by Thaddeus Flint
The December monthly meeting of the Berlin School Board on Tuesday started off with the announcement that Berlin High School was named a State finalist in the “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow” contest.
“This is very good news,” said High School Principal Dr. Cathy Allain, who praised the hard work of teacher and team coordinator Dawn Wetmore. “We are very proud of Miss Wetmore,” she said.
[private]BCS will receive $20,000 in new technology and will now go on to compete at the national level, where 15 semi-finalist
schools will be chosen. The contest is a national competition to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by challenging teachers and students to take topics out of traditional classroom settings and into local communities
In April the national finalists will be narrowed down to five national winners. All five winners selected will receive a technology grant of $120,000.
Other Good News
Allain also had two other announcements showcasing BCS achievements. Class of 2013 graduate Matt Rizzo’s artwork was one of fifteen pieces used this year on the annual Christmas card put out by the National Art Education Association. And Junior Nick Edwards recently starred as Shrek in the musical of the same name with the Schenectady Light Opera Company.
During the Superintendent of School’s report, Dr. Stephen Young, noted that in addition to the Samsung award, the District is also looking at an additional $947,000 through the Smart Bond Act. This Act authorized the borrowing of up to $2 billion by the state for school districts to provide improved access to classroom technology.
“It’s nothing to sneeze at,” said Young who noted that the money is not just for STEM subjects but could also be used to add classroom space or other projects improving the District’s schools for the future.
“We want to get the best bang for our buck,” said Young, who urged residents to participate in a discussion on just what that bang might be at a roundtable January 8.
Alternative Veterans Exemptions Causes Confusion
Something else to be discussed with residents in the future is Alternative Veterans Exemptions. These exemptions, created by Governor Cuomo last December, allow school districts to give partial tax exemptions to military veterans. Previously these exemptions were only applied to village, town and county taxes. School districts would be allowed to offer up to a 15% reduction in assessed value for war time veterans, plus 10% for those who served in combat zones. Veterans could also receive a reduction based on disabilities sustained during their service.
The Board has been studying the exemptions for the last couple of months, and the matter is not a simple one. There are several levels of exemptions that could be enacted. However, in doing so the District will in effect be transferring a larger burden of taxes to residents who are not veterans. The question as to how much that transferred amount will be is a difficult one to answer. Since each of the five towns that make up the Berlin School District have different numbers of veterans and different tax rates, figuring out the numbers is just one of the difficulties. Explaining those numbers is yet another.
The District’s Business Manager, Karen Capozzi, attempted to explain things with a PowerPoint presentation, but it only seemed to confuse Board members and the public further.
“It’s very confusing,” said Board Member Liz Miller.
Board Member Gina Goodermote agreed. “I can’t vote on something I don’t understand,” she said, “and I don’t understand this.”
Board Member Jeff Paine described the State’s demand that the exemptions be based on a percentage of assessed property values as “idiotic.”
Idiotic and confusing as it may be, the Board is now tasked with explaining it to the public. There are expected to be four public hearing on the exemptions, to be held in Stephentown, Grafton, Petersburgh and Berlin. The dates have not yet been set.
“The public might say we don’t want to have anything to do with it,” pointed out Board President Frank Zwack.
Bus Route Change Causes Danger
The meeting finished with parent Ted Bedford asking the Board to do something about the dangerous situation in which his children find themselves as they wait for the school bus each morning. Around three years ago the bus started traveling west to east instead of east to west on Steve O’Dell road in Grafton. The change has forced Bedford’s children to cross at a crest in the road during the morning run. Bedford said that a truck almost struck the children in October. Bedford said that when he asked the District to change the route back to the way it was, he was told that this was not going to happen.
“I can’t in good conscience have my kids cross that road,” said Bedford, who added that the danger is compounded by the road being newly paved and with no posted speed limits. “It scares the hell out of me.”
With the help of Google Earth, ipads and smart phones, the Board was able to check out the road in question at that very moment. Based on that, it was decided that the matter would be investigated further. “We will go out and look at it and see what we can do,” said Zwack.
Meetings
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be January 20 at 7:15 pm. A round table discussion is scheduled for January 8 at 7:15 pm.[/private]