A Tribute To Luke Hoag
The Hoosick Falls School Board began its meeting on Tuesday December 19 with a tribute to Luke Hoag. Superintendent Ken Facin presented him with a Certificate of Appreciation, saying that he inspires everyone to be better people; School Board President Greg Laurin called him the “Chairman of Charity” and the “Lord of Letters;” Elementary Principal Amy Netti, who couldn’t attend this meeting, wrote a letter praising his “courage, compassion, and dedication to helping others,” and saying he has achieved more in elementary school than most of us will in our entire lives; but the most touching part was a song sung by Joe Steller which was written as a tribute to Luke.
A video made by Grady Marsh was played showing Luke’s presentation on “Believe Day” at the Colonie Macy’s of the 65,000 letters he had collected, and a second one was shown of Joe Steller singing his song to Luke. While the video played, Steller sang along live to Luke from a chair next to him. At the conclusion of the song, Luke and Joe had a hug, and the room was awash in emotion. At that point the meeting broke for a reception of punch and cake in honor of Luke Hoag.
Steller’s song got 22,000 views on Facebook, and has been widely shared across the internet. It was played on B95.5 radio station.
When the meeting resumed, Chris Marsh spoke on behalf of the HFTA about a number of fundraising and professional development projects that the teachers are involved in. He also said the whole community is supporting Luke Hoag’s project, and it is a wonderful thing to be a part of. “We’re very proud of him,” he said.
Community Facilities Committee
John Helft said the School Board has received input from community members who feel that this capital project is something that the school really needs right now. Ten people have volunteered so far to be on the Community Facilities Committee to discuss what changes to make in the design of the Capital Project and when to put it out to the community again for a vote. The first meeting of this committee is scheduled for January 9 at 6 pm in the High School Library. Helft said people can still join the committee – those who are interested should contact the school administration. The public is invited to the January 9 meeting and is encouraged to attend.
The District has $899,366.22 of school tax that has not been paid yet from Washington and Rensselaer Counties. These will be paid by the Counties along with the 2% late fee, which adds almost $18,000 to the total. The Counties will continue to try to collect these unpaid property taxes.
The Board approved non-resident tuition for the 2017-2018 school year of $5,404 for grades K through 6, and $7,221 for grades 7-12. These figures are derived from formulas established by the NYS Education Department.
Board Forum
School Board member Andy Beaty offered his thanks to the administration for new uniforms for the wrestling team.
Board member Joe Patire asked why there have been more disciplinary referrals than there have been in the recent past. High School Principal Pat Dailey said they have increased because “we have tightened up.” Superintendent Ken Facin said it is part of Dailey’s leadership style to confront discipline issues and try to work through them with the students.
He noted that some of the repeat offenders who have been running up the numbers of disciplinary referrals “are going down a mental health pathway.” He said, “We are discovering that the behavior of some of the repeat offenders is really a manifestation of a mental health issue.”