The evening of 2023-03-14 was a meeting of the Honeoye Falls-Lima Board of Education (BoE).
As their last function for this budget year, the PBAC offered their presentation to the BoE. As I am on the PBAC, I’ll let the report speak for itself. Apart from pointing out we can expect another tax increase to the levy limit, which looks like 1.94% this year.
A couple of the Board members had attended an event where Esports were discussed, and they seemed thrilled about the idea of bringing that to HFL. While I have nothing against this, I find it amusing for a number of reasons.
First, the idea of school trying to integrate the more popular Esport games, which tend to be variants of FPS or MOBA. I can remember when FPS in particular were blamed for school shootings. Admittedly, there are parallels with physical sports, so it can be done.
Second, it adds to the gradually growing pile of things I was on the fringe with while in high school, which are now popular. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or maybe I’m just getting old?
Sounds like the water has been tested for lead once again. Which seems reasonable to do periodically. Results weren’t discussed in detail, apart from pointing out they would be on the website. When looking, the only thing I could find was from 2020. So perhaps it will be added ‘soon‘.
The idea of providing ‘free lunch’ to all the students was mentioned, primarily in light of a visit with Senator Helming. I offer no opinion on offering students lunch at no cost to them when it is provided. But calling it ‘free lunch’ is rather disingenuous (if not outright lying). There are no free lunches, someone pays for them. In this case, instead of the parents of the students paying directly, there is a desire for the State to pay. As the State makes it’s money from taxpayers, that means it’s merely reallocating who foots the bill. If the Board thought this was that important of a service to provide, they could do it with local taxpayer funds. It would be no more or less free then if the State paid for it.
The district agreed to a settlement with Juul on vaping. It looks like this will provide ~$36k income to the district over the next few years. Slightly ironic, as I just pointed out how taxpayers provide income, and here we have another group also providing the school money. Nonetheless, hopefully this will help the school maintain a ‘Just Say No‘ approach to the plethora of drugs out there.
Next years calendar was reviewed, although approval will be at the next meeting. There was an amusing comment about this providing the latest end of school year in memory, while also adding new holidays. And school looks to be closed for the April 8th eclipse. For those interested in that sort of thing.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the March 14, 2023 meeting of the Honeoye Falls-Lima Board of Education.
Agenda’s and similar information can be found at HFL’s BoardDocs page. While a recording will likely be available soon.