To enhance its commitment to keeping its constituents well-informed, the Niagara Falls City School District Board of Education will be providing summaries of its bi-weekly board meetings. Here are the notes from its Jan. 25 meeting.
PRESENTATIONS
F-Bites/HOGHOL Program — Chef Bobby Anderson provided an update on the F-Bites program. The F-Bites program, (Food-Based Interventions with Technology, Energy & Science), is explicitly designed to allow students to learn essential life skills and break the cycle of poverty.
F-Bites uses culinary arts to teach real-life skills such as leadership, teamwork, self-confidence, responsibility, accountability, reliability, respect for one another, and college and career readiness. It offers programs in the Niagara Falls City School District (NFCSD) at LaSalle Prep School, Gaskill Prep School, and Niagara Falls High School.
Barista program Starbucks at NFHS — Programs at LaSalle and Gaskill were discussed as well as internships
Stanford University College Course with Niagara Falls High School — Dante Richardson is a Niagara Falls native who brought the Stanford University Artificial Intelligence college course to NFHS and provided an update on the class. Richardson’s Pipe Dreamers program targets students from low-income households and gives them a chance to explore higher education. NFHS has 12 students who will graduate high school with college credits from the prestigious Stanford University.
BUDGET REVIEW
In Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget, New York State is not fully funding the District’s Foundation Aid as required by Education Law 3602. Currently, the district will receive $330,000 from the state, leaving a budget gap of $5.1 million.
The district is in a negative tax cap situation and will require a super majority (60%) of votes to pass the budget. At the Feb. 22, Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Mark Laurrie will present the total budget and final gap number
NEW BUSINESS
Laurrie recommended passage of the following items that are up for a vote at the board’s next regular meeting on Thursday:
Approval of an additional contract with HOGHOL(F-Bites) at Niagara Falls High School (NFHS) from March 1, 2024, to June 2024. Under the contract, F-Bites will provide the following services:
a) Culinary and mentoring program five days per week at each school (NFHS, LaSalle Prep School, and Gaskill Prep School)
b) Two periods of instruction per day at Niagara Falls High School; five days per week for the March-June 2024 semester
d) Purchasing of all food to be prepared and served by students
e) Working with up to 30 students
• Approval of a contract with Niagara County Community College to provide services for the NFCSD’s PTECH II programming from Feb. 23, 2024, through June 30, 2024.
• Approval of a contract for consulting services with the Niagara Alliance for Restorative Practices to provide professional development to staff members on using restorative circles in classrooms to improve student behavior. Restorative practices focus on strengthening community relationships and respecting others’ differences The Niagara Alliance for Restorative Practices, Inc. will run programs under the:
– STOP School Violence Grant, Mental Health Professional
– Demonstration Grant
– Student Mental Health Supports Grant
– School-Based Mental Health Services Grant
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
District exterior cameras will be equipped with 380 ZeroEyes surveillance systems by the end of February. ZeroEyes utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect firearms outside school buildings and alerts first responders and local law enforcement.
The English as a New Language program for adults at Abate Elementary has 26 participants.
Nineteen parents enrolled in the Niagara County Community College’s free writing class at Bloneva Bond Primary.
On Feb. 6, about 70 students from the Tri-District Leadership Conference consisting of Niagara Wheatfield High School, North Tonawanda High School, and Niagara Falls High School gathered at Niagara Wheatfield High School to listen to keynote speaker and Town of Niagara native Johnny Parks. In May 2022, Parks’ fence was vandalized and covered in racial slurs. He shared how he got through the matter and its social-emotional impact. Students from the three high schools participated in discussion groups after the speech.
The eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8. Thousands are expected to come to Niagara Falls, deemed one of the country’s best viewing spots for the eclipse. Due to crowds and transportation issues that this massive influx of people will create, schools will not be open on April 8.
The 79th Street Parent Education Group is concerned about traffic patterns and stop signs around the school. Superintendent Laurrie and the board support the parent group in their work.
On Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m. in the Central Office Auditorium, Maria Massaro, administrator for Human Resources, will host a Teacher Residency Program meeting. The Teacher Residency Program offers tuition assistance, a living stipend and assistance with the cost of books and supplies. Anyone with a Bachelor’s degree interested in becoming a teacher may apply for this program.
The next Niagara Falls City School District Board of Education meeting is 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Central Office, 630 66th St.