HFCS Sets Tax Rates

by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Falls School Board approved their tax warrant for 2011 in the amount of $8,740,410. This tax levy is about $213,000 higher than last year, an increase of 2.5%. State operational aid for this school year will be about $900,000 less than last year. The School District’s budget has been reduced by 3.7% from last year’s budget. The tax levy approved at this month’s meeting results in the following tax rates for the five towns that lie in the District:
Grafton: $221.17, up 7.5%
Hoosick: $64.17, up 3%
Petersburgh: 32.02, up 5.5%
Pittstown: $28.61, up 2.5%
White Creek: $29.03, down 5%
The Board also approved moving up to $200,000 into the Debt Service Fund and up to $100,000 into the Reserve for Retirement Incentive, from the unreserved fund balance.
Goals For The Year
The Board approved District goals for the upcoming school year. These are:
• 90% passing rate and 40% reaching mastery on all NY State and standardized assessments;
• 90% graduation rate;
• 90% of sixth grade students reading at grade level with 40% reading at least two grade levels above;
• 90% of students participating in one or more extracurricular activities, and
• K-tenth grade classes engaging in one meaningful community service event each year. Junior level engaging in 10 hours of meaningful community service and Senior level in 20 hours of meaningful community service each year.
State Of The Schools Report
The highlight of the meeting was a very comprehensive report on all aspects of the school’s operations, presented by Superintendent Ken Facin, the two Principals and the Business Administrator.
For the school year just completed, the District had a 90% Regents passing rate and a 40% Regents mastery rate and an 88% graduation rate. Seventy-seven percent of sixth grade students read at grade level and 49% at least two grade levels above. Seventy to eighty percent of the students participated in extra-curricular activities, and 100% of seniors completed their community service requirement, as did most grade levels.
The Capital District Business Review compiles a ranking of 85 Public School Districts in the Capital region. Their analysis of the 2009-10 school year, released last June, ranked the Hoosick Falls District at #29. It had been ranked #45 for the year before that, and it had been ranked #63 for the 06-07 school year.
The State of the School Report enumerates faculty/staff resources, population demographics of the District, enrollment and attendance figures, disciplinary actions, school finances, physical plant maintenance and improvements, level of technology implemented, cafeteria and transportation operations and athletic participation rates as well as student academic results. Copies of the report are available from the District Office.
The number of students enrolled has declined in recent years, from 1,300 four years ago to about 1,200 currently. Forty-five percent of the students received free or reduced lunch, and 14% of the students are classified as Special Needs. The overall attendance record for the 2010-11 school year is 95.5%, which the Superintendent characterized as “excellent.”
Student test results showed marked improvement over the last few years. Average Regents passing rates have grown steadily from 72% in 06-07 to 90% in 2010-11, and average mastery rates have grown from 18% in 06-07 to 40% in 2010-11. The District is very strong in English. Chemistry is the weakest subject. Physics is below the average but has improved enormously in the past year.
The number of course failures has declined rather dramatically in the last two years, from 272 in 08-09 to 234 in 09-10 to 107 in 2010-11. Disciplinary actions for the last two years have been about half what they were in the 08-09 school year.
The results were less encouraging in the seventh and eighth grade assessments. Forty-eight percent of this year’s seventh-graders passed the ELA test, and 37% of this year’s eighth-graders passed. By contrast, two years ago 90% of the seventh-graders passed, and 71% of the eighth-graders passed. Superintendent Ken Facin said, “We have had a very difficult year with ELA in the middle school, and we are addressing the problem.” He added, “This is very distressing to me.”
Middle school math results were also disappointing. Fifty-seven percent of seventh-graders and 59% of eighth-graders passed the NYS math test. Two years ago these numbers were 90% and 83%. In Science, the middle school held its own, with 90.4% of fourth-graders and 90% of eighth graders  passing the science test.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Ken Facin mentioned several other things currently going on in the District. Summer projects resealing and painting the parking lot and repairing the walkway at the main entrance have been completed.
He said a statewide teacher evaluation system known as APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review) is supposed to be implemented this year, and the details of how it will be done is being negotiated with the HFTA (Hoosick Falls Teachers Association).
Facin said the District has worked out a system with several local farmers to recycle food waste from the school by having the farmers pick it up and feed it to their hogs. He said he is very happy about the arrangement and called it another step on the way to creating a “green” school.
Facin also said that five teachers from the school are going for National Board Certification, a credential held by very few teachers and one  which requires training to a very rigorous standard. Facin said, “It’s very exciting to us” to have our teachers aspiring to this level of professional accomplishment.
In other business, the Board:
• extended the contract of School Business Administrator Pam Hatfield by one year, through June 30, 2014;
• accepted the donation of $405 from R.M. Bacon in work done trimming trees and replacing light bulbs at the football field.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on September 22 at 7 pm in the High School Cafeteria.