by Alex Brooks
Alan Walther of the Bonadio Group came to the September 15 meeting of the Hoosick Falls School Board to present the findings of his firm’s audit of the District’s finances.[private] He said the audit conclusion was an “unmodified opinion,” which means the auditors found no problems with internal controls or compliance, there are no material weaknesses in the District’s financial practices, no significant deficiencies in its accounting, and its financial statements were deemed to be fair and accurate. Board President Greg Laurin said this is the highest praise you can get from auditors. He called it “another super audit,” and said “we are secure financially.”
The Superintendent, the Board President, and the HFTA representative all said the opening of school this year went very well. Director of Curriculum Patrick Dailey said it was a “relaxed start,” and he attributed that to a major reduction in the amount of testing that needs to be done at the start of the year because of a change in the District’s APPR agreement.
Perhaps the biggest news about the start of school was the remarkable number of students enrolled at the last minute. Facin said over 50 new students were enrolled in the last few weeks. Because they are well-distributed through the grades, he said, the additional students did not require adding staff or adding sections to classes.
Board Going Paperless Board President Greg Laurin said he had formed a committee to make arrangements for the School Board to do business without making thick paper packets for each of the Board members for every meeting.
Student Broadcasting Superintendent Facin said the District has set up a small TV studio from which students will broadcast live into the lunch room in the latter part of lunch period. Large screens will be set up in the lunchroom and several other locations so that students can hear news and announcements presented by their peers. Facin said in addition to being useful for communication of important information to students, it provides a great opportunity for students to be broadcasters and to become familiar with broadcasting technology and equipment. The Board approved establishment of a new “International Club” which will explore different cultures and cuisines. In addition to endorsing the fun and educational nature of this particular club, Facin said that students engaged in extracurricular activities, whether they be sports, Panther Post, arts groups, or other clubs, do better academically because it helps students to become engaged with the life of the school and to connect with the larger school community.
Senior Trip Several members of the Senior Class presented to the Board their proposal for the Senior Trip next spring. They plan to go to Six Flags in New Jersey one day and to Point Pleasant Beach the next day. The trip will leave at 6 am on Friday June 9 and spend most of Friday at Six Flags, stay overnight and then spend most of Saturday at Point Pleasant Beach, returning Saturday night. They said the cost will be between $239 and $259 per person, which includes dinner Friday night and Saturday breakfast. The Board asked them to make arrangements for financial assistance for students who would like to go but have trouble coming up with the fee. With that agreed, the Board unanimously approved the trip.[/private]