Letter To The Editor – Trying To Resolve Issues

To the editor:
I am writing this as a community member. I have great concerns regarding articles that have been presented and printed in the Eastwick Press. Depending on whom is hosting the conversation, the information that is given to the Community has been fiction and or the truth distorted. Famous one-liners that say nothing however can mean a lot. When I was sworn in as a Board Member, Bev Stewart and Tom Morelli requested that we be honest and open with the community. I was and am – for the more the community is involved in the School decisions the better our School District is and can become.
Unfortunately, an ugly decision had to be made involving Grafton School. With our District’s state aid being cut, we were forced to decide whether taxpayers would have to pay an estimated 18% tax increase and the possibility of having to cut non-mandated services: pre-k, kindergarten, sports. Possibly also having to eliminate courses that the State does not require we provide to our students. This was and is UNACCEPTABLE. We had to find alternate solutions to this problem. Draining our reserve accounts is not a solution. These funds have been saved for emergencies such as this, however, it is not fiscally sound to drain these accounts as Bev Stewart and Tom Morelli suggested. What would we do next year? The storm of the State crisis will impact our District for years. What you need to know as community members, is that Tom Morelli did vote to close the Grafton School in March 2008. He actually advocated for it and seconded the motion. Just request to see the April 2008 Board Packet that has the Board March minutes for approval.
I am hoping and encouraging members of this District to please read the materials and come to the next meeting and be involved in our School District. We as a community can make this School District great. To my knowledge this is the first time that information has been available to everyone by any means. We understand that community members have to work and take care of their kids and due to time and schedules are not able to make meetings or see materials. We are trying to ensure that if you can’t make the meetings you know what is going on.
We are trying to resolve issues that have been piling up for years from previous Board Members’ lack of decisions. All prior Board Members did was create a mess. We are finally heading in the right direction, with one less facility to maintain. It is common knowledge that the districts around us are suffering and schools are closing and personnel are being let go. For the present time we were able to save jobs. The choice that I made, I stand by; it was the best decision for us. I certainly do not want to pay an 18% tax increase or cheat our students out of any educational opportunities that we can provide. THEY ARE OUR FUTURE.
If you ask Bev Stewart, John Nash or Tom Morelli what they stand for, their response would be to keep Grafton open and that there is a better plan. I have been on the School Board since July 1 of last year. A workshop was held for John Greene and myself so we could set a list the goals for our District. This meeting was scheduled around Tom Morelli’s and Bev Stewart’s schedule. The kicker is Tom Morelli and Bev Stewart were unable to attend. Surprise, surprise. So since July 1, 2009 this mystery plan that Bev Stewart keeps mentioning has never emerged.
Now the reality is, it’s too late. New York State is broke. We have to do what we have to do to save ourselves. To add insult to injury we have Heinz Noeding giving a power point presentation to the Board using our Adopted Budget. I guess I can understand the reasoning behind this; however, it just confuses everyone. As Tom Morelli pointed out anyone can program the computer to compute numbers. Mr. Noeding went through the steps of this presentation, however he neglected to do one showing our community his outlook if Grafton was to stay open. His only response was “they would be much higher.” I have to tell you our Administration took the time to work up numbers and present both scenarios. This is how our decision came about to adopt this budget. We are able to downsize our expenses, save jobs and not cut any educational services with a minimal tax increase. This to me is everything. I would prefer to take the numbers and figures from our Administration who deals day to day with the school’s activities and expenses than an outsider who is not involved in the day to day running of our District.
You should also be aware that when Bev Stewart, Tom Morelli, John Nash or Mr. Noeding start representing facts and figures to build a new facility they are using money amounts from 10 years ago from outside districts. In today’s economy we can’t afford to build a new facility. We need to curb expenses, slowly fix what we have and provide education opportunities for our kids. They are our FUTURE.
Gina Goodermote
Board of Education Member
Stephentown