BLOOMINGDALE — The Jefferson County Joint Vocational School is starting afresh with new leaders, new students and other changes galore.

During the regular school board session on Aug. 19, Superintendent Ted Gorman informed officials that numbers were strong and he and new Supervisor/Principal Heather Hoover were excited about the new year.

“We have 438 students as of now and every program has a waiting list,” Gorman said. “It’s a good problem to have.”

He continued that the labs were equipped with the latest technology and equipment, and new building signs were installed to help students navigate the hallways. Gorman praised custodial staff for prepping the building for the start of classes and said summer work included installing curtains in the cafeteria for presentations and painting curbs outside the building. Additionally, 60 safety poles and guardrails will be painted yellow to improve visibility and brighten the campus.

He said the building was structurally sound but was very dated, noting safety concerns with the door setup and open spaces. Gorman also was seeking bids for HVAC improvements, eyed fencing near the animal science lab and planned to do utilize more in-house help for lighting updates.

“The electrical program students will replace the lighting with LED fixtures,” he commented.

More plans are in the works to install new tables in the cafeteria. Gorman said the current furniture was outdated and he researched replacements that flip and stack. Board member Ruth Ann Bruzzese asked if new chairs would be acquired and Gorman said he could seek bids. Upon questioning, district Treasurer Marcy Thompson said money was available in the permanent improvement fund for tables but she would review figures to determine if chairs could also be purchased.

“(The tables) cost about $49,000, or about $1,100 each,” Gorman commented. “There are 43 tables on the list and we have about 150 to 170 students at each of the three lunches.”

The board later approved the tables from Borden Office and Equipment and Gorman said they should arrive within a six-week timeframe.

Other improvements approved the by board were the repair of the north penthouse unit by Cattrell Cos. Inc.; the purchase of a new horizontal furnace unit from H.E. Neumann Co.; and the remodeling of the office kitchen from JAH Woodworking. Fort Steuben Maintenance was selected to oversee the demolition of the kitchenette.

Meanwhile, he praised Hoover for working with the staff and seeking ways to improve the school.

“She’s trying to get the academic and program teachers together to work cross-curricular,” he explained. “It was well-received by the teachers and they came up with some good ideas. We want to listen to their ideas and they liked being heard.”

He noted that the staff completed a three-hour AI professional development training and he was also looking to post school policies online instead of utilizing handbooks.

“We need to advance ourselves,” he added, saying the school was posting report cards online.

Officials also passed a resolution permitting Thompson to continue formulating a five-year forecast as well as a four-year forecast for submission to the state. State leaders recently lowered the forecast timeline but Thompson said doing both reports would provide for more transparency.

“It’s still crucial to be very transparent,” she said. “The longer term the better.”

Among other matters:

• Gorman said he wanted to have monthly speakers at future meetings representing the programs, kicking off with Jim Hilton, JVS adult education director and grant writer, at the next session;

• The board approved the addition of Mary Ann Thompson to the substitute classified list and Ben Carpenter and Alicia Howe to the substitute teacher list for the 2025-26 school year; approved the resignation of auto service aide Jamie Booth effective Saturday with the position to be posted; named Josann Richards as adult education instructor, through Nov. 3; and approved instructors for adult education special interest classes for the fall semester;

• Approved the emergency operations plan;

• Set the next regular meeting for Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. in the board conference room.