Chautauqua Lake Central School
and the State of the State

Message from the Board of Education
Randolph Henderson, President
Jill Scott, Vice President

Chautauqua Lake Central School has faced many challenges since its inception in July 1996. We melded together two separate districts, originally assigning each student to one of three buildings and initiating a middle school, something neither district had previously experienced. In 1999 we broke ground for "Facility 2000," and the doors were opened in September of 2000. Since that time, we have added a bus garage, a track, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and new athletic fields.

All of the above have presented us with formidable challenges, but none of these may be equal to those still ahead, such as the reality of declining enrollment, shrinking state aid, increased non-funded mandates from state and federal governments, sky-rocketing health and liability insurance costs, and an uncertain economy.

Due to substantial property wealth in our district, we enjoy the lowest tax rate in Chautauqua County (see chart). The CLCS Board of Education remains committed to prudent use of these resources, continuing to explore ways to maximize educational benefits for our children while remaining good stewards of the taxpayers' investment.

While many of our neighboring districts have had to cut programs, reduce staff, and increase class size, we have been able to manage this budgetary crisis with moderate belt-tightening with no negative impact on programs. If, however, current trends in the economy and reductions in state aid continue, we too will be faced with equally difficult decisions. Budget reductions for the current year included cutting transportation costs by reducing the number of field trips and extra bus runs, reducing energy needs, reducing staff travel and conferences, reducing staff, saving on equipment and supplies, and lowering printing and postage costs through combined and bulk mailings.

We are currently exploring many options to contain costs while continuing to provide current levels for program and educational opportunities for our students. One such project, with long-term financial benefits to the district, is the study of the placement of two wind turbines to produce clean, low-cost electricity to our campus. Expect additional information as we move forward with out investigation. The preliminary data is promising.

The CLCS Board of Education remains committed to exploring new and creative ways to manage the financial and programmatic challenges for the future. We encourage your continued support and participation as we strive to fulfill our commitment to the students, faculty, staff, and taxpayers of our district.