While we’re not quite halfway through this academic year, Hudson Valley One reached out to local school district superintendents to get their thoughts on 2024 at halftime of the 2023-24 school year, and found that they were eager to look ahead.
Kingston City School District Superintendent Paul Padalino
For Kingston City School District (KCSD) Superintendent Paul Padalino, 2024 will in some way be an extension of 2023.
“Looking back on 2023, one of the highlights was our community’s support for our upcoming $162.5 million district-wide capital improvement project,” Padalino said. “Seeing a three-to-one vote (in favor) on that really was reassuring.”
That project, set to get underway in Summer 2024, will cover work in district facilities untouched by the recently completed Kingston High School Second Century project, and will in part help the district address safety and energy efficiency.
“Knowing that we’re going to be making these improvements and we’re in the planning stages now, it’s exciting,” Padalino said. “It’s kind of like when we rebuilt Kingston High.”
Padalino also cited the district’s continued relationship with the City of Kingston on the Dietz Stadium renovation project, which officials hope will be completed in time for the start of the new school year.
“I’m really excited for fall of 2024, having that be ready for students to get out there and play on a brand new facility,” Padalino said.
The superintendent also noted academic initiatives to look forward to in 2024, including increasing the use of hands-on technology in the classroom, as well as improving two-way communication with parents with that same technology.
“We want to let them know what’s going on in our district, what’s going on in the classroom, what’s going on with their student, what’s going on with particular assignments,” Padalino said.“Communication with parents is always one of the biggest things we want to try to accomplish, and knowing that they be home on their cell phone and pull up what (their child) did today in geometry is pretty amazing. I like that idea and I think parents will be more engaged, and it’s an easier way for them to be engaged in what’s happening with their kids.”
But there are also potential hurdles ahead, including what to do when the district’s American Rescue Plan Act funding runs out at the end of the current school year. Padalino said school officials are currently reviewing initiatives funded by the program and deciding whether it’s worth trying to keep them around, and what that would mean from a financial point of view.
“That money is not coming back into our budget,” Padalino said. “So we’re looking at and evaluating everything we did with that money and making sure that we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, or at least got made headway towards that, and deciding what stays. I’m not necessarily looking forward to that part of the budget process.”
Padalino said much of the success of those initiatives is data-driven, but it’s not necessarily so cut and dry.
“One of the hardest parts about that is sometimes things have a really good impact, but it doesn’t necessarily show up in the data,” he said. “I think you look at expanding pre-K for example, or expanding summer school offerings. There’s a lot of enrichment that goes on there and a lot of opportunities for us to do different things with kids that maybe doesn’t push that lever as far as we wanted it to go, but we still know kids and families are getting great things out of that. So it is very hard for me to look and say we’re not seeing the kindergarten readiness that we had hoped we would see in a UPK program because we are able to serve more than 300 four-year-olds in our community. You got to kind of weigh that against the data.”
Saugerties Central School District Superintendent Daniel Erceg
Saugerties Central School District (SCSD) Superintendent Daniel Erceg isn’t quite ready to close the door on 2023, at least not until acknowledging that their $22 million capital project is well underway, or that the district’s four-year graduation rate continues to improve, most recently hitting 91 percent.
But the arrival of 2024 is inescapable, and at Saugerties High School it represents a time of change. Principal Tim Reid is retiring in mid-January, and the new principal may be a familiar face to many in the district. Thomas Martelli, who was born in Queens but grew up in Saugerties, was an English teacher at the high school from 2013-21; Martelli takes the helm on January 15.
“We’re super excited about him taking over,” Erceg said.
Also on the horizon is the “What Does the Saugerties Central School District Mean to You?” campaign, which will ask various people to answer the question in a single sentence.
“It’s done with the goal of understanding the perspective of teachers and students in the community,” Erceg said. “It’s about sharing and celebrating the unique stories within the district.”
Erceg said the district will continue pushing to include more student voices in decisions across the district, noting that some high schoolers sat in on interviews for the new high school principal and others were involved in the dress code update.
Also coming in January is a strategic planning initiative, which will get underway with a community survey and other constituent outreach.
“We’re going to have various different meetings to examine our mission, vision, core values and then set objectives,” Erceg said. “And then my team will put those into action and identify who’s going to be responsible for what kind of action steps along the way. My goal for that is to really chart the next five years of what Saugerties (Central School District) is going to become.”
Like school districts across the country, the SCSD is currently in the process of deciding how to adapt to the end of the American Rescue Plan Act funding, which was used to overcome learning loss and other district initiatives.
