This week... News Director Terry Frank interviews Jamestown Public School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker with the spotlight on the recent recovery of a loaded handgun at Jamestown High School. Dr. Whitaker says their "levels of security" worked in finding and seizing the gun from a student's backpack inside a boy's restroom. However... he says it was a very unsettling situation. He says they have added a weapon's detection system that addresses the way the gun was snuck into the school. No one was hurt... and, the student, 18 year-old Narade Gumbs, Jr. was arrested on three Felony gun possession charges. We also discuss Gov. Kathy Hochul's recently released, 2026-27 state budget that includes 39.3-billion in school aid. Dr. Whitaker says the proposed does "fully fund" Foundation -- or basic -- Aid. However...he says the current formula still does not provide enough for very impoverished districts, like Jamestown's. At the same time, he says it does increase total aid to the district by 1.2-million, which he says is "better than zero." We also discuss how the district's been dealing with the recent bitterly cold snap, and, he says they've been able to avoid a large number of absences due to the flu and other illnesses.
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