While discussing the preliminary 2020-2021 budget Monday evening at the Bradford Area School District board meeting, Judy Bodamer, district director of finance said, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the district must “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
“The impact on the school district budget at this point can only be a guess,” she explained. “We will look at history to try to determine the economic impact it had on the district’s local taxes during the Great Recession of 2008 and what effect the COVID-19 pandemic could possibly have on the district’s other revenue and expenditures.”
Due to increasing unemployment numbers during the pandemic, Earned Income Tax revenue is expected to decrease by $300,000 this year, while state revenue is expected to decrease $287,794 and federal revenue is expected to decrease by $108,000. Expenditures for the proposed budget are projected to decrease by $287,794 from the 2019-2020 budget.
Despite the current numbers, Bodamer said the district is not expecting an increase in taxes for the upcoming school year.
Superintendent Katy Pude discussed the revised Continuity of Education plan, which transitioned into phase three last Monday. The plan was unanimously passed by board members.
“All of our teachers and staff were champs and were able to turn this around in two weeks time,” noted Pude.
According to the statistics, around 65% of all students are on track to completing their courses, though at this time, there are still many students that have not logged into online instruction. For example, last week, approximately 120 George G. Blaisdell Elementary School students, 130 School Street Elementary School students and 176 Bradford Area High School students had not logged into the system.
“Our immediate plan is to reach out to those students by email or a personal call to their home,” noted Pude. “Some children may be struggling to log on — sometimes it may be something very simple.”
Currently, students will not be penalized for not completing courses, though there is an expectation for students to log on. While grades cannot be decreased from the third quarter, students do have the opportunity to raise their scores by 10%.
“This is a great time for students to get in the system and try this out,” explained Pude, noting while students will not be penalized for non-participation currently, the stakes will be higher next year if online instruction is still being utilized.
Online instruction will continue until June 2, when grades will be turned in. The 2019-2020 school year officially ends June 4.
Pude said the district is still discussing the possibility of summer school, though they are definitely doing virtual classes for special needs students, as well as credit recovery for high school students, in which high school students can recover credits they may have lost (due to failing a course, etc.). At the end of her report, she thanked staff, families and students for their exceptional work.
The District Comprehensive Plan was also briefly mentioned, which was tabled for the time being. It will be placed on the June agenda for consideration.
The board unanimously passed the decision to reschedule the student trip to Europe for April 2021, with the understanding that if circumstances remain the same at that time, the trip will be cancelled and the tour company will give the same reimbursement at that time as they are offering now. Students who are graduating this year will be able to attend the trip as chaperones.
Student representative, Liz Miller, reported that the student council has been meeting via Zoom to discuss various student projects. They recently created a “thank-you” video for essential workers that can be viewed on the Bradford Student Council Facebook page or the city council Instagram page. They are also working on the “Senior to Senior” project with the Bradford Ecumenical Home, where both students and residents write letters and poems to one another.
During the superintendent’s report, it was noted that BAHS ranked as 3,468 out of 17,000 best schools in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. This is the eighth year the school has earned this title, which looks at things such as graduation rates, assessments and how well students are prepared for higher education.
School Street was also commended for placing 2nd in the state in the Imagine Math competition.
When asked about high school graduation, Pude noted a graduation committee has been formed, which is working hard to create a virtual graduation for June 4.
“We want to make sure the students get the best we can give them under the current circumstances,” noted Pude. “A number of teachers and board members actually came in and steamed caps and gowns. Then students had their pictures taken — our kids will look amazing.”
Speeches will be pre-recorded and the ceremony will resemble an in-person graduation as much as possible.
“I do believe it’s going to be very nice,” said Pude. “It’s going to be broadcasted on our YouTube channel so the entire community can participate on graduation night.”
If restrictions allow, the district plans on having a second ceremony to get students together and give them their diplomas in person in the summer or fall.
