Schools along Route 20 between Cobleskill and Morrisville have created a partnership with the colleges in those two villages.
Waterville Central School Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Spring told the WCS Board of Education at last week’s meeting that she and superintendents from Madison and Mount Markham districts were invited to SUNY Cobleskill, as were SUNY Morrisville representatives.
The superintendents toured the college and heard about programs at Cobleskill that could be career paths for students. These include a John Deere mechanic certification program, a K-9 training program and jobs in the cannabis field.
Spring said the districts connected by Route 20 can also look at programs each offers for ideas and sharing. Other districts include Richfield Springs, Brookfield, Cherry Valley and Sharon Springs.
The meeting began with a budget hearing to go over the 2023-24 $20.9 million budget voted on earlier this week. It represents a $900,000 increase in spending from this year’s budget.
Spring and Business Manager Amanda Eaves focused on some of the spending uses of the federal recovery money, which has to be used by the end of September 2024. WCS will pay for teachers to tutor students, a longer Pre-K day, a late bus, the stipends to teachers for a longer school day, the summer programs this year and next and funding toward the School Based Health Center.
Board members said discussions need to start soon about which of these can be kept in the general district budget and what has to be cut. “We need to know how much each of these costs and priorities so we know to cut back or find another way,’’ Board member Pete Casatelli said.
Spring said she plans to discuss with the Waterville Teachers Association having the…