by Phillip Zema
Richard Beckwith
Richard Beckwith previously served on the BOE for nine years. He is the current President of Hilltown Pork, a local meat packing business. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degrees from Xavier and Harvard. After college Beckwith worked for a Fortune 500 company. At both the local and corporate level, he has experience working with budgets. Additionally, he was Vice-President for the American Association
of Meat Packers, worked on a Cornell University task force for small farm viability and, in 2005, was named the Outstanding Businessman of the Year by Washington’s Business Advisory Council. Also, he formerly coached TVSC soccer and little league and was a Cub Scout master.
Beckwith is still undecided on whether Grafton should be closed; there are still a number of factors about the budget he needs to evaluate. Moreover, he was adamant that given the state’s economic situation, there is little available money and that the District needs to find ways to cut costs. Beckwith believes that the District needs to work together and avoid divisive conflicts. As he put it, “If we fight, we fight for each other.” Accordingly, he wants to avoid wasteful conflicts that appear to pit town against town.
Beckwith has not made a final decision about the budget either. Before arriving at a conclusion, he wants to dig deeper into the budget. Beckwith does fear that there might be unfortunate consequences if the budget does not pass. As he stated, the adverse effects of such an incident touches the kids. If the budget does not pass and a contingency budget is instituted, the state forces the District to meet its contractual obligations (e.g. those it owes to teachers unions). Beckwith claimed that, often, the non-contractual components of school – sports, the arts, field trips, extracurricular activities and all the rest – are compromised. While a contingency budget allows the school to function, it often deprives the students of many invaluable learning opportunities.
Beckwith supports finding a permanent superintendant, especially one who has a vested interest in the community. For Beckwith, the superintendant would be someone grounded in the District, someone who has the best interest of Berlin at heart. Furthermore, the ideal candidate would also be someone who lives within the District. He cites David Sicko as a great example of a community-centered superintendant. With Beckwith, everything boils down to leadership, and good leadership starts at the top.
Regarding student curriculum, Beckwith is a tremendous advocate of applied education. That is, he favors educational programs that teach students hands-on practical skills. He believes that applied education will help prepare many students to become skilled laborers in the professional world. Not every student is meant for a four-year college degree. Beckwith, however, wants to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with learning practical life skills, for the professional world needs reliable, well-trained skilled workers, such as plumbers, carpenters, technicians and so forth.
John Nash
John Nash has stayed involved with the community and understands many of the challenges facing the District. To him, it would be an honor to share his knowledge and expertise with the School District.
Continuing his education, Nash took a number of psychology and sociology courses, eventually earning a master’s degree in Social Welfare. His education taught him how to assess systems and evaluate
how they work. These skills have played a vital role in his occupation as a medical social worker. His job has taught him the importance of building relationships to better understand the needs of others. Furthermore, having good communication skills and having worked well with others, he feels he is qualified to be on the BOE. Nash added that he is “an extremely hard worker and when [he takes] on a responsibility [he does his best] work toward a positive outcome. [He takes] pride in doing research so that [he] can be informed when making important decisions.”
Regarding consolidation, Nash is adamant that the issue is more than just closing schools; it is about the community having a right to vote on the “footprint” of the District; “it is about giving up local control of how our children are educated and our tax dollars are spent!” He asserted that everyone has made “an investment in this District and should have the opportunity to play a role in major decisions that will impact all communities.” The BOE, Nash claimed, should act according to a plan the community supports.
Given the uncertainties regarding state aid and the need to cut spending, Nash feels the budget is insufficient. Further decreases in aid are likely. Furthermore, Nash believes the administration is top-heavy and cuts in this area would be beneficial. Also, given the student population, the amount the District spends for BOCES appears excessively high. Accordingly, the District could cut expenses by providing many of BOCES’ services. Nash expressed concern over the fact that the District spent $1 million of its reserves to fund the budget. These funds, however, may be needed for next year. Given these concerns, Nash fears local taxes will only continue to increase.
Nash believes that the District needs a permanent superintendant. The ideal candidate will feel “a connection to our communities and will assist us in developing a long range plan for which they will be a part.” That said, Nash thinks the current superintendant has no connection to the community. Accordingly, the District needs someone who can be held accountable, who distances him or herself from politics and who works to “understand the needs of all the communities.” To Nash, a permanent superintendant will establish a vision that reflects the District’s needs.
Nash asserted that the District needs to identify students who are at high risk for failure, especially early in their education. By doing so, Nash claims we can give these students and their families the resources necessary to help them receive the best possible education. Furthermore, he finds that the District can pursue a number of routes to help improve learning outcomes (e.g. mutually beneficial peer mentoring programs). In closing, Nash was adamant that the District “should have an increased focus on the use of technology to prepare [students] for the 21st century work force.”
