Hochul Budget Strains CV-S Finances

CHERRY VALLEY — Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State Address has put the Cherry Valley-Springfield school district under increased strain and her reduction in state aid for school districts across the state. CV-S is forced to readjust its calculated expenses across 2024 and 2025 to combat the almost $1 million in aid that potentially will be lost. 

School Superintendent TheriJo Snyder remarked that the surprise financial strain is “a double whammy.” The district’s 2024-2025 budget is already an increase over last year’s due to the status of the economy, which includes elevated costs for many essential services and resources. CV-S is still determined to maintain a minimum increase on the tax levy on the community. 

The January 18th Board of Education meeting was not all sorrowful, members of the school’s math department presented a synopsis of the various changes made to the curriculum. New classes are available to students that cover a variety of math subjects, including those modeled after college-level courses. 

Classes already offered are gradually being migrated out of the aging Common Core system to the Next Generation Learning Standards. Computer-based testing will commence during the spring of this year alongside the introduction of the newest iteration of the TI-84 CE Python calculator. 

Following the math department’s presentation was a summary of the school's participation in the PAXIS Project. The project, a product of the PAXIS Institute, seeks to create a peaceful, productive, and positive learning environment. 

Currently, the project is in place with PreK through 6th grade, and the student and faculty testimonials spoke for themselves. The PAXIS Project has had a profound impact on the productivity and cooperation of students inside and outside the classroom. The final order of business was the future introduction of a mental health hotline available to students 24/7. The hotline is designed to prioritize emergency assistance first with a subsequent notification to the school afterward. Faculty and staff also have access to a mental health hotline. 

The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be contacted by calling or texting 988, or they can be found at 988lifeline.org. On January 30th a public meeting will be held to introduce the multi-million dollar Capital Project for CV-S. A vote will be taken on February 13th, 2024.