May 15, 2024

School Board Showdown Seven Candidates Compete

Seats

Barry Derfel

Steve Cullen Moira Lang Adam Krantweiss Emily Workman Todd Fox Eldred Harris

Four Ithaca Schools Cited by NYS Education Department for Poor Academic Performance

By Maddy Vogel

This year, two more schools in the Ithaca City School District, Boynton and Dewitt middle schools, have lost “good standing” with New York State, following Enfield and Beverly J. Martin Elementary schools which lost their good standing status last year. Losing this status means that specific student groups or the entire student group has low performance, according to the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

NYSED released the 2023-24 accountability designations, which are based on data collected from the 2022-23 academic year, in January of 2024. Boynton and Dewitt were classified as “targeted support and improvement schools” (TSI) by the state, which means they have specific student groups that are performing poorly.

Of the total public schools in the state, only 3.4% received the TSI status for 2023-24. To identify TSI schools at the middle and elementary level, NYSED analyzes weighted average achievement, core subject performance, English language proficiency and chronic absenteeism.

While this system of accountability statuses was implemented in 2017, both schools have never lost their good standing status, until this year.

X 21st Annual Women Swimmin’

Notably, from the 2022-23 data collected, only 7% of grade 8 students were found to be “proficient” in math in Dewitt. This data does not include the scores of eighth grade students who take an advanced math class, typically in ninth grade level algebra 1.

Just 7% of 8th grade students at ICSD’s Dewitt Middle School were “proficient” in math in the 2022-23 academic year. (Photo: File)

Student proficiency in math for grades 6 and 7, along with proficiency in ELA for grades 6-8, ranged from 56% to 64%.

21.1% of Dewitt’s students were chronically absent. Students who are considered “chronically absent” missed 10% or more of the days they were enrolled in school.

At Boynton, 26% of grade 8 students were proficient in math, while ELA proficiency for grades 6-8 ranged from 46% to 68%. Additionally, 30% of grade 8 students were proficient in science and 25.5% percent of students were chronically absent.

NYSED found that at Boynton and Dewitt, African American students were the target group that needed improvements to academic performance, having disproportionate rates of chronic absenteeism and proficiency scores compared to their peers.

At Boynton, 60% of Black or African American students at the school were chronically absent, and at Dewitt, it was 39.5%.

Beverly J. Martin Elementary school is also classified as a TSI by the state, but

T ake N ote

Save the Date: Swim Day is Saturday, August 10, 2024

Registration opens Wednesday, May 8th 2024 at 7 a.m. Participant profiles are available for interviews and press coverage! For more information contact Emily Hopkins at 607-272-0212 or ehopkins@ hospicare.org

Members of the community are welcome to swim the lake, be a boater, volunteer, donate, or go the distance in support of Hospicare! For 2024, we have lots of different options for participation. Participants can choose which is the best fit for them.

• Lake Swimmer — Swim the lake on Saturday, August 10th! Our swimmin' women, ages 18 or older, are invited to join us for a 1.2 mile swim across Cayuga Lake from Bolton Point to the Yacht Club.

• Go the Distance — Set an activity or service goal in support of Hospicare. Between May 8 and August 10 anyone can participate by doing any activity in support of Hospicare. Whether you are walkin’, swimmin' laps, knittin’, bikin’, or pickin’ up trash, we are grateful for your support!

• Support Boater — Sign up to assist our swimmers across the lake.

Enfield is classified as a comprehensive support and improvement school (CSI), meaning that the school has overall low performance across all student groups. From the 2023-23 data collected, NYSED found that both schools made no progress towards improving their accountability status.

Schools that are in “good standing,” are classified as “local support and improvement schools” (LSI) by the state. Just over 93% of schools in New York state were in good standing in the 2023-24 report.

With four of ICSD’s 12 schools not in good standing, ICSD has become classified as a “target district,” falling into the 18.4% of New York State school districts that have this distinction. Becoming a target district means ICSD will be required to “develop an annual District Comprehensive Improvement Plan (DCIP) informed by school-level needs assessments and SCEPs completed within the district,” according to NYSED.

Continued on Page 19

• Volunteer — Sign-ups coming soon!

Registration and more information at: womenswimming.org. Contact Karynn Kilts with questions at womenswimmin@hospicare.org or 607-272-0212.

X Silo Fry Stand Takes 2nd Place at Syracuse Food Truck Battle

Ithaca, NY — Over 50 Food Trucks in and around Upstate New York competed last weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds for the Syracuse Food Truck Association’s Food Truck Battle. Silo, with a kitchen in Ovid, NY and a location in Ithaca, competed with both their famous Fried Chicken Food Truck and their newest addition, the Fry Stand- launched in 2023. Each truck entered either a savory or sweet dish to compete for both a Judges & Peoples Choice Award.

Silo’s Disco Fries at the Fry Stand took 2nd place for Judges Choice in the Savory category. Fresh cut fries topped with homemade dark meat chicken gravy, Béchamel cheese sauce and pickled red onions. You can get the Disco Fries on their regular menu at their location in Ithaca at Liquid State Brewery.

ON THE COVER:

Seven Candidates are competing for three seats on the Ithaca City School District Board of Education. The election is scheduled for May 21. (Photo: Mark Syvertson)

F r EE lan CE rs : Barbara Adams, G. M Burns, Jane Dieckmann, Charley Githler, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Henry Stark, and Arthur Whitman

THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2024, BY NEWSKI INC.

All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607277-1012, MAILING

Ithaca,

14851. The Ithaca

(1972–1978) and The

By Mark Syvertson

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE GIFT YOU RECEIVED AS A CHILD?

“I

– Irene

Common Council Votes to Advance 2024 Consolidated Plan, Discusses Tax Abatement Impacts on Development

By Matt Dougherty

During their May 8 meeting, the Ithaca Common Council discussed the 2024 Consolidated Plan, which lays out the City’s 5-year strategy for allocating funds received through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Since HUD designated the City of Ithaca as an ‘Entitlement Community’ in 2003, Ithaca has been annually allocated funds through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME).

To access these funds, the city must prepare a Consolidated Plan every five years, identifying priority community development needs.

The draft plan is a product of collaborative efforts between the City of Ithaca and the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA). The Council voted 8-0 to move the draft plan to the consent agenda for their June 5 meeting. The deadline to submit the plan to HUD is June 15.

During the meeting, the council also voted 8-0 to adopt the 2024 Action Plan, which is crucial for implementing the first year of the Consolidated Plan. The Action Plan outlines the amount of funds expected to be received through CDBG and HOME programs.

–

community development priorities. According to the Action Plan, the increase in CDBG Funding will result in full funding for ADA Upgrades and modifications at the Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center (DICC). Additionally, extra funding will be allocated to the “Collaborative Street Outreach Program” (OAR) and Economic Development Loan Fund (EDLF) to prioritize community services and economic development initiatives.

Due to the decrease in HOME payments, funding for The Beacon, which is being developed by INHS, will be reduced and substituted with a commitment to fund Housing Development Action Grants (HODAG). Additionally, another INHS project located at 113-115 Cleveland Ave will see a reduction in funding of up to $20,000.

In another move to advance the Consolidated Plan, the Council voted 8-0 to adopt the 2024 Update to the City of Ithaca Assessment of Fair Housing (AFFH). Adopting the AFFH re-codifies that housing providers in the City that participate in the HUD Entitlement Program are prohibited from “discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status.”

“If we add up the projected City property taxes paid over the first 20 years and compare it to a scenario where City Center were not built, the City will receive $6.8 million vs. $179,000.”

Funding for CDBG was projected to be $622,000, and funding for HOME was projected to be $277,000.

