Displaying items by tag: Maura Manny

Tuesday, 21 November 2017 09:16

Saratoga Springs Veteran Tax Break Resolution

SARATOGA SPRINGS – At its Nov. 14 school board meeting, the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education voted to adopt a resolution for the Alternative Veterans’ Tax Exemption at Level C and a 10 percent Cold War Veterans’ Tax Exemption at Level C.

According to a statement from Maura Manny, director of community outreach and communication at the school district, “the Alternative Veterans’ Exemption (AVE) was established in 1984 for municipalities…and the Cold War Exemption (CWE) in 2007. Beginning in 2014 (AVE) and in 2016 (CWE), school districts were given the option to adopt these exemptions, which would exempt a portion of an eligible veteran’s assessed property value from real property taxes. The exemptions are only available to veterans who served during a designated time of war, and only applicable to primary residential properties.”

The tax levy (total amount of taxes) collected from all residents does not change but rather causes a shift in taxes, allowing qualifying veterans to apply to have their school taxes lowered. Non-qualifying taxpayers would experience an increase.

According to Lew Benton, a veteran and representative of an ad-hoc group of veterans who have been advocating for this tax break since last summer, members of the veteran community went to the board of education several months ago and asked what exemptions, if any, were offered.

Prior to the school board making their final decision on Nov. 14, the exemption was included on many board-meeting agendas, there was an online survey, and a public hearing was held to gather feedback from the community members.

Benton and his fellow veterans reviewed all of the board meeting minutes, for language suggesting a misunderstanding on the board’s part.

“There was a disconnect between the board about what a veteran really means,” Benton said.

The ad-hoc group then decided to take the board minutes and craft a memo regarding any misconceptions, providing clarification and appended anything that seemed to need highlighting and explanation. The group presented the memo in June to the board.

Following that, more meetings were held and the veterans’ group encouraged the board of education to “review, discuss and put it back on the table to draw a conclusion,” Benton said.

“While this is not the level we sought, it is a first step and will benefit many, particularly those of modest means and younger veterans attempting to become home owners,” said Benton.

Both exemptions will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year budget.

Published in Education
Thursday, 19 October 2017 13:26

Parent University

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Starting in September, the Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) began its’ 2017-2018 Parent University Programs. In Sept., the district released their School Emergency Response Video. The video discussed the district’s emergency planning and a parent’s role in an emergency. The video also provided information for parent-student reunification and the explained the ongoing efforts to keep students safe. The video is available online all year for review.

In October, SSCSD presented four lectures all in the same line of thinking: “Mindfulness: Top 10 Reasons to Give it a Try,” presented by District School Psychologist Laurie Newcomer. The purpose was to learn how mindfulness can help in the everyday life. Anti-bullying and Bystander Empowerment for Parents also took place in Oct. and was presented by the Sweethearts and Heroes organization. This parent program focuses on defining bullying vs. conflict the principles of compassionate empathy (CE). Parents also learned the role that technology played into their children’s lives as well as the fundamentals of cyber-bullying. “It’s All in the Way You Say It: Communicating Effectively with Your Child’s Education,” this workshop highlights the essential elements of effective communication that is critical for positive home and school relationships. Participants learned practical steps for working with their child’s educational team to build effective communication skills.

On every other Wednesday in November (1, 15, 29) there will be another Parent University lecture.

On Nov. 1 “The Emotional and Developmental Challenges of Adolescence” present by Dr. Michael Prezioso will take place in the Maple Ave Large Group Instruction Room at 6:30 p.m. Prezioso will discuss the transition between childhood and adult life.

 On Wednesday, Nov. 15, the District DASA Committee will present “What Does ‘Dignity’ for All Look Like in Saratoga. This lecture will be about the DASA law and its impact on school procedures. It will be in the MacFadden Administration Building at 6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Nov. 29 the “Finding Peace in a Frantic World” book discussion will take place in the Maple Ave Large Group Instruction Room at 6:30 p.m. Copies of the book are available for those interested, contact Maura Manny at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get a copy.

On Wednesday, Dec. 5 The Prevention Council will present an interactive presentation called Hidden Mischief at 6:30 p.m. in the Saratoga Springs High School Library. Parents of high school students are invited to attend the PTSO meeting at 5:45 p.m. Hidden Mischief shows the clever ways teens are hiding drug and alcohol use and how to spot the signs and talk to them about it.

January will have three lectures. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, Sports Related Concussions for K-12 Families will be presented by Eric Deim, held at Caroline St. Elementary School at 6:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, District Psychologist Laurie Newcomer at the Maple Ave Large Group Instruction Room will present The Real Happiness Challenge at 6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Jan. 31, Dr. Randy Cale will present Addicted to Electronics? Learn to Manage Technology, With Real Limits and Practical Solution. This program will take place at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School at 9:30 a.m.

February will have one lecture; on Wednesday, Feb. 28, Dr. Randy Cale will present Childhood Anxiety: How Children Needlessly Suffer and What Parents Can Do to Change This at Lake Ave. Elementary School at 6:00 p.m.

In March, two lectures will occur. On Wednesday, March 7, The Prevention Council will present Vaping: What You Need to Know. This program will at the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge on 1 Elks Lane in Saratoga Springs at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 28, Dr. Randy Cale will be back to present Motivating the “Unmotivated” Child: How to Think and Act Differently. This will be at the Geyser Road Elementary School at 9:30 a.m.

Monday, April 16 will be the final lecture in the Parent University Programs for the year. At 9:30 a.m. at the Caroline Street Elementary School Dr. Randy Cale will lecture on Managing Technology: Sensible Ways to Set Limits and Why You Must Do This Now.

