To Our School Communities,
On Monday, July 27th, the Board of Education members from both Richfield Springs and Owen D. Young gathered for a joint workshop. As many of you know, our districts already share a 5-year athletics partnership, as well as shared maintenance services for our bus fleets.
The main goal of our meeting was simple: to ensure we are creating the strongest, highest-quality programs possible for our students. By working together and sharing resources, we can offer richer opportunities for our kids while being smart, responsible stewards of our community resources.
Here is a summary of what we discussed and our immediate next steps.
What the Board discussion included:
Athletics & Student Experience: Board members reviewed our current athletics agreement, which runs through June 2028. The Boards talked about ways to make all student-athletes feel equally included and celebrated, from consistent uniforms and team announcements to shared athletic handbooks and updated gym signage. The Boards also discussed standardizing how both districts hire and evaluate coaches to keep our sports program strong, supportive and consistent. We are working on developing a collaborative hiring process moving forward.
Extracurricular Opportunities: Beyond sports, the Boards want to explore other clubs and extracurricular activities where our students might benefit from collaboration.
Transportation & Operations: The Boards discussed shared challenges like the statewide shortage of bus drivers. The Boards discussed exploring further ways our transportation teams can support each more effectively.
Next Steps
As Superintendents, our job now is to turn these board discussions into action. Moving forward, we will:
Meet with Athletic Leadership in early August to refine team communications, review processes, and plan for the upcoming sports seasons.
Form a Long-Term Athletic Committee to evaluate our section alignments and athletic goals well before our current agreement ends in 2028.
Explore New Shared Clubs: Working alongside district leaders, teachers, and our students to identify high-interest extracurriculars that can bring students from both schools together.
Discuss and explore how we can meet with our transportation departments to strengthen communication and efficiency in this area.
We are excited about the future and deeply committed to keeping our community informed every step of the way. Thank you for your continued support of our students and schools!
Sincerely,
Mr. Brennan Fahey
Superintendent, Owen D. Young Central School District
Dr. Jessica Poyer
Superintendent, Richfield Springs Central School District