August 2013 - Western New York Educational Service Council

Western New York Educational Service Council
Summer 2013
The WNYESC
Board of Directors
Elections are held annually for
positions on the WNYESC Board of
Directors. Candidates who serve a
three year term come from a
broad section of individuals with
backgrounds in public and nonpublic schools, as well as nonprofit organizations. Meetings are
held quarterly, during which time
Council updates are provided and
input sought on the direction of
future activities. A major planning
session takes place during the
summer. Recently elected as
2013-14 officers:
President
Jeffrey Rabey
Superintendent, Depew CSD
Vice President
Laura Chabe
Superintendent, Amherst CSD
Treasurer
John O’Connor
Assistant Superintendent for
Management Services,
Erie 2 CC BOCES
In addition to these officers, three
board positions were filled and/or
re-elected for the 2012-15 term.
They include:
Laura Chabe
Amherst CSD Superintendent
Lynda Quick
Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES
District Superintendent
Jon Hunter
Fairport CSD Superintendent
www.wnyesc.org
Board Meeting Information
As part of the June 12, 2013 Board of Directors meeting, the following agenda
items were discussed:
 It was suggested that the 2014 Awards for Excellence dinner be held at the
WNED-TV Channel 17 headquarters on (date to be decided). They frequently
host large dinners and social events. There would be an added dimension
available to us in the use of visual technology to highlight our award winners.
The board will make a final decision in September.
 We were involved in the search process for a new Dean of the Graduate School
of Education at SUNY Buffalo. Because of our close relationship with and
respect for Dr. Jaekyung Lee, we were pleased that the President selected him
among four finalists for the permanent position.
 We are currently developing a 2013-14 budget to present to the Board at our
September meeting.
 Shared with the Board members were the lists of Council activities for
Superintendent searches, consulting contracts being implemented and the
outstanding RFP’s for possible future consulting work.
 The Board reviewed the annual membership process that recently began for the
2013-2014 school year.
 The Board discussed the possibility of sponsoring one or two “Non-Instructional
School Learners” workshops. It was decided to sponsor such a conference in
summer, 2014. Suggested sites included Ellicottville, Salamanca or Olean, as
well as those in Northern Erie County, should two be conducted.
 We continue to lay the groundwork by adding Canadian school districts to our
membership rolls. John Craig from WNED has been very helpful to this initiative.
 The Council is currently exploring the option of applying for grants which would
expand the work normally done by our consultants.
Law Conference
In collaboration with our partners at the Erie County
School Boards Association, planning has taken
place over the last eight months to organize another
outstanding Annual Law Conference. Held this year
on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at the Grand Island
Holiday Inn, topics addressed were timely and
presented by a highly qualified contingent of
speakers.
Western New York Educational Service Council
Nominees Honored at the
8th Annual Awards for
Excellence Banquet :
Support Staff
Theresa O’Connor
Alden CSD
Donna Park
Depew UFSD
Cynthia Poe
Lancaster CSD
Mitzie Serafin
Williamsville CSD
Teaching
Vanessa Bargnes Scinta
Kenmore-Tonawanda UFSD
Caryn Brown Reardon
Depew UFSD
Cheryl Chamberlain
Grand Island CSD
Glen Graham
Cleveland Hill UFSD
Ron Kotlik
Clarence CSD
Andrea McFall
Lancaster CSD
Administration
Peter Ciarelli
Williamsville CSD
Kim Curtin
Buffalo Public Schools
Thomas Maturski
Williamsville CSD
Superintendents
Steven Achramovitch
Hamburg CSD
James Mazgajewski (retired)
Cheektowaga-Sloan UFSD
www.wnyesc.org
Fifteen Honored
at Awards for
Excellence
Banquet
Ceremony Attracts
Large Numbers
Nearly 250 friends, family members and colleagues gathered together at the
Marriott Hotel on April 24 to celebrate and honor award winners at the 8 th
Annual Awards Banquet. All of the awards winners were nominated by school
superintendents or district committees as representing the best in personal
qualities and professional achievement in four categories of service:
superintendent, administration, teaching and support staff. The WNYESC
committee judged nominees on extraordinary commitment to the district and
community, years of service to the district, leadership within their respective
group and achievements both in and out of the work place.
