Education in Oneonta’s public and private schools was making news during the month of December 1998.
Generations of students had been attending classes at St. Mary’s School at 38 Walnut St., but that was about to change.
As The Daily Star of Dec. 8 reported, “After being vacant for roughly three years, the former Jamesway building in the town of Oneonta is being sold to St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church for use as a school, said the Rev. Paul Roman, pastor.
“The church has signed an agreement to purchase the building and land on Route 7 from Emmons Farms Corporation.”
Roman said the school on Walnut Street had reached its capacity. “The school is landlocked and in order to adequately respond to all of our programming needs, we needed additional space. There’s nowhere to expand at our present facility.” The church hoped to have the new school ready by the fall of 2000. The school remained here until closing in 2011.
Meanwhile in Oneonta’s public schools, strategic planning was making news. A Strategic Planning Task Force for some time had been preparing a report about the future of the city’s schools and transportation. The report highlighted topics from academics, instruction, athletics and use of buildings in the district.
Realignment of the schools in the district was recommended, with overall enrollment on the decline in recent years. The report proposed closing one school, and changing use of the remaining schools. This proposal drew a lot of concern from parents, but was not acted upon for several years, when Center Street School was closed in 2012.
Also suggested in the task force report was hiring an administrator to oversee curriculum, and for the district to strive to have students participating in an extracurricular program, whether it be clubs or sports teams or other areas that don’t involve the district.
Improvements in sports facilities in the school district was making news, as voters prepared to go the polls regarding a $1.4 million building project.
As Star readers found out on Dec. 14, “If approved the project will include improvements to the Lloyd Baker Field at Oneonta High School, fencing for the baseball field and upgraded technology in high school classrooms.
“If the project is approved, it will not affect the local tax levy, because the local share of the bill has been covered by a series of donors — some anonymous, some public.
“About $280,000 has been donated, according to (Oneonta School Superintendent James) Piscitelli. And if votes approve the project on Tuesday, the state will kick in the remaining amount of the project — about $1.1 million.
“Officials at Oneonta said an estimated $1,106,181 is to be spent for the renovation of Baker Field, resurfacing the track, renovating the grandstand area and adding lights.”
The vote came and the results were an overwhelming yes, with 637 voting in favor, 165 against. The only objections to the project came from East Street area residents, who didn’t like the field’s lighting that would spill into their homes at night. Work began in the spring.
In one other educational development, The Star reported on Dec. 29, “The looks on their faces told the whole story.
“Educators from Oneonta city schools sat at two tables one morning last week correcting sample tests taken earlier this month by fourth graders taken around the district.
“The sample tests were based on the new English Language Arts test that will be taken by every fourth grader in New York state during the week of Jan. 11-15.
“Some answers were eloquently written, above and beyond fourth grade standards. But some were riddled with mechanical errors, didn’t answer the questions or just plain didn’t make any sense.
“These students are the ones the teachers are worried about.
“Their expressions revealed the joys and frustrations fourth grade teachers at every school have been facing as they try their best to prepare the students for what may be the hardest test 9-year-olds face.
“State officials aren’t expecting every student who takes the test to get a high score. However, the state Board of Regents has raised the standard for high school students, who will now be required to pass five Regents exams before they graduate. Tests like this one for fourth graders are just one rung on the ladder all students are now expected to climb, learning at a higher level than was previously expected.
This weekend, the end of a long railroad strike in Oneonta in 1923.
Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area before 1950. His Wednesday columns address local history 1950 and later. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is oneontanyhistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/.