While presenting the Action Plan to the Common Council, IURA Community Development Planner Anisa Mendizabal surprised the council by announcing that the City received more CDBG funds than anticipated and less HOME funding than anticipated. According to Mendizabal, CDBG funding received was roughly $650,231, while HOME funding received was just $244,162. Since the City received more CDBG and less HOME funds than expected, the Common Council adjusted the proposed funding allocations to ensure effective resource utilization and alignment with

Abatement Program (CIITAP), which provides tax abatements and other incentives to encourage development projects in Ithaca.

According to Knipe, by offering tax abatements to developers, CIITAP has encouraged investments in underutilized sites and downtown areas, contributing to the expansion of the tax base and the revitalization of neighborhoods. Knipe has said that over the past two decades, CIITAP has incentivized the investment of nearly $1 billion to create roughly 2,000 housing units, with about 25% qualifying as affordable.

— Tom Knipe

Additionally, Mendizabal said that HUD entitlement funds are only designated for use inside the City of Ithaca, and 50% of fund recipients must be city residents. She added that the majority of people receiving homeless services came from the city itself, while the second highest came from surrounding counties, and about 20% came from further areas.

Mendizabal provided further information regarding the plan, saying that several IURA committees send recommendations to the IURA Board regarding what projects to fund, and the IURA Board recommends the projects to the Common Council for final approval.

Following the discussion about HUD funding, Deputy Director of Economic Development Tom Knipe presented to the Common Council on the impact of the Community Investment Incentive Tax

In his presentation, Knipe said that the CIITAP has also helped increase the amount of property tax payments received by the City from specific properties. He explained that as a result of the construction of the Tompkins Financial Building, the property tax payment to the City would increase from $7,000 to an estimated $82,000 in the fourth year of development. Regarding CIITAP’s impact on the City Center property, Knipe said, “If we add up the projected City property taxes paid over the first 20 years and compare it to a scenario where City Center were not built, the City will receive $6.8 million vs. $179,000.”

Despite these successes, some have expressed skepticism about the program’s positive impacts, saying that it hasn’t incentivized the construction of enough affordable housing and has been abused by developers who have used it to build luxury housing. Third Ward Alderperson Pierre Saint-Perez said that “many of the projects [that receive abatements through the CIITAP] are luxury apartments that are outside the range of what most of our community can afford.” He added, “It seems like a stretch that some of these projects truly couldn’t make ends meet without the abatement.” Saint-Perez

grew up in Kiev and almost always got books as gifts.”

“My parents didn’t allow toy guns but I got a Nerf blaster for my birthday.” – Isaac

“Remote controlled monster truck.” – Desmond

“I always loved getting Playmobil sets when I was a kid.”

– Peter

“It wasn’t my favorite but the most memorable was getting the Sweet Valley High board game when I asked explicitly for Mall Madness. But I’m over it.”

Marina

City Hall is preparing to access roughly $899,000 in HUD funding and discussing the impact of tax abatements on development projects in Ithaca. (Photo: Matt Dougherty)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RE: Voting “No” on the School Budget: Prioritizing Transparency, Accountability, and Fiscal Responsibility

“As a fellow community member and concerned parent of two elementary children, I am compelled to express my thoughts regarding the upcoming vote for the school budget. While many may be inclined to support it unquestioningly, it is crucial in serving the best interests of our children to scrutinize the budget proposal with a critical eye before making a decision. Transparency is paramount in any public institution, particularly when it comes to allocating taxpayer funds. The ICSD Superintendent indicated that 70% of the budget will support labor costs; however, missing from their attempts to pull at the collective heartstrings of an exceedingly loyal community known for decades of unwavering tax (teacher) support is the clearly defined apportionment of taxpayer funds to our district’s healthily-staffed (if not grossly overstaffed) administration

salaries versus the salaries of teachers, TAs, aides, and other vital personnel. Furthermore, accountability is essential to ensure that funds are being used effectively and efficiently. While investing in education is vital, blindly approving a budget without adequate oversight can lead to wasteful spending and missed opportunities for improvement.

By voting “NO” on the school budget, we are advocating for a more transparent and accountable process that prioritizes the needs of students and taxpayers alike. We are not dismissing the importance of education or denying resources to our schools, in any way. In fact, we’re doing quite the opposite.

I implore my fellow community members to join me in voting “NO” on the school budget until such time as the ICSD administration demonstrates a commitment to transparency, accountability, and real educational achievement for all of our children.”

— Scott Jahnke

RE: In Support of School Budget

“David McMurry blames the Ithaca City School District administration for declining test scores, especially among economically disadvantaged students. He compares scores in 2013 with those in 2023. Something happened between those years. COVID! Students had to take their classes online from home. And we know that rural areas of the county, where those who can’t afford the City The Talk at

live, have poor or even nonexistent internet service. And you can’t walk to a library from those places. Statistics can be impressive, but you have to know what you are counting. I am a childless senior, but I intend to vote for the school budget.” — Theresa Alt

RE: TCAT Electric Buses

“Some of your letter-writers in the May 1-7 issue are dumping on the Ithaca City School District for buying electric buses, claiming that TCAT’s problems show such buses to be unreliable. However, TCAT’s own press release explains that TCAT took certain electric buses out of service “after mechanics discovered that the frame on one of them separated from its axle while it was sitting on a lift, rendering the bus unfit for service.” Frame and axle do not sound like electric technology.” — Wayles Browne

RE: “Thanking Students,” by Fred A. Wilcox

“This letter is in response to “Thanking Students,” a Guest Opinion, by Fred A. Wilcox, in the May 8-14 Edition. Wilcox conveniently ignores that Hamas holds the key to peace by releasing the hostages. More fundamentally, he ignored the barbaric attacks that started this war on October 7, 2023. In addition, he omits the fact that rockets are being lobbed into Israel daily, targeting civilians. Also, students haven’t been motivated to protest other such wars for 50 years. If an enemy like this one lived on the border of any other country, public opinion might be different. I lived in Israel, and understood what they might do to him and me. The fact is: He is a garden-variety anti-Semite, thinly disguised as a peacenik.” — Nathaniel Silver

RE: Airport Struggles

“I looked in vain for any specifics in Ms. Noble’s remarks in this article. What exactly is she doing — can she do? — to increase airline traffic into ITH? There must have been specifics in the application for the sizeable grant, what are they? Many years in the aviation field make me and my husband highly skeptical of an airport director having any significant impact on airline route choices which are never altruistic but based on strict economic calculations (too bad the grant can't be used for bribes!). Frankly, we were really taken aback by the US taxpayer-funded very expensive expansion of the airport without a basis in airline use, and now there are even fewer flights than ever and the airfares are really shockingly high. Could you review for us Ms. Noble’s

particular qualifications for this sort of task? We wish her success but at least as reported in this article, we can’t see anything concrete to base that wish on.”

— Melanie Miller

RE: Thanking Students,” by Fred A. Wilcox

“This letter is in response to “Thanking Students,” a Guest Opinion, by Fred A. Wilcox, in the May 8-14 Edition. Wilcox conveniently ignores that Hamas holds the key to peace by releasing the hostages. More fundamentally, he ignored the barbaric attacks that started this war on October 7, 2023. In addition, he omits the fact that rockets are being lobbed into Israel daily, targeting civilians. Also, students haven’t been motivated to protest other such wars for 50 years. If an enemy like this one lived on the border of any other country, public opinion might be different. I lived in Israel, and understood what they might do to him and me. The fact is: He is a garden-variety anti-Semite, thinly disguised as a peacenik.” — Nathaniel Silver

RE: Squeaky Clean Carwash

“Oh yes, the sweet smell of gentrification. Want to talk about a day late and a dollar short lol. It’s a little late to be asking about sound ordinances isn’t it lol if it’s not quixotic, it’s idiotic. Hey wanna close the Barn door after the horses get out later?” — Not Your Bidness

“The simple answer here is that as the city continues to allow unneeded bulidings for rich white males to own to help destroy what Ithaca used to be — a thing that started under Svante Myrick — an totally unneded car wash at an extremely busy intersection was apporoved as some in this city would prefer future Wall Street bankers and other criminals as their bread and brie to have another place to clean their Telsas. We have a parking garage in the middle of town that is esseantially OWNED by Hilton Hotels - the people in the hotel have the exclusive rights to spaces on the bottom three floors, leaving only the 4th (top) floor for local citizens. And then there is the “convention center” boondoggle 2 blocks over on Green St. Who in their right mind thinks people would decide to have conventions here in a state where Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and New York City exist. And don’t use the Cornell or IC excuses. They both have places sufficient to hold plenty of kinds of meetings.

