Letter To The Editor – HFCS Should Cut The Administration Not The Teachers

To The Editor:
As recently reported in the Eastwick Press, Hoosick Falls Central School has begun to work on next year’s budget, and once again, the administration felt they had to “eliminate quite a few positions.”
The big surprise out of the $684,700 in staff and program cuts Superintendent Ken Facin announced was the $51,958 being saved by reducing the 7-12 Assistant Principal position to half time. Facin said he felt he could not make this level of cuts to the teaching staff without making “some cuts to administration.”
Gee, would that be the same Assistant Principal who wasn’t granted tenure by the Board of Ed last Spring when he was up for it? This was expected after his error involving the Bowling team being in the Sectionals, making him an obvious scapegoat and convenient job cut for this year as Athletic Director also.
How noble it is of Mr. Facin to actually take $50,000 some dollars out of almost $700,000 worth of Budget cuts from administration. What a sacrifice!
The fact of the matter is, and always has been, the School is there for basically one reason and that is to educate the students.
This is not made any easier by cutting teaching positions and programs, especially special education teachers. These students need as much help, if not more than other students – particularly one on one help.
However, we all know these are tough financial and economic times, but I would like to suggest a possible solution.
Since HFCS is once again destitute and in dire financial straits, how about cutting out the administration, which is a large portion of the School budget with their pay and benefit packages. The State would be brought in to run the School on the Financial end of business, and what I would do is retain the Assistant Principal as a Dean of Discipline to deal with the students year round, which is one of his primary functions anyway.
I would do the same with one of the Elementary Principals. You are talking about a School that generally has a student body between 1250-1300, and yet has as many as seven high paid administrators. Not needed.
I know most people will say that this scenario would never happen, but it is time for a change.
The two top administrators at HFCS, the Superintendent and Business Manager, have basically done two things over the last two years: spend a lot of money and get rid of an awful lot of employees through budget cuts and other controversial decisions.
But for the sake of the taxpayers in the School District, which five out of the seven administrators do not live in or pay taxes here, lets give the School back to the community and give our students the help and resources they need.
Don’t put up with the administration’s blackmail threats to cut student programs and financial help if the budget is voted down.
It’s the administration’s turn to take the financial hit.
And forget the Board of Education during all of this. A lot of this has been caused by their policy to not get involved in personnel decisions – which needs to be changed by the policy committee. They are clueless about much of what goes on at HFCS, which is not why they were voted in for.
When they do ask or try to get involved in personnel or other matters, the way things are going to be is dictated to them by the top two administrators.
Sincerely,
Bruce Seney
High Street, Hoosick Falls