Yorktown School District Improvements Greet Returning Students

Nearly 4,000 students attending schools in the Yorktown school district, from kindergarten to 12th grade, were welcomed back on the first day of school, Sept. 15. 

The school year started with various changes and improvements to school building, grounds and facilities. Assistant Superintendent Florence O'Connor said the Board of Education's goal is to improve the caliber, content and assessment of instruction.

"We will continue to map and align the K-12 curriculum, continue to assess the implementation of our work in English Language Arts and mathematics, continue to implement the Response to Intervention (RTI) program, improve the use of student data in instruction, and review our science curriculum according to our standard review cycle," she said.

This was the busiest summer for the district and administrators said the planned consolidation at the elementary and intermediate schools and the progress in completing the next phase of the bond project were completed on time and on budget.

"We thank the community for supporting these efforts, and the many engineers, architects and project managers who partnered with us in accomplishing this work," said Board of Education President Jackie Carbone.

Superintendent Ralph Napolitano said additional board goals are implementing continuous improvements and maintenance of the district's buildings, grounds and capital assets in the "most expeditious and fiscally responsible manner possible."

He said he was happy all school buildings, faculty and staff were in place and ready for the students' return.

"We also continue to implement technology infrastructure that effectively supports instruction and administration for the 21st century which maximizes teaching and learning through the integration of appropriate technologies," he added. 

In the fall, YCSD will continue to install interactive whiteboards throughout classrooms.

"We have also installed a wireless computer network and have upgraded Internet bandwidth to support the integration of digital content and functionality within instruction for our students grades K-12," Napolitano said. 

The work done this summer was the fourth phase of a six-year capital bond and excel project, including:

• The district-wide installation of a unified communications system including telephones and public address systems, master clocks to support direct and consistent communications throughout all school buildings; 
• The district-wide installation of a card swipe system and motion sensors to assist the district in maintaining safety and security, protecting district property, preventing unauthorized access to district buildings and in assuring accountability during emergencies; 
• Elementary school consolidation with appropriate faculty moves to support grades K-3 instruction in Brookside and Mohansic Elementary Schools and grades 4 and 5 instruction at Crompond Intermediate School; 
• At Brookside, grades K-3 teachers were welcomed, 26 classrooms were painted and renovated with new flooring, bookshelves, countertops, 'cubbies,' and storage units; new flooring, windows and heating and ventilation units were installed in the cafeteria and gymnasium; and new playground equipment was installed. When a lighter and more efficient heating and ventilation unit was hung in the gymnasium, a previously-repaired crack in one structure that exclusively supports the roof of the gym was observed. The staff was notified  Sept. 7, and parents were notified when students returned to school. "The district is proactively implementing a permanent solution to address all support beams, which is expected to be complete by early November, with no interruption to the physical education program."
• At Mohansic, grades K-3 teachers were welcomed and new playground equipment was installed; 
• At Crompond, grades 4 and 5 teachers were welcomed, additional parking was added and a new traffic loop was designed to help ease the flow of traffic and to help ensure the safety of the children, and new playground equipment was installed; 
• At the Yorktown Alternative High School, new sidewalks were installed; 
• At the secondary school complex, the first of a two-phase effort to manage storm water runoff was completed, with installation of four-foot diameter pipes in place of original 30-inch drain pipe. The plan is to better channel storm water to the campus wetlands, and significantly reduce the chance of flooding. Between the end of September and late November, the second phase will include dredging the pond, with new plantings and other erosion control. Secondary school students will be able to continue to use this wetland resource for study.

"We are extremely proud of our entire community, particularly our construction, administration and teaching teams, who are handling a great deal of transition in a very professional and positive way," Napolitano said. "Much work has been completed, and we thank everyone for their patience and support as we complete the rest of the work with minimal impact to instruction."

He said he encouraged people to directly communicate with him and attend the Board of Education meetings, which are held twice a month.