Jeffrey Paine
Eight-year BOE member Jeffrey Paine is a 21-year Grafton resident and father of three. Each of his children graduated from Berlin, and he claims their college success is due in part to their elementary and secondary school education. He is the secretary for the Grafton Volunteer Fire Department and a Trustee at the Grafton
United Methodist Church. Additionally, he spent time on the Grafton PTO, and for ten years, was a co-leader for the Furs and Feathers 4-H group. Because his father was in the military, he often switched school districts. His time at both small and large schools “gives [him] personal experience in all school sizes.” Moreover, Paine has a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and graduated from the US Army Management and Engineering Training Activity at Rock Island Arsenal. For thirty-five years, he has worked at the Watervliet Arsenal and Benéts Lab. His career “involves attention to detail, reliance on data for decision making, problem solving and working within a budget. Most importantly, it involves trusting the people [he] works with to do their jobs.”
Paine was in favor of closing Grafton. A demographic study conducted five years ago and annual declines in student enrollment heavily influenced his decision. Paine believed that out of all the options considered, consolidation was necessary to meet the District’s needs and limit costs. He found that closing Stephentown Elementary was a successful move, “It resulted in a zero percent increase in the budget,” and by closing Grafton this year, the District was able to prevent an exorbitant budget increase which resulted in a +1.7% tax levy. This minimal increase was obtainable despite the “governor’s record level aid cuts.”
Furthermore, with some qualifications, Paine agrees the District needs a permanent superintendent. He claims, however, that any candidate will face a number of challenges; until “Grafton is closed and the controversy ends, anyone we hire will be enmeshed in the conflict and…not be able to focus on what is important” (e.g. education and cutting costs). Until Grafton is closed, the District should not hire a new superintendent, for he or she will likely have difficulty obtaining community-wide trust and unifying the District.
Paine also believes the 2010-2011 budget is “sufficient to meet [the District’s] needs”. It preserves educational opportunities like pre-k and distance learning, and it prevents increases in classroom size. Ultimately, the District could not make additional cuts without compromising other invaluable student opportunities such as the arts or sports.
The current economic crisis creates obstacles for the District. With the little money it has for educational enhancement, Paine believes the District “should continue to improve the programs [it has] in place, such as distance learning, literacy initiatives and efforts to improve math scores.” Virtual field trips and the like also warrant financial support. Paine asserts that Berlin produces great college students, and he claims the District should continue to invest in programs that help students succeed. Moreover, distance learning, he believes, is one area the District can further explore. This route might be a less expensive way to provide additional educational opportunities like being able to take French or sign language instead of just Spanish.
Alan Webster Jr.
Alan Webster Jr. is from Petersburgh and graduated from Berlin Central School. He has a Master’s degree in Education, and after college he taught high school English at Hoosick Falls Central. During this time, he became enamored with stone craftsmanship and “worked for a number of years successfully learning the trade.”
His experiences and knowledge gained as a teacher and craftsman helped him develop a good connection with the community. Webster is also enthusiastic about volunteer and community work. He has participated in a construction project in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and spent time helping an orphanage in Cuzco, Peru. Webster hopes to share his passion for volunteer work with the District’s children.
Webster believes “some type of consolidation should occur due to the condition of the buildings in the district.” Yet he has “not been privy to building construction surveys” and wants to consider all available options before arriving at a conclusion. The District is closing schools, putting students into portable classrooms and using its cash reserves to avoid a dramatic tax levy increase. It is doing so, he claims, without a long term solution. Concerning matters that affect the District’s future, he believes the community, not just the School Board, should have a voice.
Webster finds that despite state aid cuts, the District still has the financial means “within the budget to effectively teach our children. The question, [however], lies in how we choose to spend that money.” If elected, he hopes to change how the District spends and allocates its money and will work to avoid further outsourcing of educational programs. Webster will also take steps to unify the five towns that compose the District. To do so, he hopes to bring more fiscal accountability and transparency to the public, and he intends to establish a long term plan that meets the community’s needs.
Webster hopes the District hires a superintendant who has a “vested interest in the District via residency or family.” Moreover, a substantial amount of Berlin’s faculty lives outside the district. Webster claims that by giving the faculty incentives to become local residents the District can increase its local tax revenue and establish a stronger faculty-community connection.
