Liza Beautz Turner for BCSD Board of Education

The Noah Farrelly Memorial Fund is proud to partner with Healthy Kids Running Series - Binghamton, NY, to provide full scholarships to up to 30 Binghamton City School District students for the upcoming HKRS Fall Series!!!

The HKRS program provides a fun, inclusive five-week running series designed for kids to get active, feel accomplished, and lay the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Participants receive a race shirt, a medal at the completion of the series, and the opportunity to win a trophy based on competitive scoring.

Interested families of BCSD students in Pre-K to 8th grade should visit www.noahfarrellyrun.org for scholarship information!

Binghamton Schools Largest Ever Backpack And Supply Giveaway 1,100 backpacks filled with school supplies are being offered to Binghamton students.

It’s back to school shopping season! Here’s what our elementary and middle school students need to be be ready for the new school year.🖍️

Note: there is no supply list for high school students, however, individual teachers may request certain supplies for their classes.

Registration for all fall sports are now open. Make sure that you sign up before the first day of practice. JV and Varsity practices start on August 21st. Modified season start September 7th. Click the link below to register now. https://buff.ly/3bWVYro

Your first reminder to vote YES‼️on the BCSD school budget. Thank you to BTA/NYSUT for this reminder and for their endorsement. Proud to be a teacher, the daughter of a teacher and the mother of a future teacher (2023).💙❤️

This time of year has me focusing on families. Every family faces their own challenges and hardships. Every family is unique but deserves the same respect and recognition. All families are valuable and should be valued. Every child of every family deserves the best education including the most positive support from adults and a safe and secure environment in which to get that education.

For our family, April is a tough month. My husband died on April 30, 2009, after a bone marrow transplant and battle with leukemia. I am not sure what was the worst–being with Charles when he died or coming home from Buffalo to tell my children. As horrible as that experience was, it gave me faith in people and faith in our community. I would never have shared this information without Charles. He was the one of us who was so open and willing to share his experiences. In his honor I am trying to carry on the tradition.

The only hospital that would agree to treat Charles was Roswell Park in Buffalo. Being 4 hours away was a lot to manage while I worked and did all of the “normal” things for the kids who were ages 12 and 7 at the time. We had an absolute miracle. A donor match was found for Charles for a bone marrow transplant. The odds of a Black patient finding a match are the lowest of any group–29% likelihood for Black patients; 47% for Asian Pacific Islander patients; 48% for Latino patients; 60% for Native Americans and 79% for White patients. Not only did Charles’ donor donate the first time, he immediately said “yes” to donating a second time after the first transplant did not work. We are blessed to know Charles’ donor and his family and they are some of our favorite people in the world.

During Charles’ treatment the people we worked with at JC and BCSD staff from Horace Mann and West Middle schools were AMAZING and helped us with dinners, rides, gas cards, donations and went above and beyond to support our children at school. We have tried to pay those kindnesses back. We donate to families who are experiencing a hard time or who have started a fundraiser in memory of a loved one whenever we can. At JC, we started a scholarship in Charles’ name and raised over $12,000 for seniors, many of whom were my husband’s former students. My daughter and I started Harper’s Library at Horace Mann which through donations by so many generous community members, provides books for elementary students in BCSD in memory of Harper Stantz.

Charles was bigger than life. He always had a smile on his face and never met a stranger he didn’t immediately become friends with. Charles loved blues, gospel, making bbq and the Dallas Cowboys. Charles grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in rural Louisiana and those experiences shaped him. His mother was 14 when she had him and he was raised by his grandparents. Charles attended Wood Junior College then Mississippi State on a basketball scholarship but had to leave when his grandmother died. Charles never finished college but was determined that our kids would. He would be so proud of Isiah and Caroline. In his 20s, Charles moved to Las Vegas (where we met) and worked for the State of NV in Mental Health and was also the President of his union. Charles encouraged me to go back to school for my Master’s in Education and every time I said I didn’t know how we’d make it, and worried about insurance, school costs etc. he just said, “It will work out,” and it always did. Charles is the reason we moved back to Binghamton for our kids to attend Binghamton schools.

Charles found his true calling working with kids at JC. He made a difference in kids’ lives and always fought for what was right. Charles gave “high 5s” to every kid and every adult he saw every day. He coached YMCA basketball and Little League baseball. Charles gave 100% to every kid he worked with. One time he even gave our couches to a family who had no furniture. We miss him every day and our lives were better with him. The 3 of us are a strong team, but we will always and forever be “Team Turner”, a team of four.

There were some tough times in the years after Charles died and you might never know it looking at our family–or the fact that I chose what to share–not all of the ugly bits. Every family has more going on than meets the eye and it is why it is so important that we remember that as we work with kids and families in the BCSD. In Charles’ memory, give someone a high 5, share and dance to a favorite song, sing at the top of your lungs, eat a honey bun (that he used to sneak at school and take the kids on sneaky trips to Hess that he thought I didn’t know about) or smile at a stranger.

Signatures submitted and I'll be on the ballot! The election is May 17th. Thank you so much to everyone who helped gather signatures and to all who signed. Big first step! Below is a little information about me as we start this process. Please reach out if you have any questions.
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My heart is in Binghamton and the BCSD. I am a proud product of the BCSD. My sisters and I went through Binghamton schools from kindergarten through graduation. My mother worked for the District for 25 years as an attendance officer and was co-founder of The College Connection at BHS. My husband and I moved back to Binghamton from Las Vegas in 2004, specifically for our kids to attend Binghamton schools. I live in the house I grew up in.

I am in my 17th year of teaching elementary school. I am passionate about education and doing what is best for kids. My experiences in other districts will be a benefit to the Board and the community. I believe there is not just one way to do things or
that something is right because “it’s always been that way.” I live the challenges that schools face every day. The challenges our District faces will require us to think outside the box, collaborate with others and try new programs.

Through my life and professional experiences, I bring passion and expertise in the field of education to the Board. My experiences include integrating culturally responsive literature into my classroom, practicing Responsive Classroom and positive behavioral interventions. I will advocate for children, families and teachers. I believe literacy and early intervention is the key building block to our childrens’ success. Building relationships with students from the earliest stage is key for every adult in a school. My goal is to build on the strengths that the BCSD has and to strive for the highest quality education so that every child succeeds