Proposed nursing cuts at private schools off budget table
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

District residents, parents and administrators associated with the private schools in the Amherst Central School District breathed a collective sigh of relief after learning the district will not reduce the number of nursing hours at their schools.

Board President William Blanford said at last Tuesday's meeting that the board agreed not to pursue the cut in nursing hours at the district's five private schools - Sacred Heart Academy, St. Benedict's School, Christ The King School, Park School, and the Kadimah School of Buffalo.

"It was the board's inclination to take the cuts off the table," said Blanford. "We've seen the governor's proposal, and the board feels comfortable that this is an area we don't need to touch."

The proposed cuts would have changed the status of district nurses at the private schools from full-time to part-time status and saved the district $70,000. The proposed reductions were based on student enrollment. At a past meeting, Mark Whyle, the district's director of administrative services, said the ratio of students to nursing hours is greater in private schools in the district than in the public schools.

At the Feb. 5 meeting, 34 of the 200 residents in attendance voiced their disapproval of the proposed cuts, citing health and safety reasons. District residents at last Tuesday's meeting had a much different tune.

"Nurses are an important part of our operation," said James R. Dempsey, who represented the five private schools. "Thank you. It's not easy to be up on the firing line."

"All of the years I spent as an elected official I was frustrated because I never felt I could really make a change," said Elise Cusack, a former Erie County legislator. "This was an example of making positive change happen."

Vice President David A. Stocking said the proposal to reduce nursing hours was one of several aspects of the budget that the board is considering.

"We were not singling out one group, which I think this may be perceived as," said Stocking. "It was only under deliberation. We pulled it forward to provide the schools an opportunity to let them know what we were doing. We were trying to be responsible."

In other matters:

• Erie 1 BOCES Superintendent Donald A. Ogilvie said that based on Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal for 2008-09, Amherst's estimated BOCES aid would decrease from $627,000 in the current year to $374,300.

• The Amherst boys lacrosse team will hold a spaghetti dinner from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at Amherst High School.

• The Superintendent's Student Task Force named Brittany Burks and Gabriel Fox as students of the month and social studies teacher Mark Jones as teacher of the month for February.

The next board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 in the district office, 55 Kings Highway.