Starting tomorrow night, and for the two following nights, Once Upon A Mattress will be playing in the high school auditorium at 7:00. Prices are $8 at the door, with a $2 discount for students and seniors.

Synopsis: “If you thought you knew the story of ‘The Princess and The Pea,’ you may be in for a walloping surprise! Did you know, for instance, that Princess Winnifred actually swam the moat to reach Prince Dauntless the Drab? Or that Lady Larken’s love for Sir Harry provided a rather compelling reason that she reach the bridal altar post haste? Or that, in fact, it wasn’t the pea at all that caused the princess a sleepless night? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the familiar classic of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some side-splitting shenanigans. Chances are you’ll never look at fairy tales quite the same way again.”

It was the tree that stood, until about two years ago, in front of the Russel I. Doig Middle School. It had a great thick trunk that went up to a height a little bit above where an adult’s head might be. At the top of that trunk, however, the branches suddenly thinned to a small diameter, and hung down in a weeping habit.

Oros wants to know more about what the story of that tree was, asking the following questions:

“1. When was it planted?
2. Who planted it?
3. What type of tree was it?
4. Any special references or dedications?”

I have another question. What caused the tree to die?

Does anyone out there know the answers to these questions about this magnificent tree?

This new approach will require parent volunteers, though, to staff the recess rooms. See the Trumansburg Elementary PTO for more information.

On Tuesday, it’s time to vote on the budget for next year’s operation of the Trumansburg schools.

On Friday, from 7:00 to 9:30 in the evening, a forum on fracking, entitled Economic Impacts of Heavy Industrial Activities in Ulysses, will be held in the fire hall. The forum will include an update from the Ulysses Town Board on a proposed ordinance that would have the effect of banning fracking in our town. Guest speakers will be economist Jannette Barth and dairy farmers Carol French and Carolyn Knapp, from Bradford County, Pennsylvania – where fracking is already taking place.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure those problems ought to be corrected. The main point in my mind, however, is that the financial problems of our school district pale in comparison to the problems the state government has had with its own budget. Many times, school districts across New York have had to guess at their budgets because the state government couldn’t pass a budget on time.

Let this report, and others like it, continue to come from the state. Only, I’d like to see, from now on, the financial organization of our school district reported in relative terms – compared to the financial organization of the state government.

His commentary left questions in my mind. How much money would be saved by the consolidation of the Trumansburg schools with the South Seneca school district? We don’t know yet. How much money would be saved by the elimination of football programs in the Trumansburg schools? We don’t know that either – the football program isn’t identified as a separate item in the budget.

Without definite numbers, we’re left to consider more abstractly about our community’s priorities. Which would you prefer to sacrifice first, Trumansburg’s Blue Raiders football program or the identity of our school district as distinct from South Seneca?

What would Trumansburg Central Schools get out of this deal? We’re told that there’s a “push” from the state government for school districts to consolidate, but is this pressure merely a negative push, or is the state willing to offer additional resources to consolidated districts? That’s not yet clear, and state promises are notoriously unreliable.

One political issue to consider is that southern Seneca County residents tend to be less supportive of paying high property taxes for good schools than residents of the current Trumansburg Central School District are. Consolidate the districts, and we’ll have a consolidated school board as well, and consolidated voting on school budgets. So, even if there are initial savings on redundant school services, Trumansburg schools could quickly see less money, due to the increased influence of anti-tax voters from the northern part of the new district.

South Seneca has a higher per-pupil spending rate, but that may be because many more students in that school district, compared to Trumansburg, have special needs and qualify for educational assistance such as free lunches. Poverty is much more widespread in the South Seneca district than it is here.

Fewer students graduate from South Seneca schools than Trumansburg schools. South Seneca schools, on the other hand, have smaller class sizes, and teachers who tend to be more educated and more experienced than what we have in Trumansburg.

In spite of those advantages, Trumansburg students have better academic achievement. Compare the following test scores from 2009:

On the U.S. History and Government regents exam, Trumansburg had a 96 percent rate of passage. South Seneca had an 86 percent rate of passage.

On the Integrated Algebra exam, Trumansburg had a 76 percent rate of passage. South Seneca had a 61 percent rate of passage.

South Seneca students outperformed our students on the Physics exam, 91 percent to 81 percent, but were far behind on Earth Science, 97 percent to 67 percent.

Trumansburg students showed more mathematical aptitude on the Mathematics B regents exam, with a 68 percent passage rate, compared to South Seneca’s 51 percent passage rate (Mathematics A exam data from South Seneca was not available for comparison).

You can make other comparisons through the Trumansburg profile and the South Seneca profile from GreatSchools.org.

What’s to be gained? What’s to be lost? What’s your opinion?

Awards
Age group winners receive medals and Top Finishers receive prizes. All Fun Run participants receive a participation ribbon.

Race Day Schedule
11:45 – 12:45 Registration
1:00 p.m. 5K Run and Walk
1:30 p.m. Chicken Barbecue
2:00 p.m. Youth Fun Run (12 and under)

Volunteers are needed to help make this event successful. Visit the online signup sheet to join in.

Crafts. I’ve never been to this annual event, so I wonder: What crafts will available? Paper? Yarn? Leather? Wicker? Sticks for whittling? Clay? Glass blowing? Flour sack quilting?

Moreland the Magician will be there.

Hm. Perhaps wizardcraft will be taught.

“There will also be snacks available for purchase, free gift wrap, holiday music, and shopping for grown-ups! We’ll be selling (and raffling) scrip gift cards”

A magician and a raffle? Can that be a safe combination?

Today marks the end of an era at the Trumansburg schools. The castle playground is now closed. It will soon be demolished.