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Superintendent outlines field-trip policy review, fundraising concerns and student-ex officio process; curriculum gains noted
Summary
Dr. Bailey told the board the district will release the last day of school calendar this week and recommended a policy review for field trips and fundraising; she reported 78 approved field trips and 72 fundraisers to date and the board green-lighted a student ex officio selection process.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District Superintendent Dr. Bailey told the board the district will release the official last day of school to families this week and called for a policy review of field trips and how the district approves and funds them.
Dr. Bailey said the district had approved about 78 field trips this school year and gave school-level counts in her remarks: 27 at Becker, 27 at Peter B., and 39 at the high school; she also referenced 17 trips at the middle school in other summary remarks. She told the board the district has already hosted about 72 fundraisers this year, which she said amounts to roughly 2.25 fundraisers per week on average, and urged the board to consider the community and staff burden when approving fundraising plans.
"We just look our discussions around Discovery Tent Camp, and I can tell you that, this, so far this year, we've approved about 78 field trips," Dr. Bailey said during her presentation, and she asked the board to revisit field-trip policy at the policy committee so the district can codify funding, approval and classification (curricular, co-curricular, extracurricular).
Dr. Bailey summarized the district’s literacy adoption and assessment monitoring, saying the FastBridge winter-to-winter trend lines are showing improvement in kindergarten and first grade since the district adopted the reading curriculum about two and a half years ago. She also said the district is reviewing district-level assessments (FastBridge, DRAs, state ELA and I-Ready for math) to triangulate data and better target supports.
On enrollment, district staff reported there was insufficient pre-K registration to require a lottery; a few slots remain at both elementary schools and families were urged to register. The board also approved moving forward with a student ex officio selection process: students will submit applications, high school administrators will screen candidates against minimum eligibility (one year in building, good attendance, academic standing) and the student vote will be conducted by Google Form; two students will be selected with one serving as an alternate for a one-year term.
Board members discussed whether to allow multi-year fundraising plans and whether grade-level fundraising should be concentrated to reduce community fatigue. Dr. Bailey recommended clarifying fundraising purposes—for example, identifying a named project—so communities know how much is needed and what they are funding.
Separately, staff reported capital-project work over the break: the middle-school roof was finished, unit ventilators were removed and reinstalled in multiple rooms, and a new fire alarm system was installed in both the middle school and the warehouse. The board also received an update that contract work on a stop-arm enforcement program is being finalized and a new company representative has been assigned to the district.
The board set May 7 for a "meet the candidates" event and the district budget vote is scheduled for May 20; the administration encouraged community participation.
