Tonight (2019-01-08) was a meeting of the Honeoye Falls-Lima Board of Education (BoE), and before that the Program Budget Advisory Council (PBAC).
Full disclosure: I sit on the PBAC, so some of these Observations aren’t exactly from the Audience.
First budget presentation was the Transportation department, represented by Bill. On the average day, the school’s buses travel 3656 miles. Which could take you to the Mexico border and back. Decent amount of mileage there. They manage to do this despite having a staffing shortage. Do you want to drive a bus?
Amusingly enough, the State considers it ‘safe’ for bus drivers to take their eyes off the road, and read their route, while driving. Yet listening to their phone speak directions, while eyes are on the road, is not allowed.
Second budget presentation was the Facilities department, represented by Aaron. Like Transportation, his department is also suffering a staffing shortage. Although I will give them points for creative problem solving here: they are employing students. Gives the kids a way to make money, and gain experience, while also mitigating the staffing issue (to a degree). I think this is a great idea, and hope they continue (or even expand) this approach.
This year Facilities managed to track down a long term aroma in the B-wing. Apparently a sewer line was sitting open in one of the ceiling spaces. Great that it was found (and fixed), but I have to wonder how it got left that way in the first place.
They have also been replacing old/broken lights with LED‘s. Sounds like this is cheaper just from the replacement point of view, ignoring the other long term benefits (energy savings, longer lifetime, brighter, etc). Also looking at robots to automate various tasks, although not in the budget for this year. If various demonstrations and test go well, the request will likely be in the budget next year.
Some of the shared features of the two presentations had me thinking that maybe the two departments should be merged. Might help with the staffing shortages if they can swap people between tasks. They will also be physically next door, as soon as the current construction finishes.
Which brought us to the end of the budget presentations, at which point things went a bit different then past budget meetings. Instead of splitting the BoE and the PBAC for separate discussions, we all discussed as a group. One of a variety of differences that has me feeling the process has become more compact/efficient. Too soon to decide anything, but so far I am liking the changes. If only because it meant I didn’t miss any of the BoE meeting after the budget portion of the evening. Which was up next…
Phyllis Wickenham, from New York Senator Patrick Gallivan‘s office, was at the meeting. She gave a short speech and I got the sense she wasn’t there for any particular reason. More of making the School aware the Senator was out there, and an offer to help if it was needed.
After that was an interesting comment from Amy (BoE President). At the core, I think she was following up on ‘new’ Dave’s questions from a previous meeting. Which has been an interesting interaction to watch. Dave, the newest member of the Board, asks questions and offers insights, as he is new. Amy, as the Board President, is on point for responding (although others have jumped in at times). I get a sense that everyone wants everything to work well, and are all trying their best. Unfortunately, it also feels like there is some frustration in the process. Still, I applaud everyone involved for their efforts.
Which brought us to Gene’s (Superintendent) report, and it’s usual nested presentations.
But first he pointed out that the upcoming School Budget Vote (May 21, 2019) will NOT be held at the usual location, due to the Capitol Project. Sounds like they are leaning towards using the BoE room as an alternate, but that idea is not yet finalized. Still time to work out details, so keep your ears open. I’m sure there will be notification as we get closer to the date, perhaps in the budget newsletter that is mailed out shortly before the vote.
Also sounds like a significant overhaul of the districts website is being planned. I expect Gene will soon be seeking input from those interested in this.
Which brought us to the monthly Capitol Project report. If this sort of thing interests you, feel free to go read it. I find the pictures at the end to be the most interesting part.
Next nested report was the Safety Committee, which brought Bill and Aaron back to the front. Much was said on this topic, most of which was good. While I have concerns about some aspects of the security methods the school employs (namely they attempt to push the public at large away, instead of bringing them in to help), I think they are doing a decent job with what they have to work with. From personal experiences, the staff have internalized the safety/security focus.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the January 8, 2019 meeting of the Honeoye Falls-Lima Board of Education.
As has become the norm for this group, Agenda’s and similar information can be found at HFL’s BoardDocs page.