At their meeting in December, Westfield Academy and Central School Board of Education members learned that, while significant strides have been made in reducing chronic tardiness, chronic absenteeism remains a problem, especially in the high school.

Secondary Principal Corey Markham reported that chronic tardiness, defined as five or more tardies as of Dec. 3, is down to 2% in both the middle school and high school. “Overall, tardies are down significantly from last school year, ” he said. “They have gone down a lot, I mean a lot, since last year.”

Markham told the board that chronic absenteeism, defined as five or more absences, both excused and unexcused, as of Dec. 3, are still high. In the middle school, 36 students or 28% of those enrolled, are chronically absent and in the high school, 72 students or 37% of those enrolled, are chronically absent.

Markham told the board that WACS is not alone in dealing with this problem. “Absenteeism continues to be a challenge, and, in fact, it is a challenge for every school right now,” he said. “It is something we’re going to continue to look at and take steps to reduce.”

Board member Tom Tarpley asked if the district has made personal contact with each of the 72 students, to which Markham replied “yes.” Markham said the district makes phone calls, sends letters, and makes visits to the homes. “We tell them, it’s just like a job – if you don’t show up, you don’t keep your job,” he said.

Board member Phyllis Hagen asked Markham, “How much of this do you think is related to mental health?” He responded that the problem does correlate with mental health issues. “Things are different than they used to be. Some kids need to take a mental health day,” he said. “And some kids get sick a lot more than they used to before COVID.”

In her report to the board, Elementary Principal Molly Anderson said the students have had the opportunity to attend various performances at the Reg Lenna in Jamestown and the Rockefeller Art Center at SUNY Fredonia this winter. “Shows range from “the Nutcracker” to “Frosty,” “Frog & Toad,” “Pete the Cat” and more,” she said. “We’re really grateful we’ve been able to do this at no charge.”

Anderson also told board members that students shopped for presents at the PTOs Holiday Shop last week. “Thank you to the many volunteers that made this special activity possible for our students,” she said. “Our students had a great time shopping for the perfect presents for loved ones.”

Additionally, Anderson reported that two elementary teachers, Samantha Lippert and Danielle Stoughton, are participating in the Erie 1 BOCES Science of Reading Symposium. “This is a regional opportunity to enhance literacy through the Science of Reading RECOVs grant,” she said. “Teachers will engage in approximately 57 hours of training over a 10-month period, which includes attending and actively participating in monthly Science of Reading seminars.”

Director of Special Education & Instruction Lauren Harper updated the board on New York State, grades 3-8 assessment results. “Proficiency rates look pretty good,: she said. “Just about every grade level increased from the previous year.”

Harper also explained how the assessment results will be used. “Teachers are looking at proficiency rates, the three-year trend reports and gap analysis, and then pinpointing the areas where instructional modifications are needed,” she said.

In other business, board members approved the proposed 2025-26 Budget Development Calendar, which begins with the distribution of budget information packs to all staff members, including key dates for input; notifying building teams of budget development and input opportunities; and BOCES request for services for 2025-26 delivered to WACS On December 10. The calendar culminates with a public hearing on May 12 and the budget vote and school board elections on May 20.

During the period of board commentary, Hagen spoke about Westfield’s Light the Night. “It was refreshing to see the school participate in this,” she said. “It was so well attended by the whole community.”