The simple answer to the Car Wash Bondoggle is to tear the thing down and charge the whole mess to the city council people who approved it.” — David Bly

UPS DOWNS&

Ups

For the third consecutive season, the Bombers are Liberty League champions as IC defeated Rochester, 7-6, at RPI on Saturday. Ithaca is now 31-9 on the season and will take a 12-game winning streak into the NCAA Division III Championship.

Downs

Devante Metz was arrested Monday at his home on West Buffalo Street. Police say the 26-year-old was taken to the Tompkins County jail last evening for arraignment. The arrest of Metz stems from a shooting that happened on December 9, 2023, in the City of Ithaca. The incident allegedly happened around 9:30 p.m. that night in the 100 block of North Plain Street.

HEARD SEEN&

Heard

Lou the “Hot Dog Guy” is holding the 21st Annual Hot Dog Day to benefit the SPCA on Friday, May 17, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the Ithaca Commons.

Seen

Cornell’s “Liberated Zone” Gaza Solidarity Encampment officially shut down on Monday evening following a vigil for Palestinians in Rafah. The encampment lasted for 19 days on Cornell’s Arts Quad.

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write news@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Should the City find ways to address chronically vacant properties?

82 5 % Yes.

7.0% No.

10 . 5 % I don’t care.

N ext W eek ’s Q uestio N : Should the City look for ways to help developers convert unused office space into housing?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

TCAT-Cornell Service Agreement Strains Operations, Threatens Community Routes

By Matt Dougherty

Arecent Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) and Cornell University, enacted in Fall 2023, has put additional pressure on local public transportation, leading to a reduction in routes that provide service to areas of the County that aren’t affiliated with Cornell. The agreement spans from October 1, 2023, to June 30, 2027, with a contract year running from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

The agreement provides TCAT with $3,332,522 in funding to facilitate Cornell student transit but tethers that funding to stringent service hour metrics on 7 routes that have been prioritized by Cornell. The prioritized routes include routes 10, 30, 81, 82, 83, 90, and 92.

TCAT’s new General Manager, Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones, said the agreement requires TCAT to maintain 1,100 weekly service hours during the school year and 800 hours during the summer. If TCAT fails to provide the agreedupon levels of service, Cornell’s funding will be substantially reduced. However, if they’re able to exceed service levels the amount of funding could be increased.

penalty would be a reduction in the base payment of approximately $863,000.”

Rosenbloom-Jones added that since the entire TCAT budget is approximately $20 million, “The concern is that the loss of that amount from the base payment means less resources TCAT can put towards repairing vehicles and hiring/training operators, which ultimately places us farther away from reaching our goals—both under the SLA and as providing a public service to the community.”

One of the agreement’s most striking impacts is TCAT’s necessity to cancel routes other than those serving Cornell’s interests, notably Route 51.

Rosenbloom-Jones highlighted the agreement’s unintended consequences, stating, “The penalties for canceling trips on those routes become so large and impact the fiscal health of TCAT long term, we have to look at canceling outside of those routes and prioritize service on those routes.” This prioritization results in communities like Dryden, Newfield, and Groton facing disruptions due to canceled routes, significantly impacting their accessibility and connectivity to the rest of the community.

“The penalties for canceling trips on those routes become so large and impact the fiscal health of TCAT long term, we have to look at canceling outside of those routes and prioritize service on those routes.”

— Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones, TCAT General Manager

Rosenbloom-Jones said, “If we fall below those thresholds, then that contribution of $3 million is substantially reduced in proportion to the rate at which we fall below those metrics.”

As a result, the agreement’s terms pose significant operational challenges, forcing TCAT to make difficult decisions regarding service prioritization and exacerbating existing staffing and vehicle shortages.

According to Rosenbloom-Jones, “Our current service output, which is maxed out on both vehicles and staff, is approximately 750 hours a week on the routes in the SLA, or a service deviation factor of -0.318 during the Fall and Spring periods and -0.063 during the Summer period.” He continued saying, “Assuming we are unable to increase service output beyond current levels and run an average of 750 weekly hours for the entire year, the

challenges not only hinder TCAT’s ability to meet the service hour metrics but also elevate operating costs, intensifying the financial strain on the organization.

The challenges faced by TCAT extend beyond route cancellations, encompassing acute staffing and vehicle shortages. TCAT currently operates with around 55 drivers, whereas pre-COVID operations necessitated over 80 drivers. Similarly, while pre-COVID service required 42 vehicles daily, TCAT now operates with only 25 vehicles, compounded by the unavailability of electric buses due to safety concerns. Rosenbloom-Jones elaborated, “Our electric vehicles...are not running at all due to safety reasons.”

Moreover, TCAT’s current fleet comprises 53 vehicles, but many are undergoing extensive rehabilitation, further straining operational capacities. Rosenbloom-Jones emphasized the implications of this, stating, “These older vehicles and short staffing...raise our operating costs significantly...It’s really our only option right now as far as vehicles go.” These

Criticism surrounding the service agreement has surfaced, with some questioning the fairness of leveraging specific service levels to secure funding from Cornell. Rosenbloom-Jones expressed his view, advocating for a broader perspective on TCAT’s role as a network serving both Cornell and the wider community. He asserted, “TCAT is a network, and the agreement [with Cornell] allows their students to utilize TCAT as a network as well...it would probably work best if it looked at TCAT or Cornell’s contribution to TCAT as a whole.”

Looking ahead, Rosenbloom-Jones remains hopeful for constructive dialogue with Cornell to address the agreement's challenges and explore potential modifications. He emphasized the importance of collaboration and understanding, stating, “I am very optimistic that we’ll be able to reach a compromise with a service level agreement that benefits everyone.”

In response to questions regarding if Cornell was aware of the negative impact this agreement is having on TCAT and the overall availability of public transportation in Tompkins County, Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations Joel M. Malina said, “Cornell always offers assistance and expertise to help TCAT improve its operations, but Cornell does not control TCAT operational decisions.” Malina added, “We recognize the impact that the current service levels have on Cornell community members and are continuing to work with TCAT to understand why it is failing to meet service levels it agreed to less than one year ago.”

TCAT General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones says that the new service agreement with Cornell has resulted in communities like Dryden, Newfield, and Groton facing disruptions due to canceled routes. (Photo: TCAT)

Reflections on LACS

Lehman Alternative Community School Celebrates 50th Anniversary

By Marjorie Olds

Born in Guatemala, Simon Warhaft grew up in a lively, supportive family. His mother, Australian Gail Holst Warhaft, was loved and admired as Tompkins County’s Poet Laureate. Over the years Gail taught in Cornell’s Comparative Literature Department, Biological and Environmental Engineering, the Institute for European Studies, and Near Eastern Studies. She served as Director, Mediterranean Initiative, and was a Faculty Fellow in the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

Father, Zellman Warhaft, fellow Australian, professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was known at Cornell for his groundbreaking work with Engineers Without Border and voice for diversity within engineering and beyond. An early advocate for sustainability, he co-chaired conferences on wind power, taught courses on sustainable energy, while urging that engineers be more involved with the social and environmental implications of their work. He has been affiliated with the Science and Technology Studies Department, with the Peace Studies Program and with the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell.

