Dear Bloomfield School Community,

I hope you all had a great week. 

January is a critical month for school districts across the state, as it includes the Governor’s State of the State Address and the release of the Executive Budget proposal. The State of the State signals the Governor’s priorities, while the Executive Budget provides an early look at potential state aid for schools. This year, the Governor proposed increased funding for Universal Pre-K, creation of the Office of Child Care and Early Education, expansion of the school meal program, additional support for student mental health, and new science and math initiatives.

The Executive Budget calls for a minimum 1% funding increase for all school districts. All Ontario County districts, including Bloomfield, received only this minimum increase. For Bloomfield, this equates to just over $75,000, an amount that will barely cover mandated minimum wage increases. To balance last year’s budget, the district left several positions unfilled, including a foreign language teacher, an administrative position, an elementary position, a business teacher, a facilities position, and two aide positions.

Over the past several months, we have advocated for the state to reprioritize spending to better support students in Bloomfield and across New York. Two major concerns are the electric vehicle (EV) bus mandate and the lack of state funding for school safety measures, particularly School Resource Officers (SROs). 

The EV bus mandate could significantly increase costs due to higher bus prices, increased utility expenses, required charging infrastructure, and higher operating costs. One district operating EV buses reports an additional cost of $0.70 per mile. These expenses could negatively impact staffing and shift focus away from student learning.

School safety is another key concern and has been another point of advocacy for us. Bloomfield currently funds its School Resource Officer through the general budget. State assistance for this expense would allow districts to redirect funds toward essential student programs.

In the past two weeks, I have met with state legislators and advocacy leaders from the Rural Schools Association, the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the New York State School Boards Association, and the New York State Parent Teacher Association to share Bloomfield’s challenges and priorities. Additionally, Board member Scott Layton and I participated in a regional panel discussion with local legislators. I am hopeful that our continued advocacy will positively influence the final Legislative Budget, which we anticipate to be released in the next month or so. 

Some highlights from the District I’d like to share include:

This Wednesday, several elementary teachers presented on the work they are doing to support student success. Kindergarten teachers Stephen Smith, Anna Kenyon, Kristin Donnelly, and Kendra Jeffers shared strategies they use to help younger students manage impulsive behaviors. Fifth-grade teacher Christine Ashton and AIS teacher Erin Jaynes discussed their work supporting reading instruction. These presentations offered valuable insight into how teachers are using data to improve student outcomes.

Our 6th grade students visited Roseland bowl during their PE classes this week. They learned bowling skills in class and then applied them at the bowling alley, making for a fun and engaging learning experience for everyone.

We continue to appreciate the Bloomfield Rotary’s support of our school and students. The Rotary took time to honor our Rotary Students of the Month: Calla McCombs, Ethan Bradshaw, Kyler Mohr, Tamia Gigin, Siera Kachmaryk, and Catherine Clark.

Finally, today was National Reading Day. To celebrate the day many of our high school students came to our elementary school to take time to read with our elementary students. The day served as a great example of what makes Bloomfield such a special place.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. We’re proud to celebrate the incredible things happening in our District. Please remember to let us know if you ever have any questions or ever need anything.

Andy Doell
--
Photo of the week: Our Modified, JV, and Varsity Basketball teams spent this morning "Buddy Reading" with Elementary students in honor of National Reading Day. The goal was to continue to build community across the Bloomfield Central School District, to inspire a love of reading in our students, and to celebrate the power of reading.