The momentous decision on the future of George F. Baker High School was made Tuesday night at the school’s auditorium amid a crowd of students and parents and residents eager to hear good news.
The Tuxedo Union Free School District BOE voted to keep George F. Baker High School open at a public meeting Tuesday, March 31.
The Tuxedo Union Free School District faced the dilemma of what to do after its long STEM Academy Charter school conversion proposal was turned down by the NYS Regents in mid March.
I am calling on everyone who cares about Tuxedo to commit to supporting our kids and the institution that is George F. Baker High School in the coming year. Volunteer, pledge, donate – but please, get yourself involved in our kids future and do what you can to support our kids, our teachers, our administrators, and tremendous staff, who have been through so much in the past four years. — Letter from William Sweet, President of the Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce
George F. Baker High School to remain open next year – board voted 4-2 in favor http://t.co/odT0viBemM — Tuxedo Chamber (@tuxedochamber) April 1, 2015
The Tuxedo Board of Education voted 4-2 to keep the school open and soldier on without students from the Greenwood Lake School District, which contributed some 80% of the school’s students. Tuxedo had approached the GWL district about continuing the Parental Choice agreement the districts signed — the agreement extension would also allow GWL juniors to finish the senior years at George F. Baker.
TUFSD Superintendent Carol Lomascolo read GWL Superintendent Christine Ackerman’s response, which came with three conditions:
- A 1-year contract would be available for the current 11 grade GWL students to complete their senior year in 2015/2016,
- The tuition rate must be reduced to match the Warwick and Chester rate,
- Tuxedo must agree to withdraw current litigation that represents hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to Tuxedo for last school year and the current school year.
Tuxedo BOE President Joanne Vernon called GWL’s offer “unconscionable” in announcing the board’s decision to reject Greenwood Lake’s conditional response.
As it stand, Tuxedo’s K-12 program will continue without Greenwood Lake students, who will, essentially, be removed from Tuxedo schools at the end of this school year due to the expiration of the Tuxedo/GWL Parental Choice agreement. The end result of GWL’s and Tuxedo’s BOE decisions will mean smaller class sizes at the high school. The TUFSD is currently undergoing budget workshops for next year’s budget.
Huge thank you to Chris & Sally Sonne to the Tuxedo School District through the Mulford Funds Grant. Wow. — Tuxedo Chamber (@tuxedochamber) April 1, 2015
On a high note, BOE President Vernon announced a significant Mulford Funds Grant of $500,000 from Tuxedo Park residents Christian and Sally Sonne that will go toward establishing a foundation that will support resources for district K-12 students, as well as support scholarship opportunities for out-of-district students who want to attend Tuxedo schools. Chris Sonne is a member of the Tuxedo Historical Society and has worked to support the Tuxedo community through various endeavors.
The grant gift was made in the same spirit that established George F. Baker, when the banking Baker family led the effort to build the Georgian-style high school building for the town’s educational needs.
