West Valley Central School District Schoolwide Efficiency Study Dr. Laura K. Pless Mr. Mark A. Whyle Western New York Educational Service Council www.wnyesc.org
We believe that all people can learn and that learning is a life-long experience. Our responsibility is to: West Valley -Provide an educational atmosphere conducive to Central all learners acquiring college and career readiness including 21st century skills School -Hold our staff to high expectations as they facilitate the achievement of all students according to the New York State Common Core Standards Mission -Facilitate cooperation between parents, the community and the school Statement -Work to educate the "whole child" academically, emotionally, physically, and socially
● Assist the district by examining areas of the district’s operations that are sufficient and also suggest Purpose of additional ways in which the district could gain efficiencies Study ● Highlight the structure suggested to maximize effective operations
● Given that the school district is committed to Focus providing a comprehensive Pre-K-12 program, is it educationally feasible and fiscally sustainable to continue to function as an independent school district? ● What, if any, ideas and/or recommendations can be implemented to restore, promote and grow opportunities for the community and West Valley CSD? ● If a comprehensive program as it currently exists is not feasible, what options could be considered to reach the goal of maintaining a comprehensive program for West Valley CSD?
1. District Demographics 2. Enrollment and Non-Resident Tuition Areas of 3. Programs and Class Sizes 4. Financial Overview Analysis 5. Current Space Utilization 6. Retirement Incentive 7. Transportation Operations 8. Athletics 9. Strategic Plan
● Effectiveness is about doing or using the right things — things that yield positive Effectiveness results. And Efficiency ● Efficiency is simply about doing things right — i.e., completing a task cheaper or faster.
Elements of Effective Schools 1. Leadership a. Clear vision and priorities b. Cohesive leadership team 2. Decision making and structure a. Clear roles and accountabilities for decisions b. Organization structure that supports objectives 3. People a. Organization and individual talent necessary for success b. Performance measures aligned with objectives 4. Work processes and systems a. Superior execution of programmatic work processes b. Effective and efficient work processes and systems 5. Culture a. “High Performance” values and behaviors b. Capacity to change
Effectiveness Planning and actions are and Efficiency not independent. There are many moving parts in any well functioning system. The components identified in this study should be regarded as single parts of a more complex machine.
Quote from Community Member “The assumption here is that the school’s status quo should be unacceptable and that the study you are conducting has a wider purpose than validating the school’s current program with gentle tweaking of its operation. Instead, identifying the big issues and creative paths to alleviate them will confirm that the tax money invested in this study has been wisely spent.”
West Valley Central School District provides Pre-K District through 12th grade education in a single campus facility. While current enrollment is approximately Demographics 200 students, the school building has a capacity of approximately 540 students. The West Valley Demonstration Project currently pays a fixed amount In Lieu of Property Tax The district has recently suffered budget defeats by the voters. The 2018-19 budget was defeated twice. The district has also experienced a recent wave of movement of resident students enrolling as tuition paying non-residents, particularly in Ellicottville School District.
From 2013-14 to 2019-20 K-12 enrollment Enrollment has dropped from 288 to 190 students In the same period out-of-district enrollment has grown from 18 to 48 students, peaking at 53 students in 2017-18 The majority of out of district enrollment is in Ellicottville Students enrolling in Ellicottville has grown from 8 to 38 students, peaking at 47 students in 2017-18 While enrollment has dropped to a lower number, this may be the low point
Future Enrollment Stability? Enrollment by cohort grade block is higher in the early grades
West Valley charges $400 tuition for non-resident students NY State calculates West Valley tuition Tuition per student at: charged by K-6: $7,649 West Valley Special Ed K-6: $37,460 7-12 $15,270 Special Ed 7-12 $45,082 There are pros and cons regarding this policy which the district could consider
Programs and Class Sizes The team met with school administrators, teachers, support staff, and students : ● Gain a better understanding of course offerings and the overall impact these have on student performance, participation, and level of satisfaction with the school and community. ● These meetings included areas of Special Education and Academic Intervention Services. ● Evaluate staff/student ratio and administrative structure including roles and responsibilities Program Highlights : ● Based on the fact that there is one teacher per grade level at the elementary school and one per content area at the middle school and high school, the district is appropriately staffed in the instructional areas. Administration works to hire dual certified staff that are able to serve multiple roles and grade ● levels. This maximizes the efficiency of their instructional staff allowing for one teacher to teach in multiple areas.
Program Highlights - continued ● Small enrollment allows for individual attention and support-minimal behavioral issues ● Teachers highly motivated toward success ● State Performance Results- Grades 9-12 performing at or above NYS and County averages ● Staff indicates administration supportive of ideas and available to staff ● Wide variety of support services offered- Provided in-house as often as possible ● Variety of college level courses offered at the secondary level
Programs continued: Considerations: ● Based on the multiple responsibilities, the district employs an appropriate number of administrators to best meet the varying needs, mandates and operations of managing a school district the size of West Valley. ● Currently, the duties associated with administration of academic and related service programs is split between the Principal and the Director of Special Education-In an effort to streamline administrative duties and maximize the skills and backgrounds of these individuals, a revision of the organizational chart might need to be considered, resulting in a realignment of Principal and Director of Special Education responsibilities ● Provide clerical assistance to include support in the area of Special Education ● Work toward aligning curriculum and developing data teams ● Fidelity to the established RTI process and classification process ● Continue to evaluate ways to enhance distance learning opportunities for secondary level students
Technology Programs H ighlights: ● There is a 1:1 student to computer ratio in grades K-12. There are computer carts in grades K-3. ● Computer purchases are on a rotating schedule and purchased through BOCES, maximizing BOCES aid. ● Funds through the Smart Schools Bond Act and an upcoming potential capital project have been designated to improve any current technology issues. Considerations: ● Establish a 3-5 year plan in the area of technology to include purchases and program goals. This would allow the department to proactively plan for future needs and desires as well as address situations as they arise. ● Consider creating a full-time technology coordinator position with continued support from BOCES. This individual would not be responsible for direct instruction throughout the course of a day allowing them to provide more efficient and quality support to faculty, staff and administration. ● Integrate the library into the area of technology. Evaluate ways in which the library can be better used to support and enhance technology in the district. Evaluate the role of the assistant in the library to determine if they can assist with technology.
Additional Innovative Ideas-Related to Programs Comprehensive List on pages 42-43 of report
Total of Fund Balance and Reserves was Financial $4,662,891 at June 30, 2019 Overview This represents 54% of the 2019-20 budget - a strong financial position The district could continue to lower these totals and still maintain financial strength Consider a long range targeted fund balance and reserve plan that will both maintain financial stability and also help contain tax levy and rate increases This works in conjunction with a long range budget plan to ensure balance
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