The Right Educational Choice

A school district proving that intentional choices and strategic investments yield exceptional results.

At Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District, choice isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the cornerstone of their educational philosophy. “We believe we’re a district of choice, where we want to be a place for students, families, staff, and people that don’t have kids in the community. All of us want to be here, we want to be here,” says Gene Mancuso, Superintendent of Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District.

The district operates on four strategic pillars that shape every aspect of their educational approach. “Our strategic intentions include achievement, engagement, pride and safety,” Mancuso explains. “We know the world is a competitive place, but we also know that we have the chance to collaborate, and our focus for everything we do is how we continuously improve through collaboration.”

This collaborative spirit permeates throughout the district’s operations, creating a distinctive educational environment where improvement is constant and measurable. “When we turn that vision into our reality, it’s through people working together,” says Mancuso. This approach has proven particularly effective in creating an environment where every student receives individualized attention. “That choice means that we look after every student every day,” he adds, highlighting how their philosophy translates into daily practice.

Their vision of choice extends to every facet of the educational experience, from curriculum design to community engagement. The district’s model emphasizes the power of collective growth and shared success. “Our focus is on how we continuously improve through collaboration,” Mancuso notes. This philosophy has created a thriving educational ecosystem where students, teachers, and community members all play vital roles in shaping the district’s future. The results speak volumes – a vibrant learning community where choice and excellence go hand in hand.

Through the Pandemic: A Success Story in Literacy

While many school districts across the nation grappled with declining student performance during the pandemic, Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District was writing a different story. “We opened for every student, every day coming right out of the pandemic,” says Mancuso. “While lots of folks were delaying, we redeployed people to suddenly become classroom teachers. Even though they were reading specialists, we shrunk down our class sizes.”

This strategic reallocation of resources yielded remarkable results. “We didn’t have that same type of dip because we were able to allocate all our resources into the buildings and make sure our kids were still getting their needs met as much as possible,” says Nicole Swift, the district’s Reading Specialist. The success, in part, stems from their implementation of the “LETRS training” , which Swift describes as “Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. It’s not a program, it’s a methodology on best practices.”

The impact of these initiatives resonates throughout the classrooms. “The kids themselves are much more knowledgeable when talking about their learning,” Swift explains. “The learning is visible, but kids are also much more equipped with the terminology of what we’re asking them to do.” This heightened awareness has transformed how students approach their education, with Swift noting that “they are very attuned to what it means to be a proficient reader, and they can even reflect on their personal progression.”

The results speak for themselves. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve gone from being eighth in the county to being first or second,” Swift reports. This dramatic improvement indicates the district’s successful implementation of professional learning communities and prioritized curriculum standards. As Holly Sidebottom, Director of Professional Development, points out, “When we look back, comparing our results from 2018 to our most recent results in 2024, across the board, we’ve experienced a pretty steady increase in student achievement, which contradicts the norm.”

Modernizing Education: From ASL to Shark Tank

Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District is upgrading its curriculum to meet evolving workforce demands. “To be the district of choice, we have to be flexible,” says Mancuso. A prime example is the foreign language department’s addition of American Sign Language. “Students are beginning to see, especially here in Rochester, that that’s a competitive advantage for them to be able to talk to a large group of individuals who happen to live in this region who would otherwise not be able to converse or do business with.”

Technology integration stands at the forefront of educational innovation. “We have an amazing new husband and wife technology team here at our school that are beginning to modernize our facility through digital printing, 3D printing, CAD processing,” Mancuso explains. The district has embraced cost-effective solutions, with Mancuso noting, “We’ve had to be thrifty. We were using things like remote CAD that didn’t exist as technology two years ago where instead of us investing in these big heavy-duty computers, everything now can be done virtually.”

The district’s innovative spirit extends to business education programs, particularly a recent Shark Tank initiative. “Our English team recently hosted a Shark Tank-style event. And our focus wasn’t on business, it was on the ability to communicate,” says Mancuso. The program brought community members in as ‘sharks’ to evaluate student pitches. “The students were assessed and told what their assessment model was to improve their ability to communicate and to be influential, and also to attempt to be knowledgeable about whatever it was they were trying to do.”

These innovations align with broader educational reforms. “New York State is just beginning that pioneering step towards changing our graduation requirements,” Mancuso points out. “The important part for the English teacher was, are you being clear, are you being communicative? So again, that transformation is underway. And again, we’re still very much in that new age of what’s next.”

