• May 19, 2025



    Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members,

     

    I hope you are doing well.  Things continue to be busy at school so I just wanted to give you a quick update.

     

    School Budget Vote

     

    Tomorrow, May 20th, is the date for school budget votes across New York State.  Eligible voters are encouraged to come to the High School gymnasium tomorrow between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm to vote on whether or not the district shall be authorized to expend $76,095,330 to operate the school between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

     

    If you are interested in the budget presentation that I gave at the annual budget hearing, Click on this link to see a video of the presentation and click on this link to see the slides from the presentation. 

     

     If you have any questions about the budget, please let me know.

     

    Voting for Board Members 

     

    We have three vacant seats on the board and only one candidate (Jason Clark) officially running for a board position.  Therefore, you might decide to write in one or more candidate names.  If you do write in candidate names, please remember that you can not vote for more than three total candidates. If you vote for more than three candidates, all of your votes for board seats will be discounted.   Please remember to fill in the blank next to any candidate names you wish to vote for.  If you do write in one or more candidate names, please remember to write legibly, spell correctly, and use the person’s full name.


    Consolidation Study

     

    Dr. Chuck Khoury, formerly the Superintendent of the Ulster County BOCES, has been contracted by the district to investigate the pros and cons of consolidating our district from four buildings down to three buildings.  

     

    A community forum was held on May 12 to discuss the possible closing of the Duzine Elementary School.  Dr. Khoury and members of the board were on hand to hear the thoughts, suggestions, and concerns of community members.  We appreciate the large turnout at the meeting and the thoughts that were shared.  Dr. Khoury will take all of this information into account as he proceeds with his study.

     

    Dr. Khoury will give his first presentation to the school board on June 4th at the regularly scheduled board meeting.  In this presentation he will explain the results of his demographic study and the anticipated effects of birth rates and housing on our projected student enrollment.

     

    Dr. Khoury will not give his final presentation to the school board on June 4th.  He will continue to refine the results of his study, taking into account questions and concerns presented by the public, and give a final report of his findings to the school board and the community  in September.

     

    If you have any thoughts on consolidation, please send them to me and I will share them with Dr. Khoury.

     

    Support for our Faculty and Staff

     

    If you follow facebook or other social media outlets (and I don’t suggest that you do), you are no doubt aware of the many comments that are regularly posted there regarding public education in New Paltz and around the state and nation.  

     

    Educating students and running an effective school takes the cooperation of everyone in a school community.  At NPCSD we are thankful for the support we get from the community.  Obviously, the financial support we get is very necessary, but we also truly want parents and community members to be active participants in the educational process.  This is why quality communication is essential between all constituent groups in a school community.

     

    With the political divide our country is facing right now, communication becomes even more important and perhaps more difficult.  We value the diversity of  our students' identities and develop class and school spaces where all people feel welcome. As a public school district, inclusion means inclusion for all – without allowing including some to exclude others. 

     

    As our district webpage clearly states in our notice of non-discrimination:

     

    The District condemns and prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment in educational programs, activities and services based on actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and protective hairstyles) color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including identity and expression) or sex.

     

    Our faculty and staff are committed to supporting all of our students.  I appreciate the hard work they do in making this district one that affirms students' identities and is continuously seeking ways to ensure that all students feel like they belong. Not only are we obligated by state law to ensure that all of our students feel welcome and accepted, but it is the right thing to do. 

     

    The school board and the administration continue to fully support the faculty and staff in our district in their quests to do what is best for their students.  On behalf of our school district I want to thank the community for their continued support of our faculty, staff, and students.

     

    Thank you for reading my update.  Thank you in advance for participating in the budget vote.  When you are done voting, please don’t forget to take the exit survey on the way out so that we can gain a better understanding of why you did or did not support the budget.

     

    Best Wishes,

     

    Stephen Gratto - Superintendent