Zellman was and is the heart and soul of Engineering at Cornell and his impact and Gail’s impact on students, faculty, community members cannot be measured, but is with us today.

Sister Zoe graduated from Cornell in 2012, then worked in the Development Program at Harvard, and now is in Washington, D.C. where she works in Development for Georgetown’s Medical and Cancer Research School.

The Warhaft family remain active, savvy supporters and advocates for social justice, animal and wildlife protection, immigration asylum, and are respected for their long active support of the Youth Farm Project and so much more. So, no wonder Simon would apply to and attend Ithaca’s Lehman Alternative Community School when he was in 5th grade in 2001.

Much as Simon felt lucky to be a part of LACS, made lifelong friends at LACS, he had one problem when he considered applying to a local college after graduation…He hated Ithaca’s winters. LACS Guidance Counsellor Hayya Mintz wisely proposed Simon attend Guilford College, a small Quaker col-

lege in Greensboro, North Carolina: “It has a sunny version of the LACS-Ithaca vibe in North Caroline—small, welcoming, diverse. It has your vibe…Go there.” And so he did, after graduating LACS in June 2009.

Simon: “It was great, I played a lot of soccer, made good friends, in a school with a focus on liberal arts…Like at LACS, teachers and students called each other by their first name, working collegially to support and include others…By the end of college I knew most people in the college.”

Graduating early, Simon took his last semester in Greece, where his mother had studied Greek poetry, literature, and Street Music. “Staying with dear friends of my mother, I explored, learned Greek, walked all over Athens, and traveled to many Greek islands.

Returning to Ithaca post-Guilford graduation in 2013, Simon was drawn back to so many of the classmates, teachers, friends he loved and admired: “Dan Flerlage, Katie Church, Ann Pombino had been sowing the seeds for Youth Farm Project for years. In Danby, next door to the Waldorf School at 23 Nelson Road, teens were tilling the land, planting, mulching, weeding, watering, harvesting, and sharing organic fresh vegetables…We sold veggies, made batches of Pesto, shared with Loaves and Fishes and Food Pantries, and learned about the inequitable food system and discussed social justice issues.”

In 2015 Simon pivoted back to LACS, serving as an ICSD Teaching Assistant, where he remained for 3 years.: “Working with kids and teens building skills, I was able to provide one-on-one support to the kids who needed it the most, at a turning point in their lives, while they were still in school.”

Kids and faculty encouraged Simon to take the steps to become certified as a teacher. “My time as a student at LACS (which was renamed LACS for Principal Dave Lehmann) and my time as at the Youth Farm Project as a crew leader gave me the inspiration and the confidence to apply for admission for a one-year Masters of Arts in Teaching degree…Interviewing with Ithaca College’s renowned Director of Education Peter Martin cinched it for me. Zenon Wasyliw was instrumental as my terrific advisor during my time at Ithaca College.”

Update on Ithaca City School District Property Tax Report Card

By Dan Giblin, Ithaca Homeowner

The NYS Education Department has done a very quick job of compiling and releasing the new statewide 2024-25 Property Tax Report Card data on May 10th because they know it’s important information for voters to have before the May 21st School Budget vote. Below is the update to the chart published in the April 3rd Ithaca Times Op-Ed that I compiled showing Ithaca’s rank on the new statewide list. The numbers speak for themselves. We’re in the top 10, again, out of 668 school districts, with a tax levy % increase that exceeds 98.8% of NYS school districts.

I’d like to clarify a statement I made in the previous article and comment on some of the misinformation and attempted misdirects of our attention and misdirects of responsibility for the current situation we’re in.

In the April 3rd Op-Ed I stated that annual reassessment increases should normally lead to an inversely proportional tax rate decrease. While that statement was true, it’s incredibly vague, especially in light of the fact that there was a much more specific explanation of that process sent to most property owners in March by the Assessment Department, the 2024 Assessment Disclosure Notice. It shows the effect of the assessment increase on our tax bill by holding the budget levy constant at last years’ level and dividing that total levy by the new total taxable assessed value to create a new simulated tax rate to apply to individual properties to show the tax effect on the individual property. The reason I bring this up is because that notice gives us a very important tool to keep track of the school officials

misdirects and misinformation. That notice shows the school tax rate going down from $16�221 per thousand to $14�329 per thousand with the new total taxable assessed value and the old school budget levy� Any increase from the $14.33 because of this year’s budget increase back up to; first $16.22 with the 12.1% levy increase, and now down slightly to $15.68 with the 8.42% levy increase is on the school district, not the assessment department. (except for assessment reviews and grievances). The $14�33 number is important to remember to help dispel much of the misinformation and misdirects being stated to distract us.

Misinformation and Misdirects

1. The noble pledge by Dr. Brown “to stabilize that tax rate” for the next 3 to 5 years. This amounts to a scam and a misdirect at the same time. The scam is to tax all of the assessment increases by jacking the tax rate back up to last year’s level, and the misdirect is by crowing about the flat tax rate. Nothing to see here folks, same tax rate as last year, just go about your business. The $14.33 number above helps us to see how ludicrous that pledge is. Going back to 16.22 from 14.33 yields a tax levy increase of 13% without even trying. 16.22/14.33=1.13. The slightly reduced rate of 15.68/14.33 yields 9.4%. Dr Brown needs to pledge to stabilize the tax levy, not the tax rate.

2. We lowered our tax rate, but the assessments went up. That’s why your taxes are so high. The higher assessments created a lower tax rate. If the school district stayed under the tax levy cap, only those with higher-than-average assessment increases would see large tax increases. Instead,

Continued on Page 19

ICSD is in the top 10, again, out of 668 school districts, with a tax levy percent increase that exceeds 98.8% of NYS school districts.

School Board Showdown Seven candidates compete for three seats on ICSD’s Board of Education

By Maddy Vogel

Seven candidates, including three incumbents, are vying for the most votes in this year’s school board election due to the expiration of the terms of board members Moira Lang, Eldred Harris, and Adam Krantweiss. Four individuals, Steve Cullen, Barry Derfel, Todd Fox, and Emily Workman, have announced they will challenge the current candidates for their seats on the board.

On May 21, voters will see a few items that have caused contention in the community on the ballot, including the newly proposed $168 million budget with an 8.42% increase in the tax levy from the 2023-24 budget. With both budgets well above the state-imposed tax cap, this budget contains a $4 million reduction in the tax levy from the initially proposed budget, which included a 12.14% increase in the tax levy.

This year, the Ithaca Teachers Association, which has called for voters to approve the budget, has chosen to endorse incumbents Adam Krantweiss and Moira Lang and challenger Emily Workman.

Prospective candidates had to submit a nominating petition by May 1, each with the signatures of at least 100 qualified voters within the district, to have their names on the ballot for the election.

The Ithaca Times spoke with each candidate about their values, beliefs, and hopes for how they can impact the future of the school district and board.

ELDRED V. HARRIS, J.D.

Incumbent candidate Eldred Harris first came to the board in 2009 after noticing the district’s inequity of education for marginalized students. He cited that when he first ran, the district had a significantly lower graduation rate for African American students and students with IEPs. If re-elected, Harris would serve his seventh term on the board. He is the chair of the finance committee, a member of the curriculum committee, and the board liaison to Beverly J. Martin Elementary. He played an integral role in establishing ICSD’s equity report card.

Harris is a graduate of Cornell Law School and a “serial entrepreneur,” found-

Incumbent candidate Eldred Harris first came to the board in 2009. If re-elected, Harris would serve his seventh term on the board. He is the chair of the finance committee, a member of the curriculum committee, and the board liaison to Beverly J. Martin Elementary. (Photo: ICSD)

ing four businesses, including the Entrepreneurship Leadership Business Development Lab (eLab) and Diaspora Gallery.