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Community Partnerships

The synergy between education and industry flourishes at Honeoye Falls-Lima, where local businesses actively shape student opportunities. “We’re so fortunate because we’re the largest single employer in our community, alongside 115 other businesses within our school district,” says Mancuso. The diversity of these partnerships is striking, ranging from “collision shops and grocery stores” to advanced manufacturing. “The closest industry to us makes pacemaker parts and micro computing parts,” he adds, highlighting the district’s rich industrial ecosystem.

The district’s robotics program exemplifies these powerful partnerships. “We have an amazing robotics team that has amazing relationships with General Motors and new companies in our area that have bought in,” says Mancuso. These partnerships go beyond financial support: “Their engineers come and help coach our students in their beginning stages of understanding how systems work and how to get along with others.”

The district actively exposes students to trade careers through hands-on experiences. “We just had a day of trades where we sent 35 students to a local trade show about the jobs that are available to them right out of high school,” Mancuso explains. These experiences offer valuable insights into practical career requirements: “Our students came back with a new appreciation for mathematics. Can you do basic measurements? Can you do advanced measurements, and do you have the capacity to come to work every day?”

Vocational programs are evolving to meet modern healthcare demands. “Our vocational program used to be more traditional. We’re beginning to transform the healthcare industry,” says Mancuso. “Previously, you could go to a vocational plan to maybe become a nurse’s aide. Well, that’s beginning to transfer towards people that are thinking about a career in medicine. So, in a one-year program, you’re really interacting more with doctors and nurses.”

Investing in Infrastructure and People

Honeoye Falls-Lima’s also has substantial infrastructure investments. “This is my 12th year and our fourth capital project,” says Mancuso. The improvements span the entire district: “We’ve done everything from our network health and safety to physical improvements. We’ve renovated the entire intermediate school HVAC. We’ve also renovated most of our primary schools. We’re currently renovating our high school because that building is a hundred years old.”

The renovations blend historical preservation with modern educational needs. “In some ways we’re returning to its original glory by improving lighting and ventilation,” Mancuso explains. “And at the same time, our teachers of mathematics want every surface of the room to be a board that students can write on because they’re working on visible learning skills.” The facilities serve as a community hub: “People come to HF-L schools for everything from dog walking to classes, including the community being on our turf fields almost seven days a week.”

Investment in human capital remains equally crucial. “One of the things that makes this place particularly special is the investment that we make in our people,” says Sidebottom. The district strategically utilized federal funding for professional development: “When we were awarded our federal ESSER funds, a significant portion of that funding went towards building the capacity in our people, whether through professional learning or the collaborative time we provide for them to improve upon their craft.”

The results of this investment are evident in staff participation rates. “Each summer we invite our staff in for professional development and to submit proposals for supplemental curriculum work time,” Sidebottom notes. “Just last summer, we had 67% of our staff participate in one or more professional learning events or a team-initiated curriculum project. That is not typical in other school districts. But our community, our board of education, our senior cabinet, are all very much invested in supporting our staff, our most valuable resource.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Success Through People

Consistency and steady progress mark Honeoye Falls-Lima’s path forward. “We have done a really nice job of staying the course. We don’t change things up every year,” says Sidebottom. “We are investing in our people. We are sticking to the commitments that we’ve made, and they’re making a difference. We are seeing a significant impact on student achievement.”

The district’s focus on curriculum, assessment, and equitable learning environments shapes their future direction. “We have spent a tremendous amount of time identifying what’s most essential for students to know and be able to do and creating common formative and summative assessments,” Sidebottom explains. “Now we are in the process of examining our assessment and grading practices to ensure that we provide specific and actionable feedback to our students and families.”

Staff retention and support remain paramount in their strategic planning. “We’re in a time in our economy where the job world has shifted; whether people are working remotely or making new choices about family-life balances,” says Mancuso. “75% of our budget is for the people that work here. And our investment in people helps make us a district of choice.” This investment reflects a strong foundation of support: “My role is to care for everyone in the district, the principal’s role is to care for both their teachers and students, while teachers focus on guiding and nurturing their students.”

The district’s success hinges on maintaining clear structures while allowing autonomy. “The structures we build are designed to give people the space they need to do their job effectively,” Mancuso notes. “I don’t micromanage the work, but I do create the right environment and set clear expectations. Think of it like this – the bus driver decides how to manage their bus, but we determine the routes. It’s about finding the right balance between structure and flexibility.”

At a Glance

Who: Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District
What: A public school district serving K-12 students with a focus on continuous improvement through collaboration.
Where: Honeoye Falls, New York.
Website: www.hflcsd.org