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Public Hearings on Haldane Capital Project to Begin Later this Month
French registration underway after one year absence
by Mike Turton
It appears that Haldane Middle School students will again be able to study French as registration for the fall semester in that subject is now underway. Superintendent Mark Villanti made the announcement at the Haldane School District's January 2, 2008 meeting. The French program had been dropped last year due to low enrollment. The Board has traditionally required a minimum of ten students in any subject and last year only seven or eight students had registered for French. Enrollment in Spanish, in contrast, has consistently as heavy.
The cancellation of the French program caused considerable debate at previous board meetings with parents raising concerns that Haldane could become a one-language school. Superintendent Mark Villanti had expressed confidence all along that the setback was temporary, that it did not spell the end of the French program and that offering a second language at Haldane is vital.
Discussions have been held with the Garrison School District and it seems likely that some Garrison students will take French in a cooperative program with Haldane, helping to ensure that enrollment will be adequate to offer the language once again.
Superintendent Villanti updated the Board on the use of new Atlas curriculum mapping software in the district. The program will enable teachers, students and parents to track all curriculum subjects and components across the entire school calendar in all grades. For example, a parent interested in knowing when a student will learn research skills or effective study habits will be able to use the software to determine in what subjects, grades and how often those skills are taught. The software will also improve communications among teachers who will be able to easily compare curriculum details in different grades in order to build on each other's studies.
Training on the software began last November at the first conference day and will be held again for a half day on January 25 during Regent's exams. Villanti's goal is to eventually have all curriculum accessible to parents on-line. He indicated that this first year is a learning period with teachers getting to know how to use the system and beginning to map curriculum. "The math teachers have already made a big dent in it," Villanti said. He hopes to have up to 80 percent of curriculum mapped in year two and to have mapping all but complete by year four. Villanti said that because curriculum standards and content change constantly, the mapping project will not be static and will evolve as needed.
Villanti also reported that efforts are being made to ease traffic congestion during the peak period around 2:50 to 3:10pm when parents pick up students from the elementary school. A staff person has been assigned to oversee the parking lot area. Villanti also indicated that improvements to parking contained in the upcoming capital project will also help to ease traffic concerns.
Discussion also continued regarding the details of that referendum on the proposed capital project. For months, trustees have been going over a long list of improvements to be made to the aging elementary and middle school buildings, some of which were constructed as early as 1934. Many of the repairs being suggested are considered to be health-and-safety related. Trustees are weighing the merits of putting two propositions forward, giving voters a choice when the question is called as part of the May 20, 2008 vote. That vote will include the overall district budget as well as proposed bus replacement and the capital project itself.
Public meetings will begin soon for the capital project with the first scheduled for either January 22 or 29. The purpose of that meeting will be to explain the scope of the capital project, outline the details of works that need to be done and receive feedback from the public. The second meeting is scheduled for February 12. The project will be more clearly delineated by that meeting although Villanti indicated there could still be some room for revision. Public Hearing dates will be finalized at the Board Workshop meeting on January 15. By April 1 Villanti expects the final details of the capital project to be in place a preparations for the May vote begin.
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