ROTTERDAM BOCES, community groups will use Woestina BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.
Woestina Elementary School will be home to BOCES special education classes during the daytime and community groups in the evenings starting next fall. Schalmont Superintendent Valerie Kelsey announced Monday evening that the district has reached a rental agreement with Capital Region BOCES to use the space, which will become vacant at the end of the school year. The Board of Education in February voted to close Woestina and Mariaville elementary schools in the wake of declining enrollment, rising costs and decreasing state aid. The district will earn roughly $100,000 from the deal, according to Kelsey. “The rental income will help offset district expenditures and we’re glad we have an educational use,” she said. Kelsey said she hopes that this money and whatever additional aid the district receives from the state will allow her to restore fi eld trips, sports items and other items in the budget. It would not reverse any staff cuts because they were linked to declining enrollments and savings by closing the two schools. Charles Dedrick, district superintendent for Capital Region BOCES, said the space is well suited for students with disabilities. “We knew the building was very modern, very efficient and most importantly, handicapped accessible. A lot of the older buildings aren’t,” he said. He is not sure of the exact number of students that will be using operations but it would allow BOCES to consolidate some of its classrooms and put them in Woestina. .......................>>>>.....................>>>>.....................................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01201&AppName=1
ROTTERDAM End of schools’ year is poignant Mariaville, Woestina both closing BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Year-end programs at Mariaville and Woestina elementary schools this week were especially emotional, not just for the kids but for their parents and their teachers, too. The schools, part of the Schalmont district, are closing in the face of rising costs and shrinking enrollments. The moving-up programs traditionally held for fi fth-graders bound for the middle school were expanded this year to include all of the children. Mariaville and Woestina pupils will now attend classes at Jefferson, the sole remaining elementary school in the district. The word “bittersweet” came up often as staff, children and families shared their feelings. While everyone was happy to be celebrating the kids’ successes, they were sad at the loss of the small community schools, each of which had about 100 pupils. .......................>>>>............>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00102&AppName=1
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
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