All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

May 7, 2020

Dear WCS Students & Parents/Guardians:

I hope you are all staying safe and health during this challenging time. In spite of the obstacles faced, I hope all of our students continue to be motivated, work hard, and persevere. If at any time your child is struggling and needs assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our teachers who are always there to assist both students and parents.

In the coming weeks, we’ll provide additional information on how we’ll address our annual end-of-year events, including Graduation for the Class of 2020. We know how important these moments are and will plan appropriate ways to celebrate student accomplishments. We will work closely with county and state health officials to find safe ways to honor all of our students, especially our graduates.

Classrooms, hallway lockers, and gym lockers are still filled with personal student items. We’ve had many requests for these items since last week’s announcement that school would be closed through the end of the academic year. In order to allow students to retrieve their personal items we are opening the building next Wednesday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to allow for pick up using the following guidelines:

• Do not enter the building if you have a temperature, feel ill, or have reason to believe you have been in contact with someone who may be sick.
• Only one adult and one child allowed in the building per family.
• Everyone must wear a mask.
• No loitering or visiting school staff. While we miss all of you very much, for everyone’s safety please avoid contact with school staff, enter the building to retrieve items, and leave immediately afterward.
• Personal items for students in grades PK-3 will be sorted and placed in labeled bags in the main hallway for pickup.
• Personal items for students in grades 4-12 can be retrieved directly from lockers.
• Tables will be set up in each hallway where students can leave textbooks as they clean out their lockers.
• Library books can be returned to school and placed on textbook tables as well.

I once again want to thank all of our students and parents/guardians for your patience and flexibility during this time. We are doing our best to face these challenges, and we know that our families are doing their best to balance school, work, family, and the demands of life in the current condition. We will continue to fine-tune our program to best meet the needs of our students and families.

Best Regards and Take Care,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

On Friday, May 1, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 202.26 which modifies the rule under which school districts are to conduct the 2020 annual meeting for the election of school board members and budget votes.

Voting Date
School board elections and budget votes will now take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.

Manner of Voting
Qualified voters will vote only by absentee ballots.  School districts will send out an absentee ballot to all qualified voters, with a postage-paid return envelope.  Please note the district office is closed to the public.

Absentee Ballot
Absentee ballots must be returned to the District Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2020.  Please note the district office is closed to the public.

Board Elections
No signatures are required on Nominating Petitions. Nominating petitions must be emailed to the District Clerk bpierce@willsborocsd.org or sent via US mail to Brandy Pierce Nolette, District Clerk, 29 School Lane, PO Box 180, Willsboro, NY  12996 by Monday, May 11, 2020 by 5:00 p.m.

Eligibility to run for Member of the Board of Education

• Must be able to read and write.
• Must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older, and not adjudged to be an incompetent.
• Must be and have been a resident (but need not be a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year.
• May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year.
• May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family.
• May not be a current employee of the school board.
• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

Notice of Vacancies

• Number of Seats  Available:  Two
• Term:  Two Expired Three-Year Terms from 7/1/2020 – 6/30/2023
• Seats currently held by:  Herb Longware & Emily Phillips

Voter Registration
The Board of Education has ongoing registration.  Any person who is not already registered to vote, upon proving that he or she is entitled to vote may register until June 2, 2020 by contacting the District Clerk at 518-963-4456 or visiting the Essex County Board of Elections website at https://www.co.essex.ny.us/wp/board-of-elections/.  No person will be entitled to vote whose name does not appear on the School District Register or who has not registered with the Essex County Board of Elections to vote at the general election.

All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

May 1, 2020

Dear WCS Students & Parents:

Today, May 1, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all public schools in New York State will remain closed through the end of the academic year due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Willsboro Central School will continue to provide distance learning instruction and meal delivery throughout the duration of the school closure. As more information becomes available, we will certainly pass it along to our school community.

Please remember that the next delivery of school meals and classwork will be made next Wednesday, May 6th. This delivery will include a one-week supply of food items and new class assignments from teachers. At the same time those deliveries are being made, our drivers will also be collecting completed coursework from student homes. All completed assignments should be placed in a Ziploc bag or another type of plastic bag, labeled with student and teacher names, and placed in the same area outside your home where food items are usually left when they are delivered. If you have specific questions about what should or should not be returned, please contact individual teachers directly.

Thank you to all our students and parents for your continued hard work and efforts in completing coursework, and remember that our teachers are always here to support you as you work through any assignments that have been given.

