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Thursday, August 28, 2014
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A new vision for BV Getting students ready for the future By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
MANLIUS — Throughout the next five years, the Bureau Valley community will be striving to build a new vision for their school district.
The hope is that students will be ready for the workforce or will have a written plan for their future career immediately following high school. Endress explained the vision was created following the strategic planning sessions held this past spring with
On Tuesday, Superintendent Steve Endress announced that by 2020, it’s the district’s goal to have every Bureau Valley graduate either working toward an associate’s degree, already obtained an associate’s degree or have acquired an industry certification.
board members and participating community members. “The board was very interested in propelling the district forward, as there has been a couple bumps in the road in the past few years, and we’re ready to start a new era for the school district,” Endress said.
After observing the district and discovering key components, Endress and Assistant Superintendent Gavin Sronce were able to put together the vision that Endress said will create a different kind of high school — one that will allow students different opportunities they currently do not have and
that no other high schools in the area offer. Part of the vision is to allow more flexibility in students’ scheduling, so they can take advantage of more resources in their communities, whether that’s through an internship with local employers
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New strategies DePue Exxon Mobil site manager discusses options By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
DEPUE — Exxon Mobil is developing improvement plans to better regulate its areas linked to DePue’s Superfund site. Earlier this week, Exxon Mobil’s DePue site manager Joe Abel sat down to discuss the new strategies meant to better handle water run-off and water treatment at the gypsum stack area, located north of the village, “From a conventional standpoint, we’re able to treat water as well as it should be, but some day we would like to get out of treating water,” he said. “The goal is to get out of this so that these wetlands can just be wetlands, and we don’t have to collect the water runoff.” Right now, half of the gypsum stack area is covered in Fescue grass, while the other is covered in native prairie grass. Abel explained the reasoning behind this was when Exxon Mobil began capping the stack area, they planted the Fescue grass as it was determined to be the best cover at the time. Halfway through the process, the U.S. EPA came out with a new regulation stating that native prairie grass was a better cover, as precipitation is able to seep through the Fescue grass cap. Because water absorbs past the ground cover, Exxon Mobil has to treat that ground water before it’s discharged. The new plan is to cap the entire area in native prairie grass, which will allow more precipitation runoff rather than it being absorbed into the ground.
DePue Page 4A Year 168 No. 103 Four Sections - 48 Pages
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
Fresh from the market Klaudia Rees, owner of Cookie Jar Country Bakery in Putnam, arranges her variety of produce at Princeton’s Farmers’ Market on Tuesday evening. The market is held on the corner of Elm Place and Main Street and is open from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Whether it’s cucumbers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes or green beans you’re looking for—the market offers all sorts of locally-grown produce and baked goods from our local farmers.
Budget and personnel on PES agenda By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton Elementary School Board has reviewed a tentative multi-million dollar budget for the new fiscal year. At Monday’s meeting, PES Superintendent Tim Smith presented an executive summary for the fiscal year 2015 tentative budget, showing projected total revenue in all funds of $14,115,625 and projected total expenses of $13,561,289.
Beginning the fiscal year with a FY 2014 unaudited ending balance of $2,631,490, the PES District is projected to end FY ‘15 with an ending balance, on June 30, 2015, of $3,185,826, Smith said. The projected revenue for the new year does include $2 million in bonds, which the board may not, hopefully, need to issue, Smith said. The district’s revenue got a $164,000 hit in general state aid, due to decreased enrollment and also due to the fact the state is funding on a lower level.
Looking specifically at the largest fund — the education fund, Smith said projected revenue is $8,436,222, which includes a transfer of $1,250,000 from working cash. That transfer amount is a big number, but it is an improved number from last year. Following Smith’s presentation, the board set a public hearing on the tentative budget at 6:45 p.m. Sept. 29, prior to the next monthly board meeting. In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board approved a collective bargaining agreement
with the PES Federation of Teachers Council, American Federation of Teachers Local 604 for a fouryear contract beginning July 1, and ending June 30, 2018. The agreement includes an increase to the base salary schedule of an average 1.75 percent per year. The board approved up to a 3 percent salary increase for administrators and support staff. The board also approved stipends as recommended by the superintendent.
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