HFCS Retirements And Tenure

by Alex Brooks
At the HFCS Board meeting on May 21 Schools Superintendent Ken Facin had words of praise, and a corsage, for each of the teachers and staff who are retiring from the District at the end of the year.
[private]Kindergarten teacher Nancy Crucetti has worked 28 years in this District, helping countless youngsters begin their careers at HFCS. Facin spoke of the deep connections she formed with her students and of her dedication both to the kids and to her own professional development.
Speech teacher Wendy Davidson spent 15 years working in this District, and Facin said she had a special talent for helping kids who were having trouble.
Facin said of English teacher Nora Senecal, “I admire her work in this District.” He said there have been a lot of kids over the years who wouldn’t have made it without her. He said her extraordinary dedication and energy have been a great asset to the school for these 28 years.
Facin called Elementary School Teaching Assistant Mary Jane Baker “a consummate professional” who played a very important role in the lives of her students.
Facin said he is thankful for the five years that Lorraine Brownell has put in as High School Secretary. Her influence has brought efficiency and good cheer to that office, and she will be difficult to replace.
Facin called Custodian Terry Hatch an asset to the District and a key member of the team that kept the school looking so good during his 12 years of dedicated service to the District.
Andy Kipp has served the District for 34 years. Facin praised his dedication to the school, the kids and the community. Facin said he kept the school looking great, and he did it  “in a cheerful and engaging way.”
Janet Willbrant has worked in the cafeteria for 25 years, and Facin called her a key member of the cafeteria team and highlighted her role in the cafeteria’s recent transformation into a “farm-to-table” cafeteria.
School Board President Greg Laurin said the longevity of these employees is an extraordinary thing. As a former Human Resources executive, he knows the value of loyal, long term employees.
Tenure
The Board granted tenure to social studies teacher Sabrina Coll, art teacher Megan Conner, Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Patrick Dailey and Elementary School Principal Amy Netti.
The meeting then paused to have a reception for the retiring teachers and the newly tenured teachers and administrators at which strawberry shortcake and punch were served.
Europe Video
The meeting began with a video about the 2013 trip to Europe. The video was made by parent Gail Delurey, who served as one of the chaperones on the trip. The students toured Europe for nine days, visiting Paris, Versailles, Milan, Florence, Tuscany and Rome.
Capital Project
In his Superintendent’s Report, Facin talked about continuing research being done to plan for the Capital Project. He said they visited a steam plant fueled by wood chips at Bennington College. Although it was an admirable facility, Facin still believes a wood chip plant requires more space than HFCS has. He has been looking into a wood pellet boiler instead which he thinks may be a great option for the school. Facin said he plans to visit the Coxsackie-Athens School District to look at the wood pellet boiler that they have installed. He also said they are looking into having a solar array installed at the bus garage and also into updating the science labs as part of the Capital Project. These proposals will be presented in detail to the Board and to the public when more information has been gathered.
Dormant Scholarship Funds
At the April meeting, the Board passed a resolution combining the left over funds from a dozen scholarship funds that have been dormant for three or more years and combining them into a new active scholarship with total funds of $3,716. However, since then the District has made new plans for some of these scholarship funds in collaboration with the donor families. Accordingly, the Board this month approved the Shayne McClellan Scholarship Fund in the amount of $744.60 from the dormant Johnson/McClellan Scholarship Fund. The new fund will give a $50 award annually to a sixth grade student with the highest overall average. They approved establishing the H. Bradford Cole, Sr. Music Award Fund in the amount of $6,169.54 from the dormant Cole Memorial and active Cole Expendable Funds. The new fund will give two $100 awards per year to music students who meet the criteria set by the family.
The Board also approved a request from Ethel Cipperly Sherin to refund the remaining Ethel Cipperly Scholarship funds, $428.38, to Norma Cipperly to provide a scholarship at graduation.
Three Year Contracts
The Board accepted a proposal from Tabner, Ryan & Keniry to provide legal services to the District for the next three years at the rate of $145 per hour.
The Board accepted a proposal from Physical Therapist Christine Fitchett for a three year period at the rate of $74 per hour the first two years and $75 per hour the third year.
The Board accepted a proposal from Occupational Therapist Stephanie Hover for a three year period for $70 per hour on campus and $90 per hour off campus and from her assistant, Hilary Ferris, for $35 per hour on campus and $45 per hour off campus.
The Board accepted a proposal from Bonadio and Co. to do the annual external audit for the next three years, at the rate of $14,900 for next year, $15,200 the following year and $15,500 the year after that.
The Board set it’s Organizational meeting for Tuesday, July 9, at 7 pm in the High School cafeteria. The next regular school board meeting will be June 13 at 7 pm in the High School library.[/private]