ALLEGANY, N.Y. — Updates on the superintendent search, enrollment figures and the capital project were among items discussed during Tuesday’s school board meeting for Allegany-Limestone Central School District.
In his report, board president Dr. Joe Zimmer said a series of focus groups from the school and community will meet Sept. 28 in Room 42 of the middle/high school to gather data on the search for a new superintendent. Superintendent Dr. Karen Geelan will resign at the end of October to serve as superintendent at the Valhalla Union Free School District.
“We also are in the process of gathering information for an interim superintendent,” Zimmer added. “We are currently collecting resumes.”
Zimmer said an executive session will be held during the Oct. 10 school board meeting to discuss data collected for the search process.
He said the community can also provide input on the superintendent search in a survey found on the school website.
On the topic of enrollment figures, Geelan said the 2017-18 enrollment for the middle/high school and elementary campuses is 1,165 students, down from 1,192 last year.
“We have 654 students in our middle/high school and that was 688 last year,” she explained. “That’s where we see the bulk of the change in our kids.”
Geelan noted there were 504 students in the elementary school last year, compared to 511 students this year.
“You’ll notice we have the addition of 54 students in the UPK (universal pre-kindergarten) program,” Geelan added.
In her report on the $17 million capital project for upgrading both campuses in the district, Geelan said administrators met with architects and developers of the project last Friday.
“We were able to look at the newest drawings and renditions of the entrances of both the elementary and middle/high school,” Geelan said. “We also looked at the very first drawings (on the ground floor) near the locker rooms and the guidance area near the middle/high school.”
Geelan said architects are providing two options for each of the areas that will undergo renovations.
She said the team will meet with guidance counselors this week and coaches next week to review their designated areas for renovations.
“Not everyone can get everything they want … and you can rest assured that we’re keeping an eye on the bottom line” for the overall project cost, Geelan told the board. “As we get closer to a finalized design we’ll be sharing that so everyone can see it.”
Geelan said any renovations done will be compliant with the American with Disabilities Act to ensure the upgraded areas are handicap accessible. Geelan said the middle/high school is currently ADA compliant as there are lifts chairs attached to the top of each stairwell and staff trained to carry students down flights of chairs in wheelchairs in the event of a fire.
Along those lines, Geelan said the middle/high school received a perfect score for its beginning of the year fire inspection, which pleased administrators and the maintenance staff.
