BCS Board Agrees To Disagree

by Thaddeus Flint
The Berlin School Board seems to have arrived at a point where they can agree to disagree. The traditional vote on the Capital Project bond flotation failed to pass at the November 20 meeting with the required two-thirds super majority, just like it always does. The only difference was that the Board members present didn’t even bother to take the time to argue their views; the matter went straight to vote.
“What? No discussion?” asked Board Member Bev Stewart.
Her fellow members sighed as one.
“Just kidding,” said Stewart.
[private]And the vote was taken, with Stewart and Board Member John Nash voting against the bond. Board President Jim Willis and Board Members Gina Goodermote and Katie Fiske voted for the authorization. Board Members Alan Webster Jr. and Frank Zwack were absent that night.
Demolish The GES Building?
Disagreement and discussion were plenty, though, when the focus was on what to do, once again, with the Stephentown and Grafton Elementary schools. Grafton has said twice now that they don’t want to take over the property. District Superintendant Dr. Stephen Young even tried to convince Grafton Town officials once again. But, with the current leadership there, it is not going to happen. Grafton Fire Chief Jim Goyer, who has been advocating for ownership of the property since day one, said that a petition is now in the works which might just show how much interest there really is for the property by residents.
“The whole Town has not refused it,” stated Goyer. Possibly if the District and the Town of Grafton could agree on a contract that would allow Grafton to lease parts of the building it would make the project sustainable. “The bottom line,” said Goyer, “is that I’m not going away.”
Even if Goyer is not going away, the building he is fighting for might. Willis said that a quick investigation into similar building sales showed that in some instances it might make more sense to demolish the buildings first – grants might even be available – and then sell the property simply as developable land. “The property would be substantially more marketable,” said Willis.
Goodermote agreed. She advocated contacting Karen McGraw, the Superintendant of the New Lebanon School District, who was so successful in having the historic Union Free School turned into a parking lot. McGraw would certainly know if such a plan were profitable. “Eliminate the building, and we have the property,” said Goodermote.
“I think you guys are crazy,” said Stewart. A resolution had already been passed to list the Grafton property with a realtor. At the moment there is some disagreement between the District and the realtor over some contract wording. Instead of working around that the Board is now talking about demolishing buildings. “It’s totally ridiculous,” said Stewart. “There is no reason we should scrap those buildings. Why on earth would we spend the money to demolish those buildings when we haven’t even tried to sell them?”
The realtor seems to want to be paid for work if the District decides to change its mind and go back to giving the buildings away.  Apparently that clause would be in effect for at least a year after the building did not sell as well.  Nash advised first trying to work out a resolution, and if that fails, getting a different realtor.
“The deadlines have passed,” noted Stewart. “They [the Towns] don’t want them. So sell them.”
Willis tried to reiterate his point that nothing was being set in stone. “Its just a talk of investigating this option,” he said.
The talk went back to getting Grafton listed, as was set forth in the resolution. Young also advised talking to the current realtor. “Give them the ultimatum,” he said, “take it [the clause] out or we go to another realtor. Goodermote was in favor of searching out other realtors to see what they might have to offer. “All the options should be on the table,” she said.
In the end it was decided that Young would talk with the current realtor. Willis would further look into the demolition idea. And, as the Town of Stephentown has missed their deadline to formally accept the elementary school there, it was decided that the School District find out how much that property could be listed for.
The District’s Rating
As the District dwindles, its overall rating in the Capital District remains low. The Business Review lists BCS as 68th out of 85 districts. That is an improvement though; in 2011 BCS was 74th. As a point of reference, New Lebanon is now 53rd when last year they were 42nd. Hoosick Falls is 35th, a fall from 29th in 2011. For Nash, though, being 18th from the bottom is not good enough. “Something is not working,” he said.
At a previous meeting, Young had briefed the Board on the State of the District report. The Superintendant had noted that the students were close to the State average when it comes to ELA (English Language Arts).
“I don’t want to be close to the State average. I want to beat the State average,” said Nash “It’s not acceptable.” In fact education in New York State is also not acceptable for Nash. “State Ed. Has failed our children,” he said.
Nash believes that while the District has some “exceptional teachers,” it also has a small group of not so exceptional teachers who he is “concerned about.” He did not name names but said that their teaching methods, involving yelling and embarrassment, were bringing the entire program down.
“I think 95% of our teachers and 100% of our administrators are working their hardest,” replied Young, who said he agreed with Nash that merely matching the State average was not acceptable. However Young pointed out that new programs are already in place and working toward raising the achievements of students. “It takes time,” said Young. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Fiske noted that the emphasis seems almost always to be on the preparation of children for college. Even the District’s new web site states, “Berlin High School is a college preparatory high school.” But is college really right for all students? ELA scores might point towards no.  “You can’t cater only to college bound kids,” said Fiske. “Not every kid is college bound. But we can’t let them fall by the wayside.” Fiske advocated programs that emphasize other skills as well. “You have to give them a trade,” she said. Young pointed out that while the High School/ Middle School does have a shop area, it is limited in program. Actually half the old shop area was recently turned into a “clean room” emphasizing design. Students who wish to pursue trades are bused off to BOCES.
France Trip
Students who want to escape Berlin, and or BOCES, will have the chance to do so, albeit only for little more than a week, in 2014. The entire Board approved a trip to France organized by Bob Gould. Around 50 students could participate, some of whom might come from New Lebanon and Cohoes. At a cost of around $2,600, students will travel from Paris to Normandy, with a stop at Mont Saint Michel, a rocky medieval island that is only accessible at low tide. “It’s like a fairy tale land,” said Gould.[/private]