Best Regards and Take Care,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

April 1, 2020

Dear Willsboro CSD Parents/Guardians/Families,

On Friday, March 27, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all public schools in New York State will remain closed until April 15 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This new Executive Order supersedes all previous notifications about potential dates to return to school, including those issued by the Willsboro Central School District. Governor Cuomo has full authority to make this decision and all area schools will return only upon the Governor’s orders.

Additionally, all NYS schools have been directed to provide continued instruction and distribution of meals each day of the closure through April 15, 2020, including during what was previously scheduled as Spring Break for our school. Therefore, CVES BOCES and its 16 component school districts, including Willsboro Central School, will follow this order and continue to provide remote instruction and meals to students every weekday through at least April 14. Students will continue to be expected to complete coursework assigned to them during this time.

Lastly, to clarify some possible confusion on completion of assigned work, while we are asking that completed paper copies of coursework not be sent back to school at this time as a safety precaution, it is the expectation that all students complete all assigned tasks to the best of their ability as they are given by teachers. Some teachers may assign digital work that can be completed and returned electronically while others may ask students to send photos or scans of paperwork back to them. Please check with each teacher to determine what their preference is. We are required to provide instruction which also means that grades will be collected for assignments given throughout the school closure. Thank you to all our students and parents for your continued hard work and efforts in completing coursework, and remember that our teachers are always here to support you as you work through any assignments that have been given.

Please remember that teachers have created assignments using the following structure:

• For elementary school (PK-6) the instructional target is 1-2 hour(s) per day.
• For secondary school (7-12) the instructional target is 2-3 hours per day using the following schedule:
  • • Monday – Math
    • Tuesday – ELA
    • Wednesday – Science
    • Thursday – Social Studies
    • Friday – All Other Areas

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Thank you all for your continued patience and understanding.
Best Regards and Take Care,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

Dear Willsboro CSD Parents/Guardians/Families,

Thank you for your continued patience and partnership as we deal with the very fluid situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. While our building is currently closed to the public, our office staff is available to assist by phone or email from 9:00-2:00 Monday-Friday. In order to best provide answers to your questions, please contact us via email at district@willsborocsd.org or by phone at (518) 963-4456.

Throughout the school closure, the district is committed to continuing essential services and supports to all students. The following supports will still be in place for students throughout the extended closure of school:

Free School Meals
Yesterday, Wednesday, March 18th, each WCS student should have received a delivery of food and instructional materials. Please contact us if there were any issues with your delivery. Moving forward, meals will continue to be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students will receive a multi-day supply of both breakfast and lunch items. There is no need for someone to be home to accept the delivery. Our drivers have been instructed to leave items outside the front door of homes and to refrain from interacting with anyone at the home at the time of delivery.

Instructional Materials
It is our goal during this extended school closure that students will continue to practice, review, and move forward with their educational experience. Our faculty will provide instruction to be delivered in electronic and/or paper format to all students throughout the closure. Moving forward, classwork deliveries will be made on Tuesdays each week. We ask students and parents to hold all completed assignments at home until school reopens. It is the expectation that students will complete all assigned to the best of their ability until school resumes. Teachers should be in contact with students to provide updates and assistance as needed. Teachers have created assignments using the following structure which is suggested for home instruction:

• For elementary school (PK-6) the instructional target is one hour per day.
• For secondary school (7-12) the instructional target is two hours per day using the following schedule:
  • Monday – Math
  • Tuesday – ELA
  • Wednesday – Science
  • Thursday – Social Studies
  • Friday – All Other Areas

The district will continue to provide updated information as soon as it becomes available using our school website, social media accounts, and our automated calling service.

Sincerely,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

Dear Willsboro CSD Parents/Guardians/Families,

Champlain Valley Educational Services BOCES and its 16 component school districts unanimously decided to close schools immediately until at least April 19, 2020. The districts, in collaboration with the county Health Departments, will remain in regular communication to assess the situation.

These are uncertain times, and the challenges which we collectively face are new and ever-changing. At the onset of this pandemic, the guidance for public schools in New York State directed that school closure would be decreed by either local public health officials, the Commissioner of Education, or the Governor, following any affirmative COVID-19 test results. More recently however, in an effort to proactively limit the spread of this virus, school districts and BOCES regions have begun announcing preemptive closures. CVES BOCES and its 16 school superintendents met with local public health officials this morning and decided unanimously to close all schools in the Champlain Valley Educational Services BOCES region effective immediately. The directors from both county health departments strongly recommended this measure.

An extension of this closure is certainly possible, and discussion with local public health officials will continue. Any change in duration of this closure will be communicated to you as soon as possible. This closure will, obviously, encompass the April school recess.