Harris’ stance on equitable education for all students intersects with his defense of this year’s controversial budget in many recent board meetings. He has noted that when the cost of living goes up for taxpayers, the cost to keep schools open while providing the necessary resources to children also increases.

“Public schools serve a variety of critical functions,” Harris said. “The primary being to keep the equity and values of our community high, and this is an interesting moment in our time. [...] Folks seem to be interested in diminishing the budget, and I’m not quite sure where that will leave this district in terms of being a public school that allows excellence for all of its students.”

Harris said he has decided to run for reelection to continue striving for academic excellence and equity for all students within the district while maintaining a salary for teachers that represents their importance to the student’s education. He wishes to continue advocating for policy change in Albany that

Adam Krantweiss was first elected to the board in 2023. If re-elected, he hopes to continue his work improving the district’s programs through his position on the curriculum committee. (Photo: ICSD)

would improve functions within the district.

“Equity has a cost,” Harris said. “In the same way that promoting a particular type of excellence has a cost to this community.”

ADAM KRANTWEISS, PH.D.

Krantweiss was first elected to the board in 2023, filling an open seat for a one-year term. He is a self-employed clinical psychologist and visiting lecturer at Cornell. He moved to Ithaca in 2017 and has two children who attend ICSD. He currently serves as the chair of the curriculum committee, a member of the audit committee, and the board liaison for Ithaca High School.

Krantweiss’ primary motivation for running for the board last year was to ensure a robust academic program for his children in the district, combined with his concerns about hiring and retaining quality teachers. Because of his background in psychology, he wanted to ensure the district had a quality special education program. If re-elected, he hopes to continue his work improving the district's programs through his position on the curriculum committee.

Krantweiss said that he believes the budget is one of the main issues the board currently has to tackle. He was one of the board

Todd Fox is a challenger in this year’s election, with the allocation of spending on capital improvements being the main item he hopes to improve in the district. (Photo: ICSD)

members who proposed a new budget with a lower tax levy at the April 16 meeting and said he believes cuts should only be made in places that aren’t student-facing.

“I think the biggest issue that we are facing right now is we have a budget that is growing every year, we have a lot of community members who [...] raised their concerns about how they are going to afford the year-over-year increases,” Krantweiss said. “I think it’s really important for board members to listen to community members. [...] Community members want the budget to support the students, the learning, and the teachers, but they’re also worried about the size of the budget.”

TODD FOX

Fox is the founder and CEO of Visum Development Group, an Ithaca-based real estate investment and development group that has created hundreds of housing units in newly constructed apartment buildings. Fox is a challenger in this year’s election, with the allocation of spending on capital improvements being the main item he hopes to improve in the district.

Fox was born and raised in Ithaca and has three children within the district. He has coached for multiple athletics teams in

Former Newfield High School

ICSD, and his “spark” to run for the board was his concerns over this year's proposed budget. He believes that his background in development and construction will assist the board with saving money in areas such as capital improvement projects.

“With the capital improvement projects, they're spending tens of millions of dollars a year,” Fox said. “They have a hundred million dollars in deferred maintenance, so I think there's definitely millions of dollars that could be saved. I think that’s where I create a lot of value, and hopefully that means more money for teachers, for programs, and hopefully tax savings as well.”

Fox believes he brings a unique perspective when compared to other board members by being able to manage and negotiate construction projects and contracts. He hopes to add diversity “in terms of skills and abilities'' to the board. He added that objectivity and the ability to see all sides of an issue are qualities that he believes are crucial for board members to have.

MOIRA LANG

Lang is the current vice president of the board and a retired educator within the district. She spent 35 years teaching, with 25 of those years at Ithaca High School. Lang was first elected in 2015, serves on the human resources and policy committees, and is the board liaison to Belle Sherman Elementary and Cayuga Heights Elementary. If re-elected, she would serve a fourth term.

Past her own teaching experience, Lang has multiple family members who are also teachers in the district, as well as grandchildren, great-nieces, and great-nephews who are students in the ICSD.

“Education has been the focus of my entire adult life, so being involved in education is significant to me,” Lang said. “I’m very invested in the fact that Ithaca has always been a school district that is innovative, and that

Principal Barry Derfel said his primary motivation to run was that he began attending curriculum and board meetings and noticed that teaching was becoming much more difficult after COVID. (Photo: ICSD)

the school district has a vision of educating all of our children as best as they can.”

Lang said her time on the board has been “a learning experience” and that there are always challenges. She feels there is more to be done on the board and that there is a very steep learning curve to being a school board member, especially with the changing academic landscape.

Lang said that she decided to run for reelection because she knows what it means to be a board member and because the district is at a crucial time for decision-making, specifically regarding the budget.

Lang believes the most significant issue the current board and district are facing is recruiting, maintaining, and supporting teachers at a time when teachers have an increasing list of expectations.

“Teaching has become more difficult than when I was a teacher,” Lang said. “The pandemic certainly exacerbated it, but I think the whole societal landscape is affecting children and adolescents deeply, and it’s affecting our staff.”

BARRY DERFEL

Derfel is another challenger in this election and is a retired educator of over 30 years. He has lived in Ithaca for 43 years and raised three children within ICSD. Derfel has worked as a teacher in several ICSD schools, as a principal at Newfield High School, and as an assistant superintendent for instruction at TST BOCES.

Derfel said his primary motivation to run was that he began attending curriculum and board meetings and noticed that teaching was becoming much more difficult after COVID.

“I’m a teacher to the core and education, I think, is incredibly important in a democ-

Emily Workman is a challenger in this election and works in educational policy as the managing director of strategy and partnerships at the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, as well as the president of Northeast PTA and vice president of the ICSD PTA Council. (Photo: ICSD)

racy,” Derfel said. “As I started watching the board meetings it became really clear to me that the whole system is feeling stressed. The whole system is struggling to meet all of the intersecting demands that are required to ensure that students graduate with all of the skills they need and to have productive lives.”

Derfel felt that his experience as an educator could help develop creative solutions to many of the district’s current problems, but as a viewer of a board meeting, he couldn’t help much.

“[Much of my work] is all about bringing different stakeholders together, who often believe that they have conflicting priorities or do have conflicting priorities, and helping them navigate through that and find common ground and develop solutions,” Derfel said. “That's why I want to get involved; I feel like I can bring all that to the community.”

EMILY WORKMAN

Workman, a challenger in this election, works in educational policy as the managing director of strategy and partnerships at the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, as well as the president of Northeast PTA and vice president of the ICSD PTA Council.

Workman lived in Ithaca as a child and returned to Ithaca after living in Washington, D.C., to raise her two children in the district. She said she was attracted to ICSD’s focus on equity and academic excellence.

“I have been focused on early childhood and K-12 education for my whole career,” Workman said. “I bring a lens of what policies actually have the intended outcomes that they are meant to have for kids, and I also bring the lens of knowing that just because policies have had positive outcomes,

Steve Cullen is a challenger in this election and is focusing on improving the district’s overall decline in academics and mental health. (Photo: ICSD)

doesn’t mean they will always have positive outcomes in every district.”

Workman believes that her experience in data-driven policy-making will help the district achieve its goals, which they are currently struggling to achieve.

“I think this district has goals that are set really high for students, but the way that the goals and policies are actually being implemented is not translating into positive impacts for kids, and it’s not translating into retaining high-quality teachers,” Workman said. “They either haven’t collected the data [that shows the results and impacts of policies], or they’re not readily sharing that information with the community and the board for them to make informed decisions about when the district needs to take a different direction.”

Workman hopes to see the district’s communication and engagement with the community improved by holding the administration accountable as a board member.

