DISTRICT TEACHERS TEACHING FROM HOME ON COMPUTER. 200 MEALS BEING FURNISHED DAILY AT 4 SCHOOL LOCATIONS. AWAITING WORD FROM STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IF BUDGET VOTES WILL BE HELD AS SCHEDULED. SCHOOL BUDGET MAY EYE ELIMINATING PROPOSED NEW ADDITIONS TO STAFF DEPENDING ON STATE AID, PLUMMETING STATE REVENUES.
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 26, 2020:
White Plains Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Ricca today told WPCNR “he has never been prouder” of White Plains teachers and administrators the way White Plains students are learning at home on computer the last four days,.
The district designed a computer learning system in just four days, a production cooperation between White Plains technical people, principals, and teachers that is working
The Superintendent said the students are participating, they miss their classmates, they miss their teachers and cannot wait to get back to school.
All White Plains Teachers are working from their computers at home teaching their classes for the last four days. Ricca said there were some gliches but the system is working.
On the issue of the district providing day care for first responder and health care workers, allowing both parenters in the family to continue their necessary jobs, Ricca said the day care is being provided by Child Care of Westchester, the White Plains YMCA, and United Preschool Center at the facilities provided by those organizations, employing professional child care specialists.
He said about 20 families are participating in the essential personnel day care mandated by Governor Andrew Cuomo, and organized by Westchester County and the child care associations. First Responders and Health Care Workers who want this day care service should call Child Care Services of Westchester at 914-761-3456, Extension 140, or the YMCA at 914-949-8030, or United Preschool Center at 946-4781. Those three services are in White Plains.
Ricca told WPCNR, the White Plains School District has served 1,300 meals to parents in families where their children have been provided breakfast and lunch by the school district. Those meals are picked between the hours of 10- AM to 2 PM. Those meals are being provided in bags at four locations: White Plains High School, Post Road School, Church Street School and Rochambeau School. They provide approximately 200 meals a day for consumption at home.
On the matter of the School Budget, the Superintendent of Schools said the proposed budget has not been cut in anticipation of any reduced revenues, but Dr. Ricca said the 2021-2022 budget will be impacted by the revenue losses Governor Cuomo estimated at the Governor’s news conference yesterday. Asked what the district might in matter of budget-cutting, he said hiring of additional new employees would be the first possibility the district might consider. Asked in view of the coronavirus social distancing policy in place, whether the district is considering moving the School Budget Election out to beyond May 19 (the scheduled date of the vote), Dr. Ricca said the district has been asking the State Education Department about that possibility, but the SED has not come back with an answer. Dr. Ricca said if the state is still mandating a social distancing policy and statewide school closures at that time, he thought it would very difficult to hold an election