Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, is pictured with Paul Abbott, school board president, at a February school board meeting.

A decision on how commencement ceremonies for Jamestown High School seniors will look this year is expected to be announced in early June.

Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, said Friday during his weekly Facebook Live session with students and parents that graduation information will come following a discussion with seniors and Dana Williams, high school principal. That meeting will take place June 1, so Apthorpe expects a formal announcement to come June 2.

“My criteria, and they are non-negotiable, are one, it has to be safe. And two, it has to be accessible to every kid. Every senior has to be able to participate.”

The superintendent said he is eager is see what the seniors and Williams come up with at their upcoming meeting. He said there has been positive feedback about possibly holding graduation — originally scheduled for Friday, June 26, at Chautauqua Institution — at Strider Field in Jamestown. The facility, Apthorpe said, offers an open-air venue with plenty of space to spread out.

The goal is to keep the same date already scheduled due to plans made by relatives of seniors.

P-J file photo by Jordan W. Patterson

The superintendent said there remains several questions that have yet to be answered by the state Education Department. That includes what to do with the Summer Leap program now that summer school has been moved online and what will happen to fall sports.

“I’d be very disappointed if there’s a decision to cancel fall sports with no alternatives,” Apthorpe said. “With an athletic plan, we’re planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I don’t like these broad, sweeping cancellations without alternatives.”

Paul Abbott, Jamestown Public Schools Board president, said it remains unclear what the fall will look like in the district. He said teachers and staff will continue to monitor distance learning options as well as preparing for the possibility that in-person classes will resume.

Abbott, who is seeking reelection to the school board, said COVID-19 brought on several challenges, most notably the $88 million budget with an additional $2.9 million shortfall. The budget, passed by the board last week and headed to district residents for a June 9 vote through absentee ballot, includes program cuts and layoffs.

“Obviously none of us saw this coming,” Abbott said. “This coronavirus is changing everything for us. … For the fall, we don’t really know yet what things will look like in the coming months. Students are in a virtual classroom, so we may have to open our doors electronically again (in September).”

While distance learning may feel more comfortable come fall, Abbott noted the difficulties in teachers meeting new students and the other way around. Further, he said the district needs to find a way to connect with “lost children” who do not engage or participate in schoolwork during the pandemic.

Included in the cuts are the Success Academy and P-Tech programs.

“We have to do what is best for the students,” Abbott said. “It’s never good to have to cut programs for people, especially when they are working well. I hate to have these budgets in having to cut anything that impacts students.”

Abbott said he hopes to have four principal positions filled by the summer to be ready next school year. In February, four administrators — Daniel Bracey, Bush Elementary School principal; Philip Cammarata, Persell Middle School principal; Maria DeJoy, Fletcher Elementary School principal; and Renee Hartling, Love Elementary School principal — announced their retirements.

The school board president also hopes to have a new superintendent named by June.

Apthorpe announced earlier he, too, would retire by the end of the school year.

Abbott said despite the pandemic that has limited in-person meetings, the interview process has gone relatively smoothly. Superintendent interviews have been taking place in the last couple of weeks, and should continue next week.

“We’re deep in the process of hiring,” Abbott said of the superintendent search. “We’re going to pick the best person for the position. … We want who is best for the long-term.”

As for a message to students, Abbott said he hopes all continue to stay in contact with their schools and teachers and “be ready in the fall. That includes the possibility of wearing face masks and taking to social distancing.”