“The problems in this district are exacerbated by the fact that [the district] does not prioritize engaging the community, hearing from them, being responsive, and engaging in dialogue,” Workman said. “I think that my role is about accountability for the administration.”

STEVE CULLEN

Cullen, a challenger in this election, is the managing director at the Cornell CMS High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider Upgrade Project and the founder and CEO of ARORA Solutions LLC. He said he is running for a multitude of reasons, including safety incidents that his child experienced at a school within ICSD and the district’s overall decline in academics and mental health.

Continued on Page 18

Moira Lang is the current vice president of the board and a retired educator within the district. (Photo: ICSD)

Protect your hands from injury during warm weather fun and spring chores

S. DeBuck, M.D.

Spring chores and recreation can put your hands at risk for wounds, infection, and repetitive strains, making injury prevention important when you head outdoors.

Safety and protection are essential to proper hand care when gardening and mowing the lawn. There are obvious risks of hand injuries from the moving tines and blades of power tillers and lawn mowers. But power tools can also injure hands in far less obvious ways.

Numbness and tingling in your hands often occur after you spend an hour or more firmly gripping the vibrating handles of power equipment. Continuous vibrations from power equipment can damage the nerves in your hand in the same way a repetitive motion injury can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The damage can cause reduced dexterity and impaired fine-motor skill, and sometimes severe pain and cramps. Personal watercraft with engines such as a jet ski, chain saws, motorcycles and snowmobiles can cause similar injuries to your hands. Spread out use of power equipment

Spreading out the time that you use power tools and equipment over a few sessions can reduce hand injury risks. Limit your exposure to 20 minutes and then do other tasks that don’t expose your hands to vibrations. Varying tasks is an excellent method for reducing repetitive strain injuries from both manual and power tools. If you regularly have numbness and tingling in your hands, seek medical advice. Prolonged exposure to vibrations can cause permanent damage to your hands that cannot be cured by medical or surgical means. Delaying treatment can also reduce the chances your body can repair itself. The ability for nerves to regenerate generally decreases with age, which puts seniors at a higher risk for this injury.

Early treatment begins with cortisone injections. The treatment reduces swelling that pinches the median nerve that runs through a small space in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. The pinched median nerve most often causes numbness and tingling rather than pain. Those symptoms appear in the hand, index, middle and ring fingers, and thumb, but not in the little finger, which is controlled by a different nerve.

In more severe cases, patients need a short surgical procedure to release the tension a ligament is placing on the nerve. The surgery often provides quick relief from any pain. For 10 days after the surgery, a patient is limited to using the hand for lifting nothing heavier than a coffee cup. Patients can resume normal activities in three to six weeks.

Repetitive hand injuries

Trigger finger is a hand injury that is more likely in people 40to 60-years old and more common in women. The injury causes an inflammation that narrows the space within the sheath that

By Stephanie S. DeBuck, M.D.

surrounds the tendon of a finger. Soreness at the base of the finger or thumb is a common symptom, along with a painful clicking or snapping when bending or straightening the fingers.

Trigger finger can be caused by repeated movement, forceful use of the finger or thumb as well as vibratory injuries. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and diabetes also can cause trigger finger.

Avoiding overuse is key to preventing trigger finger. If you experience stiffness and swelling in your fingers, make sure to give them plenty of rest. Alternating activities can help keep your fingers from becoming inflamed. Treatment often involves a splint on the hand to keep the joint from moving. If symptoms continue, cortisone injections will reduce swelling and pain, and surgery can relieve tension on the tendon.

While hand injuries from repetitive strains and vibrations can be minimized by limiting exposure, protective clothing and precautions reduce other seasonal risks to your hands.

When digging or weeding in a garden, sharp stones, slivers, thorns, and other plant materials can injure unprotected hands. Even small puncture wounds in your hand can easily become infected with bacteria and fungus that live in the soil. The hand’s anatomy with tendon sheaths, small bones and spaces creates pathways for infection to spread. Wearing proper gloves will protect your hands from wound injuries and reduce blistering and exposure to fertilizers and pesticides.

Seek medical care for hand injuries if bleeding cannot be stopped by applying continuous pressure for 15 minutes, when there is persistent numbness or tingling in the fingertip, if you are unable to clean the wound thoroughly by rinsing with a mild soap and plenty of clean water, or if you are unsure of your tetanus immunization status.

Dr. DeBuck is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff at Cayuga Medical Center and is in practice with Cayuga Orthopedics. She has specialized training in hand surgery and can be reached at (607) 272-7000.

Stephanie

CAMP GUIDE 2024

JULY 14-27

JULY 28-AUGUST 3

New Goals

After Jared Brooks Overdose Death, Family Honors Memory with Soccer Tourney

By Steve Lawrence

Many posters have popped up all over town of late, featuring photos of a beloved local kid in whose memory a soccer tournament and skills clinic will be held this weekend at Cass Park. Referencing the Jared Brooks Memorial Adult 7/7 Tournament, to be held on May 18-19, the poster says, “A community celebration of Jared Brooks, a fantastic soccer player, a respectful and community-minded individual and a world traveler...” Everyone who knew Jared is well aware that he was indeed all of those things. The rest of the mini-bio states — “and above all, a decent human being who passed away unexpectedly in 2021.”

That reminder was particularly poignant — and relevant — because of the stereotypes that often exist when someone passes from a drug overdose. Aj Kircher, Jared’s mom, has become, over the past three years, a fierce advocate for more understanding, compassion and, above all, more action to combat the scourge of opioid overdose deaths. Aj — who was a part of the effort to get Tompkins County to form the Opioid Task Force, told me, “Underreporting continues to be a real problem, as there has been about one opioid related death every two weeks for the past two years in Tompkins County. That’s a big number.”

The Kircher/Brooks clan finds a lot of comfort in honoring Jared — who was a

star player at Ithaca High, TC3 and at Herkimer — with a soccer tournament. In Aj’s words, “Jared was never happier than he was in his soccer cleats. Soccer was the glue for him... he found his tribe.” She also pointed out the irony that all too often, it is the pain-management related to a sports injury that brings a young person into contact with opiates.

Kircher said, “This is a challenging time for our family (Aj, John Brooks and Jared’s sister, Marley). May brings Mother’s Day, then Jared’s birthday, then June brings Father’s Day and July 1st is the anniversary of Jared’s passing.” Having spent her professional life working for non-profits, and working to connect people with the right services, Aj offered, “There is so much Fentanyl out there now.” She talked about some of the work being done on the front lines, and said, “I love to push out awareness for the work STAP (Southern Tier Aids Program) is doing.” STAP, as a part of their advocacy and educational efforts, is making it possible to test drugs on the spot, without any legal consequences or judgment.

Kircher sees her honesty about her son’s passing as necessary, and that brings us back to that statement that Jared was “above all, a decent human being.” She said that she is open about Jared and his challenges because she wants to do what she can “to break down the stigma and shame and save lives.” Aj said, “Jared was from an open, healthy, well-resourced family. His passing — and that of so many others — is

unacceptable loss, and it can happen to anyone.”

The two-day tournament will feature a skills clinic, and games for players age 7-14. It will also bring in experienced coaches from Cornell, Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland and TC3. There will be cash prizes, food, music, medals and refreshments. For more details, visit www.ithacasoccer.com.

Congrats to the Ithaca College women’s lacrosse team on their unblemished Liberty League record. By rolling through the conference with a 10-0 record (17-1 overall), the Bombers will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III tournament this weekend. The hosts will rest up for the first round, and take on the winner of the match up between Shenandoah and SUNY Canton in Round Two.

For the Bomber baseball team, good news comes in threes. The team won all three Liberty League tournament games in walk-off fashion, giving the Bombers their third consecutive Liberty League title. On to the NCAAs...

