"Collaboration" is the word for Sullivan County schools

Long before New York State was named a recipient of federal Race to the Top monies, Sullivan County’s eight school districts and BOCES had already considered ways to collaborate, enhancing student programs while reducing costs.

Race to the Top monies are being distributed to schools, but the amounts are relatively small for this multi-year initiative and the closely monitored requirements accompanying this award. In order to maximize the benefits of these limited monies, county districts agreed to pool their funds to create a “network team” that will provide information, training, and support to component schools and BOCES as they address the Regents Reform Agenda. That agenda has as its core goal helping students become more college and career ready. The network teams will support all of the Sullivan County schools to fulfill this important goal.

However, even prior to this, the schools and their boards of education have been considering how to pave the way to greater and more effective collaboration. An important first step has been reaching agreement on a common school year calendar and a high degree of county-wide synchronization of the districts’ bell schedules. This cooperative venture sets the stage for schools and BOCES to potentially share a variety of resources that include but are not limited to: academic courses, transportation, itinerant staff— and coordination of instructional materials.

Functional consolidation is another way that Sullivan County’s school districts are working together. Their highly successful Combined Business Office is performing many of the functions that, if they were done separately by each district, would be more expensive. The County’s school districts have already begun seeing savings as a result of this consolidation of service. Other money-saving options continue to be discussed every time Sullivan County school superintendents meet. One such option could be providing training to all affected staff regarding the new evaluation systems being planned at the state level.

Sullivan County schools have made a commitment to efficiently work with each other collaboratively to save money county-wide. Pooling resources allow all of the dollars invested to go farther, reach more students, and strengthen overall educational programs.