by Phillip Zema
At the Berlin BOE meeting on April 27, Heinz Noeding, once again, voiced a number of concerns to Berlin’s administration and School Board. He was upset that the “budget drafts [were] not documented on the school district’s website, unlike every other district in the county.” Accordingly, Noeding felt the community was not in a position to fully understand budget issues or partake in the budget process. Furthermore, he claimed that the Board did not always provide written explanations for its key decisions.
Noeding also claimed that “the Board has been solely focused on the closing of Grafton to the exclusion of other… [cost saving initiatives]; he argued that a number of other financial options needed to be broached. He chastised the Board for what be believed to be a “lack of financial sophistication among Board members,” and he argued that often the majority of the Board simply goes along with the administration’s proposals. They do so without questioning a proposal’s merits. The Board did not respond to his assertions.
TRACs
Elizabeth Miller announced that TRACs (Together Reducing Alcohol and Drugs in our Communities) has several upcoming events. It will have its monthly meeting at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 11, at the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church. On May 10 TRACS will host a dinner and community event. The event will be held at the high school and representatives from SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), local law enforcement officials and members of the Hope House (adolescents who have struggled with and defeated substance abuse) will be speaking.
Nanotechnology
Superintendent Charlotte Gregory talked about the growth in nanotechnology jobs throughout the Capital District. Roughly 8,000 nanotechnology jobs may be coming to the area, which may help promote economic growth. Gregory said that there has been a push for schools like Hudson Valley Community College to invest in nanotechnology education programs. She said Berlin’s science department and BOCES are already making adjustments in their curriculums.
Teacher Retirement Options
Some of Berlin’s teachers have the option of retiring early via the 55/25 option (teachers with 25 years of service can retire at age 55). Because of the money at stake, Board Member Tom Morelli wanted a philosophical discussion (since personnel issues cannot be discussed at open BOE meetings) about the District’s financial involvement with the issue. After a short exchange, it was decided that an executive session was the appropriate venue for the discussion.
Building Survey
The school must soon comply with a NY State mandated 5-year building condition survey. In recent years, the survey has been conducted by CS Arch, an area architectural firm. CS Arch is the likely candidate to perform the survey again, as it is already familiar with the District’s buildings. The cost of their survey would be $12,062. Morelli raised the idea that since the District’s buildings have been an object of consternation, perhaps the Board should consider another firm’s opinion. John Greene shared this concern, claiming that the community’s buildings have been a source of widespread disagreement. The Board, therefore, decided to investigate the costs of working with another firm, and the issue will be further discussed at next month’s BOE meeting.
More On The Budget
The meeting closed with a PowerPoint® presentation from Heinz Noeding. In short, the presentation reflected Noeding’s concern that the 2010-2011 budget “does not address fundamental long term issues.” He argued that the current budget fails to correctly address potential economic problems such as state aid cuts. Moreover, he asserted that due to renovation projects (e.g. to repair the elementary school and bus garage), state aid cuts (perhaps up to $1.478m per year), upkeep costs and other expenditures, local property taxes may skyrocket. To combat these lingering dangers, he listed a number of cost-saving routes the District could take (e.g. personnel reductions, alternative energy solutions, re-evaluating educational services and the like).
Lastly, Noeding asserted that Berlin spends roughly $21k per student, and this number may only rise; neighboring districts, in contrast, spend about $16k per student. This assertion led to his question regarding why Berlin “spends nearly 30% more than neighboring districts, while [Berlin’s] kids score substantially weaker on Regents exams”. There was little discussion, however, about whether his claims were accurate.
There will be a budget hearing on May 11, and the budget vote will be held on May 18. The vote will be held at the Berlin Fire House between noon and 9 pm. Three seats on the School Board will also be voted on at that time.