Published: June 02, 2008 10:48 am      

FALLS SCHOOLS: Better performance mixed blessing for district

The Niagara Falls City School District continues to improve academically, having more of its schools declared "high-performing" than ever in recent years by the state Education Department.

But with the good news comes the bad news: The district is no longer eligible for grants that funded its secondary after-school program — a key component of the district's recent success, administrators say.

In a report released last week by the state Education Department, seven of the district's 12 schools were named as high-performing, gap-closing schools: 79th Street, Geraldine J. Mann, Henry J. Kalfas Magnet, Maple Avenue, Hyde Park and Niagara Street elementary schools and Niagara Falls High School.

The performance on the annual list, compiled under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, is the best for the district in years, said Superintendent Carmen Granto.

"We've been building it up," he said. "It's certainly the highest number (of schools on the list) we've had at one time."

It's especially triumphant given that some of the schools, like Niagara Falls High School, were listed as needing improvement only a few years back, he added.

Helping improve the performance of six-, seventh- and eighth-graders has been the 21st Century After School Program, which combines academics with recreation. Funded by a grant through the U.S. Department of Education, students can stay after school where they will be offered tutoring, snacks and transportation home at 5 p.m.

But now that it's out of the category calling for improvement, the district is no longer eligible for the $500,000-plus grant that funds the program, which is awarded to "high-poverty and low-performing schools."

Susan Ross, director of the program in the district, said she believes it has played a key role in recent improvements. Juvenile crime has declined during the after-school hours since the program's inception four years ago, according to statistics, Ross said.

Granto agreed, calling it "one of the building-blocks"that helped remove schools from the state Education Department's list of low-performing schools.

"We felt that one of the ways to attack the problem was they needed more repetition and more structure after school," he said. "We combined a recreation program and a school work program ...It's worked quite well."

The program's grant ended last year, but the district funded its own $200,000 smaller, modified version of the program for this school year, planning on having the full grant renewed for next year.

"They believed so strongly in the program, they found money within the budget to let us continue to run it," Ross said.

After learning last week the district was not eligible, district officials are wondering if the program can continue.

"We haven't budgeted for it, so its something were now going have to look and see if we want to sustain or run an even smaller version," said business administrator James Ingrasci. "It's a matter of sitting down and figuring out if we can find some money somewhere else."

Granto said he knew once the district performed better, they would no longer be eligible for the grant, but he is seeking help from area legislators to help the district hold onto some funding. He is hoping the federal Education Department will look at a gradual decrease in funds instead of an abrupt loss.

"We have demonstrated if we have the resources, the kids will achieve," he said. "We got the money because we don't have the resources. If you take the resources away, what's the theory? These kids will still achieve? No, they're going go back to how they were doing before."

For now, Ross is keeping her fingers crossed for the program to return next year at the preparatory level.

"I'm hoping the district can find some resources to allow us to run some sort of after-school program because it's so important to the safety of the children," she said. "The families really rely on it because the students are too old for a babysitter but too young to be left home alone. If you're a parent and you're working, you know your child is at school and we provide a snack and transportation and they'll be coming home when you get home from work."