This action has not been taken lightly. It is fully understood that this closure will create hardships for families, and each district will continue to support our community as best as possible throughout this situation. There are no confirmed cases in either Clinton or Essex Counties at this time. Nonetheless, in an effort to best protect our students and our neighbors, we believe that these measures, though not convenient, are necessary.

Each School Superintendent will share information with their parents, guardians, and students regarding the possible delivery of instruction throughout this extended closure. Each school district has a plan in-place for the ongoing delivery of various non-instructional services, such as student nutrition, mental health supports, etc. These plans will vary between districts, and you can also expect notification on these details in the coming days. Naturally, all school extracurricular activities (athletics, clubs, events, etc.) are cancelled or postponed during this closure.

As we navigate this unprecedented event, certain communication channels will surely prove more effective than others. We encourage the use of email as much as possible to contact school district personnel at this time.

Sincerely,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

All materials and resources are being complied on our Coronavirus Information Page located here. Please take the time to visit and find those resources at the end of each update.

March 10, 2020

Dear Willsboro CSD Parents/Guardians/Families,

Earlier today, out of an abundance of caution, Essex County declared a State of Emergency. According to Essex County Emergency Services, this action was taken for administrative purposes to procure government funding and supplies for the County in response to coronavirus (COVID-19). At this time, there are no known confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) within the Willsboro Central School District community and we have not received any notification of any infections within Essex County, NY. Please know that the declaration of a State of Emergency was a proactive action taken by the County to expedite its emergency preparedness activities and does not currently impact any school operations or activities.

We are continuing to monitor the situation in conjunction with local experts such as Champlain Valley Educational Services (CVES) and the Essex County Public Health Department. Additionally, we strongly adhere to guidance from the NYS Education Department, NYS Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

New information on this important topic has been included below:

Activity Cancellation
At this time, all activities at Willsboro CSD remain as planned. Some events across the state have been cancelled by the organizers. We continue to monitor how we might be affected. Be aware that some activities (interscholastic events, foreign travel, field trips, concerts, etc.) may be cancelled with little advance notice.

Family Communication
The district’s automated calling system is our primary means of communication. It is important for us to have updated contact information for all students. If you have recently changed phone numbers, please contact Brandy Pierce Nolette at (518) 963-4456 or bpierce@willsborocsd.org to have this updated in our emergency contact system.

Possible School Cancellation
Very little is known about the impact of a possible extended school closure. School districts in New York State are subject to a minimum 180-day calendar. Responsibility for waiving this requirement rests with the New York State Commissioner of Education. At this time, there is no necessity to close school in our district. If a closure becomes appropriate it is unclear if the 180-day requirement would be waived. Many questions and concerns have been raised and we are awaiting guidance and clarification from the New York State Department of Education. However, in an effort to be prepared, we have requested that instructional staff begin thinking about how they could offer instruction if we had to close for an extended period of time.

Current Protocol
Our primary strategy remains to prevent the spread of this virus through aggressive cleaning and hygiene best practices. We also continue to encourage the following:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before eating, after eating and after using the bathroom.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth especially with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash immediately after use.
• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Follow the CDC recommendations pertaining to travel abroad.

Most importantly, consider keeping students home when they are sick.

We will continue to provide regular updates and please contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Justin M. Gardner
Superintendent of School

The 2018-19 budget reflects a 2.21% increase in the tax levy. The previous two years the district has not had an increase in the levy. The estimated tax rate will be $11.89 which is an increase of twenty-six cents per thousand. Therefore, a taxpayer with a home assessed at $100,000 would see an increase
of $26.00 in their school tax bill. The overall budget is increasing by $763,358 with the vast majority of the increases occurring in the areas of health insurance and special education expenses. This budget proposal will allow the school to maintain its current programs and the district will be using fund balance to off-set the increased cost this year.

Phyllis Klein, Sunnie Lobdell and Heather Sheehan will be running for the two vacant positions on the Board of Education, both positions are for three year terms.

Thank you for your continued support of the students that we teach at Willsboro Central School. The district continues our commitment to provide quality programs and services to everyone involved in our school community.

– Steven Broadwell, Superintendent of Schools

2018-2019 School Budget Documents (In PDF format)

• 2018-2019 Budget Newsletter
• 2018-19 Proposed Budget Explanation
• Property Tax Report
• Superintendent Salary Disclosure
• WCS Fiscal Accountability
• NYSED Report Card for Students with Disabilities
• WCS Exemptions