P.O. Box 68, 17 School Street, Peru, NY 12972 - (518) 643-6000

Peru Central School District is grateful for the 950 district residents who participated in the May 15^th annual vote and election. The 66% voter approval rate on the Board of Education’s $40,492,243 proposed expenditures plan for voter consideration is noted and very much appreciated. The budget vote was 629 in favor of the Board’s budget plan and 321 against the Board’s budget plan. The approved budget calls for a decrease in spending of minus 2.63%.  That translates into a reduction of $1,094,208 compared to the current year's budget. 58% of those who participated in the election selected Linda Morgan to the five-year seat on the Board beginning July 1st.  President Rod Driscoll, who on June 30th will complete ten years of public service as Board member, with quite a few of those years also serving as Board President, was not running for re-election.

Highlights of Board action at the May 8, 2012 regular monthly meeting are available here. A copy of the 12^th annual spring report on progress toward district goals is available here. The Interim Superintendent’s May 2012 report to the Board is available here. The 2012-2013 public reporting calendar is available here.

Among the Board’s May 8^th actions were approving a change to this month’s calendar to have Tuesday, May 29th as the scheduled day for the one ‘unused’ inclement weather day, rather than Thursday, May 24th as stated on the previously approved 2011-2012 calendar. In short, students are scheduled for an early dismissal day on Thursday, May 24^th. Teachers will be at school for the entire day on May 24^th. There will be no school on Friday, May 25^th, Monday, May 28th and Tuesday, May 29^th.

The intent of this calendar change is to support the extraordinary planning and engagement underway among faculty members and administrators for common core standards implementation & APPR-related initiatives scheduled for May 24th, the last of this school year’s early dismissal days. Adjusting the calendar in such fashion will be helpful and will advance school district, faculty and administrator efforts to be ready for the new standards & regulations ahead for July 1^st forward. The Board asked Principals to see that parents & guardians receive timely notice of that calendar change.

The Board of Education and Peru Central congratulate each and every graduating student associated with the Peru Class of 2012. Special commendation is underway for the ‘Top Ten Percent’ of this year’s graduates, as measured by grade-point average. The ‘Top Ten Percent’ will be recognized at the county school boards’ association annual academic awards banquet in Altona early May 2012. Pictured above is a recent snapshot of various ‘Top Ten Percent’ members of the Class of 2012 when they gathered to have their group picture taken, as part of preparing for the May 2012 awards banquet.

School community members who have interest in helping with the annual review of the district’s code of conduct are invited to telephone the office of High School Assistant Principal Sanford Coakley at 643-6022 to reserve a seat at the Monday May 14^th, Monday May 21^st and Wednesday, May 30^th 6 PM code of conduct meetings in the Peru Central community room, near the renovated main entrance of Peru High School. This annual ad-hoc conduct committee consists of interested students, parents, teachers, support staff members, administrators and interested other district residents who will examine the current code of conduct and construct a set of proposed revisions and updates to the code of conduct that will be recommended to the Board of Education for adoption by the Board and for use across campus next school year. This annual review of the district’s code of conduct is part of our focus on continuous improvement efforts, and is consistent with State regulations that call for the school district to maintain an up-to-date code of conduct.

A view-screen only ‘Preview Edition’ of the May 2012 annual budget edition of the Peru CSD Community Report is available here.  That report is slated for Postal Service delivery to district residents the week of May 1^st. A view-screen only Web edition of the entire Peru CSD ‘Budget Detail Book’ is available here. That detail book features twenty different sections, key points, snapshot reports, charts, tax levy and tax rate facts and figures regarding the school board’s proposed $40,492,243 expenditures plan for July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. That view-screen Web edition contains the very same set of documents as the print edition. District residents who wish to examine the print edition of the ‘Budget Detail Book’ may do so at the District Office or at the main office of the Primary School, Intermediate School, Middle School or High School, beginning mid-day May 1^st forward.  A summary of the roughly $1.05M in cost reductions for July 1st forward is available here.

