by Thaddeus Flint
As a new school year closes in, the August meeting of the Berlin Central School Board last Tuesday was a short one, focusing mostly on how the school administrators are finalizing their plans for a successful new year.[private] The High School/ Middle School has become a one principal building, with High School Principal Dr. Cathy Allain now taking on both her post and the Middle School position recently held by Jason Breh.
Dr. Allain said that the transition to a one principal building is “moving along.”
“I have heard from each and every member of the Middle School” over the summer, said Dr Allain. “The conversations have been very positive.”
The search for new teachers, however, has “been very challenging” due to a limited pool of candidates in New York State.
Berlin Elementary Principal Tracy Kent reported that her staff is now complete with two new AIS Math teachers hired. Kent is currently working on updating the BES Code of Conduct and making sure it is DASA (Dignity for All Students Act) compliant. Once that is complete the revised Code of Conduct will be provided to the School Board for its review and approval.
District Superintendent Dr. Stephen Young reported that there is a new requirement for the testing of water in school buildings. “It’s an extensive process,” said Dr. Young.
The New York School Safe Drinking Water Act, which passed in June, requires testing at the tap at all of the State’s public schools. According to the NYS Assembly, the legislation would require “statewide guidelines for school districts and BOCES to test drinking water for lead. The bill also would mandate the test results be disclosed to parents and local and state government agencies and direct state funds to pay for a portion of the testing and remediation costs.”
Dr Young said that Questar III has a program in place to help Districts with their water testing. However, if testing of the water at the Elementary School cannot be done before the beginning of the school year, it is possible to have drinking water brought in.
Another new rule in effect will allow longer periods of time for substitute teachers without valid teaching certificates. According to the Legislative Liaison, Board Member Katie Snyder, the District can now employ substitutes who do not have a NYS Teaching Certificate for up to 90 days. The previous limit was 40 days. In rare instances, the District could even go past that 90 day limit as long as it is shown that a “good-faith” attempt was being made to recruit someone for the position with approved qualifications.
The State Education Department sees the new proposal as a means of assistance to Districts—especially rural ones like BCS—who find it hard to find qualified teachers in a State with a looming teacher shortage. Allowing subs to stay longer would also lessen disruption in the classroom when one sub is replaced by another every 40 days.
For districts like BCS, the difficulty in finding qualified teachers is very real. While Dr. Young pointed out that there will be “quite a few new teachers in the District” this year, there are still several positions open which have not yet been filled.
The District’s buildings, however, should be all ready for students when they return to school on Tuesday, September 6 (Kindergarten begins September 7), according to the District’s Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, Cyril Grant. Phase III of the Capital Project abatement work in the crawl space in the elementary school basement is finished, and the abatement of the metal trim on the roof of that building and the removal of lead paint on the south portico is expected to be finished before opening day. Demolition of a modular building is also slated for completion within the week and roofing repairs are expected to be completed by September 6 as well.
The $100,000 project to update the auditorium at the Middle School/High School was also scheduled to begin last week. Grant said that Syracuse Scenery would be replacing the rigging and curtains in the auditorium and should be done in about two weeks.
Some of the internal projects completed over the summer by the District’s maintenance staff include: Repainting the MS/HS office, refurbishment of the library and art classroom tables, stripping and re-waxing floors, assembling new furniture for the main, business, and guidance offices, and preparation of the sports fields. At the Elementary building the kitchen was refurnished, a freezer compressor motor was replaced, and a phone line enclosure was constructed.
Grant is also getting estimates for an electronic digital sign that would sit along Route 22 in front of the High School/Middle School. One company gave an estimated cost of between $35,000 to $50,000 for that project. Other estimates are currently being sought. Board member Jeff Paine said he was under the impression that the sign in front of the Grafton Fire Department came in at around $15,000.
Dr. Young, the Board, and the rest of the administrators praised Grant’s team for their hard work over the summer, often accomplished in punishing heat and humidity. “As always, they do a great job,” said Dr. Young.
The night ended, before the Board went into executive session, with a motion confirming the tax levy. All Board members were in favor of the collection of the $9,006,627 for the 2016-2017 school year. [/private]