Superintendent’s Message

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

We need your participation!

The Putnam Valley School District has established a Facilities Planning Committee to assist the Board of Education in reviewing our current academic and extracurricular spaces, the safety and security of our facilities, and all underlying infrastructure.  The committee will work with district staff, architects, and engineers to ensure that we are effectively supporting our educational and extracurricular initiatives while maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for our entire school community.  The committee will report its findings and potential recommendations to assist the Board of Education in planning future projects.

Proper planning and implementation result in high-quality, high-performing, well-designed, and maintained school facilities and has a direct and indirect impact on the teaching and learning process. Effective facilities management can contribute to the success of every student.

Our schools represent the hub for the Putnam Valley Community and serve as a catalyst for its future.  From kindergarten through high school, we are investing in our children and community for both today and tomorrow.

We are inviting community members, parents, teachers, district leaders, staff, and students to participate in this committee.  We ask that all committee members commit to attending an initial interest meeting on: Thursday, June 1, 5:30-6:30 PM.

The committee will be asked to develop an independent assessment and analysis of the short and long-term facility needs of the district.  Conceptual recommendations will be shared with the board of education for future consideration.  Any future decisions regarding facilities work would be made by the Board of Education, there is no work currently scheduled or planned.

THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE:

• Help to create and support schools as centers of community that offer school-based supports to children that eliminate barriers to success and serve the broader community.

• Improve facilities management, including maintenance and capital improvement programs.

• Secure adequate and equitable facilities funding.

• Assist and advise the Board of Education on facility needs related to the educational program(s).

• Assist and advise the Board of Education with reference to potential long-term Capital Project recommendations.

If you are interested in joining the committee, please click here or email JDenike@pvcsd.org.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

On behalf of the Putnam Valley Board of Education, thank you for your support of our 2023-2024 budget and your participation in the school board election. We remain focused on moving our district forward in innovative ways while respecting the financial implications for our community.  We are grateful for your participation in the process.

Congratulations to Crystal Hernandez on her election to the Board of Education and many thanks to Joe Ferraro for his years of service as a board trustee.

A total of 1,444 ballots were cast, an increase over previous years.  Details can be found here.

Our team starts working on the next year’s budget immediately, and I encourage everyone to stay engaged.  Your input is vital.

Thank you for your partnership.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Please remember to get out and vote on Tuesday, May 16.  Voting will take place from 6 am to 9 pm at Putnam Valley Elementary School.  Please visit our website www.pvcsd.org for more detailed budget information.

Proposed budget highlights:

• Below the allowable tax levy cap (12th consecutive year)
• Maintains academic programs and staffing
• Revenue generated by welcoming Garrison students to PVHS
• Balances educational programs with fiscal responsibility

Board Trustee Election:  One seat is open and two candidates are running.  Joseph Ferraro (incumbent) and Crystal Hernandez will be on the ballot. We are grateful to these volunteers who are willing to serve our community.

Ballot information: An additional proposition will be on our ballot this year.  The Town will use a provision of state law that allows them to put their budget out for voter approval at the same time as residents vote on the school budget.  While the propositions will appear on the same ballot, no school district funds are shared with the town library, and no library funds are shared with the district.  These are two separate entities and will remain so moving forward.

• Budget Newsletter
• Budget Presentation

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Jill Figarella or me if you have any questions regarding our proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year.

Enjoy this beautiful weather and have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

The Putnam Valley School District takes all issues related to the safety of the school community very seriously.  We make every effort to communicate openly and frequently, while also protecting the privacy rights of each and every student.

We are reaching out regarding a disciplinary matter that took place yesterday to ensure that accurate information is shared with the community.  Yesterday, our high school administration was notified that a student was in possession of a small keychain knife (total open length 1.5”).  The school has not received any reports from staff or students that anyone was threatened or that the knife was used in any menacing way, only that a student was in possession of a keychain knife. The keychain knife was confiscated and administration is taking action in a manner consistent with the District’s Code of Conduct.

We have built a culture of trust amongst our students that cannot be undervalued.  Students are always encouraged and supported to go to an adult with information.  We are committed to supporting the social, emotional, and physical safety of our students.

If you have heard anything inconsistent with this communication, I hope this helps to address any concerns.

Thank you.

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Let me begin by again stating that all students and staff are safe across our district.  I would also like to thank all law enforcement and school personnel who reacted quickly in response to this morning’s incident.

This morning, shortly before 8:30 am, an anonymous call was made directly to law enforcement, fictitiously reporting a shooting at Putnam Valley High School. In response to this call, law enforcement officials and school district personnel immediately reacted and placed the High School into a Lockdown.  It quickly became known that Putnam Valley was one of many school districts in the region and across the country to receive the same message.  However, law enforcement agencies from across the region continued to respond accordingly and followed protocols which included sending officers to all of our schools simultaneously.  Law enforcement agencies will continue an increased presence at all buildings for the remainder of the day.

