BCS Board Has New Leadership; Bond Vote Deadlocked Still

by David Flint
The Berlin School Board has new leadership. At the reorganizational meeting on Monday, the Board, by split votes, elected James Willis of Stephentown President and incoming Board Member Katie Fiske of Petersburgh as Vice President.
[private]Willis was nominated for President by Frank Zwack and seconded by outgoing President Gina Goodermote. Alan Webster Jr. was nominated by Beverly Stewart, seconded by John Nash. The vote was 4-3 for Willis with Katie Fiske joining Goodermote, Willis and Zwack.
For Vice President, Goodermote nominated Katie Fiske, and Willis seconded that. Webster was then nominated by Stewart and Nash. Again the vote was 4-3, this time in favor of Katie Fiske.
Willis, in his first President’s Report, said, “It’s a new year, and I’d like to start fresh. Let’s stop with the personal comments at meetings. We need to rebuild some trust, and I expect every one of you to at least try.”
Other Appointments And Designations
Mary Grant was reappointed District Clerk also by a 4-3 vote, with Nash, Stewart and Webster voting no.
Alan Webster Jr. was elected Parliamentarian. The appointment of a Legislative Liaison was tabled.
Following some discussion about the need to evaluate the performance of persons appointed to any jobs, especially those that pay a stipend, the Board approved appointments to Treasurer, Tax Collector, school physicians, purchasing agents, auditors, records management and access officers, committees on special education and lists of hearing officers, compliance officers, membership on special education committees, fund raisers and extraclassroom activity funds. Nash voted no on all of these appointments, and Stewart abstained on Treasurer, Tax Collector, External Auditor and Claims Auditor.
Nash and Stewart were adamant in expressing no confidence in the Board’s current legal firm of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna. It was agreed that the contract would be renewed on a monthly basis until the Board has a chance to consider a replacement.
Other housekeeping was taken care of, such as designation of official depositories and newspapers, establishing petty cash funds, authorizing budget transfers and credit cards, setting meeting times and dates and mileage reimbursement and bonding the Treasurer, Tax Collector and Business Administrator. But setting salaries for substitutes ran into some trouble with Stewart and Nash objecting to some of the rates as being too high. Schools Superintendent Stephen Young defended the salaries as reasonable and the going rate. They were approved on a 4-3 vote.
Capital Bond Approval Fails Again
The Board failed once more to approve the bond for the building project that was approved by the voters in December. A supermajority is needed for this and the fifth vote could not be found. New Board Member Katie Fiske read a statement prior to this vote asking Board Members who have been voting no to reconsider their vote. “The project does not include everything,” she said, “but it lays a good foundation to begin work to provide all of our children a healthy learning environment. As a District and as a Board, it’s time to put our differences aside and do what’s right for our children, as they deserve this project.”
Fiske’s plea did not change anything. The vote was the same as before, 4-3, with Webster, Nash and Stewart voting no and Fiske simply replacing Rachel Finney in the lineup.
Zwack questioned whether delaying the bond approval might preclude the project drawings getting to State Education for approval in time to meet the deadline for the next construction season.
Grafton And Stephentown On Hold
Dr. Young said that as far as he knew the deal to sell the Grafton and Stephentown school properties to the respective towns for $1 is on hold. A tentative contract was furnished by the Board’s attorney to the attorneys for the towns specifying a deadline of July 1, but the towns responded that they would not sign anything in that time frame because they needed to poll the public and make their own decisions. So the Board is waiting to hear more from the two towns. Young pointed out that it is the Board President, not the Superintendent, that will be doing the negotiating with the towns.
Nash remarked that the recent appraisal of the properties at zero was irrelevant because he had spoken with realtors who assured him that the Board could sell the properties on the market and recoup some funds. “The towns need to decide,” he said, “and if they are not going to do it, we need to decide what to do with the buildings.” He suggested that the buildings be mothballed in early fall if ownership has not been transferred by then.
Nash was also upset by what he considered the lack of communication on this issue. Board Members, he said, should be informed of any communication between the Board’s attorney and the Board President. He said he wanted to see any contract before the public does, he wanted to be fully informed and did not want surprises. These legal decisions, he added, affect the entire Board, and each Board Member is liable for their outcomes.
Music Students Going To Disney World
After listening to a presentation by music teacher Jean Kirsch, the Board OK’d a field trip to Disney World. Kirsch requested permission for all members of the High School Band and Chorus to participate in Magic Music Days at Disney World during the February vacation. It is an opportunity to take part in music workshops and to perform in front of a Disney audience. No school days would be missed by these students. The Band and Chorus plan to put on a performance of “Beauty and the Beast” as a fundraiser to meet the expected cost of between six and seven hundred dollars per student. About 50 students will be going along with seven chaperones.
Board Retreat
The Board scheduled their annual Retreat for August 22 from 1 to 7 pm at a location not yet determined. They plan to discuss the CASDA Efficiency and Effectiveness Report and set goals for the next school year.
Their next regular meeting was set for Tuesday, August 21, at 7:15 pm.[/private]