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Putnam Valley School District Begins Superintendent Search
District explores ways to explain why "Yes" vote on Excel Aid costs taxpayers no money
by Margaret Sternberg
The January 11, 2007 meeting of the Putnam Valley Board of Education appeared to be earmarked for several discussions, all of which had in common timelines and quickly approaching deadlines.
Superintendent Jim Langlois and Assistant Superintendent Tom Higgins from Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES discussed the procedure for a superintendent search, concentrating on an overall timeline and the specifics of the search method.
Community input was cited as the first aspect of the search. Among the groups BOCES would meet with would be teachers from the elementary, middle and high schools, parents/the community, administrators, high school students and different groups of district employees. This process should take three or four days, and the meetings will be used to gather criteria on what qualities the incoming superintendent should possess.
An optional part of the process is that representatives from the various groups may separately interview the final candidates and again give feedback to the Board of Education. Higgins stressed that it was important, from a legal standpoint and as a political responsibility, that the Board not lead the groups to believe that they are making the choice for superintendent, but are only providing input, with the Board responsible for the final selection.
Salary was recommended to be decided upon prior to advertising the position, and although four means of advertising were mentioned, Higgins recommended that the salary be advertised as "not less than…" to make it easier for potential candidates to judge whether they might be interested in the position.
Advertising costs were discussed, and several state and national websites were recommended as being very effective and relatively inexpensive. The NY Times was cited as being valuable in getting results, but the approximately $10,000 cost of an ad was a drawback. The entire cost of the process is estimated to be about $16,000, of which $10,000 would be for NY Times advertising.
In one of the other discussions during the evening, the Board expressed concern over the upcoming vote regarding state Excel Aid and whether the public understands that this type of aid is "free" money from the State, with no bond involved and no financial repercussions to the taxpayer. If the public votes to accept the Excel Aid and it is used for a building project, as the District plans to do, the District will automatically receive state Building Aid, which was also described as "free" money from the state.
The Board proposes to add the $613,039 in Excel Aid to the $2,400,000 that remains from the building project, which will generate $476,961 in Building Aid, combining all of the funds in order to do a renovation and expansion at the Elementary school.
The monies will be used to address items that had been part of the original expansion and renovation plan, but were eliminated when the original bond amount was reduced. The District plans to add between two and six rooms to the school, enabling students housed in the portable classrooms to come back into the school itself. The monies will also be used for renovations to the second and third floors of the Elementary school to provide an elevator to make the school compliant with handicapped access laws.
The vote on accepting the Excel Aid will take place Tuesday, February 13, 2007, from 2-9pm. In the event of inclement weather, the vote will take place Thursday, February 15, during the same hours.
The Board also addressed the 2007-8 budget timeline, conducting a lengthy discussion on "forum meetings," during which various public groups would be asked to provide input on "what do we want for our children" and how to save money. The Board debated the number of forums they could hold, eventually deciding on one, mostly due to the competing forums that must be held in the search for a new superintendent.
Topics for discussion could include elementary education, secondary education, transportation, technology, facilities and several others. No date has yet been set for the forum.
In the only item that required no discussion, the meeting started with a Pride in Putnam Valley Award to Cindy Belotti, a Middle School aide. Belotti was praised by Middle School Principal Ed Hallisey and Superintendent Tutty for her spirit, positive outlook and courageous fight in the face of serious illness.
About forty friends and colleagues specifically attended the meeting to see her receive the award and enthusiastically applauded following her short speech thanking all for their support. Belotti and friends left immediately afterward to continue what seemed to be a joyful celebration that had started a few hours earlier, at the end of the school day.
The next meeting of the Putnam Valley Board of Education will be Thursday, January 18, at 7pm.
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