Superintendent Katharine Pude reported during Monday’s meeting for the Bradford Area School District board of education that the first weeks of school have been going well with only a few issues remaining with bus traffic.
In her report to the board, Pude said the district has experienced the “typical busing issues that ensue every year” and result from younger students not exiting buses at their stops and delays caused by construction on the roads.
Pude said the issues are “slowly ironing themselves” out through the hard work of the transportation department. She also thanked parents for their patience.
“There has been, again, traffic backing up on Constitution Avenue as parents choose to drive their kids to and from school each day,” Pude continued. “We are hoping this, too, will get better as time passes and ask parents be respectful to the residents on Constitution Avenue and Bolivar Drive, abide by the speed limits and allow them access to their driveways.”
On another topic, Pude said the free breakfast and lunch programs are both doing well with increased participation at all schools in the district.
“It’s apparent the students are enjoying the program and are taking advantage of the opportunity,” Pude said. She then asked Dana Mollander, director of food services, to share information on the new program.
“My goal by October was to increase our breakfasts by 500 (meals served daily) and it’s already over 1,000,” Mollander said. In addition, the district is serving about 1,800 lunches a day to students.
“We’re running close to 3,000 meals (served) a day in the Bradford school district,” Mollander added while acknowledging the district has surpassed its participation goal. “This is going very, very well.”
On a financial topic, Pude said the district has received its first payment from the state through the Basic Education Funding program.
“The state has yet to pass a revenue package that supports the state’s spending bill,” Pude continued. “The state treasurer has stated that no additional borrowing will happen prior to the adoption of a revenue plan, making Sept. 15 the date the state runs out of money.”
Pude noted the district is fortunate as it has begun to collect tax revenue and has a fund balance that can be utilized for cash flow, if needed.
In sharing community news, Pude thanked the History Club Students and teachers Jenn Snow, Andy Carlson and Susan Lee for their participation in raising funds for six World War II veterans from Bradford to take part in the Sept. 23 Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to see monuments.
“I’d also like to thank all of our community members who donated funds or their time to make this happen,” Pude added. “We are planning on inviting these vets to a luncheon (on Sept. 22) prior to their trip and give them a proper send-off from Bradford.”
The board also heard from Kelly Compton, director of curriculum and instruction, who asked the directors to review a sixth-grade math lesson and question that are now provided to students using new Common Core math model. Compton showed the board and administrators how the problems can be solved by students without using a calculator. Compton said parents were also given take-home tip sheets to help them understand the new method.