Webster stresses that curriculum development is vital to the District. The school is composed of top-flight instructors who face “extreme pressure from rigid state and federal standards.” These obstacles often force teachers to forsake creative pedagogical techniques and comply with standardized curriculums that fail to adequately satisfy student needs. Through good leadership and by utilizing educational resources, the District must work to develop a curriculum that encourages academic performance and fosters the intellectual curiosity of its students, he said.
Beverly Stewart
Incumbent Beverly Stewart is a 13-year District resident, and her two children attend Berlin Central. She was a computer programmer in the finance industry. The occupation required her to balance millions of dollars daily and write financial programs for companies like IBM, Prudential and Chase Bank. Many of her insights on
the Board have been influenced by her A.A.S. degree, which included a concentration in education. She is currently studying to become a registered nurse. Upon completion of her education, she hopes to work in a nearby school District, as her “passion has and always will be working with children.”
Stewart, with some qualifications, does not at this time support closing Grafton. She emphasized that “we shouldn’t be looking at things just from the perspective of closing a school. We should be looking at ways we can save money, have a sustainable long term plan and provide a good education to the students.” She admits the District needs major changes but is skeptical that closing Grafton this year provides the solution. Moreover, she was not sure that consolidation this year would save money, as there is currently not enough classroom space in Berlin. The modular classrooms, Stewart claimed, were not put out to bid, are expensive and are not aided by the state. Stewart said the Board was told six months ago that closing Grafton would only save the District $280k; this number has since swelled to roughly $625k yet the reported savings, in a number of respects, is misleading. She fears moving students to Berlin will force the District to vote on another expensive referendum, one that ¾ of the community voted down.
Stewart does not feel the budget is sufficient. She argues the $1 million in savings used by the District may only cause future tax hikes. Additionally, Stewart expressed concern that there is “no long term viable plan to stabilize the spending in this District” and such a plan is necessary if the District intends to be fiscally responsible and “properly educate its students.” She was troubled that many of the short-term fixes, like consolidation, may not save the District money. Steward expressed concern over Superintendant Gregory’s 2009-2010 salary and a 4% increase in BOCES spending. Ultimately, Stewart felt that in many respects, especially regarding various cost-cutting measures, the budget was misleading.
Stewart also feels the District needs to search for a permanent superintendant. She believes the District needs “someone who can work to bring the communities back together.” The individual will hopefully raise staff morale and establish a long-term plan. Moreover, Stewart would like the community to have a say in who becomes superintendant, and she hopes this person “would have good leadership qualities, experience, honesty and a willingness to listen to the views of others.”
Stewart stressed that “we need to regain the confidence of the taxpayers, students and staff.” By listening to their inputs, the District can gain a number of insights about which direction to go. She would like the District to share some services and educational programs with other Districts; for doing so increases the amount of available educational opportunities. It would also be beneficial, Stewart asserted, if the community became more involved with students, for the area can provide a number of invaluable resources. Stewart stressed that the District needs to be more involved with TRACs, implement more technology into the curriculum and focus further on preparing students for college.
Sara Feathers
Sara Feathers has lived in the Berlin School District for nearly thirty years. She is the mother of a Berlin seventh-grader and the daughter of Allan Dixon, an attorney and 12-year Rensselaer County Family Court Judge. Feathers previously served on the Berlin Youth Commission and has “worked on funding through various grants at the county and
state levels.” She is an employee of the Science & Technology Studies Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Feathers is in favor of closing Grafton Elementary. Her position is largely motivated by the current financial state of the School District. Accordingly, through consolidation which entails moving Grafton’s students to Berlin Elementary, the District will be in a better economic position. As Feathers put it, “Melding the 63 students now in Grafton to Berlin Elementary is the wisest choice.”
The 2010-2011 budget comes with several proposals. The first proposal involves the purchase of an additional school bus (not to exceed $138k); the second proposal regards a renovation/construction project at Berlin Elementary (not to exceed $100k). She feels that unless the District definitely needs an additional bus then she does not support the first proposal. Feathers, however, finds that it is important and necessary to renovate Berlin Elementary, and so she accepts the latter proposal.
Furthermore, Sara Feathers believes the District is in need of a full-time superintendent. The ideal superintendent will provide clear leadership and oversight, especially through the District’s process of hiring a new high school principal. Moreover, the full time superintendent should also “conduct professionalism in our school district.”
If elected, Feathers would like to see more educational options become available to the students. One way to achieve this goal, Feathers said, is through technological advancements. Such advancements and options include additional computers and library resources. Moreover, at RPI she has witnessed first hand the value of integrating technology into the curriculum. At the post secondary level, there is a growing “emphasis on students knowing the technological advances given the resources made available to them.” She would also like to see the District establish and manage a “junior high and high school ski team, even if only an alpine team.”