They are all highly respected leaders who have inspired others around them and
therefore are role models in their schools and communities.
Western New York Educational Service Council
Review Completed in Lackawanna
Super Searches
Since late last fall, the WNYESC has been involved in a SED required review of
schools in the Lackawanna City School District. An elementary school was
determined to be a “FOCUS SCHOOL,” which created the need for an extensive
assessment of ways to improve student outcomes.
One of the most important functions
of the WNYESC is to assist boards of
education in their process of
selecting a new superintendent of
schools. No one does a better job in
this area than the Council’s lead
consultant, Dr. Vincent Coppola. For
many years he has combined his
vast experiences as a public school
superintendent with the respect of
the New York State educational
community to complete numerous
successful searches. Accolades
from board presidents following
Dr. Coppola’s efforts are almost
automatic.
Following a one week training session in Albany attended by WNYESC consultant,
Dr. Carol LoVullo, retired Frontier CSD elementary principal, planning sessions
and classroom/school visitations took place with Lackawanna teachers and
administrators. Also participating in the evaluation was WNYESC Executive
Director Robert Christmann. Three schools were subjected to site visits and a
report to SED was sent in June, 2013. Excellent leadership in this study was
provided by Lackawanna Superintendent Anne Spadone, and Deborah Biastre,
Lackawanna City’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development.
Brocton Westfield Merger Study
The WNYESC was selected in August, 2012 to conduct a merger study for the
Brocton and Westfield Central School Districts. Under the work of consultants
David Kurzawa, Marilyn Kurzawa, Thomas Schmidt and Robert Christmann,
the team spent the next 9 months in preparing its final, nearly 300 page
recommendation summary for both boards and the New York State Education
Department.
The consultants interviewed an extensive number of district and community
members, both individually and in focus groups, representing the two districts.
They also worked with a 24 member joint committee over several months to seek
widespread input in the final recommendations. The final report can be found on
the website of either district. In a preliminary “straw vote” conducted in June,
2013 , both communities, by large margins, approved moving to a final vote in
early Fall.
The WNYESC consultants were commended by SED for the quality of their
extensive study. The consultants appreciated the support of many staff in
generating data for the report and are especially grateful to Brocton
Superintendent John Hertlein and Westfield Superintendent Dave Davison.
NYS Rural Schools Affiliation
One of the most important professional organizations in New York State providing
services to boards of education and school districts is the New York State Rural
Schools Association. It is a strong advocate for its members in many areas, most
particularly in the inequity in funding for rural school districts. They have focused
their purpose as an organization to being the voice of the rural school in school
finance.
From time to time, they have been asked by their members to provide outside
services, including studies. In a collaborative agreement, the Rural Schools
organization will refer to the WNYESC the opportunity to provide those services as
requested. This partnership will allow the members of both groups to be more
efficient and responsive to students and communities. The WNYESC is most
appreciative of the strong leadership provided to the New York State Rural
Schools Association by its Executive Director, Bruce Fraser, and looks forward to
an ongoing, mutually beneficial, professional relationship.
www.wnyesc.org
In recent months, the WNYESC was
selected to complete searches in:
 Penfield CSD
 Binghamton City SD
 Green Tech High Charter School
 Honeoye Falls-Lima CSD
 Pine Plains CSD
 Marcus Whitman CSD
 Cornwall CSD
 Enterprise Charter School
 Warwick Valley CSD
The well-deserved reputation of
Dr. Coppola and the seriousness to
which he takes his responsibilities
have enhanced the importance of
the WNYESC to boards across the
entire state of New York.
Charter Schools
The WNYESC continues to provide
professional development services
for four area charter schools. The
purpose of the work is to improve
the academic outcomes for
students by improving the
instructional practices of the staff.
We’re very pleased that these
charters have requested our
professional services and hope to
expand our efforts to additional
charters in the year ahead.
Western New York Educational Service Council
UB’s Graduate School of Education
Offers Professional Development Courses
Several One-Credit Hour Courses Available
UB's Graduate School of Education is offering several one-credit hour professional development courses in a number of
important areas during the fall semester this year.
Please share this information on any listservs or informational calendars you may have access to, as we feel these are
excellent opportunities for education professionals.
