Ramona Reynolds, Ed. D.

Summary:

• Led initiatives that support increased student achievement and expanded family engagement, resulting in enhanced educational outcomes.
• Developed and implemented strategic plans that increased the efficiency and effectiveness of departmental operations.
• Fostered collaborations with community and government stakeholders to enhance educational programs and services.
• Spearheaded the creation of new athletic and academic programs that significantly increased student participation and success.
• Conducted a successful rebranding and program restructuring, leading to improved fiscal and operational performance.

Athletics Department Highlights:

• The Bennett football team earned the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AA Football Title in 2022.
• Launched the inaugural modified boys' and girls' flag football program (2022) with 206 total participants (2025), representing a 37 percent increase from the 2023-2024 school year.
• Launched the inaugural BPS varsity wrestling team (2024) with a 3rd place finish at the NYSPHSAA State Wrestling Championship (215 lb) weight class and a 2nd place finish at the NYSPHSAA State Wrestling Championship (116 lb) weight class (2025).
• Launched the inaugural modified boys' and girls' wrestling program (2025) with 11 participants.
• Launched the inaugural modified boys' and girls' swim (2025) with 38 participants.
• Launched the inaugural modified boys' and girls' cross country (2025) with 70 participants.
• Launched the inaugural BPS junior varsity and varsity girls' flag football (2025) with 26 participants.
• Launched the Buffalo League Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2025, with 88 representatives.
• Established the Buffalo Athletics Coaches Academy to support BPS teacher-coaches in professional development (2025).

Adult Education Division Highlights:

• Established the BPS Adult Education Advisory Committee to share and receive insights and recommendations from local higher education, workforce development, and social service organization experts. (2023)
• Conducted a multi-phase rebranding of the former UpSkill to the Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division, which has expanded the Division’s social media footprint and increased touchpoints, including a new logo, brochures, marketing materials, and a refreshed social media presence.
• Remediating multi-year fiscal, programmatic, staffing challenges, and misalignments resulting in improved fiscal, operational, and programmatic efficiencies.
• Achieved New York State Education Department benchmarks, which have yielded the removal of the New York State Department of Education’s (NYSED) corrective action designation (2025).
• Offers High School Equivalency and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, General Education Diploma (GED) testing, and twenty-five (25) Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, strategically provided at fifteen (15) locations throughout the city. Exceeding pre-Covid enrollment rates for many classes and programs.

Office of Strategic Alignment and Innovation (Community Schools) Department Highlights:

• Member of the original team that supported the innovative launch of the BPS Community Schools Strategy (2016)
• Expanded Community Schools programming from 13 to 22 schools.
• Launched the Partnership Schools initiative in 2024 with 36 schools to support student success and uplift family and community engagement, with 19,683 attendees.
• Initiated formalized online data-tracking platform to track and monitor Saturday Academy and evening programming attendance as well as community school navigator provided supports.
• Provided 57 farmers' markets to 11,400 families across 22 community school locations, in partnership with the BPS Food Service and Cornell Cooperative (2024); 12,800 families (2025).
• Set attendees record by servicing 49,662 students, families, community members, and staff for Community and Partnership Schools’ programming, resulting in enhanced learning, wellness, and family and community bonding (2024).
• On track to set a new attendance record at the end of this school year (2025).

Family and Community Engagement Department Highlights:

• Led the design, development, budget, and unveiling of four BPS Parent Centers (Bennett, East, Lafayette, and South Park), now known as BPS Family Resource Centers, in conjunction with the strategic partner Say Yes Buffalo (2015).
• Since its inception, the Family Resource Centers have offered a variety of virtual and in-person academic support and enrichment activities to 10,000+ families and community including but not limited to: academic and tutoring support, student FAFSA application completion, suspension and special education workshops, health, safety, and security family meetings, parent and community led workshops, American Sign Language classes, financial literacy, teen pregnancy and family support groups, Spanish classes, crocheting, line dancing, etc.
• Spearheaded the Request for Pre-Qualification procurement process, which has resulted in increased access, opportunity, and contracts for local, grassroots, community-based organizations.
• Initiated Dual-Capacity Framework adoption to help schools, families, and communities develop stronger partnerships that support student success.
• Spearheaded standardized, district-wide volunteer processes. Collaboratively developed BPS Volunteer Handbook.
• Initiated districtwide BPS Information Hub to provide families answers to questions within 24 hours.
• Conducts an annual BPS Summit celebration for over 1,000 students, families, community members, and staff.

• Led the Buffalo City School District’s Office of Parent and Family Engagement.
• Convened community meetings, focus groups, developed the plan and led the execution of a component of the districtwide Community Schools Strategy - four BPS Parent Centers (now known as Family Resource Centers) strategically located within the four quadrants of the city designed to increase parent and family engagement and enhance parents and caregivers’ ability to raise students who are successful in school and beyond.
• Planned, implemented, monitored, evaluated, course corrected, and enhanced programming to improve quality of service.
• Collaborated with BPS Strategic partner Say Yes Buffalo and every BPS department.

• Provided required Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) training to pre-service teachers.

• Collaboratively created, communicated, and executed a School Comprehensive Education Plan aligned with the district’s vision and goals, focused on increased student achievement.
• Developed and monitored the School Improvement Grant.
• Supervised and supported the delivery of developmentally appropriate curricula, as well as the implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards (development, delivery, and evaluation).
• Established a schoolwide Mentor-Mentee Program to increase attendance and strengthen students’ school connection.
• Received the Board of Education award in 2012 for improving attendance and reducing chronic student absenteeism.
• School’s Data Driven Instruction (DDI) process was recorded and featured as a model by national consultant Research for Better Teaching (2011).

• Collaboratively established Smaller Learning Communities, inclusive of common planning time and student advisories through partnership with the Institute for Student Achievement.
• Collaboratively created, communicated and executed a Comprehensive School Education Plan aligned with the district’s vision and goals focused on increased student achievement.

• Collaboratively created, communicated, and executed a Comprehensive School Education Plan aligned with the district’s vision and goals focused on increased student achievement.
• Received New York State Education Department’s designation as one of top ten most improved schools in New York State.

• Under the guidance of and in conjunction with the principal, identified, recommended, and supervised initiatives in curricula, professional development, instructional improvement and assessments.

• Instructed graduate students on instructional best practice methodology.
• Helped students examine their roles as prospective, reflective educators through a series of in-depth classroom dialogues, journal logs, panel discussions, site visitations and various classroom-teaching activities.
• Evaluated student demonstration lessons and unit plans.

• Instructed students in the foundational skills of reading, writing, and math as a transition into the General Education Diploma (GED) program, college preparatory, or computer classes.
• Prepared adult learners for freshman college-level writing courses.
• Equipped students with the necessary skills to pass the writing portion of the GED examination.

• Established articulation agreements with Erie Community, Trocaire and Buffalo State Colleges.
• Building Committee Member.
• Coordinated student observations in other Buffalo Public Schools.
• Conducted collaborative pairs and peer tutoring activities.
• Formed an action team to creatively address student discipline.
• Established a poetry club.
• Co-chaired the African American History and Drill Explosion programs.
• Drill team advisor.
• Chaired speaking contests and talent shows.