by Alex Brooks
At the Hoosick Falls School Board meeting on October 15, District Superintendent Ken Facin said that he had received communication from the State Education Department about the Governor’s proposal to reduce State aid to schools for the current year, which, if adopted, would mean that the income the District has budgeted in reliance on the State’s aid assurances may not be forthcoming. Facin said the Governor’s proposal would reduce the District’s income in the current year by $335,000. The cut proposed by the Governor has not been approved by the legislature, so it may not happen. But if it does, said Facin, the Hoosick Falls District is prepared. Last winter, when some extra state aid came in because of an error in previous payments from the State, the Board, at Facin’s urging, put that away in anticipation of possible mid-year budget cuts, because even at that time Governor Paterson was warning that mid-year cuts might be necessary if revenue was disappointing due to the recession.
Capital Project
The Capital Project, which has been going on for three years now, is nearing completion. Superintendent Facin said the contractors are now working on “punch list” items, which are aspects of the work, usually small, which need to be corrected or finished in order to get final approval and payment from the District. Business Manager Pamela Hatfield said after all the bills have been paid, she anticipates the project will still have spent 370,000 less than the originally authorized sum of $8.3 million. The facilities committee is considering several “alternates,” which are parts of the project to be done only if there were sufficient funds available at the end of the project.
Facin had high praise for Ron Bugbee, who has served as Clerk of the Works for the capital project. Facin said Bugbee “has been critically important to the success and quality of the project. He has done an outstanding job.”
Policy Manual
Board Member Laurie Gormley said the first third of the revised HFCS Policy Manual has been received from the NY School Boards Assn. (NYSSBA). The District has contracted with NYSSBA to review and update the District’s policies to be sure they are in compliance with State laws. These will be available online through the District’s website, with links to the State laws they are based on. Gormley consulted with the Board about dates and times for workshops to present the Policy Manual to the public. These will be held on Thursday evenings in November and December at firehouses in different parts of Hoosick.
Central Registrar
The Board established the position of Central Registrar with an annual stipend of $2,000 and appointed Cathy Conway to the position for the remainder of this school year. Facin explained that the District needs to stay more on top of student registrations where residency is ambiguous, as it can have significant consequences for the District. As an example, he said the District enrolled two students who were counted as dropouts to this District, although it later turned out they weren’t really residents.
In other business, the Board:
• Hired reading teacher Laura Edick to fill a new position which is funded for one year by the Federal stimulus funds (A.R.R.A.).
• Accepted a donation of $2,400 from the Performing Arts Booster Club to fund a trip for Chorus students to perform in the All-American Music Festival in Orlando, FL.
• Approved opening school buildings to walkers who want to get indoor exercise, on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 pm, November through April, in a program called “Walk the Halls of Learning.”
• Accepted the donation of a park bench from the Class of 1994 in memory of Joshua Bamrick and Michael Rancourt. Facin said it is located outside the District Office and it is a very nice bench.
• Heard that the HFTA had raised $1,400 through their Golf Scramble, the funds to be used for college scholarships for HFCS Seniors.
• Received presents from the administration and from the HFTA to mark School Board Recognition Week.
The Board went into Executive Session to discuss contract negotiations with School Support Staff. The next regular meeting of the Board will be on Thursday, November 19, at 7 pm in the High School Library.