by Deb Alter
Hoosick Falls Central School District Board of Education approved their 2015-16 budget at their meeting on April 16, in the amount of $23,145,413
The budget-to-budget increase from this school year to next year’s budget is 2.9%, which increases the tax levy by 2%. This is below the maximum tax levy calculation, so it requires only a simple majority vote to pass. The District has come in below the tax cap limitation for three years running, ever since the law was put in place.
[private]Basic State operating aid was increased this year by $584,000, which is 6.2%. More than half of that increased aid is eaten up by the cost of health insurance premiums, which is up by $332,858 an increase of 7.8%.
The exact tax rates in each municipality cannot be calculated until final assessment figures from town assessors are received and the equalization ratesare set.
Budget highlights include the continuation and expansion of the College and Career Readiness program, maintenance of diversified course offerings in college level courses in science, math, social studies, business, English and music. To help more of the district’s students achieve success with the very rigorous Common Core Standards, this budget adds a counselor for grades 5-12 who will provide the emotional and social support necessary to increase students’ readiness to learn and succeed. The District’s visual and performing arts programs have been preserved.
Facin said that this budget provides more support than ever before for families and kids in crisis and at risk, and that this kind of support is good for all kids and the community. A few years ago, during the great recession, the District lost a high school social worker. Today’s students are under a lot of stress, more than ever before, he said. Between the intense Common Core curriculum, constant testing, and the prevalence of social media, among other things, students are finding it harder to cope. More and more, society at large comes into the school and into the classroom, making it harder for children to learn. “Adults must realize that there’s an adolescent mental health crisis in this country,” Facin explained. “Hoosick Falls Central School needs to be, and will be, more proactive in helping our students cope with this stress in order to ensure their future success.” He emphasized that while this budget recognizes this, “we will be living within our means. There is no extravagant spending here.”
During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Jim Monahan asked about how the loss of some of Hoosick’s industrial tax base this past year affects the budget process and the budget itself. Superintendent Facin assured him that those issues were taken into account and they were sensitive to the greater burden it puts on property owners when crafting this budget. He said this community understands that “an educated society is a better society, and a more stable society.”
District residents will receive detailed information, as well as the 2014-2015 Property Tax Report Card when the Budget Newsletter is mailed out. The budget information is on the District website at www.hoosickfallscsd.org.
There was some discussion about the state mandated ELA and Math tests in grades 3 to 8 that are taking place this month. While percentages of students who had “opted out” of taking the tests were as high as 30 to 60% in some downstate districts, there was only a 9.4% opt-out rate in Hoosick Falls. There are many issues surrounding this intense and controversial testing program, including, but not limited to: who gets to see them, how grade-level appropriate they are, how long they are, how many there, how useful they are, and how much stress they create for students, teachers, and administrators.
In the HFTA Report, third grade teacher Erin Jarosz said that the students had come back from the ELA tests frustrated, defeated and upset, feeling like they had tried but failed. Teachers spent much time following the exams rebuilding student confidence and reassuring them that they were learning and growing and doing well and that school is good. The teachers emphasized to the students that they (teachers and kids) were “all in this together,” and that trying their best was the most important thing.
Elementary School Principal Amy Netti discussed Teacher-Parent Communication. A committee working on this seeks to find more effective ways of cupper grades. K through 3 communication is mostly via daily folders and personal notes between teachers and parents, which nearly everyone feels works well. A survey has been sent home and she hopes for a strong response.
Netti also reported on the Pre-K field trip to The Saratoga Children’s Museum, which was a great success. The museum experience and the bus ride (both were firsts for the four-year-olds) were equally exciting for the children. Facin offered special thanks to the Transportation Department for making the trip possible.
The meeting began at 7 pm and the Board went into Executive Session at 8 pm noting that there would be no Board actions afterward. The Board will hold a Budget Hearing on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 pm in the High School cafeteria. The next HFCS Board of Education meeting will be on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 pm. The School Budget and Bus Purchase Proposition voting is also May 19 – polls will be open from 9 am until 9 pm.[/private]