Local News

Clymer hears from county board, food service

CLYMER -- Clymer Central School's Board of Education had a very full agenda for their August meeting, which included a number of presentations such as from the county school boards association and on the school food service program.

Executive Director of the Chautauqua County School Boards Association, Todd Crandall, spoke to the board on some of the things that the CCSBA does to help school boards in the county. Crandall is also a lifelong Chautauqua County educator, with experience at Mayville school before the Chautauqua Lake merger, along with administrative work at Forestville, Fredonia and Silver Creek.

Crandall went over the executive board of CCSBA, which is made up of Crandall, Sylvester Cleary from BOCES as President, Wendy Dyment from Westfield Academy and Central School as First Vice President, and Clymer Central School board's own Mike Schenck as Second Vice President. Board members of the CCSBA include Aaron Richner of Cassadaga Valley, Greg Cole of Silver Creek, Dr. Margaret Spence of Bemus Point, Teresa Guzman of Sherman, Jeff Chase of Pine Valley, and Sheila Hahn of Fredonia. All Chautauqua County Schools are members of the CCSBA.

"A large part of what we do is professional development for all of you, and number two is advocating in Albany for board desires," Crandall said.

CCSBA focuses on promoting quality education across Chautauqua County and the region, which Crandall said means they try to promote an understanding and communication for current students and future generations. The board also focuses on direct advocacy, involving Crandall advocating for all Chautauqua County school boards by writing letters to local, state and federal level politicians.

"The fact of the matter is if we don't work through them, we don't have a voice in Chautauqua County, whether we enjoy that or not," Crandall said. "All of the information we share, it's never Republican or Democrat, it's information sharing."

This direct advocacy is a critical piece of what they do, Crandall said, adding that this includes writing to Chautauqua County representatives on issues such as electric buses -- which has successfully been pushed back to 2032 or 2033 --, procurement laws, or fair bidding and piggy-backing, and promoting the need for student support, mental health, and telehealth for small, rural schools. They have also been working to address the needs for teacher shortages, funding cuts, along with time-saving representation, fighting for funding, elite professional development, and helping schools fight budget battles and state mandates.

Crandall then briefly discussed the dinner meetings CCSBA holds that are open to all school board members.

Following Crandall, Food Service Director Sue Watrous spoke with the board on preparations for the school lunch program and food related items for the upcoming school year. This includes different types of restrictions on foods the school serves for breakfast and lunch, such as lower sodium levels, lower sugar levels, different milk restrictions, and minimum and maximum calorie restrictions. Watrous addressed reimbursement rates, a comparison of what food served looks like on a tray versus a plate, noting that if students take what is offered to them, it fills a regular sized plate. Students are able to purchase extra if they wish, but it cannot be included in the reimbursement.

Watrous said they do get good participation in both breakfast and lunch, and a salad bar is also offered. Board members noted that the cafeteria is currently doing very well, and that in the past they have had to give the cafeteria money.

Watrous added the school has to offer five components, and students have to take at least three, including a fruit or vegetable. This is the third year of sharing Watrous as food service director with Sherman Central School as well. Watrous said to her, it is working well.

"No matter what school I'm at, the other is always in contact," Watrous said.

Watrous is still at Clymer basically every day to do end-of-day work, as she said she does not have someone that is at Clymer to do that. On the days she is not at Sherman, the cook does the end-of-day work there, as an eight hour employee, Watrous added. This work is something that has specifics to it, as Watrous said there are a few different lines and the correct money amount has to be attributed to the correct line, or it looks like one came in short.