As we continue to debrief on today’s incident, we will receive additional information that will help inform our practices.  Many aspects of today’s incident went exactly as planned and practiced.  However, we know that in the heat of the moment, a procedural step was missed that would have automatically put the Middle School into lockdown as well. We are evaluating all procedures. Our internal communications, between buildings, worked quickly and we responded to the direction of law enforcement throughout the district-wide response.  While there was never a threat at Putnam Valley Elementary School, law enforcement responded to that campus immediately as is their protocol. After the High School had resumed normal operations and administration was aware there was no threat, law enforcement requested that we follow our hold-in-place procedures so they could walk through the building.

We appreciate law enforcement’s diligent response.  We will be reinforcing our procedures and updating some technology to ensure that any future lockdown places both the High School and Middle School into that protocol simultaneously.

This was certainly a learning experience for everyone involved, and we learned lessons that cannot be replicated during our drills.  Each building will be convening their Building Emergency Response Teams to debrief on today’s incident.  The District Emergency Response Team will also be meeting with members of law enforcement to debrief on today’s events.

Throughout the incident, we quickly communicated accurate information directly to our staff, students and families.  Obviously, the community’s desire for information in the midst of an incident exceeds our ability to provide information at the same time as we are focused on the immediate incident and the safety of our students and staff.  Please know that we take the safety of our students and staff extremely seriously. Following today’s incident, the level of protection will only become stronger as we implement changes based on what we learned from today.

Below is some additional information shared by our school security consultant, Altaris Consulting Group, regarding today’s incidents across the country.

Putnam Valley High School was the victim of a “swatting” incident earlier this morning. Swatting is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person’s address.  Numerous districts in Westchester, Putnam, and other parts of the State were also the victim of the same swatting incident this morning.  Police have confirmed the buildings are safe and normal operations have resumed.  Schools across the country continue to deal with an unprecedented number of non-credible threats. Please be aware that all statements or actions that suggest a threat to the safety and security of our school populations are taken seriously.  Any such statement comes with significant consequences.  We are closely monitoring these incidents in collaboration with our law enforcement partners.

Thank you for your continued partnership and understanding during these challenging times.  Please know that Putnam Valley Schools remain a safe place for students and that today’s incident will only improve our procedures moving forward.

Thank you.

Dr. Jeremy Luft

Superintendent of Schools

This morning, Putnam Valley High School went into lockdown protocols in response to a threat made to multiple area high schools.  Law enforcement was immediately on the scene and the high school has been cleared.  The lockdown has been lifted.

There was never a legitimate threat to our school or others.

We will provide more information as soon as possible.  Thank you for your patience.

Thank you.

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of School

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

The tragic events at The Covenant School in Nashville weigh heavy on our hearts and serve as yet another reminder of the importance of the policies and procedures we have in place to keep our students and staff safe.  As we do after any school-involved shooting, we will work directly with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Altaris School Security Consulting Group, and our Regional Safety Coordinator to perform an after-action debrief to review our practices and look for any opportunities for improvement.  Putnam Valley Schools are extremely safe and we remain committed to keeping them that way.  Both campuses have armed members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office present on a daily basis.  Building and District Emergency Response teams meet regularly to review our practices and procedures.  We surround ourselves with experts in the field of school safety and security to help inform our decisions.  As we mourn with those affected by this tragedy, we are reminded to stay vigilant and to always say something if you see or hear something.  Collectively, we can continue to keep our students and staff safe in our schools.

Thank you all for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the theft of a catalytic converter from a car parked in our High School Parking lot.  The school district is providing the Sheriff’s office with all available information to help expedite the investigation.  We are making plans to increase supervision of the parking lot during school hours and have asked the Sheriff’s Department to increase their patrols at all buildings.  As always, if you see any suspicious activity please report it to school personnel immediately.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Families:

Please consider joining me for a Listening Hour tomorrow, Thursday, March 16, in our High School library beginning at 5:45 pm. This meeting will be held just prior to our regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting and is an opportunity for us to get to talk in a casual setting. The goal of the Listening Hour is to share perspectives on school issues and consider our opportunities and challenges. Tomorrow, we will focus on the 2023-2024 School Budget, and we look forward to answering questions and sharing information.

The Board of Education meeting will be held in the High School cafeteria at 7:00 pm and the live stream link is available via our website, pvcsd.org.
The agenda can be found here: https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/pvcsd/Board.nsf/Public and includes the 2023-2024 budget presentation.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Across New York State, annual school budgets will be presented to voters on Tuesday, May 16. Our vote will be held at Putnam Valley Elementary School and polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm.

Please consider joining me for one or more of our budget sessions.

Wednesday, March 8 at PVMS – School Budget 101 – 1:40 pm to 2:30 pm

Thursday, March 16 at PVHS – Budget Q&A – Superintendent’s Listening Hour – 5:45 to 6:45 pm

Wednesday, April 19 at PVES – School Budget 101 at the PTA Meeting – 6:30 pm

These informal settings are intended to provide an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the annual budget process and to help improve future communications and discussions. All are welcome and your participation is appreciated.

Please RSVP for a meeting time that best suits your schedule. Space will be limited. Please click here to RSVP.

Thank you,

Jill Figarella
Director of Business Administration