The two-day Jared Brooks Memorial Adult 7/7 tournament will feature a skills clinic, and games for players age 7-14 this weekend at Cass Park.

The Jared Brooks Memorial Adult 7/7 Tournament will be held on May 18-19.

ABORTION DENIED

Kitchen Theatre’s “The Turnaway Play” Explores The New Abortion Environment

By Barbara Adams

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, women in the U.S. lost their federal right to abortion. Yet despite this setback for freedom of choice — 21 states have abortion bans in place — the number of abortions here rose to over a million in 2023. Inevitably, not every woman seeking an abortion for whatever personal reason or need can obtain one. What becomes of these women?

That’s the question that propelled demographer Diana Greene Foster, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, to investigate the outcomes for women who were turned away from abortion clinics. This rejection occurred for a variety of reasons, sometimes simply one of timing — the pregnant woman being past the legal limit by a day or two.

In 2007, when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy permitted abortion restrictions to stand, he claimed, “While we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon, it seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained. Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow.”

As someone committed to decision-making based on verifiable data, Foster found his unsubstantiated and unwarranted assumption particularly galling. She wanted to know the actual state of things — the personal, physical, emotional, psychological and financial effects on a woman of having an abortion compared to carrying to term.

That was the ambitious goal of her nationwide prospective longitudinal study of “the health and well-being” of all women seeking abortion, both those who have the procedure and those who don’t. With a team of nine women colleagues and scholars, Foster directed this groundbreaking research based on hundreds of interviews. The results were published in her 2021 book, “The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion.”

Beyond the book and dozens of scholarly papers and presentations, in order to reach different audiences in another medium, Foster asked her sister — Ithaca playwright, composer, and director Lesley Lisa Greene — to turn

the academic study into a stageworthy dramatic event. The result was Greene’s 70-minute play, “The Turnaway Study,” workshopped in its early stages here at the Kitchen Theatre and now in its fully produced world premiere.

Four women — as the characters of Dr. Foster and three project interviewers — present the issues clearly and compellingly.

Designer Kent Goetz provides a simple room, warmly lit by Eric Behnke, that serves as university lecture hall and the interviewers’ phone lab. As Foster, Barbara Geary is purposeful and earnest as she addresses us (her college students) from behind a podium, presenting fact-based data and outlining her concerns.

In other scenes, two young women banter in between the phone interviews they’re conducting with the study’s participants. They share their interests and values, easily comfortable with each other — Sylvia Yntema and Montana Lampert Hoover are especially lively and personable in these roles. Their camaraderie is interrupted by the arrival of a new interviewer, who seems inexperienced and hesitant. Lu Chavez’s Luisa is sweet but increasingly distracted, and the others privately signal that she may not last a week.

Still, they’re friendly and encouraging, providing advice and support. We listen in on several of their assured interviews, and when Luisa finally has a dynamic and successful one herself, in fluent Spanish, they’re congratulatory — only to discover she was just practicing, with her mother. It’s one comical moment, among several, that buoys this play’s serious themes.

At points, the drama shows its bones as a lecture, but the personalities and energy of these young actors fully animate the story. Rachel Lampert’s expert direction keeps them in spirited motion. Beyond their interviewing role, they also assume brief personas of various pregnant women who are subjects in the project, each with her own story and unique situation (nicely differentiated by Lisa Boquist’s costumes).

The Turnaway project has a key takeaway: we learn, as did Foster and her team, that “receiving an abortion does not harm the health and wellbeing of women, but in fact, being denied an abortion results in worse financial, health and family outcomes.” Voters and legislators, take note.

Barbara Adams, a regional theater and arts journalist, teaches writing at Ithaca College.

“The Turnaway Play,”

by Lesley Lisa Greene, directed by Rachel Lampert. Kitchen Theatre 417 W. State/MLK, Jr. St., Ithaca. kitchentheatre.org (607) 272-0570.

May 15-18, 7:00 p.m. May 16 and 17, 2 p.m. matinee Post-show events continue this week and are open to the public:

• Friday, May 17, 8:15 p.m. — a talk, Meet the Researchers (Dr. Foster and colleagues)

• Sunday, May 19, 3:15 p.m. — a panel with End Abortion Stigma

& Entertainment

Sylvie Yntema and Lu Chavez in the Kitchen Theatre production of “The Turnaway Play”.

Rootstock Youth Festival Returns to Ithaca Commons

By Matt Dougherty

The vibrant spirit of youth talent and entrepreneurship is set to take center stage once again as the Rootstock Youth Festival returns to the heart of Ithaca Commons on May 18th. Organized by the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in collaboration with New Roots Charter School, this annual festival promises a day of artistic expression, musical performances, and entrepreneurial innovation.

Rootstock 2024 is poised to showcase the diverse talents of youth from the greater Finger Lakes Region, spanning from solo artists and teen bands to music producers and dance troupes. With over 15 acts lined up, attendees can expect a dynamic fusion of music, dance, and artistry that reflects the creative energy of the local youth community.

A standout feature of Rootstock is the Youth Entrepreneurship Market (YEM), now in its 7th annual edition. The YEM serves as a platform for young entrepreneurs, ranging from grades 4 to 12, to bring their business ideas to life. These aspiring business owners have participated in a series of entrepreneurship workshops, receiving mentorship from local business and non-profit leaders to develop their ventures.

Michael Mazza, Director of Community Engagement at New Roots Charter School and co-founder of YEM, expressed his enthusiasm for Rootstock, stating, “Rootstock’s unique focus on the next generation of creative youth through music, dance, art, and entrepreneurship is an inspiring addition to our abundance of local festivals.”

The festival is made possible through the support of various organizations, including

the New York State Council on the Arts, Tompkins County, the Joint Youth Commission, the Park Foundation, GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, and New Roots Charter School. These partnerships highlight a collaborative effort to nurture and showcase the talents of young individuals in the community.

New Roots Charter School, a tuitionfree public charter school serving grades 9-12, plays a pivotal role in fostering youth empowerment and career readiness. Through initiatives like Rootstock and YEM, students are equipped with the skills and resources to pursue their passions and realize their entrepreneurial aspirations.

YEM, founded in 2017, serves as a training and mentorship program for aspiring young entrepreneurs in the Ithaca area. The program empowers students through hands-on learning experiences and connections to the local community, helping them realize the potential of their ideas and voices. With a mission focused on inspiring entrepreneurial thinking, YEM has successfully empowered hundreds of students to turn their business dreams into reality.

Reflecting on YEM’s mission, Mazza emphasized, “The program is focused on inspiring entrepreneurial thinking through hands-on learning and connections to the

SCHOOL BOARD SHOWDOWN

continued from page 9

Due to time conflicts, Cullen provided the Ithaca Times with a statement responding to the same questions that the other candidates were asked.

Cullen believes that the district’s biggest issue is the budget. He thinks that the district needs a long-term partnership with Cornell to ensure that the university is adequately supporting the education of the Ithaca community.

“We need to identify the root cause of our academic decline with technical data analysis and support delivering services to all students who need it,” Cullen wrote

community, helping students realize the power of their ideas and their voices.”

At Rootstock, attendees can expect to encounter a diverse array of student vendors showcasing their entrepreneurial ventures. From art and crafts to food and jewelry, these young innovators will offer a glimpse into the creativity and ingenuity of the next generation.

As the festival unfolds at the Bernie Milton Pavilion, the Ithaca community will come together to celebrate the vibrancy and talent of its youth. Rootstock serves as a platform for artistic expression and entertainment and a testament to the power of collaboration and mentorship in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit. For those eager to learn more about Rootstock or get involved in supporting youth entrepreneurship, Michael Mazza, Director of Community Engagement at New Roots Charter School, can be reached at mmazza@newrootsschool.org.

