Oswego BOE Weighs Information From Fourth Installment Of Comprehensive Efficiency Study

OSWEGO – The last installment of a Comprehensive Efficiency Study created for the Oswego City School District was presented to the Board of Education last night during their bi-monthly meeting, Tuesday, August 2.

The study was conducted by Deborah Ayres and Allen D. Poles of the Castallo & Silky LLC Education Consultants – the final component in a four-part series at the request of the school district. The total series includes:

• Energy Efficiency – by the SEIMENS Group (more information will be shared at the next BOE meeting)
• Transportation – by the Transportation Advisory Service (transportation structure)
• Fiscal – Rick Timbs (long term strategies to think about)
• Program – Castallo and Silky LLC (looks at programs/efficiency game plans)

The following includes a basic rundown of the presentation, including various areas the firm has touched on concerning school operations and functionality:

• Enrollment History:
  • Enrollment in all OCSD elementary school buildings has declined in the past five years, with the exception of Kingsford Park.
  • All elementary schools have similar class sizes and are below the NYS average of allowable class sizes
  • Enrollment has generally declined over the past six years, with projections pointing toward a continuation of decline through 2028-29
• Program offerings:
• • The district offers a wide array of course offerings for middle school students
  • The district offers comprehensive course opportunities for its high school students
  • Oswego offers extensive athletics opportunities for students at all levels
  • Graduation rates are low compared to New York State data
• Facilities:
• • All five elementary schools have reasonable enrollments without being overly crowded, but with little extra space
  • Class sizes in each elementary school are similar and reasonable
  • Closing Frederick Leighton Elementary School would eliminate 15 sections at Leighton, add one section at Charles Riley and add three sections at Kingsford Park
  • OCSD state testing data is comparable to the rest of Oswego County
• Staffing:
• • School districts have a diverse group of employees, the majority of which are teachers, teaching assistants and teacher aides.
  • It is reasonable to assume that should facilities changes result in staff reductions, these reductions could occur through attrition
  • Over $1.8 million in savings could be realized from closing an elementary building
• District Office Positions:
• • The number of Oswego District Office positions is similar to comparative districts
  • Oswego does not have a district Assistant Superintendent
• Facilities Department Staffing:
• • Number of Oswego Facilities Department staffing is similar to comparative districts
  • Facilities Department staff position titles vary between districts
  • Oswego’s average square feet between cleaner/custodian is similar to other local and statewide districts
  • Acres per full time groundskeeper varies greatly between several NYS districts – Oswego acres per fulltime groundskeeper is found to be average overall
• Maintenance:
• • Oswego average square feet per maintenance staff members is higher than the APPA recommendation
  • Similar to comparative districts in the area
• Administrative/Business Office Support Staffing:
• • Total Oswego office support positions is slightly higher than comparative districts
  • Oswego students per office support employee is similar to comparative districts
• Oswego Food Service Staffing:
• • Oswego Food Service Department staffing is similar to comparative districts
• General Fund Balance Sheet:
• • Oswego five-year balance sheet history demonstrates stable fiscal position
  • Oswego has established a variety of reserves.
  • Reserves have been well-funded to support the long-term fiscal health of the district
• Capital Debt:
• • Oswego has current debt obligations through 2046-47
  • Oswego receives significant funding for capital projects from State Building Aid
  • Nearly $16 million local share obligation for capital projects
• Property Tax Factors:
• • Property values have generally increased in past five years
  • Property tax levy has been reduced in past five years
  • Full value tax rates have gone down in past three years
  • Property value increasing at a rate greater than district tax levy

Ayres finished with a final summation of the report, Poles adding his thoughts on the biggest item in the presentation.

“Again, the purpose of this is to let you know what it might look like if you decide to ask the question “should we close an elementary school?” Poles said. “We make no judgment about whether or not it’s the right thing for Oswego to do. We make no recommendation about whether or not you should do it. That’s up to you, but what we try to do is to give you enough information as you start the conversations that will at least give you some idea of where we’re headed.”

Superintendent Dr. Mathis Calvin added that this report was not a final conclusion as to what the Board plans for the future, saying they will take their time in considering options while being completely transparent with parents/caregivers.

The district will be sending out written information to households letting them know Tuesday night’s meeting was not a final determination on what the Efficiency Study laid out, but a recommendation only.

“We wanted to make sure that all of the parents, all the staff – everybody knew; there is no final decision that has been made. The board will come back and talk about each of the pieces, but we wanted the staff, our students [and] our parents to know – no final decision has been made as of yet – nothing; no decisions,” Calvin said.

All items on the BOE agenda were unanimously passed. All BOE meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month, the next meeting to be held on Tuesday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. All meetings can be viewed on the WBUC Youtube channel. To view the full agenda, please click here.

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