Minutes of the May 10^th, 2017 meeting of

The 19^th Ward Community Association Schools Committee

Attendees: John Boutet, John Laing, Jay Ross, Dan Ross, and Sarah Yaworski

Guests: Eamonn Scanlon, Fane Petrescu

April minutes Approved

Spelling Bee Wrap-Up

Not all bills have been received for the spelling Bee as yet – will discuss more next meeting along with a spending outlook for next year.

At a future meeting we will look at the proposals for changes from the April meeting’s minutes and set targets for next year. 19WCA has requested that we have spellers march in the parade. We agreed and decided to have a banner printed, which could be used in the future to help guide people to the spelling bee location.

School 16 status

RCSD has taken the challenge of a Sept 2018 start date and are working two shifts to compress the construction schedule. There are some activities in the opportunity category. In case the bids come back under the budget funds may be released for some of these. The physical plans will accommodate the use of the gym and cafeteria for community purposes, but there is no commitment from the city to staff it. When Wilson High School (formerly West High) had an addition with a gym and pool, they were designated for community use. We should determine what happened with that initiative to see if it can provide us with lessons learned.

Planning for Square Fair

John and John will man the table and others are encouraged to come as well. The architect will provide laminated drawings of the building, both the external look and the room configuration.

Every Student Succeeds Act (Eamonn)

Eamonn is the lead education Organizer for Metro Justice. He brought information concerning The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. State Ed is holding a series of public hearings. The hearing for our area is May 30^th at 6:30 in Rush Henrietta High School, Sperry Building, 1799 Lehigh Station Road in Henrietta. More information is available on line at the State Department of Ed website (nysed.gov)

Next Meeting

Wednesday, June 14^th at 7 pm in the 19^th Ward Community Association office.