Capital project is on schedule

PENN YAN--The Penn Yan Central School District capital improvement plan work continues at the campus. Superintendent Howard Dennis told board members Wednesday, Aug. 22 the construction work overall is on schedule. He said the roadway on campus going to Liberty Street will soon be filling up with construction equipment to be staged for the school's building project.
Dennis said vehicle parking for students will necessarily be restricted this year due to the construction work. Dennis said there will be no on-campus student parking for juniors and seniors for at least the first few weeks of the new school year. The superintendent said after a few weeks of school if additional spaces open up the school will try to get as many vehicles as possible back on the campus.
Also, because of the construction project, Dennis said he needed to locate a temporary parking location for the district buses from April to October in 2019. After discussions with transportation officials and Steve Griffin (CEO Finger Lakes Economic Development Center) it looks like the parking area off of Powell Lane (formerly used for the call center) in the village will be workable. The rental cost for the parking lot is $1000 per month. The board approved Dennis to pursue this arrangement.
The board also approved the superintendent to add an additional part-time school resource officer for the district. The district received $20,000 from the state legislature which will be used for the new officer for the 2018-'19 school year. The board approved Dennis to proceed with the initiative and talk with the village police department about details for the position. The school is looking at a retired officer to fill the 20-hour per week position.
Penn Yan school administrators Greg Baker and Kelley Johnson reviewed the school's District Comprehensive Improvement Plan (DCIP) and the School Comprehensive Education Plans (SCEP).
In summary, the state comprehensive plan gives educators specific feedback regarding student achievement with various curriculum segments. The program establishes benchmarks for teacher and student improvement. Johnson said she was pleased with the improvement in a number of areas and how the program helps to improve student learning success.
The first day of school for students is Tuesday, Sept. 4.