School Board notes

Presentations

Stanford University Credits - Recipients

The Board of Education honored ten Niagara Falls High School students who recently received college credit from Stanford University. Assistant Director, Project Innovation & Technology, Stanford University, Michael Acedo and Niagara Falls High School (NFHS) teacher Danielle Depalma distributed framed certificates and cords for graduation to the students for completing the same introductory computer science course hundreds of Stanford undergraduates have taken over the past three decades.

The NFHS students who completed the Stanford University course are: Asa Gates, Josiah Walker, Josiah Marple, Angelic Adkins, Jesse Townsend, L Anthony Townsend, Hajira Imran, Kiaire Fields, Emma Beckles, and Faiza Hossain

2024 – 2025 Proposed Budget Update

The District has increased its New York state foundation aid projection by $500,000 since the last Board

of Education meeting (on February 22, 2024). BOCES aid includes the purchase of new laptops for all fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. The NFCSD is facing a budget gap of $7 million and will have to utilize its

reserve funds. The budget will require a 60% super majority of votes to pass.

There are no cuts to staff or programs for our students in the proposed budget, which currently stands at $190,812,049.

If the budget does not pass, the District will no longer be able to provide basic school supplies, bus students who live less than a mile and a half to a mile from school, the District will have to charge an

upfront fee to organizations wanting to use its facilities.

New Business

Superintendent Laurrie recommended passage of the following items that are up for a vote at the Board's next regular meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2024:

Approval of Acceptance of funds for the 2023/2024 Title I Part A, Title II Part A and Title IV Grants in the

amount of $300,000 for Basic School Improvement as under the

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Approval of Acceptance of funds for the 2023/2024 Title 1 Part A Improving Academic Achievement,

Title II Part A, Teacher/Principal Training and Title IV, Part A , Grants (Student Support and Academic

Enrichment Program – SSAE). The total of these three grants is $5,992,545.00. The goals of SSAE are: (1)

provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, (2) improve school conditions for student learning, and (3) improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and

digital learning of all students.

Superintendent’s Report

On Friday, March 15, 2024, the men’s Wolverines Basketball Team departed for the state championships in style with a police escort, the Wolverine Marching Band, Wolverine cheerleaders (who took the trip

with the team) and many fans cheering them on thanking them for an exciting season.

Monday, March 18, 2024, we held our first ever special education parent group meeting. We are expecting great success with this group.

Schools will be closed on April 8, 2024 – Eclipse Day. Thank you to the Niagara Falls Public Library for donating 7,500 eclipse glasses to the District. The glasses will be distributed to students on Friday, March 22, 2024, the last day before spring vacation.

Accolades to the organizers and students at the All District Elementary Science Fair and Expo on March 13, 2024. Especially impressive were the fourth graders who programmed their own cars to race.

Congratulations to the four students from LaSalle Prep robotics teams who have qualified for the world championships and will be traveling to Dallas, Texas to compete on May 1, 2 and 3, 2024.

Remember to attend the NFCSD 2024 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Celebration on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at Bloneva Bond Primary

The District’s recent PreK audit was stellar. The audit had no financial issues detected and programmatic work just needs a few small improvements.

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