by Alex Brooks
At the December 15 meeting of the Hoosick Falls School Board, John Helft said two public meetings were held in December to present information about the Capital Project that is now in development and to solicit public comments on the project and what the priorities should be. He said only two people showed up for these meetings.[private]
The Board and administration of the School were disappointed, because they are looking for public input as they formulate the details of the project. Helft said he understands that people are busy, and he noted that residents of the District can still participate in the development of the project. The presentation that was given at the meetings is available on the District’s web site, as is a survey in which residents can express their thoughts about the capital project.
School Superintendent Ken Facin said a recent building condition survey identified a number of areas in the school that need work. In particular, the bathrooms have not been redone since the building was built in the early 1960s, and upgrades for energy efficiency, technology, and compliance with modern codes are needed.
The Board and administration will continue to reach out to the public to encourage communication about the planned Capital Project. The Board President and Vice-President will make themselves available at the Iron Coffee Shop on Friday January 6 at 8 am and January 11 at 11:30 am to talk with anyone who would like to discuss the Capital Project.
John Helft said, “It’s the perfect time to do a capital project.” Because of several favorable factors, Helft said the District can now do a project in the neighborhood of $15 million with very little impact on the taxpayers. He said the District is currently paying off bonds on two previous capital projects. One of them will be paid off in two years and one will be paid off in seven years. If the District plans a new capital project now, the payments on the new bonds will just replace those on the bond that will be paid off two years from now. “The timing fits well with our long-term budgetary cycle,” said Helft.
Helft also noted that interest rates are very low right now, and it is clear that they will be rising soon. If the project is planned and approved soon, the District will be able to lock in favorable long-term rates on the bonds.
The other thing Helft noted is that the State is currently reimbursing 80% of Capital Project spending. If the District does small-scale repair and renovation projects out of its annual operating budget, it does not get this generous subsidy. Because it gets back 80 cents on the dollar for capital project spending, The District get a much bigger bang for its buck by doing work on the building through a Capital Project. Helft said, “We don’t know how long this 80% aid will last – it’s possible that the formula may become less generous in future years.”
Helft said the District has a reserve fund for capital expenditures which has “just under $3 million” in it. This will cover most of the District’s share of a capital project of about $15 million.
Facin said the District has received about 80 responses to the survey on its web site. The District hopes to get 250 responses. They will continue to reach out to the public to get more responses. Board members suggested bringing surveys to sports games or putting a notice in church bulletins.
The meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of Damir Wade. Superintendent Ken Facin then spoke briefly about the recent tragic death of 14 year old HFCS student Damir Wade. He said he has been in close contact with Damir’s parents Bill and Collette Wade, and the School has encouraged students who knew and loved Damir to talk with adults in their life about their feelings, and has encouraged students to post their memories of Damir on a memorial board at the school, and to talk with teachers and counseling staff.
Facin said the The Wade family asked that all donations in Damir’s memory go toward establishment of a cross-country running team at HFCS. Facin said “Damir loved running.” Business manager Pam Hatfield is working with the sports staff to budget for the new program and Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Paul Baker is excited about building the running course.
The issue of allowing non-enrolled students to participate in extracurricular activities was raised again because student activist Renee St. Hilaire submitted to the Board a letter full of information about the topic that she had gathered, and John Helft asked his fellow Board members what they thought about the information presented. Ken Facin reported that he had asked the Berlin School District about its policy. He was told they allow non-enrolled student to participate and they require immunizations. There have been no challenges to the policy, but there are also no participants. Facing said he had changed his position, and he is now in favor of allowing non-enrolled students to participate.
School Board President Greg Laurin said the Board has already acted on this matter and wondered if it was a good idea to continue to debate it. John Helft said “I think we are making a mistake.” Ken Facin said, “I will continue to study this and report back to the Board what I find.” He also said he will continue to meet with Renee St. Hilaire and discuss the issue with her.
Vocational Education
Superintendent Ken Facin said he believes the District needs to expand its vocational offerings. He said although HFCS has an excellent woodshop and an excellent automotive program, it does not have a “robust vocational program.” He said the District can rapidly augment its vocational offerings by partnering with the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center (CDC) in Bennington. He told the Board he is pursuing such a partnership with the CDC.
Donations
The Board accepted two donations during this meeting, one a gift of $1,000 from the Hoosick Falls Central PTA for books and prizes for the “Parents As Reading Partners” program, and the other a gift of $983.11 from the D&E Family Unity Trust, which was directed by Hinton A. Putnam to thank the District for its inspiring work in the area of social-emotional education.” [/private]