LIVERPOOL -- Monday night's meeting of the Liverpool School Board promises to be more emotion packed than the one in February when the budget proposal was introduced. It calls for the closure of Wetzel Road Elementary along with the elimination of 130 teachers and staff.
Students are using Facebook to try to get as many people as they can to attend the meeting to protest the cuts. One group that will be there is LIVES, Liverpool Invests in Viable Educational Solutions. Al Burch says they intend to present a research paper that exposes a hidden agenda. He says the public is being deceived about the closing of Wetzel Road Elementary. Burch says the plan to shut down this school is actually part of a much bigger picture that incorporates major changes at Liverpool High School, which is located next door.
District officials are proposing to divide the high school into separate academies with one to be housed in what is now Wetzel Road Elementary. Burch says Superintendent Richard Johns is rushing the concept through to qualify for federal funds under the "Race to the Top" program.
Johns responded, "All of the efforts we do to balance the budget have nothing to do with Race to the Top." Johns admits the district has applied for money under program but adds, "the only reason we're talking about moving up the closing of Wetzel is because of the 5.9 million dollars that the Governor cut out of our budget."
Johns says the school board has decided to put off any discussion of the high school academy concept until next year.
Click here to read the report that LIVES will present at tonight's meeting.
Original Story:
There is mounting frustration and anger in the Liverpool Central School District over their plan to deal with a massive budget gap. Tonight, there will be a public forum for district residents to speak out.
The school budget battle will come to a head at tonight's school board meeting, which is expected to be packed with people voicing their concerns. Part of the superintendent's plan is to add several specialized academies to the existing high school, and build 11th and 12th grade academies for non-traditional students and students interested in performing arts. Academies for math and science and other specialties would follow.
The district is currently facing a $10 million budget deficit. To help close that gap, the superintendent wants to cut 130 jobs, raise taxes by $1 million district-wide, and close Wetzel Road Elementary School at the end of this school year. Wetzel Road School would then become part of the proposed high school academy.
Also sparking a lot of conversation in the district is the superintendent's plan to eliminate the position of executive principal at Liverpool High School. That position is currently held by Greg Avellino, who we’re told will resign at the end of the school year.
The Liverpool budget debate is even popping up on social networking sites. Students are voicing their concerns about the budget on this Facebook page, and encouraging people to come out to tonight's school board meeting.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Liverpool High School. For those who cannot attend, the district says it will be streaming the meeting live on its website.
