8/2/2019 Onteora Letter

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To The Onteora School District Community:

It has been a tough journey to get to the place where a decision was made on Tuesday evening atthe Board of Education meeting. The Board voted for Model # 3 - Reconfigurationof Phoenicia

Elementary School and Woodstock Elementary School as K-3 grade schools and the Bennett

Elementary School as a 4-6 grade school.

I want to thank the Board of Education for its due diligence bytaking a very serious and

thoughtful approach to a very challenging situation. Throughout this process, the entiremembership of the Board stayed well informed of the issues and the implications of any and all

decisions.

I want to thank every parent, every staff member, and every community member for meetingwith the BOE and me, speaking at BOE meetings, and writing to us. I want to reassure everyone

that each letter was read and considered and each comment was too.

I want to thank the administrative team for their hard work in studying the possibilities andproviding guidance. And, I want to thank our staff for their input in the process.

In the end, the decision to address the financial course of the District was not easy, and it will

continue to be a challenge to Onteora and the other school districts in New York State. Eachdistrict must find a path to meet the increasing financial challenges imposed by the State. Costs

continue to rise, and our State and the Federal governments continue to cut our aid. These cutscombined with the limits of the tax levy cap, do not allow school districts to continue as they

currently exist.

For Onteora, there were many factors impacting the need for change and the way change couldbe achieved: finances; student performance and enrollmentAnd, in the end, reconfiguration

was our only means. While reconfiguration is a difficult choice, it addresses the fiscal realitiesof our district and the decreasing enrollment of our district, while concomitantly allowing us to

strengthen our educational program for our students.

As superintendent, I have been promoting the need to improve our schools. While we are a fineschool for many of our students, we need to do better for all of our students. On a more positive

note, I enthusiastically look forward to working with everyone to make this reconfiguration workfor our students and our entire district. Please know that this will be done responsibly and with

integrity. I promise that in the weeks to come I will appropriately involve others in decisions andshare back as decisions are made.

Sincerely,

Phyllis McGillOnteora Superintendent of Schools