Board Appoints Successor Superintendent

At a special meeting on April 24^th at 6 PM in public session, the Board of Education appointed Dr. Patrick Brimstein as successor Superintendent of Schools for Peru Central, July 1^st forward. Additional information about Dr. Brimstein’s start of service will be published on this Web site in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile, the Press-Republican newspaper’s front page feature story on the Board’s appointment is available here.

During the spring recess, the Peru High School student club ‘Mathematicians Without Borders’ toured several areas of China, along with various faculty, parent chaperones and school community member chaperones. Part of their visit involved a multi-day tour of Beijing. Picture above in a group photo are the spring 2012 Peru students with high school mathematics department faculty member and club advisor Mr. Chen, along with various parents, faculty members and school community members who journeyed to and from China during spring recess. Also pictured is Laura Scott, a year 2008 alumna of Peru High School, who is a senior study abroad undergraduate student this semester at Peking University. Laura assisted with tour guide service in Beijing for our mathematicians and their chaperones [and for Laura’s former teachers].

Peru Central School District's Board of Education has established a $40,492,243 proposed expenditures plan for voter consideration noon until 9 PM, Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in the district's high school gymnasium.  The proposed budget calls for a decrease in spending of minus 2.63%.  That translates into a reduction of $1,094,208 compared to the current year's budget.  Details regarding the budget proposal will be featured in next month's Community Report.  As to the annual vote, two individuals, Kim Mayer and Linda Morgan, submitted petitions for the five-year seat on the Board beginning July 1st.  President Rod Driscoll, who on June 30th will complete ten years of public service as Board member with quite a few of those years also serving as Board President, is not running for re-election.

Highlights of the Board's April 17th meeting are available here.  Those highlights feature the adopted 2012-2013 academic calendar.

A copy of Peru CSD goals for the 2012-2013 school year are available for viewing here. You can view Peru CSD’s public service emphasis for 2012-2013 here.

At its Tuesday, April 3, 2012 budget workshop, the seventh workshop this budget season, the Board of Education approved a set of twenty-nine [29] cost reductions to take effect July 1^st forward. A PDF copy of those approved cost reductions is available here. The April 3^rd snapshot report on the comprehensive examination of our transportation services department is available here. A copy of the April 3^rd Budget Bulletin for the Board is available here. A summary of various Peru CSD supports available to assist employees facing unemployment or reduced employment associated with cost reductions was distributed cross-campus April 4^th and is available here.

In the weeks ahead, this section of the Web site’s home page will be providing the latest Peru CSD facts & information regarding the May 15, 2012 annual vote on the school board’s expenditures plan and the annual election. A PDF copy of the petition for individuals seeking election to fill the five-year seat on the Board of Education that’s becoming vacant July 1^st is available here. A snapshot report on the property tax cap threshold is available here.

The March 27, 2012 Budget Bulletin regarding the prospect of some additional state aid, expanding partnerships with bordering districts and the March 2012 fiscal accountability report card is available here. A chart comparing Peru CSD total expenditures per student compared with all other Clinton County school districts is available here. The snapshot report on transportation services at Peru CSD July 1^st forward is available by clicking here. The most recent edition of the budget development timetable is available here.

At the March 27^th 6 PM sixth budget workshop, the Board of Education examined and discussed a March 27^th packet of updates regarding statewide budget development, related New York State Education Department and Legislative topics, the March 2012 NYSED Fiscal Accountability Report, forecasted 2012-2013 school year student enrollment and last week’s budget development workshop #5. A copy of that packet is available by clicking here.

Also, the Board considered yet took no action on various prospective cost reductions list for July 1, 2012 forward, in response to continued scarcity of state aid revenues and in response to the first year of the state-mandated property tax cap threshold, July 1^st forward. The Board’s next budget workshop is this coming Tuesday, April 3^rd at 6 PM in the community room.

