RIPLEY SCHOOLS
Voters to weigh transferring students
RIPLEY — Ripley Central School District residents on Tuesday will vote on a plan to contract with surrounding school districts to handle the teaching of ninth-through 12th-graders in the district.
If residents agree, the School Board would explore contracting out educational services with one or more school districts — instead of maintaining a home school.
Ripley currently has 110 students in those grades, and enrollment continues to decline while costs increase. The “tuitioning” of high school students would begin in the 2010-11 school year.
“If more than one school is available,” Acting Superintendent James Wakeman said in a letter to the community, “then parents would have the choice of which school their student would attend.
“Once this choice is made, the student would remain at that school until their graduation. They would be that school’s student in all ways, including sports and other extracurricular activities. They would receive their diploma from their school of attendance,” he added.
“At this time, the Westfield, Chautauqua Lake and Sherman school districts have expressed interest,” he said. “Ripley Central School District would negotiate a tuition rate to be paid by the Ripley district.”
The Board of Education and the Ripley district itself would remain in existence. The Ripley district would be responsible for all transportation during school hours. All costs of “tuitioning” would be covered in the Ripley school budget.
Ripley district employees whose jobs would be abolished if the proposition is approved would have preferred rights to employment in their tenure area as positions become available in both Ripley and any district receiving Ripley tuition students. There were no figures given on how many positions would be affected.
Residents also will vote on a $8.5 million proposed budget for 2009-10 from 2 to 8 p. m. in the school’s distance learning room.
The proposed budget measure represents a 2.9 percent decrease in spending from this year.
Voters also will elect a board member to a three-year term. Running are incumbent Mindy Gervasio and newcomer Mike Boll.
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