Lew-Port School Board hears, approves
measures benefiting students

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, February 17, 2007

Last Tuesday evening saw some pretty interesting discussions of interest to students out at Lew-Port, as the School Board held its regular monthly session. Among the many notables heard were ideas presented and later approved that night to fund an International Siblings Program for eligible High School junior and senior foreign language students.

Foreign language instructors Marc Cousins and John Mango appeared before the board to brief members on plans to organize groups of students for trips to Madrid, Spain and Brussels, Belgium in the spring semester of 2008. Participating students would be selected, based on their grades, as well as disciplinary records. The instructors envisioned that from 15 to 25 students could conceivably participate.

“It would have a great impact on our students from their experiences in both the language and culture, said Mango, a Spanish instructor who would be facilitating the Madrid, Spain, trip.

“Experiencing a country presents a cultural shock, but it also affords exceptional opportunities for the students to develop cultural bonds, for friendships,” chimed in Cousins, a French instructor who would be handling the trip to Brussels, which also include a visits to nearby Paris, France.

The two told the board that the cost for the trip, which would include travel, lodging, insurance, etc., would run anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, and be borne primarily by the participating student, but that fund-raising would also be envisioned. The timeframe for the trips would be either during the February or Easter break; district policy regarding chaperones would be utilized; and participating students who would also be missing class time would be expected to make up their work. Mango and Cousins told the board they’d also likely miss two to three days of class time as they apprised the board on the need to approve funding for substitutes.

Board Impressed

Board members came away both intrigued and impressed with their proposal. “It’s a huge undertaking,” commented board member Rob Laub. “I commend you for taking this on.”

“It’s a completely different experience, an education in itself” added an equally impressed Ed Lilly.

High School Principal Paul Casseri also spoke of the positive impressions on students of such an endeavor, telling the board how he facilitated a trip to Coast Rica while in the Buffalo Public School District. “I understand the value of this from past experiences,” said Casseri.

Board members saw the value of the proposal likewise and went on to unanimously approve the item on a 6-0 vote as part of its administrative agenda. Board member Lenny Palumbo was absent that evening on personal business.

Moving on to other items of interest, the board approved a request by Middle School Principal Vinny Dell’Oso to change the High Honor Roll benchmark in the school from 97 to 95 percent and change its classification from High Honor to Principal’s List. Dell’Oso told the board the move was intended to allow the Middle School to be more in alignment with the High School and it would also enable more students to achieve that distinction. “It’s a great accolade for our students,” said Dell’Oso, who told the board he’d like to initiate the change as soon as the third quarter marking period. Following limited discussion board members went on to approve the measure by the 6-0 margin.

Curricular Changes OK’d

Next up, the board approved a series of curricular policy changes at the High School to take effect in coming years, as well as upping the level of required credits to attain a Regents diploma and stepping up the requirements of courses having an AP designation.

Beginning in 2011, High School students will be required to complete a program in Career and Financial Management, which will provide great benefit to students in their personal as well as professional life, Casseri told the board. The one-half year, .5 credit course would be availed to Lew-Port students in grades 9-12 and would comprise such elements as Microsoft Office, XP and advanced computer applications. “It creates higher expectations for all our students,” said Casseri.

On his urging the board likewise approved increasing the graduation requirement for a basic Regents diploma from its current 22 to 23 credits. “Looking at the 2006 graduation class, 96 percent of these students graduated with 23 or more credits,” said Casseri.

“The move is more symbolic,” he pointed out, adding, “It says at Lewiston-Porter High School we expect more than the state minimum for our students.”

And on hearing of demands by the College Board for Lew-Port step up its requirements of course offerings having an AP designation, the School Board approved a request for 11 AP instructors to participate, at a cost of $2,310, in curriculum development programs in order to facilitate the process. AP courses expected to be impacted are: AP English 12; AP Art 3D; AP U.S. History; AP Physics; AP World History; AP Calculus AB; AP Government; AP English 11; AP Studio Art and AP Biology.

In still more news from the Tuesday session:

•The board approved measures to separate and then pass individually, contracts relating to capital improvement projects on the campus. Leading off, the board approved a no-bid $4,4300 contact extension for Pan American Environmental Inc., which has done earlier work at the Lew-Port campus, to proceed with a soils management plan in areas where upcoming improvement projects will be taking place, The measure was approved 4-2, with board members Lilly and Scott Stepien, who both expressed concern as to its no-bid status, voting no.

The board soon after on a 6-0 motion summarily passed the hiring of Geomatrix as an independent asbestos engineer for asbestos testing in connection with the Phase I of the district’s renovation project, at a cost of $3,000.

•One more item of note from the tail end of the session was a rather interesting change in stance on how the district will cater to the views of area environmental groups regarding the divergent concerns involving the campus and its location on the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works Site and area waste companies and landfills.

Schaubert Speaks Out

Board President Dave Schaubert, lending his attention to such groups as Residents for Responsible Government, whose members have been in attendance in recent sessions and offering comments during the meeting’s Community Comments phase, announced, “…The district will not allow various political action committees on both sides of the hazardous waste and nuclear waste debate to use the students of the Lewiston-Porter District as pawns in forwarding their individual agendas. Overt official district activities are and will be restricted to forwarding input received by the district through our official and unofficial representative on the CWM CAC and the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works RAB.”

Schaubert closed, “…The district has and will continue to address these concerns via the proper forums that have been established for that purpose and will not be drawn into the emotional factional political debate as this will not serve the best interests of the parents and students of the Lewiston-Porter School District.

When asked to comment soon after, a somewhat perturbed RRG president Vince Agnello stated, “I’m disappointed that the School Board would not bring this issue out to a public forum, to discuss this openly. We need transparency in this community and obviously this board does not want to do that.

“We’re concerned about the safety of the children, and that’s our only concern,” he added.