Rootstock Youth Festival embodies the essence of community, creativity, and empowerment, providing a platform for young individuals to shine brightly and pursue their dreams with confidence and determination.

in a statement to the Ithaca Times. “We need a balanced scorecard to target resources effectively to our schools and show data-driven improvement plans and monitoring.”

If elected, Cullen said that his main goals would be to implement trauma-informed educational programs and maintain classroom safety.

“After COVID, years of being neglected by our institutional systems, and our parents being underpaid and underappreciated, we face trauma,” Cullen wrote. “The reason for our classrooms being unsafe has to do with emotional issues, which can be helped. I want to ensure that we

The Rootstock Youth Festival is returning to the Bernie Milton Pavilion on Ithaca Commons on May 18th. (Photo: Provided)

COMMON COUNCIL VOTES

continued from page 4

continued saying that the CIITAP should be adjusted so that it’s used less to incentivize the construction of luxury developments and used more to incentivize affordable housing.

In response, Second Ward Alderperson Ducson Nguyen said that even luxury developments that receive abatements through the CIITAP have to pay $5,000

REFLECTIONS ON LACS

“Professor Martin sagely advised a batch of additional history classes for my proposed degree in Social Studies… I knew I wanted this focus, since LACS staff Karen Adams, Chris Sperry, Dan Flerage Flerlage, Rebecca Godin, John Raimon, Mike Levy, Sara Arnold, and Kal McMannis, were so set such an amazing example while I was learning about social studies and other important subjects and the world at LACS.”

“Ithaca College’s MAT program was demanding, but I loved the expansive offerings which IC offered. The winters were still dark, but it was a great place to study. I was so happy to do my student teaching

UPDATE THE TAX REPORT CARD

continued from page 7

we’re all seeing large school tax increases.

3. Cornell is to Blame. a. Cornell’s property value is included in the state’s wealth calculations for state aid, yielding us less state aid. False. Only taxable full value assessments are included in those calculations. Cornell is mostly exempt.

4. Cornell is to Blame. b. The reason the tax levy increases are so high is because Cornell isn’t paying its fair share. Cornell has always been exempt and we’ve man-

into the Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) for every unit of nonaffordable housing they build. Funds from the CHDF are then used to pay for the construction of affordable housing projects throughout Tompkins County. Since its creation in 2009, the CHDF has helped fund the construction of 875 affordable housing units.

Ngyuen continued saying that while luxury developments that get abatements through the CIITAP receive the most at-

in Tompkins County at LACS for middle school with Kal McMannis and at Newfield High School with Charley Githler, an amazing historian and U.S. history teacher.”

“Five years ago I was hired as a Social Studies teacher at the Ithaca High School, and it was a good decision. Social Studies affects the whole world around us and these days the world is growing smaller, as we all recognize how we are bound up together.”

“When I was at LACS, I was part of allschool weekly meetings, where students, teachers and other staff discussed policies and proposals. Everyone had an opportunity to speak and be heard. Life with my students in the classroom is enhanced by the time I participated as a student and as a teachers’ assistant in discussions at LACS. My well-received teaching is informed by

aged to stay at fairly reasonable tax levy rates for years. Look at the chart above. Cornell didn’t suddenly become exempt after the 2018-19 school year.

5. Cornell is to Blame. c. If Cornell were paying its fair share, it would be contributing 40 million dollars. That’s just a misdirect. It’s not an excuse for spending money we don’t have. The argument that Cornell causes a burden on the Ithaca school district infrastructure isn’t nearly as valid as it is for the Ithaca City infrastructure.

There are not too many Cornell freshmen arriving in mid-August for orientation with a kindergartener in tow to be enrolled

tention, the program has also given abatements to several affordable and supportive housing projects such as the Visum Development’s Stately Apartments and Arthaus. He added that the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is currently discussing providing abatements to the developers of The Meadow, another affordable and supportive housing project that is planned for Ithaca’s West End. Director of Planning and Development Lisa Nicholas agreed with Nguyen, saying,

“CIITAP is a tool that the city has used to get benefits from development, and those benefits have been used for both affordable projects and market rate projects with higher rents.” Nicholas continued saying, “Just because a developer gets a benefit doesn’t mean the city loses the benefit. I think that all housing we get has a benefit.” She added, “We definitely know that we need more affordable and middle-income housing…the hope is that the more housing there is, the more variety there will be.”

address our social-emotional issues with equity-centered trauma-informed educational programs for teachers rolled out by the administration.”

VOTER INFORMATION:

In addition to the Board of Education election vote, there will be three propositions on the ballot.

The first proposition will be for the $168 million budget. If voted down, the board can choose to propose an alternate budget and hold another vote. If the second vote fails, the board will have to adopt a contingency budget, under which they will only be allowed to levy as much money as they did in the 2023-24 budget. The 2023-24 budget contained a $107 million tax levy and did not require an override of the state-imposed tax cap. This proposition will require a 60% supermajority vote to pass.

what I needed and appreciated at LACS…”

“My students at the Ithaca High School know I am there for them, as my teachers were there for me. When not in class, I follow up on student needs—speak with providers of necessary services, make contact with a student’s family or guardian. I want each of my students to have the best opportunity for success I can provide.”

“Now that I am a teacher living in Ithaca and a lot of my friends from elementary and LACS are still living here—Joseph Amsili Jamie Hoffman, Max Paskin-Flerlage, Parker MacDonald, Derek Murphy, Jake Chernikoff, Bela Stearns, and Kamal Naeem…It’s great to be back home, teaching students about the world we live in, and having wonderful old friends and loving family nearby.”

in Belle Sherman or Fall Creek Elementary. The Ithaca City School District seems to be using a budgeting process of from the wish list on down, instead of from the ground up. If we can dream it, we’ll get them to pay for it. The goal should be to provide the best possible education while staying under the NY State Tax Cap. Proposition 1. The Budget. Tax levy increase nearly triple the tax levy cap, 5.7 million dollars over the cap limit, no signs of fiscal responsibility. VOTE NO

Proposition 2. Using 3 million dollars of reserves to buy more electric school buses and propane buses and some smaller buses.

The second proposition would allow the board to use funds from the District's 2022 capital reserve fund to purchase up to four electric buses, four diesel buses, and six passenger vans, with a maximum amount of $3,200,000.

The third proposition, if passed, will authorize the district to establish a $125 million capital improvement bond for a capital project to improve the district’s bus garage and add more chargers for electric buses. Construction for this capital project will begin in 2026. The district

FOUR ITHACA SCHOOLS

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For their 2023-24 DCIP, ICSD said their three main goals were to increase the capacity of teachers in the area of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices, increase family engagement through centering student voices and ensure cohesive curriculum in English language arts and mathematics that is aligned horizontally and vertically.

Carlan Gray, principal for Dewitt Middle School, declined to comment on the change in accountability status and the next steps for Dewitt Middle School. Boynton Middle School Principal Lauren Wright and Superintendent Luvelle Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If they respond, this story will be updated.

The electric bus mandate is for 2035. That’s 10 years out. We can wait. We will need all the available reserves to weather a possible contingency budget this year. VOTE NO Proposition 3. Authorize a 125 million dollar bond to be in compliance with the 2035 electric bus mandate (and some other infrastructure improvements). Let’s hold off for now, then take another look at the 40 million dollar option after we see some fiscal restraint. VOTE NO School Board Candidates. We have lots of child advocates on the Board. We need someone who can utter the words Fiscal Responsibility and mean it!

currently has a 7% debt service allocation integrated into its budget from the 2019 capital project, which the district says will not increase if this proposition is passed.

You must be 18 years old, a citizen of the U.S., and a resident of the district for a minimum of 30 days before May 21. To find your voting location and for more information on the election, budget vote, and capital project, visit https://www. ithacacityschools.org/page/budget-voteelection.