“We’re currently coming up with ways to measure the effectiveness of those programs, and then identifying which ones we’re able to maintain and should maintain, and which ones we might have to reduce or eliminate,” Erceg said. “What kind of impact have they had on student achievement?”
New Paltz Central School District Superintendent Stephen Gratto
Superintendent Stephen Gratto is wrapping up his first year at the helm in the New Paltz Central School District (NPCSD).
“2023 was a learning opportunity for me,” he said. “I am thankful to the community, both in and out of the school, for their support as I took on this new and challenging position. Throughout my time here I have been continually impressed by the commitment and dedication of faculty, staff, administrators and school board members. The parents and students have been amazing as they truly support the school and as the students have consistently demonstrated a desire to succeed.”
This year has been marked by change in the NPCSD, some of it driven by fiscal constraints, all driven by a need to ensure the district was able to meet the needs of its students. And even with hurdles in their path, Gratto said the district came together to move forward.
“I am pleased by the work we have done together,” he said. “We faced a very difficult budget process as we considered 2023-2024. Difficult staffing decisions were made but we managed to put up a fiscally responsible plan that preserved all programs.”
The NPCSD was also able to expand its pre-K program in 2023.
“We went from one classroom to three classrooms at minimal added expense to the district,” Gratto said. “This was achieved by leveraging the UPK grant and allowing community based organizations to run pre-K programs in vacant rooms at Duzine Elementary School. Now, we can offer free pre-K to all district residents who want it.”
Gratto said he was also pleased by changes to the district’s early literacy program, including its recent commitment to the science of reading.
As it was in 2023, Gratto said the NPCSD will face a difficult budget process in 2024.
“The impending end to the ARP (American Rescue Plan Act) grant will put us in a position where we will have to find funding for positions and services that have been paid for by federal monies or we will have to consider reductions that will allow us to balance the budget,” he said.
The district also has facilities and infrastructure issues in its future.
“Our latest building condition survey done in fall 2022 indicated that we have many repair needs that can’t wait,” Gratto said. “For example, elevators, fire alarm systems and roofs are all items that are at the end of their lives and require prompt attention. Employees, community members, parents and students have expressed concerns about the condition of some of our athletic facilities. As a result, the district facilities committee is considering proposing a capital project to the school board to address these needs.”
But there is much to look forward to in 2024 in the NPCSD as well.
“I am looking forward to a continuation of the great success our students are experiencing in all areas of education,” Gratto said. “I also look forward to the demolition of the former district office in town, the continued expansion of pre-K services, new literacy programs in our elementary schools and a continued focus on improving communication and health and wellness throughout the district.”
Onteora Central School District Superintendent Victoria McLaren
Onteora Central School District (OCSD) Superintendent Victoria McLaren called 2023 “a wonderful and productive year.”
“We continue to support our students and families following the pandemic, but in 2023 we saw our school activities really resume in full force,” McLaren said. “This provided our students with incredible opportunities to grow, learn, compete and perform. Our district is small but mighty in so many ways.”
McLaren said 2023 was a pivotal year for the OCSD as it began to address declining enrollment and how best to shape the district going forward.
“2023 was the year in which we began on the path of becoming the Onteora of the future with the (school) board decisions to move sixth grade to the middle school and close Phoenicia Elementary School,” McLaren said. “The board also gave us a timeline to work toward the creation of a central campus.”
McLaren said that 2024 will see the OCSD of the future come into greater focus in many areas.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how much our students will achieve and to working together with our school community to implement the exciting changes that are in process,” McLaren said. “We are creating a new middle school structure that incorporates the sixth grade and will provide our students with more educational supports and opportunities and a greater sense of belonging during their time in the middle school. This is coupled with the transition from three elementary schools to two elementary schools. This transition provides us with the ability to re-envision our K-5 program.”
McLaren said the challenges ahead in 2024 aren’t dissimilar to those faced in other school districts.
“We have an incredible faculty and staff, many of whom have been in Onteora for decades,” she said.“A significant number of these professionals are approaching and reaching retirement age. Replacing them is becoming increasingly difficult.”
McLaren said the district’s declining enrollment “provides us with opportunities to implement creative solutions.”
The OCSD will seek guidance from its community to help shape its future, and the first step in doing so is to make sure they reach them.
“We are currently conducting a communications survey and our goal is to continue to improve our communications with our school community so that we can engage everyone in the work ahead,” McLaren said.
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