School Board notes

Niagara Falls School Board notes

Mr. Allen Booker, M.S., gave a presentation about his organization, Booker College Planning (BCP), for which he is the founder and college access counselor. Booker keeps an office at Niagara Falls High School (NFHS) and is ready to assist students with the following:

• College application assistance
• Financial aid (FAFSA) and scholarship application assistance
• Review financial aid off/award letters
• Assist students and families in navigating credible scholarship databases and offerings, including the NFHS Scholarship Bulletin
• Personalized meetings with students and their parents through face-to-face or virtual appointments
• College essay development and review
• College readiness seminars
• Accommodate family schedules with evening and weekend availability
• To accommodate student preferences, offer diverse contact methods (text, phone, and virtual)

Between September 1, 2024, and March 7, 2025, NFHS students have received offers for financial aid packages from prospective colleges. The offers extended to students include a combination of federal and state grants, merit-based scholarships, and loans up to$25,000/year. Booker is available in the high school’s 2nd-floor library for student accessibility.

Booker receives regular student referrals from faculty, administration, and school counseling staff. He offers diverse contact methods (text, phone, and virtual) to accommodate student preferences. In addition, Booker can accommodate family schedules with evening and weekend availability.

Budget update

Niagara Falls City School District Administer for School Business Services Rebecca Holody presented the latest iteration of the proposed 2025 – 2026 school year budget. The budget total stands at $202,385,135, and the budget has an increase of 3.94% over the 2024 – 2025 spending plan. The tax levy will remain unchanged. No programs or full-time employees will be cut. The board will complete the budget by April 10, 2025.

Recommended items from Superintendent Laurrie

Superintendent Laurrie is recommending the board approve eight short-term contracts at its next meeting on Thursday, March 27, 2025, including:

• A contract with Cold Narly Generation LLC Music Academy for Big Picture Students. Students will work with this organization to produce a recording of their own making
• A contract with Niagara University for Adult English as a New Language (ENL) classes. The current enrollment is 22 parents and 16 students
• A contract with Dr. Lisa McNair to provide the keynote speech at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards ceremony on April 8, 2025

Superintendent Laurrie introduced 16 items of new business recommended for approval. The board will vote on these measures at its Thursday, March 27, 2025 meeting. Here are some highlights:

• Approval of a $2.4 million grant to continue Early Head Start and Head Start programs in the 2025/2026 school year
• Approval to extend the transportation contracts between the district and First Student
• Approval to extend the transportation contracts between the district and Niagara Coach Lines, Inc. for transportation services

Superintendent’s Report

• Congratulations to our LaSalle Robotics team and the eight students who will be traveling to Dallas in May for the Vex IQ Robotics World Championships
• On Friday, 3-14-25, Abate Elementary, and NFHS students celebrated PI Day in honor of the date and the number 3.14 (repeating) in the high school’s auxiliary gym for student accessibility