers of college-bound graduates, AP enrollment and other benchmarks. The high school, where 13 percent of students are in some form of ESL studies and many students come from low-income households, has been a focus of the board for years.
Some highlights:
The percentage of graduates with a Regents diploma went from 82 percent in 2004-05 to 94 percent in 2010-11.
The four-year high school graduation rate went from 67 percent among the class entering in 2001 to 84 percent among those entering in 2006.
Overall, Combs described the state of the high school as “strong.”
Superintendent Edward Kliszus will release a draft 2012-13 budget March 8. Residents vote on the board’s adopted budget May 15.
Black History Month celebrations around the region are listed in this Journal News article. Below is a list of community events in Port Chester.
During Thursday’s Black History celebration at Port Chester Middle School, where this video clearly had an impact on the students. John Legend sings U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)” in memory of Martin Luther King Jr.:
John Reavis, president of the local NAACP chapter, presented the school board later in the day with a set of books on African-American figures in history.
Here are other scheduled events:
Friday, Feb. 17: Movie/Discussion for After School Program students, Port Chester Carver Center, 400 Westchester Ave., 4 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 19: “Moments In Black History’, presented by Martha Bell at St. Frances AMEZ Church, 14 Smith St., Port Chester, 11 a.m. services.
Tuesday, Feb. 21: “Rosa Parks/Civil Rights Movie” and Open Discussion On The Rye Town Black Cemetery led by Dave Thomas and Tom Kissner, Rye Town Hall, 10 Pearl St., 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 29: Port Chester Carver Center’s Black History Program including “Moments in Black History” 400 Westchester Ave., 7 p.m.
Timeless Treasures, in Pelham, is hosting a retrospective and sale of jewelry designed by the late Pelham resident Jack (Jacques) LiBuono on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. LiBuono, according to a press release from the store, was a master of costume jewelry and worked from the 1940s through the 1980s. His son James, who lives in Pelham, will give a presentation on Saturday. The store is at 200 Sparks Ave. in Pelham.
School budgets are likely to get lots of attention and scrutiny this year, and here’s another way to keep up in Blind Brook. The board of education meetings will be broadcast live, starting Monday, Feb. 13, when the superintendent is scheduled to discuss a proposed 2012-13 budget.
Blind Brook meetings have been available on video, but now they will be televised live on Cablevision Channel 77 and Verizon FIOS Channel 27.
The district may begin live-streaming the meetings via Internet in the next few weeks, depending on the success of the broadcast.
Whole Foods has signed a lease to open a store at the former A&P market on Post Road in Port Chester.
The announcement came yesterday in the company’s quarterly earnings report. The store is planned for opening in late 2013, spokesman Michael Sinatra said today. Given the available site, which is just of Interstate 287, “Port Chester was just an obvious choice,” he said.
This would be the third Whole Foods store to open in Westchester, after White Plains and Yonkers.
Parents coming in for teacher conferences at Port Chester Middle School today can see the results of seventh grade science experiments, which are on display for Young Scientists Day. The public was also invite to a morning assembly for Black History Month, showcasing the achievements of African Americans, with accompaniment by the school’s jazz band and chorus.
Christian Perez showed what became of his experiment to see whether plants grow faster when given coffee.
The healthy one on the left was given only water. The other grew faster, but then deteriorated. A short-lived caffeine high? Coffee apparently affected the roots, Christian said, and stopped the plant from growing. The displays will be up through Friday.
State Sen. Jeff Klein will hold three anti-cyberbullying forums for students Thursday at schools in Pelham and Mount Vernon. He will be joined by Miss New York Kaitlin Monte, who is an anti-bullying advocate, and several others. The first meeting will be held at Pelham Middle School at 12:30 p.m. The second will be at Pelham High School at 1:15 p.m. The third will be at the A.B. Davis Middle School in Mount Vernon at 2 p.m.
Klein has been raising awareness about the repercussions of cyberbullying. He is helping to develop a census aimed at understanding how widespread cyberbullying is in New York.
Flags were half-mast today in Port Chester after the death this morning of former Mayor Peter Iasillo. He was the dominant figure in local politics for more than a decade and stayed involved well beyond his 1980-93 mayoral term.
Friends and family were remembering him as a jovial figure – some thinking back to the sight of him in a nightcap and gown for the annual charity “bed races.”
The funeral Mass is set for 9:15 a.m. Saturday at Corpus Christi Church. Visiting hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Craft Memorial Home. Read more in our story on LoHud.com.
At left, Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library employee Chris Hernandez, 27, lowers the American flag to half staff today. “My family’s been here since the 50s,” Hernandez said, adding his family’s involvement with the Republican Party led to him meeting Iasillo as a youth. “It’s sad, he’s definitely one of the best mayors we’ve had.” (Photo by Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News)
Here’s a shot from Tuesday’s parade I took and, until, now, had no idea I had. That’s defensive end Justin Tuck holding the Giants’ Super Bowl trophy. Also on the float, but only partially visible in this shot, are Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Giants quarterback Eli Manning. You can read my account of the parade here.
For two decades and counting, the City of New Rochelle’s finance gurus have earned a gold star for excellence. Last week, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded the city a certificate of achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This is the 21st consecutive year the city has earned the organization’s praise.
City Manager Charles Strome III said, “We commend our Finance Department for once again receiving such a distinguished honor. This award is a tribute to their professionalism and integrity.”
The Government Finance Officers Association has offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