Click here to access information about the courses through the Graduate School of Education’s website.
Tuition assistance is available on a first come first serve basis.
For questions or concerns, please contact Ryan Taughrin by email at ryantaug@buffalo.edu or call 716-645-2110.
On-site Courses
 CEP 753: Conflict Resolution and Peaceable
Schools Education Strategies to Create a Less
Violent World
 CEP 754: School Crisis Prevention & Preparedness
 CEP 756 : School Crisis Intervention and Recovery
 LAI 633: Strategies for Engaging Learners with the
Common Core Curriculum
 LAI 754: LOTE and Technology
 LAI 757: Working with Children on Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Online Courses
 CEP 752 : Bullying Prevention and Intervention
 ELP 710: Leading Evidence Based Discussions and
Decision Making
 LAI 752: Culturally Responsive Teaching
Safe Schools Initiative Seminar
The WNYESC was honored to once again be asked to assist in the planning of the 10 TH Annual Safe Schools Initiative
Seminar. Held on March 15, 2013, in the Center for the Arts on the SUNYAB North Campus, the seminar attracted a
record number of over 1400 participants across the eastern US and Canada.
Joining the WNYESC in sponsoring and organizing this event were representatives from the US Secret Service, SUNYAB
Police, The Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the
US Attorney’s office.
A powerful message was provided by Lt. Col. David Grossman, U.S. Army (ret.) on the topic of “Understanding Human
Aggression and Violence and Making Our Schools Safe.” Lt. Col. Grossman provided attendees with invaluable insights of
the minds of school terrorists, as well as practical ways to prevent and, if necessary, to respond to potential on-campus
killers. The seven hour session had a sobering impact on the educators and law enforcement personnel in attendance.
www.wnyesc.org
Western New York Educational Service Council
District
Membership
District membership forms were
recently mailed out to the 98
superintendents heading WNY
public school districts. The fee will
remain the same for 2013 - 2014
as it has been for the last five
years. Student enrollments
determine the actual fee. This
information has been distributed to
the area charter schools for their
consideration as well.
The WNYESC depends on its
members to provide the financial
support that makes our vast array
of direct services available.
If you’re a current member, we
hope that you’ll continue to see the
value of our services. If you’re not
a current member, we ask you to
consider accessing our services
beginning July 1.
Included with your membership
form is a brochure which describes
what the WNYESC is and how it
can assist your schools in
improving instruction for students,
in becoming more efficient and in
dealing with the multitude of
challenging issues that come your
way.
Corporate Sponsors
Member districts are most appreciative of our corporate sponsors who allow us to
be able to provide the level of high quality services and programs expected from
the WNYESC. Several sponsors have supported us for many years and we have
added a few new ones to the list. You may not know that the WNYESC accepts
only one sponsor in a category. For example, despite a number of requests from
architectural firms to help sponsor our organization, we can only accept one.
Please thank the following sponsors for supporting the WNYESC and consider
using their services, should you have either a professional and/or a personal
need for what they do. Sponsors for 2013-14 include:
Legal Services
Hodgson Russ LLP
140 Pearl Street, Suite 100, Buffalo, NY 14202
Contact: Karl Kristoff
(716) 848-1413
Architects
Cannon Design
2170 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY 14072
Contact: Rich Little
(716) 774-3493
Construction Management
Campus Construction Management Group
100 Corporate Parkway, Suite 224, Amherst, NY 14226
Contact: John Ticco
(716) 432-6005
Student Online Management Services
Infinite Campus
70 Suffolk Court, Hauppauge, NY 11788
Contact: Bill Dwyer, Relationship Mgr.
(631) 761-1431
Business Office Services
Toshiba Business Solutions
6000 N. Bailey Ave., Suite 1F, Amherst, NY 14226
Contact: Eric Fiebelkorn, General Mgr.
(716) 319-7292 (cell)
Personal Financial Planning
L & M Financial
3820 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY 14226
Contact: Jeffrey Grossberg
(716) 839-1234
Curriculum/Instruction/Professional Development
PLS 3rd Learning
678 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14202
Contact: Michael Horning, Jr., Executive Vice President
(716) 855-2250
www.wnyesc.org