Superintendent's Messages and Information
2011-2012 School Year
Superintendent of Schools Daniel A. Teplesky
Letter to the Community
Proposed 2012-2013 Budget Focuses on Containing Costs and Keeping Academic Excellence a Priority
The Monticello Central School District, like many districts throughout New York State, is trying to maintain the integrity of its educational programs and offerings while weathering the prolonged economic downturn. Many of our residents struggle as the prices for food and gasoline continue to slowly inch upward.
We know increases in personal
expenses have not been offset by an increase in salary and in
some cases, overall income has diminished. The Board of
Education’s goal was to try to strike a balance between the
needs of our
students and the ability of our community to fund our
educational programs. The result was a proposed budget with a
tax levy increase of 2 percent.
From January through March, the Monticello School District held four Citizens’ Advisory Budget Committee meetings where discussions served as a way to engage the district’s many publics in two-way communication. As a way to continue its commitment to transparency and follow-up through the entire budget formation process, the Board also hosted three budget workshops with the community.
After much discussion and analysis, a budget of $77,384,789 was adopted by the Board - this represents a decrease of <.08> percent from our current operating budget. The proposed budget was crafted to address the diverse perspectives of what is most important to our school community.
The overriding philosophy used to develop the budget was to build a sound spending plan that not only meets the needs of our students, but also meets the needs and expectations of our taxpayers. Rather than just eliminate, reduce became a common theme in an effort to contain costs. While some of the reductions include 20 staff positions, eight of those were achieved through attrition (positions that are already vacant and are not being filled rather than someone being laid-off). The proposed budget also reduces spending for materials and supplies, and includes educating a number of our special needs students in-district instead of transporting to BOCES.
Difficult decisions were made and as a district, the reductions in the proposed budget will reduce spending and leave us with adequate resources. As we move forward to fulfill our mission and focus on our priority of providing the best educational experience possible for all our students, remember that together we can create:
One Vision, One Goal, One Monticello.
Should you have any questions about the proposed budget, please feel free to contact me.
Your
Partner in Education,
Daniel A. Teplesky
Monticello schools chief takes reins: He's gone from 'drumstick to drumstick'
September 2, 2011 - by Victor Whitman from the Times Herald-Record
MONTICELLO— The new superintendent of Sullivan County's largest school district, Daniel Teplesky, is seated around a small conference table in his office in a converted home in Monticello near the high school.
Teplesky, 62, has been on the job
in the Monticello School District for one month.
Teplesky promises to be open and return telephone calls, and get the opinions of parents, teachers and students before making decisions. He describes his style as "collaboration."
He formally will lay out the district's challenges and his vision Thursday. There will be challenges.
Teplesky hinted Monticello, which has roughly 3,400 students and 470 employees, is in danger of being put on a list of districts in need of improvement. Several administrators have retired or are leaving for other jobs.
He calls these changes an opportunity.
Teplesky has a four-year contract at $173,500 annually to lead the district. Off the cuff, Teplesky mentions public schools superintendents always get hammered for making big money, but then he smiles.
"I am at the office at 6 a.m., probably leave at 10 tonight."
Here's a little more about him: He comes from Buffalo, and yes, he's a Bills fan.
Long before he worried over budget lines and federal testing guidelines, Teplesky played the drums. Says he didn't pick up the sticks to be a rock star, though. He did get a music education degree from the University of Wisconsin, parlaying that into a job as a band director in the mid-70s in upstate New York schools. He also has a master's in education from Niagara University.
He left education altogether in 1981 and co-owned a poultry distribution company that peaked at 75 employees.
"I went from drumstick to drumstick," he says.
Ba-da-dum.
After his company closed in 1999, Teplesky was certified to be an administrator, holding jobs as a principal; he has seven years' experience as a superintendent in two upstate districts, recently the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk district.
He says family — his wife and adult son and daughter — is the most important thing to him. Without prompting, Teplesky mentions his 29-year-old son, Jacob, a captain in the U.S. Army, is serving his third tour; twice having served in Iraq, he was deployed this winter to Afghanistan. They flew up to North Pole, Alaska, when he deployed. It was about minus 30 degrees near Fairbanks, but they couldn't miss a chance to see their son off again.
CLICK HERE for this story on the Times Herald-Record website.
Monticello Appoints Superintendent of Schools: Daniel A. Teplesky
June 29, 2011 - SC BOCES press release
The Monticello Board of Education is
pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel A. Teplesky, of
Granville, NY, as the Superintendent of Schools for the Monticello
Central School District.
Mr. Teplesky was officially appointed at the June 28 Board of Education meeting to fill the position currently held by Interim Superintendent Edward Rhine. Mr. Rhine has been at the helm since February 2011, when Dr. Patrick Michel left to take a new position at Hamilton, Fulton, Montgomery (HFM) BOCES.
Mr. Teplesky comes to the district with seven years of experience as a Superintendent of Schools. In addition, he served for five years as the principal of the Churchville-Chili Central School, Royalton-Hartland Central School and Niagara Catholic Junior Senior High School.
Mr. Teplesky currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (RCS) Central School District in Ravena, NY, where he has been since 2009. During his time at RCS, Mr. Teplesky was instrumental in moving the district forward in a number of ways, including using data-driven instructional methods to help improve student achievement. He was also instrumental in helping the Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School increase student achievement enough to be removed from the School in Need of Improvement (SINI) list.
From 2004-2009, Mr. Teplesky served as Superintendent of the Granville Central School District. Mr. Teplesky brings with him a strong commitment and dedication to communication and working with the community to create an environment that will positively influence the district and promote student success.
"The Board of Education is looking forward to working with Mr. Teplesky and welcome him into our entire educational community. He will begin August 1," stated Board of Education President Susan Purcell.
CLICK HERE to read an interview with Daniel Teplesky by Sullivan County Democrat reporter Dan Hust. (courtesy of the SC Democrat)
CLICK HERE to read the article, "Monticello School District selects new superintendent" in the Times Herald-Record.