Letter To The Editor – Just My Perspective……

To the editor,
Last year at this time, 3 weeks away from the BCSD budget vote, BOE election and Capital Improvement referendum vote, it was hard to predict what would happen on May 18th!  When polls closed I was still awake and pleased to hear that the voters in the Berlin Central School District had sent a very important message. They elected 2 new BOE members that were offering ideas that could make the BCSD a much more dynamic place to educate children. They re-elected a BOE member who had been advocating for change throughout her entire first term. The voters said “NO” to the budget that opened the door to a building plan that was incomplete and would place a financial burden on the community. They voted “NO” by a 4 to 1 margin against a building plan that recommended investing millions in a building that needed double the investment being called for in the referendum. My thought at that time was, “I guess the concerned citizens really are tired of the status quo!”
Since being swore in at the July meeting many challenges have come to the BCSD. Our three and one half year interim superintendent resigned. The board appointed one of our principals as interim superintendent and restructured the administrative hierarchy. Soon after that our newly appointed Business Manager resigned, along with our Treasurer, followed by our newly appointed interim Superintendent.
As we entered the 2010-11 school years we faced additional challenges that began with finding a new business manager, hiring another interim superintendent and seriously beginning a search for a permanent superintendent. Within a couple of weeks the BOE was made aware of a significant lead hazard in the BES building where we had just completed moving all our youngest children. A health and safety issue that had been ignored leading up to the move and throughout the summer months.
By the beginning of 2011 the BOE had hired another interim superintendent and with his help contracted with a financial management group to handle the districts business affairs. We appointed a new treasurer. We worked through a very difficult process to stabilize the lead hazard at BES and attempted to test all the children for lead poisoning. I often wonder if this issue would have been addressed at all if the vote last May had gone in a different direction. Many of you might not be aware that there were additional challenges related to water problems and heating issues at BES during the winter.
The BOE also had to deal with the resignation of one of our members and had four community members express an interest in being appointed. Due to split on our now six person board, we went forward in violation of School Law with a six member BOE without giving serious consideration to those community members who wanted to be considered for appointment.
As we approached this year’s budget vote and BOE elections we continue to address many of these issues above and others you should know about. The lead stabilization project is not complete and will require a significant investment to resolve that issue alone.
During the budget development for the 2011-12 school years we made a good attempt to “right size” our budget and will allow the taxpayers to breathe a sigh of relief without any significant reduction in staff or programs.  Maintaining the status quo and re-election took precedence over fiscal responsibility for some board members. We remain a district with ever increasing expenses and no new revenue.
By July, I believe we will have a permanent superintendent in place. I hope it will be an individual who has a vested interest in the future of our communities and stays long enough to help create a district that reflects what is in the best interest of our children. Their input into how to shape the district footprint will be critical in assuring the health and safety of all students.
In conclusion, there are many unresolved challenges the BCSD will be facing in the coming year. Just to mention a few, BTA & CSEA negotiations, dealing with administrators who are requesting to form a collective bargaining unit, creating a plan that involves investing in our facilities, continued consideration as to how we will adjust to increased expenses and decreased revenue in the coming year, etc. Under Bev Stewart’s leadership the BOE has made great progress moving in the right direction and hopefully she will have the opportunity to do so next year.
I am encouraging all concerned citizens in the BCSD to get out and vote on May 17th and carefully consider the candidates. When an individual decides to run for a seat on the BOE with limited understanding of the issues you should seriously consider their motives. “Let’s Keep the Board Balanced” was the cry a couple of years ago, voters should be thinking about this again this year as well. I for one will be voting for a continuation of the change that was begun by the voters last May. I will be looking for a candidate who has been actively involved in district affairs and has been brave enough to openly state his ideas in public. A candidate who will keep the BCSD moving forward!
Sincerely,
John Nash
29 Agan Way, Cropseyville