Throughout the spring and fall of 2024 I spent 4 months going in and out of every school in the Corning-Painted Post School District to take photos for my portrait project, The Public's School. I encountered so many selfless and dedicated people working to ensure there’s a place for every single student, and beyond the classroom walls, I witnessed how their efforts reverberated across the district’s nearly 234 square miles. It was an honor to tell their stories and share their affirming vision for what public education can and should be.

That promise is under threat.

On May 20, we go to the polls to vote on the district’s budget proposal which requires a 7.89% tax levy increase and needs a 60% majority to pass. 

The main culprits are inflation and reductions in state aid, and while there’s no denying the financial burden this will have on community members, there’s also no denying the ramifications if this budget proposal fails. If that happens, an austerity budget would be enacted with sweeping cuts made to programs and staff that would impact families across the entire socioeconomic spectrum.

The High School Learning Center, Modified Sports, Teaching Assistants, Language Programs, IB, SROs, Extracurriculars, support to BOCES, and so many more life altering programs and positions would be eliminated. Much of these cuts are areas not mandated by the state, but they form the foundation of what makes our district, and community, so dynamic and strong. The harm this would cause would be felt immediately and the long ranging implications would be experienced for years to come.

And finally, on a deeply personal, and extremely biased level, it will be devastating to my daughter’s class and their soon to be Middle School experience. Her class in particular has endured so much as the kindergarten class cancelled by COVID. To be greeted by a severely diminished middle school would be an act of cruelty on a group of students who have borne so much and done nothing wrong but be victim to circumstance and fate.

So, if you’re in our district, please learn more about what’s at risk by visiting the district’s website, please share this with your friends and family, and please vote yes on May 20. Otherwise, of the 46 portraits I took last year, over 20 and counting could no longer exist. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Our Public Schools

• High School Swimming and Diving Coaches Alyssa Helsing & Anthony Furstoss

• Middle School French Teacher & Pride Club Co-Advisor Andrew Orright

• Head Nurse Anne Stefanini & District Medical Doctor Dr. Sumathyuthee Kamalakannan

• High School Athletic Trainer Anthony Penn & Student Athlete James Freeman

• High School Asian American Association

• High School Bass Fishing Club

• City of Corning Mayor Bill Boland, Class of 1969

• High School Black Culture Appreciation Coalition

• GST BOCES Building Construction Program Student (grad) Jade Cook

• GST BOCES Building Construction Program Student Katrina Strong

• GST BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration Program Teacher Tammy Divens w/ Corning Guthrie Hospital Doctors & Staff and New Visions Students

• GST BOCES Collision Repair & Refinishing Technology Program Instructors Brian McDonnell & Steve Towner w/ Students

• Winfield Street Elementary School Scholar Roo Book Partnership w/ Corning Rotary’s Ted Goldwyn & First Heritage Federal Credit Union’s Christy Parsons

• Frederick Carder Elementary School Secretary Bridgett McLean

• Head Building Maintenance Mechanic Ken Warner & Custodial Operations Supervisor Will Ceasar

• William E. Severn Elementary School Chess Club

• Sister Cities Club President (grad) Christina Twiggs

• Elementary School Bus Attendant Colleen Durkin

• Education Advocate Dale Wexell, Class of 1960

• High School Studio 315 After School Program Directors Librarians Stacie Martinec & Britney Elsey and Assistant Principal Dave Harrington

• Meals on Wheels Director Dave Smith, Class of 1978

• Erwin Valley Elementary School Students

• Artist & Instructor Emily Swan, Class of 2004

• High School Student Equity Team

• Frederick Carder Elementary School Senior Food Service Helper Cindy Dann

• High School Learning Center Workplace Internship Program

• High School Drama Department Technical Director (grad) James DeRusha

• Little Hawks Threads w/ Erwin Valley Elementary School Principal (Ret) Kate Merrill

• Calvin U. Smith Elementary School Chicken Caretakers

• City of Corning Police Department Chief Kenzie Spaulding, Class of 1994

• Middle School Language & Literature Teacher Kim McGrady

• Hawks Thrive Food Pantry w/ High School Teacher Kristie Gates Radford & Lynch-Bustin Elementary School Principal Stephanie Hillman

• High School Learning Center CMOG Studio Partnership

• Middle School Health Educator Mel Sjoblom

• Hugh Gregg Elementary School Girls on the Run Coaches Melissa Grinnell, Shannon Dorsey, & Nicky Casper

