OSWEGO, NY – Retired school principal and administrator Ray Savarese provided the Oswego Board of Education with an overview the results of his recent school survey Tuesday night.
Earlier this fall, Savarese visited the school district for several months to analyze the organization and operation of Oswego High School. The survey, for the most part, grew out of the board’s interest in examining the “house” system of administration currently in use at the school.
Savarese said that even though he was a stranger, everyone talked with him honestly and openly.
However, some told him that “they knew” why he was there, he told the board. That he had been sent to OHS to find a way to reduce the number of administrators by one was something he heard more than once, he said.
That wasn’t the reason he was there, he pointed out.
OHS has a 1 to 375 ratio of administrators to students, he said.
“Compared to other area schools, Oswego is in the middle of the pack,” he said. “If you reduce the number of principals, the ratio jumps to 1 to 500, which is out of the question.”
Among his recommendations Savarese said the district should do more to promote all the good things going on. The district should also start preparing eighth grade students for their high school careers in their second semester. Mentors working with the OHS freshmen was also a suggestion.
The district had a School Resource Officer at OHS for a few years, before it was eliminated due to budget constraints. Savarese made a pitch to find a way to return the position and add another layer of security at the high school.
Last week, Acting Superintendent of Schools Bill Crist and school board president Dave White shared Savarese’s findings with the media.
Throughout the day on Wednesday, Savarese will meet with students, staff and teachers at the high school as they continue to examine the operation and organization of the building.
“This Wednesday, we would like to provide an opportunity for visits with Mr. Savarese. From six to eight o’clock on Wednesday evening, he will be available to meet with interested community stakeholders in the conference room adjacent to the main office in the Oswego High School,” Crist said Tuesday night.
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