Highlights of school board action at its March 13, 2012 regular monthly meeting are available by clicking here. The school board will conduct first round interviews with particular Superintendent of Schools candidates during the week of March 19^th. Second round interviews with particular Superintendent of Schools candidates are slated for March 28^th, and possibly March 29^th, as well, depending on the number of candidates still under active consideration by the last week of March 2012.

Also, to better inform decision making regarding how to most cost efficiently sustain the school district’s transportation services, the Board of Education authorized the school district enter into contract with Transportation Advisory Services of Walworth, New York, for a winter-spring 2012 examination of the school district’s transportation services department, as part of the school district’s identified priority to examine the current structure, staffing and budgeting for school bus routing and operational practices. The intent is to sustain this essential support function as cost efficiently as practical, given the challenging economic climate forecasted for next school year and beyond. This examination is state-aid eligible.

A view screen edition of the February 8^th ‘Budget Snapshot’, featuring various documents, charts and $1M of preliminary draft cost reductions for July 1^st forward is available here. Also available:

1. Early forecast report, available here,  of driving factors for budget development in the weeks and months ahead - distributed at the 'Community Conversation'.  The report is in two sections: forecasted statewide budget factors and forecasted Peru CSD budget factors;

2. The packet of exhibits, available here, distributed and examined at the 'Community Conversation';

3. 'Community Conversation' summary sheets for January 23rd are available here, and for February 13th are available here.

The Board of Education examined and discussed various reports at the January 10th regular monthly meeting.  The sixth annual 'State of the District' report is available here.  The January 10th regular monthly Superintendent's Report is available here.  The 2011-2012 timetable for public reporting is available here.  The board-approved set of 2012-2013 District Goals is available here.

The Board of Education gathered for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 10th.  Highlights of that meeting - along with various documents the Board discussed at their meeting - are available by clicking here.

A view-screen edition of the November 2011 Peru CSD Community Report is available for viewing by clicking here.

Given two years of significant state aid cuts to Peru CSD, the District was fortunate in prior years to not have expended all that it was authorized to expend. At numerous public session budget development workshops in recent years, the District has been very forthcoming and consistent in regard to being conservative with revenues and being conservative with expenditures. Doing so was in keeping with a year 2004 longer-term finance study of Peru CSD, given the school district’s heavy dependence on state aid. Being conservative has been a contributing factor in our school district’s capacity to sustain our broad set of academic, artistic and athletic programs and activities for the children of this school community. A cross-campus update regarding fiscal accountability and the NYS Comptroller’s Office most recent comprehensive fiscal accountability audit on Peru CSD is available here.

More than 1,000 New York State public schools are earmarked for improvement of student achievement scores, as measured by state accountability tests. New York State announced what it calls the ‘Differentiated Accountability Project’ which categorizes identified schools and determines required interventions for each category of designated schools. The North Country’s extensive list of identified public schools includes Peru Middle School, under the category of English Language Arts (ELA), within the subgroup of students with disabilities. Also included with that extensive North Country list of identified public schools is Peru High School, also under the category of ELA, within the subgroup of students identified as having ‘lower socioeconomic background’. 

 Annual scores on state tests at the middle school and high school did not reach all the thresholds set by the ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB) federal legislation for academic year 2011-2012.  Peru Central will leverage what ever resources and support we can gather from our region’s BOCES to help us examine our data and evidence and assist Middle School Principal Felt and High School Principal Mazzella.  Peru Middle School and Peru High School are constructing a two-year improvement plan. That plan includes a timeline for implementation of interventions targeting the performance of particular student groups and the particular NCLB accountability measure for which that school has been identified.

A March 14, 2012 is being mailed to parents and guardians of particular middle school and high school students regarding spring 2012 supplemental education services their child might be eligible to receive. Details regarding the matter will be provided by Principals to those parents in the days and weeks ahead. Such supplemental services are part of ‘No Child Left Behind’ provisions for public school districts. A copy of that letter being sent to particular parents is available by clicking here.