 “Parenting and educating our students is one of life’s most important and demanding pursuits. The SSCSD continues its community-focused mission of supporting our families and community members through Parent University, a series of free, informative programs,” said the official statement.

Published in Education
Friday, 01 September 2017 10:10

Saratoga High School Aug. 24 Graduation

[Photo provided by Maura Manny.]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On August 24, 19 additional students from the class of 2017 graduated from Saratoga High School in the MacFadden Administration Building.

Assistant Principal Kevin Wolpert, “spoke about the resilience each student displayed to

get their high school diploma and how proud he was of each of them,” according to the press release.

Superintendent Michael Piccirillo and Board of Education President JoAnne Kiernan presented the diplomas. 

Published in Education
Thursday, 03 August 2017 13:58

Plans Underway for 2017 School Year

[ Photo provided by saratogaschools.org]

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS - “There is nothing like the first day of school,” Superintendent Michael Piccirillo exclaimed.

Between working in public education for the last 31 years and attending his own many first days of school, he has experienced a lot of that excitement first hand. Piccirillo attended Binghamton University and received his bachelor of arts degree in sociology, his master of arts in teaching from Binghamton with a certification in social studies for grades 7 through 12, where he went on to earn a doctorate in educational administration from Sage College. After teaching social studies for 10 years in two different school districts, North Warren and Lake George, his own high school alma mater, Piccirillo has been in the Superintendent’s office for the last 10 years, the first five as assistant superintendent and the last five as superintendent.

“It has been a really interesting and exciting 31 years.”

This year on January 1 Piccirillo put in his retirement resignation and the district will announce his replacement in the coming months with his final day being December 31.

“I’m not finished with being a public educator, I’m just looking to do something different and to have a little bit more time with my family,” he said.

For the upcoming school year, Saratoga will see many new projects that will help students succeed. When Piccirillo first began as superintendent, their Legacy Plan was the 2018 Vision, which is now almost to a close. They are now working on their new Legacy Plan and developing their next 5 – 10 year vision. The Great Outdoors Project was just presented to the town board. It is a $15.6 million project that will address the long overdue needs across the districts in properties they own, such as the East and West Side Recreation buildings and the back of Gavin Park that is owned by Dorothy Nolan Elementary School. They will be fixing and building more playgrounds and athletic fields.

Watson for Education is an IBM created augmented intelligence system that Saratoga will be the first district in New York State to utilize.  They will be a “Lighthouse District” for other districts around the state to come and learn from. This program creates personalized education plans for every individual student. It helps to make sure that students are successful not only academically, but socially and emotionally.

“Watson is an exciting and robust system that will ultimately help us to personalize education for all of our students and that has been one of our goals for our current 2018 legacy vision, but having the right tools to make it happen has been the difficult part of it. We believe Watson is going to be the tool we’ve been looking for,” he explained.

Expect a broader digital learning experience this year. CloudBooks, which is a Dell created tablet, will be available for all sixth graders to use and take with them as they move throughout the system. Each year, another grade level will be added, they hope to accelerate additions if more funding becomes available. They are using the Smart Schools Bond Act (SSBA) funds to purchase the new equipment.

The SSBA is “an initiative that would finance educational technology and infrastructure, providing students access to the latest technology and connectivity needed to succeed and compete in the global economy,” according to the website.

Since Piccirillo became Superintendent, graduation retention rate is at an all-time high. The goal for the last 10 years has been 95% and they have reached 94%.

“There is still room for improvement in terms of vision, obviously the target rate is 100%,” he clarified.

Piccirillo believes the retention rate has elevated due to more effort being put into support systems. They have partnered with Franklin Community Center and the LIFT Program to add more social workers to the staff, a mental health clinic, a substance abuse counselor at the middle and high school level. Graduation rates for subgroups have also improved. For special education and economic disadvantage rates have skyrocketed, almost doubling in both areas. Ten years ago, economically disadvantaged students were at a 35% graduation rate and special education was at 40%. Now, they are up to 80% and 75% respectively.

“As life gets more complex, students have greater needs and we need to be able to support them so they can focus on their academics and be successful academically. So yes there’s room for improvement but I also think we’ve made quite a bit of improvement over the last five years,” he noted.

There has been talk recently about the overcrowding in the elementary schools due to new housing developments being built. The district has six kindergarten through fifth grade schools, and of the most concern is with Dorothy Nolan Elementary School behind Gavin Park.

Speaking on the subject, Piccirillo said, “Dorothy Nolan School alone has room for 1200 kids and presently is only up to 800. To my knowledge, there is no concern for overcrowding at the moment. If that concern does become valid, we have the room to grow.”

Dorothy Nolan Elementary owns the land behind Gavin Park and they can expand the building if necessary. If worse comes to worse, they can also re-district and place children in the South Glens Falls schools.

“In the past when this issue arose, we have moved Dorothy Nolan students to Caroline Street School as opposed to having them change districts,” Town Supervisor Art Johnson said.

“If overcrowding does become an issue, Superintendent Piccirillo will certainly address it,” Johnson remarked.

When I asked Piccirillo what his favorite part of the school day was he said, “Students! Whenever I have a chance to be with students, to talk with them, to visit classrooms and participate in activities with them, that’s the best part of the day because that’s why I got into public education as a teacher. It’s always the hardest part of being an administrator is that the further up the ladder you climb in administration, the further away you get from the students.”

It goes to show that Superintendent Piccirillo has made great strides during his five years in the position and that the new Superintendent will have some big shoes to fill.

Published in Education

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Property Transactions

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