I hope your summer is off to a great start! It’s hard to believe that we’ve wrapped up the 2023-24 school year and are looking ahead to the fall. Thank you to our students, staff, and all parents and caregivers for a successful school year.

I want to highlight some remarkable accomplishments by our students this year, which wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Overall, our chronic absenteeism rate decreased by 3.5% this year, with Port Dickinson leading the way with an incredible 7.1% reduction in students missing more than 19 days of school. Across the district, out-of-school suspensions dropped by 56% compared to last year. Additionally, the percentage of elementary students reading at or above grade level increased by nearly 5%. Most importantly, Chenango Valley achieved the highest graduation rate in our region, at 93% for the 2022-23 school year.

While celebrating these achievements, it’s important to recognize areas where we can improve. Our office referrals remained flat compared to last year, and our in-school suspension rate was slightly higher. As we move further away from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will address issues related to device usage and student access to phones during instructional time. These efforts are crucial to enhancing our students’ experiences at Chenango Valley.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the Chenango Valley school community for welcoming me in my first year as superintendent. Our district’s sense of community, during both difficult times and successes, is truly remarkable. I look forward to continuing to grow as superintendent in my second year and collaborating with you to ensure our students have the best experience possible in our schools.

Please have a wonderful summer, and we eagerly await seeing you in the fall!

Sincerely,

Larry Dake, Superintendent of Schools

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