|
Haldane School District Begins Budget Preparations
State Volleyball Champions and scholar-athletes honored
by Mike Turton
It may seem somewhat ironic that students seldom play much of a role at meetings of most boards of education. That was certainly not the case at the Haldane School District's monthly meeting on December 4, 2007. On that night the room was full of students being recognized for combining scholastic achievement and the pursuit of athletic excellence.
Four Haldane High School teams were honored for qualifying for New York State Scholar-Athlete Awards. To achieve that status, the State requires teams to have a minimum number of players achieve a combined academic average of ninety percent. The Haldane varsity football, boys varsity soccer, girls varsity soccer and the girls varsity volleyball teams met those requirements - and some exceeded them. All four teams will be further honored at an upcoming scholarathlete breakfast to be held at the school.
The girls varsity volleyball team was in the spotlight a second time, receiving high praise and loud applause for bringing home the New York State Class D Championship. Haldane defeated Randolph, the defending State champions and the team that had defeated the Blue Devils in both 2005 and 2006. Superintendent Mark Villanti lauded the team for its success, saying that, "Going into the season everyone said you were the best and that you would win. I don't know what's worse - being the underdog or the favorite - but I think being favored is harder." Board President Dave Merandy thanked the coaching staff for their dedication, stating "It's obviously a labor of love. When you look at what you are paid, your hourly wage is probably in the negative!" Coach Joel Stanford perhaps put it best in speaking of his team's championship season, "The girls were amazing. Their measure of success was to win. It was a big burden to carry," he concluded.
In other business the Board reluctantly accepted the resignation of Azita Miller as District Clerk. She will be leaving at the end of February, 2008 after having been in the position for five years. Supervisor Mark Villanti thanked Miller for her quality of work and for "establishing the bar" for the clerk's position. President Dave Merandy praised Miller's work ethic and honesty, adding, " I can't think of anyone in the District with more integrity."
Trustee Evan Schwartz asked Superintendent Villanti to review procedures at the high school during Regents exams, which take place in January. Regular classes are suspended for up to four days during the exams. Villanti said that he felt four days without class was "excessive" and that he would be reviewing the calendar to ultimately reduce the number of days when classes are cancelled. "Our goal is to maximize teaching time" Villanti stated.
Much of the meeting was devoted to a report by Villanti to the Board in preparation for drafting next year's district budget. The superintendent reviewed a number of assumptions that will guide the budget process. One of the most significant aspects is Governor Elliot Spitzer's hints that funding may be reduced from three to two percent in some categories. Haldane is also among the districts categorized as "wealthy." In those districts Federal and State grant allocations have been reduced. Villanti's approach will be to budget conservatively and to assume a "worst case scenario" in terms of state funding.
On the positive side, possible increases in senior housing and a one-year bump in funding from parklands could both benefit next year's budget. Villanti hopes to have a budget complete by April, but expressed uncertainty: "We may not… (have a budget by then)… due to the wrangling in Albany." Villanti indicated that operations and maintenance appear to be under-funded and that he would prefer to see a reserve fund established to handle unforeseen costs rather than rely upon endowment funds. Trustee Bruce Campbell supported the establishment of a reserve fund. Depending upon the nature of the fund, some reserves can be established by board vote while others require community approval. The budget will also consider replacement needs for buses and vans. Board trustees complained that in the past, information on vehicle needs has been inconsistent. Villanti favors establishing a long-term strategy and schedule for dealing with vehicle maintenance and replacement. The possibility of establishing a satellite library in the Merritt building will be considered and summer school programs will again be explored.
"The big five" areas that the district must deal with in its budget were also reviewed. Health care costs are expected to rise roughly seven percent. TRS and ERS pension funds are expected to rise only slightly or remain flat. The budget will assume an increase in the cost of energy. Special Education was identified as problematic for budgeting because it can be unpredictable. Villanti indicated that as few as two new students with special needs could increase the budget by as much as $100,000. In terms of format, trustees indicated that in the past the budget has been presented in bits and pieces, making overall review and informed decision making difficult. Villanti responded that a complete draft budget would be presented for the Board's review.
Villanti reported that he would be meeting with Ed McCormick in two weeks to begin work on a strategic plan, which will lay out the district's educational vision, beliefs and goals. Discussions that will produce the plan will include the full Haldane community including the PTA, students, administration, support staff, teachers and the board. He estimates that after initial discussion the plan will take approximately three moths to complete.
The Haldane School District was scheduled to next meet in a workshop on December 18, 2007.
Providing local news, information and opinions from
Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY
Encompassing the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville,
and the hamlet of Garrison, Putnam County, NY.
This site is a publication of The Putnam County News and Recorder, the source for news and information of the Philipstown
and Putnam Valley area. The PCN&R is 139
years old, published in hard copy every Wednesday, and circulated throughout Putnam
County, NY.
The PCN&R prints LEGAL NOTICES
for: Putnam County, The Town of Philipstown, The Town of Putnam Valley, Village of Cold Spring, Village of
Nelsonville, the Haldane Union Free School District and the Garrison Union Free School
District.
Deadline for printed press releases, advertisements and classifieds is Monday at noon for
Wednesday publication. This site is updated on an as-needed basis with a minimum update
weekly on Thursdays. For further information or to request a subscription to the paper, please
contact us with your name and mailing address at:
(845) 265-2468 PO Box 185, Cold Spring, NY 10516, or e-mail us at editor@pcnr.com
If you see an advertiser on line, tell them! | Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
