Mount Pleasant Central School District

Read about the exciting things happening in the Mount Pleasant Central School District.

     Happy New Year! I hope that all of our students and families were able to enjoy some quality time together during the recess.  The new calendar year also indicated that we have reached the midpoint of our 2019-2020 school year. As we are rapidly moving through this year, I wanted to share some updates on matters that the district has been working on to address and improve our programs for students in the community.

In December, the district engaged in a critical review of our elementary writing program conducted by the Tri-State Consortium of Schools. Highly qualified district officials and classroom teachers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut visited with and interviewed teachers, administrators, parents, Board of Education Members, and students during the data collection process.  The review process spanned three days. The district has received a 45 page report with potential recommendations and commendations which I will review with Dr. Bronstein, our Board of Education Members, teachers, administrators, and you, our families. These recommendations will help us make calculated, data driven decisions upon which we can carefully form an action plan to strengthen and improve our instructional practices in writing throughout the district.  I look forward to working together with our staff on this meaningful and important work. Please watch our website and watch for emails on the status of our efforts in this regard.

At Westlake High School, Mr. Schenker was asked to engage with stakeholder groups of students, teachers and parents to discuss possible next steps in regards to implementation of the International Baccalaureate Program, Advanced Placement Capstone Project, and expansion of college in the high school experiences. Mr. Schenker held informational and question and answer sessions where he explained to attendees information surrounding each option while simultaneously soliciting feedback from the group.  The results and possibilities will be discussed with the CIAC and a final recommendation will be made to the Superintendent for planning purposes for the 2020-2021 budget. A final report and recommendation will be made to the Board of Education during the budget presentations. 

On January 21, 2020, Governor Cuomo released his executive budget proposal which included significant changes to state aid to public schools. I am currently working with our Director of Business Administration, Mr. Andrew Lennon, to determine the impact of these potential changes.  While, we are currently preparing the budget proposal for the 2020-2021 school year, we will use the Governor’s proposal, but full reconciliation between the Governor and State Legislature must occur before we can be confident in the final numbers that we can project for next year’s budget.

At it’s meeting on January 22, 2020, the Board of Education formally adopted a bond proposal for capital improvement work,  designed to improve the athletic field conditions on the Westlake Campus. The proposed scope of work will have positive impact for all of our facilities and allow both for our physical education classes in both the Middle and High Schools and our athletic program to have more predictable, safer and lengthened access to our fields.  Weather conditions have greatly inhibited the ability of our students to have regular and consistent opportunity to access our playing fields. Please be certain to visit the field improvement referendum section of our website  to view more on the proposed scope of work for the campus.  The Board of Education has set a March 31, 2020 date for the public to vote on this proposition. 

Similarly, the work from the 2016 capital improvement bond will continue during the summer of 2020.  A large portion of work will occur this summer in Westlake Middle School including asbestos abatement, improvement to lighting and air ventilation, flooring and walls.  Also on the Westlake Campus, the new tennis courts will open allowing us to reinstate our tennis program as will the new entrance drive and parking area adjacent to the tennis courts.  A large amount of site work will also occur at Hawthorne Elementary School this summer including major improvements to parking and paving. This work will help us move much closer to completion of the project approved by the community in 2016. Please visit our website for more updates on the progress of our bond work.

It is a great time to be a Wildcat. As a school community, we continue to stay focused on listening closely to the voices of our community while trying to merge that with best practice in education.  Working together, we stay committed to ensuring high quality education and opportunities for the students of the Mount Pleasant Community. Please continue to find ways to stay involved with your child’s school and never hesitate to contact any of the teachers, administrators or me with any questions or concerns. We always love it when you share good news as well as we are proud of each and every one of our students and love to share in their success and proud moments!

Stay warm everyone! Spring is just around the corner!

Best Regards-

Dr. Kurtis Kotes