Helft And Sutton Unopposed For Re-election To HFCS Board
5/16/08
By Bea Peterson
David Sutton and John Helft are running unopposed for three years terms on the School Board.
John Helft has served on the School Board for six years. He’s running again because, he said, “There are still a bunch of things I want to see changed.” In particular he would like to see the curriculum extended to make it more challenging for students.
David Sutton has been on the Board for eight years. He is running again because, he said, “I wanted to be part of the resurgence in academic excellence that is occurring in the school.”
On his own, Sutton recently spent a week with his crew and equipment laying a half mile grid of drainage pipes and stone through the field hockey playing field. “Two years ago the school contracted to install drainage around the outside of the field and it didn’t work,” he said. “I believe what we’ve done has made a significant improvement in the field.” But, he added, the base is clay. Sutton said he enjoyed working on the field. “For 30 years the success of our field hockey team has been legendary,” said Sutton. “They are always in the playoffs and they often lose the home field advantage because their field is wet.”
Sutton said they are getting ready to seed the field and hopefully many of the problems are now resolved. |
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HFCS Budget Hearing
5/16/08
By Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Falls School Board held its budget hearing this week in anticipation of next week’s vote on the budget. Total spending planned for the 08-09 school year is $20,648,156. This is $1,584,984 more than this year’s budget, a budget to budget increase of 8.3%.
But because state aid is expected to increase by about $1,237,500, or 14.4%, the tax levy will increase by only $288,441, which is an increase of 3.5%.
It should be noted that although the tax levy will be up by 3.5%, the change in the tax rate for each town will not be determined until August. Tax rate changes will be different in each of the towns of the district, which is affected by whether the overall value of real property in the town is up or down.
Salaries make up about half the school district budget, and salaries and benefits together make up almost 80% of the budget. The total budgeted for salaries (including four new full-time positions and some other program additions) will increase in the upcoming year by 4.6% and benefits will increase by 4.8%. For once, benefits are not busting the budget, as health insurance costs, including insurance for new staff, will increase by 6.1%, and the district’s contributions to the State Retirement funds will be 1% lower than this year.
The costs that are going radically up are those for energy. The transportation budget, facing sharply higher prices for diesel fuel, as well as the new double bus runs, will increase by $180,000, which is a 49% increase. The utilities budget, for heating oil and electricity, will rise by $170,000, a 45% increase.
Superintendent Ken Facin talked a bit about the circumstances that led to this year’s substantial increase in state aid. He said this grew out of a lawsuit brought by the Campaign For Fiscal Equity which resulted in a court order for the state to provide more money to underfunded school districts in New York City. As a result, former Governor Spitzer created a new “foundation aid formula” which brings Hoosick Falls more money than the previous school aid formula did. Facin said we are in the second year of a five-year plan and “all indications are that Governor Paterson will stick with the five-year plan.”
Facin said the additional funding allows the school to address problems that have been identified by the administration and reflected in the school report card, which is now available on the District web site. He said the areas of greatest academic concern are reading and the dropout rate. He said, “we have identified a systemic reading issue.” To remedy this, the budget adds a full-time elementary reading teacher, Academic Intervention Services (AIS) as a before and after school program, a Summer School Program for grades 7-12 and a summer reading program for K-6. The ongoing effort to reduce the dropout rate includes this year new courses and vocational programs, including a new full time technology teacher.
Other additions to the school program include a new Computer information officer to handle the district’s educational data, software, communications, and web site; an intramural sports program and a new health/phys ed position to promote health and wellness; funding for additional bus runs needed to eliminate “bus room”; and increased clerical support for the Director of Special Education.
Bus Purchase
In addition to approval of the budget, there will be a separate proposition on the ballot for approval of a bus purchase. The district proposes to retire two of its current buses, one of which has failed inspection and the other has rust problems that put it in danger of failing, and to purchase two new buses. The new buses will be a 60 passenger bus with a storage box for carrying skis, sports equipment and band equipment, and a 24 passenger bus with 4 wheel drive. The cost of these two buses will be $141,000. This is to be paid with a bond which will be paid back over a five year period. State aid will cover 85% of these bond payments, both principal and interest, and the remainder, which will amount to $23,438 over the five years, will be paid out of an existing bus reserve fund, which now has about $93,000 in it. The impact of this purchase on the taxpayers will thus be zero, as it will be entirely paid for by state aid and the funds already in the bus reserve fund.
The final item on the ballot will be election of two school board members. Incumbent School Board members David Sutton and John Helft are running unopposed for these two seats.
The budget vote and election will be held May 20, from 9 am to 9 pm in the main foyer of the High School.
Board President David Sutton said, “I feel very good about the direction our school is moving in,” and he encouraged everyone to come out and vote. |
