Capital Project Planning -Full Speed Ahead
by Alex Brooks
School Business Administrator Emily Sanders said now that the Capital Project has been approved by the voters, the administration is moving forward immediately. They have begun developing detailed plans to be submitted to the State Education Department for approval.
A meeting with the architects and construction manager is scheduled for March 27. She did not have a detailed timeline ready to present yet, but she said the aim is to get construction started July 1, 2020.
At this meeting the Board passed a bond resolution authorizing $22,045,820 of bonds to be issued by the School District for the Capital Project.
She also presented the newest version of the 2019-20 budget. Some new figures have been received over the past month and the tax levy shown on the new budget was slightly lower than that on last month’s version, but two of the most important figures needed to complete the final budget have not been received. Sanders has not received word yet on what the increase in the cost of health insurance premiums will be next year, and the State budget has not passed, so accurate figures for what State aid will be next year are not available. The budget currently shows an increase in the local property tax levy of 3.67%, which is $351,270, but Facin said he is very confident that the Board will be able to reach its goal of a tax levy increase between 1% and 2%, probably not much over 1%. The District is supposed to get all the numbers it needs to make the budget final in the next week or so, and in any case it will adopt next year’s budget at its April 18 meeting, and a Public Hearing on the budget will be held on May 14 at 6 pm. The vote on the budget will be held on May 21 from 9 am to 9 pm.
Also on the ballot at that vote will be three seats on the School Board. These are seats currently held by Andy Beaty, Rachel Boisvert, and Joe Patire. Boisvert was not at this meeting, but both Beaty and Patire said they are running for re-election. There may be challengers, but none have been identified yet.
New Pathways High School
John Jennings, who is in his second year of running the “Restore U” program at the High School, gave a presentation on the program that he runs. He said some students are “square pegs trying to fit into round holes,” and need a different program to get them through high school successfully. He said when the District does a holistic health study on its student population, it sees a certain amount of apathy and disengagement. There are some students who will fall by the wayside and be heading towards dropping out unless the District intervenes, and this population, he said, is growing.
He talked a bit about how the District identifies the students who might be candidates for Mr. Jennings’ program – warning indicators such as behavior problems or emotional problems, kids who can’t get back on track though the usual AIS services. He said the most important factor in identifying such students is staff recommendations.
Once they are in his program, the key thing is to build strong relationships, and get them to “take charge of their own learning.” But the goal remains to get them to a Regents diploma, and that’s what he is focused on.
Ken Facin said the key to success with an alternative high school is an alternative location. He is seeking to locate the New Pathways High School next year on the St. Mary’s campus. He said they are meeting with Diocesan officials on Tuesday March 26 to explore that possibility.
Junior Prom
A group of students made a presentation to the Board about this year’s Prom, which will be held on May 11 at Revolution Hall in Troy. The Grand March will be held at the High School at 4 pm, after which the students will take buses to the venue for the festivities from 6 to 10 pm. They will arrive back at the school around 11 pm, and ADAPT has activities planned though the night. At 7 am, school buses depart for Six Flags in Agawam, MA, and they get back about 5 pm on Sunday. The cost for the whole thing will be $50.
Christ The King Field Trip
7th grade teacher Kim Brownell presented plans for the 7th Grade field trip to Christ The King facility in Greenwich on May 29, 30, 31. Students, counselors, and a parent who had participated in the trip spoke about what a positive experience it was in previous years. The Board approved the trip.