Ossining trustees hear Culture of Care and college/career readiness updates; administrators flag impending grant expirations

Administrators told the Ossining Union Free School District Board of Education on Sept. 17 that district investments in social‑emotional learning (SEL), PBIS and counseling services are yielding measurable improvements, while also warning that several grants that support those services will end and may require advocacy or budget adjustments.

Dr. Decelia Lopez, director of mental and behavioral health, summarized the district's Culture of Care work. She described districtwide implementation of Second Step SEL curriculum at elementary levels, PBIS celebrations, Panorama and DESSA screeners to identify needs, and Multi‑Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) for targeted interventions. Lopez said clinician staffing ratios have improved (from roughly one clinician per 300+ students to about one per 119 students) and that the district has trained clinicians in dialectical behavior therapy and expanded bullying‑prevention and child‑safety curricula. She described a plan to expand tier‑2 supports and to open a high‑school wellness center, create a Bridges to Wellness student club, and provide teacher‑friendly classroom management tips in coordination with behavior specialists.

Lopez and other administrators cited data showing a reduction in in‑school and out‑of‑school suspensions over the past three years and discussed classroom referral trends by setting (bathrooms, hallways, classrooms). Trustees asked for more trend reporting and disaggregation by subgroup; administrators said those disaggregated data slices already exist and can be provided to the board at requested intervals.

Jeremy Dukos reviewed career and college readiness work: early career assessments at elementary grades, Naviance rollout, expanded AP and SUNY seats and CTE/BOCES partnerships, mentoring through New York GEAR UP, P‑TECH programming, virtual reality career exposures in partnership with the Department of Labor, and a multi‑year effort to expand algebra and other rigorous courses at earlier grades. Dukos said those expansions have increased upper‑level course seats (math, science, ELA, social studies, world languages) and correspond with modest increases in postsecondary enrollment in recent class profiles.

During Q&A trustees asked how the district is ensuring equity of success for students newly placed in advanced courses; Dukos said the district has phased openings, created heterogeneous sections and is building supports to monitor outcomes (grades, college credit attainment). Trustees also discussed youth mentoring and middle‑to‑high‑school transition strategies.

A funding concern punctuated the discussion: administration and trustees said several grants that supported the recent mental health and GEAR UP work are ending. One administrator (as recorded in the meeting) corrected an earlier statement to say the mental health grant provides approximately $500,000 per year, and that the New York GEAR UP funding contributes roughly $150,000 per year; administration said they had received notice these grants will not continue and trustees urged legislative advocacy. Trustees asked administration to assemble preliminary data on which programs are affected, the timing of funding changes, and potential contingency plans.

Trustees thanked staff for multi‑department coordination and asked for follow‑up reports with both program metrics and options for sustaining core services if state or federal funds are reduced.

Proposed next steps included board check‑ins on curriculum review implementation (separate agenda item) and that the administration provide a broad overview of homework and summer work practices related to AP/SUNY enrollment for the board to consider whether policy review is warranted.