South Orangetown Central School District
160 Van Wyck Road • Blauvelt, NY  10913 • (845)680-1050 • Fax (845)680-1900
kmitchell@socsd.org

Table of Organization Line by Line 2010-11 Proposed Budget

 

Dear South Orangetown Families:

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!

On behalf of the Board of Education and all staff, I once again offer best wishes for a successful and enjoyable learning experience for our students. The leadership and staff of South Orangetown are dedicated to ensuring that our students are provided with the skills and knowledge that will prepare them for a complex and constantly changing world. Given the rate of change and the extent of challenges that our society faces, this is a daunting task. To take it on, we must employ a systemic and systematic approach.

Almost four years ago, the district identified a set of priorities based on staff and community input that have served to guide us in our efforts towards continuous improvement. We remain on the path that we established back then and continue to review evidence that we are making progress.

As many of you know, South Orangetown has identified these major goals:

  • Provide Students with Skills for the 21st Century

  • Address the Diverse Needs of Learners

  • Foster a Respectful Learning Environment

  • Enhance Student Literacy

Each of these goals is accompanied by district and building action plans that are posted on the SOCSD home page and at the various building web pages. Updates regarding events and progress in meeting these goals have been and will continue to be posted to keep parents informed.

It is important that parents and other caretakers stay current with what is happening in our schools. When a community is supportive of education and parents are involved in helping their children develop a value of learning - informal as well as formal - children in such families thrive. This has always been the case, but given the pressures on today’s families, it is difficult to do so with consistency and fidelity.

For the past few years, school districts across the country have been beset with significant fiscal challenges. In South Orangetown, the school board, administrators, and staff have collaborated to reduce costs without significantly impacting instruction. With the legislation of a tax cap and the potential reduction of state aid, we again face daunting funding challenges.

South Orangetown will continue to do its best to operate within its fiscal means and to find the kinds of reductions and savings that we have achieved over the past few years without harming instruction or eliminating programs. We will, however, need your support, attentiveness, and assistance.

I encourage parents to participate in their children’s learning or find ways to partner with the schools. In addition to the PTA, which has multiple volunteer opportunities, the newly revived South Orangetown Education Foundation, is also seeking assistance. Each of these groups is supported by committed volunteers – parents and former parents – who recognize that not everything that needs to be done to support our students can be funded through tax dollars. Information about volunteer opportunities can be found on our website via the PTA or Foundation link. Each of these groups would greatly appreciate your involvement.

In the first half of the 2011-2012 school year, the district will be contacting families to once again participate in a district-wide survey to assess community perceptions on the progress that the district has made in achieving its goals. We had an excellent participation rate in 2009 which will serve as our year of comparison. Please take a few moments to respond when you receive information.

We have many challenges ahead, but our schools are about the future of our children and the world in which they will be living and leading. Once again, I ask you to join us in a partnership to help them to succeed and wish great happiness, success, and health to all students and district families as we begin this school year.

Sincerely,

Ken Mitchell, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
kmitchell@socsd.org

 

 

Tappan Zee High School    South Orangetown Middle School    Cottage Lane Elementary School

Tappan Zee Elementary School    William O. Schaefer Elementary School    Early Childhood Program