• High School Tesserae Yearbook Co-Advisor Mike Simons

• Hugh Gregg Elementary School Teaching Assistant & Morning Greeter Nicky Casper

• Middle School Spanish Teacher Patty Becerril-Drapikowski

• William E. Severn Elementary School 5th Grade Student Store

• Winfield Street Elementary School St. Baldrick's Fundraising Team

• William E. Severn Elementary School Goalsetting Superheroes

• High School Youth Activation Committee

• High School Unified Basketball Team Athletes & Partners

• Frederick Carder Elementary School Consultant Classroom Teachers & Staff AIS Teacher Charity Packard, Consultant Teacher Rachel Vespucci-Donnelly, AIS Teacher Alyssa Beers, Resource Room Teacher Brooke Rutledge, Speech Pathologist Susanna Mason, 3rd Grade Teacher Anne Walters, School Counselor Taylor Austin, Social Worker Audrey Slavin, ENL (English as a New Language) Teacher Maria Krol, Teaching Assistant Shelly Dillon, & School Nurse Cheri LaScolea

• High School Head Custodian (Ret) John Knapp, Occupational Therapist Elizabeth Reppert, Special Education Teacher Tina Cavallaro w/ Student Henry Telford, CAD Student Carson Collier, & STEM Educator Charles Gargiulo

High School Swimming and Diving Coaches Alyssa Helsing & Anthony Furstoss Middle School French Teacher & Pride Club Co-Advisor Andrew Orright Head Nurse Anne Stefanini & District Medical Doctor Dr. Sumathyuthee Kamalakannan High School Athletic Trainer Anthony Penn & Student Athlete James Freeman High School Asian American Association High School Bass Fishing Club City of Corning Mayor Bill Boland, Class of 1969 High School Black Culture Appreciation Coalition GST BOCES Building Construction Program Student (grad) Jade Cook GST BOCES Building Construction Program Student Katrina Strong GST BOCES Collision Repair & Refinishing Technology Program Instructors Brian McDonnell & Steve Towner w/ Students GST BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration Program Teacher Tammy Divens w/ Corning Guthrie Hospital Doctors & Staff and New Visions Students Frederick Carder Elementary School Secretary Bridgett McLean Frederick Carder Elementary School Consultant Classroom Teachers & StaffAIS Teacher Charity Packard, Consultant Teacher Rachel Vespucci-Donnelly, AIS Teacher Alyssa Beers, Resource Room Teacher Brooke Rutledge, Speech Pathologist Susanna Mason, 3rd Grade Teacher Anne Walters, School Counselor Taylor Austin, Social Worker Audrey Slavin, ENL (English as a New Language) Teacher Maria Krol, Teaching Assistant Shelly Dillon, & School Nurse Cheri LaScolea Sister Cities Club President (grad) Christina Twiggs Frederick Carder Elementary School Senior Food Service Helper Cindy Dann Elementary School Bus Attendant Colleen Durkin Education Advocate Dale Wexell, Class of 1960 High School Studio 315 After School Program Directors Librarians Stacie Martinec & Britney Elsey and Assistant Principal Dave Harrington Meals on Wheels Director Dave Smith, Class of 1978 Artist & Instructor Emily Swan, Class of 2004 Hugh Gregg Elementary School Girls on the Run Coaches Melissa Grinnell, Shannon Dorsey, & Nicky Casper Erwin Valley Elementary School Students High School Student Equity Team Hawks Thrive Food Pantry w/ High School Teacher Kristie Gates Radford & Lynch-Bustin Elementary School Principal Stephanie Hillman High School Learning Center CMOG Studio Partnership High School Learning Center Workplace Internship Program City of Corning Police Department Chief Kenzie Spaulding, Class of 1994 Little Hawks Threads w/ Erwin Valley Elementary School Principal (Ret )Kate Merrill High School Drama Department Technical Director (grad) James DeRusha Middle School Language & Literature Teacher Kim McGrady Middle School Health Educator Mel Sjoblom High School Tesserae Yearbook Co-Advisor Mike Simons William E. Severn Elementary School Chess Club Middle School Spanish Teacher Patty Becerril-Drapikowski Hugh Gregg Elementary School Teaching Assistant & Morning Greeter Nicky Casper Calvin U. Smith Elementary School Chicken Caretakers William E. Severn Elementary School5th Grade Student Store William E. Severn Elementary School Goalsetting Superheroes Calvin U. Smith School Talent Show Coordinator Kelly Jamison & Committee Members Mitch Peck, Matt Cornacchio, Kate Bowman, Lindsay Ayers, Jill Mertus, Allyson St. John, & Dana Ayers High School 12:1+(3:1) ClassroomHigh School Head Custodian (Ret) John Knapp, Occupational Therapist Elizabeth Reppert, Special Education Teacher Tina Cavallaro w/ Student Henry Telford, CAD Student Carson Collier, & STEM Educator Charles Gargiulo High School Unified Basketball Team Athletes & Partners Winfield Street Elementary SchoolSt. Baldrick's Fundraising Team Winfield Street Elementary School Scholar Roo Book Partnership w/ Corning Rotary’s Ted Goldwyn & First Heritage Federal Credit Union’s Christy Parsons Head Building Maintenance Mechanic Ken Warner & Custodial Operations Supervisor Will Ceasar High School Youth Activation Committee