Board Begins Formulation Of New Capital Project
by Deb Alter
At the Thursday, December 3 Board of Education workshop, the Hoosick Fallls Central School District started to discuss the Proposed capital project. Superintendent Ken Facin and Business Administrator Pam Hatfield presented the project with an emphasis on safety issues.
[private]Safety items in Phase I will include: replacement of ceiling tiles containing asbestos in grades four and five parts of the building, the glass wall on the hallway side of all classrooms, and upgrading surveillance cameras and fire alarms. Installing emergency generators that would enable the school to be used as an emergency evacuation center and moving the current generator to the Bus Garage are also on the Phase I list. Replacing streetlight poles in the parking lot is being considered as are technology upgrades, which will be paid for in part with State “Smart” money.
Additional items will be part of Phase II: a kitchen upgrade in which walk-in coolers and hoods will be replaced, and bathroom, gym fields and science lab issues will be addressed. The Board discussed several ideas about how to present the project to the public; another meeting will be scheduled for further discussion, and public information meetings will also be scheduled.
There was only one Board Presentation, in which Jennifer McDonald gave an update on the Eighth Grade trip to Washington, DC in the Spring. They will tour monuments, visit the National Archives, Arlington, and The Smithsonian, and see the Declaration of Independence. The trip ties in directly with the curriculum. Students who were present at the Board Meeting and who had been on the trip last year said they had a great time last year and had learned a lot.
Superintendent’s Report
Facin raved about the Senior Chorus, saying that they were “stellar” and “magnificent” when they performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on December 4. Board members were all in agreement. Board Member Laurie Gormley added that she was at the bus to see the students off and they were very excited. Board Member Andy Beatty also congratulated students for their performances in the Winter Concerts and in the recent production of The Game of Love and Chance.
Facin reported that the February 1 Professional Development Day for teachers would feature Dr. Gil Noam of Harvard. The day will include a lecture and panel discussions focusing on best practices for merging academics and social-emotional education in order to educate the whole child.
Facin said that students had been asking science teachers about PFOA and its presence in Hoosick Falls water. As a result, the school is organizing an information and education session with representatives from the EPA and other environmental and health agencies. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with scientists and experts. He reminded everyone that there are no PFOAs in the school’s water.
The Director of Special Education, both principals and the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment were absent from the meeting. Their written reports were accepted by the Board.
The mid-year resignation of popular Jazz Band teacher Bill Brown was accepted by the Board. “We wish him well in retirement,” said Superintendent Ken Facin. As of press time, the District had no comment as to why a 24-year teacher left his position so abruptly in the middle of the school year.
Board Member John Helft reported that the pellet boiler is up and running, but it has not yet been cold enough to really put it to the test.
The Board passed a motion to approve Saratoga Central Catholic School and Waterford-Hamilton UFSD as new members of the WASAREN League, and a motion for the Committee on Board Policies to develop a drone policy now that the District has one. There are federal and other government guidelines that they must conform to. The next regular HFCSD School Board meeting will be Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 7 pm in the auditorium.[/private]