As summer winds down, districts across Wayne County have been hard at work preparing to welcome back students for the 2026-2027 school year.

With fields to be mowed and buildings that require ongoing maintenance, work rarely stops for those behind the scenes, even over the summer.

At Gananda, 20 new staff members including teachers, counselors and building crew have joined the district for the new school year and attended orientation last week.

As enrollment continues to drop across the state, District Superintendent Shawn Van Scoy says he and the school board are "Constantly thinking about how to structure buildings and programs" to best serve students for whatever may come next.

At its high-point, Gananda had 1200 students in the district. Today that number has fallen to just under 900 which includes Pre-K classes. The decline is expected to continue both at Gananda and across New York state, which can leave administrators in a tough spot when it comes to planning long-term.

In the short-term, Van Scoy says he’s addressing "How we prepare kids and what are the expectations for graduation when regents goes away," a change that is coming in the 2027–2028 school year.

Whether students plan on continuing their education, going into the trades or  immediately joining the workforce, Van Scoy says their goal is to prepare them for that next stage.

He noted they’ve seen an uptick this year in demand from students wanting to attend the Wayne Technical Career Center and that they regularly evaluate other ways to expose students to programs not offered at Gananda.

"The hard part is convincing kids to go to another school for part of the day," he noted, but says districts like Pal-Mac and others offer opportunities for students beyond what the district can provide on its own.

Van Scoy says that while people may have moved to Gananda for the small district, that shouldn’t limit their children’s opportunities when it comes to programs and electives.

High school Principal Dr. Christopher J. Whipple says he’s excited about Gananda’s new 60 minute bell schedule making its debut, which ne noted will help students get more of the classes they requested.

Whipple says a committee made up of staff, students, and parents were charged with finding the optimal schedule to give students "the most educational opportunities."

After reviewing different models from around the country, the committee landed on the new 60 minute blocks which Whipple said gives more flexibility than the previous 83 minute blocks.

"It helps kids relieve conflicts and gives them more opportunities to get the classes the want," he said, adding that 80% of students were placed into their desired classes the year, up from around 70% last school year. 

The resulting schedule is an 8-day rotation, in which most classes meet 6 out of 8 days, with 2 different classes "dropped" throughout each day of the rotation. Some parents and students have expressed concern with the change, but Whipple says he’s confident students and staff will adjust to the new pattern.

Also new at Gananda is their soon-to-be completed bus garage facility which Van Scoy says should be fully operational by mid October. The new facility will house all bus activities including maintenance, storage, and administrative offices in addition to new public access rest rooms for use by the neighboring athletic fields.

At Palmyra-Macedon Central School District, maintenance staff say summer gives them a chance to work on projects that simply couldn’t be done during the school year. 

With the floors now buffed and the classrooms freshly painted, Superintendent Dr. Robert R. Ike says the district is excited and ready to welcome students and staff back.

"The start of every school year comes with the promise of growth, learning, and new opportunities for our students and staff. Our award-winning team has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare themselves to prepare our students so they may learn with a purpose."

Beyond aesthetics, Ike says he and the administration are looking forward to several new programs this year as well as the dozens of new staff members that are joining the district.

“We enter this school year with many new developments including a refreshed learning model that features new pathways which will connect our High School students to real-world experiences and possibilities.”

Pal-Mac Principal Andrew P. Wahl says the entire staff has "put in the hard work during the summer," noting that once the prior school year ends, there’s still much to do to prepare for the next.

"It’s about ending strong and looking at the prior year and where students are, then hopefully building upon strengths and filling in the holes. We’re always looking at student’s needs and making sure we’re doing right by them."

Wahl says teachers have attended curriculum writing camps over the past few months, while maintenance staff have been busy ensuring everything across the district’s campus will run smoothly on opening day and beyond.

Wahl also noted that a number of committees are regularly assessing opportunities for Pal-Mac to offer more pathways for students to prepare them for what’s next.

One of Pal-Mac’s newest teachers is no stranger to the faculty and staff as she attended Pal-Mac just a few years ago.

Isabelle Gallina graduated from Pal-Mac in 2021 and is now returning as a first grade teacher at the elementary school.

"I’m very happy to be back and there are a lot of familiar faces," Gallina says, including the Principal at the primary school who was once her second grade teacher.

"I’m someone who has always been proud of where I came from.  I still have connections with teachers and staff," Gallina shared, adding she has even moved back in to her childhood home.

Parker Lahey is starting her first year as a 6th grade science and social studies teacher, but says Pal-Mac "Feels like home already."

Lahey graduated in May and says her experience so far at Pal-Mac has been very special.

"The community is very supportive. Everyone shows up for everybody and people are so willing to help."

Ciara Cornelius has been hired as the new vocal director the high school choir and select choir as well as being tasked with choreographing the school musical.

Cornelius says she is excited for the team and resources that Pal-Mac has available for the performing arts and will work to ensure “kids are exposed to the best we can give them.”

Christine Beauter started work over the summer and will continue in the new school year as both a teacher’s aide and a cafeteria worker.

The group said one of their favorite orientation activities was a guided bus tour of the community which this year’s new hires were taken on to show them around.

These four educators are just a few of the new additions this year at Pal-Mac and they join dozens of other new faculty and staff throughout Wayne County’s other 9 districts.

Newark welcomed 34 new teachers this year who all attended a four-day workshop which also included a tour of the surrounding community.

"Our Instructional Coaches thoughtfully designed an engaging experience that allowed our new hires to experience and learn what being a part of Newark is all about," said Will Bean, Coordinator of Professional Learning at Newark CSD. "We wanted our newest educators to leave not only with important information and resources, but also with meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging."

Wayne Central welcomed 21 first-year and 23 second and third-year teachers to their district for the 2026-2027 school year.

Each district said they’re excited for the enthusiasm that these orientations  bring to the buildings and say they’re eager to welcome back students.

The Times will be doing a series of articles on our local schools over the next several months highlighting how districts are adapting to changes in funding, curriculum, technology and more.

If you’re a teacher, administrator, student or parent with an idea or questions you’d like to be asked for a future story, e-mail dholdraker@waynetimes.com.