Donna Vistrand is pictured in front of a Panama school bus with a group of children. Vistrand is retiring after being with the district for 38 years. Photo courtesy Donna Vistrand

PANAMA — Panama Central School children will be without a familiar face when school opens in September.

The district’s school board approved the retirement of Donna Vistrand, a bus driver who has been with the district for 38 years. At least one member of the district’s current administrative team rode Vistrand’s bus while attending Panama as a child.

“That’s a long time,” said Bert Lictus, district superintendent. “That’s a lot of miles. That’s a lot of sitting in a lot of gyms in a lot of areas waiting on other kids to get done. Sometimes you can go in. Sometimes you have to wait outside. She’s done a good job. It’s a long time. She’s spent hours, all sorts of hours. I think the district will thank her and we’ll miss her.”

In other business, the board approved the school calendar for the 2021-22 school year with only minor changes from the current calendar except for an additional day off on June 20 for Juneteenth.

The district usually tries to stay within the Western New York regional instructional calendar, but Lictus said the district does sometimes deviate from the regional schedule. That was the case last year.

“I did not think families really wanted that day before Thanksgiving as a school day or the day before Christmas Eve,” Lictus said. “It was just a decision that was made. Some years I have not wanted the testing, to come back and have the state testing. So it doesn’t always align. I would bet this will be pretty much everybody’s calendar except for the four districts that have a combined two-week break.”

Lictus also updated board members on efforts to have the remainder of Panama’s state Education Department fine for a late building cost report forgiven. Legislation to forgive the fine has been approved by the state Legislature every year for the last four years and vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, and state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, have introduced legislation in the Legislature again to forgive the fine, but they are also trying a new avenue through the state budget.

“I’m going to cross my fingers again,” Lictus said. “I say every year this would be a great year to show forgiveness. I think this would be an exceptionally good year to sprinkle good news out here amongst the people. Sen. Borrello sent a nice email. They’re all on it. We’ll see. It could be done as part of the budget and be very painless and very quick and easy. Maybe not.”