Superintendent

I hope everyone is having a restful and fun summer! I would like to take a moment to share with you a few important items.

To begin with, I would like to congratulate the Class of 2026 for a job well done at Fallsburg! This graduation was more than just a celebration of their accomplishments. In addition to receiving their high school diploma, 18 of our seniors have also received an Associate’s degree from SUNY Sullivan. Having this degree will allow them to get a head start as they embark on the next important chapters of their lives.Congratulations to the outgoing class of 2026 and to the incoming senior class of 2027!

Now, let's talk about food and nutrition. Every year, through our yearly summer food program, the district provides free meals to children under the age of 18 who reside in the district. Meals will be delivered to five different locations each week, Monday through Friday, until August 14th. Here are the following times and locations for meal pickups:

Fallsburg Junior-Senior High School
115 Brickman Road
Fallsburg, NY 12733
Breakfast: 8:00am - 8:30am
Lunch: 12:00pm - 12:30pm

Lakeview Apartments/Woodland Townhouses
5 Woodland Road
Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759
Lunch: 12:15pm - 12:45pm

Main Street Houses
5254 S Fallsburg Main Street
South Fallsburg, NY 12779
Lunch: 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Morningside Park
11 Morningside Park Road
Hurleyville, NY 12747
Breakfast: 8:30am - 9:30am
Lunch: 12:00pm - 12:30pm

Woodridge Housing Authority
357 Mountain Dale Road
Woodridge, NY 12789
Lunch: 11:30am - 12:00pm

In other news, we are making significant progress with regard to our capital building projects. We are continuing to work with our architect and construction manager for the necessary submissions to the State Education Department. Construction is expected to begin by next summer and will continue through the summer of 2028. Our upcoming projects will include, but not limited to, site and parking lot improvements, mechanical upgrades, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning installations. We are also planning an Energy Performance Project, or EPC, to take place during the scheduled building project. 

An EPC is a financing and service agreement where an energy service company designs and installs facility upgrades to improve energy efficiency. This agreement, should it come to pass, would guarantee that any savings would cover the entire cost of the energy performance project.

And finally, I’d like to inform you that the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department have announced a plan to move forward with the nation’s first Competency-Based High School diploma. This is part of their New York Inspires initiative. What this means is that the State Education Department will be redefining the high school diploma around demonstrated real world learning and student readiness. Under this new framework, graduation requirements will move away from time-based measures toward demonstrated readiness in the knowledge, skills, and competencies students need to succeed in college, career, civic life and the world beyond the schoolhouse gate. 

Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said,” This is not at all about lowering standards, it's about redefining how students demonstrate that they have met them. By focusing on demonstrated readiness rather than accumulated seat time, New York is creating a system that is more rigorous, more relevant, and more responsive to the strengths and aspirations of every learner. It is a nation-leading transformation that redefines what a diploma represents and how students demonstrate readiness for the future.” 

More on this new initiative in the weeks and months to come. Click here to learn more on the New York Inspires website.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer and stay cool and hydrated.

Educationally Yours,

Ivan Katz, Ed. D.