KINDERHOOK—The Ichabod Crane Board of Education held a public hearing June 2 on the $42-million proposed budget for the 2020-21 school year. The budget is within the state mandated tax cap and does not include any cuts to services or staff. This year’s ballot includes a bus purchasing proposal and there are five people running for three open board seats.
Voters were mailed ballots on May 26 that be must mailed back to or dropped off at the district office by 5 p.m. on June 9 to be counted. This year all school districts in the state are voting absentee ballot so that there is no in-person voting due to the pandemic.
District Clerk Mindy Potts said at the meeting that it was a team effort getting the ballots out. The district is posting information atwww.ichabodcrane.orgfor voters on the absentee ballot process and confidentiality. Ms. Potts also said she will be available in the Main Office for people who want to drop off their ballots. She is at the office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and can be contacted atmpotts@ichabodcrane.organd phone 518 758-7575, ext. 3001.
The board held the public hearing and their regular meeting using Zoom. Over 70 people were on the video conference call. Only three people asked questions about the budget. One couple asked about funding for Covid-19 procedures that might be needed when school is open again in September. Superintendent Jason Thomson said that over the summer the district would be coming up with plans for the fall and that there are reserve funds that can be used if there are expenses due to the pandemic.
Another resident asked if the district had plans in the event that state funding is cut. Mr. Thomson said, “We don’t.”
But Board President Matthew Nelson pointed out that District Business Manager Micheal Brennan had discussed state funding a meeting in May and that there is information online.
At a meeting May 19, Mr. Brennan said there is a potential for cuts in state aid as the state set “measurement periods” to review the new state budget, looking at expenses and revenue. Those reviews may lead to cuts in state aid to school districts. The first measurement period has passed and the district has not heard any word on cuts to the $15 million in state aid that is part of the 2020-21 proposed budget.
At that meeting, Mr. Brennan said the district does have a plan if the aid is cut, saying the last resort would be to cut staff and programming. The district can use reserve funds and school district officials can look at reducing some equipment and supply costs.
At that same meeting in May, Superintendent Thomson announced that he was resigning from his position and would leave the district in July. He started as superintendent in February. The board did not discuss plans for a superintendent search or a transition in administration at the meeting June 2.
After the public hearing on the budget, the board held the regular meeting at which board members discussed high school graduation plans, recognized staff members who had recently retired and granted several teachers tenure.
High School Principal Craig Shull announced that the school is working on plans to hold the high school graduation at the Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont.
Mr. Shull said he had met with students from the senior class who made it clear they wanted to do some kind of in-person ceremony. 131 students are graduating this June. He said each student is allowed to bring two cars with guests to the ceremony. Students will walk across the stage at the drive-in, which will be projected on the screen. He said the ceremony will not start until 8:30 p.m. and that they will have limited speeches at the event. Mr. Shull did say they are working on individual websites for each student where they can live-stream the event.
Mr. Shull pointed out that the drive-in has a tent in case of bad weather. He did not mention the date of the event. Graduation was originally scheduled for Friday, June 26.
“Hats off to everybody involved in that,” President Nelson said of the planning.
The district has made plans to have other ceremonies for students in the middle school and primary school. And there will be a parade of cars on campus for students to say goodbye to their teachers this year.
The school district buildings have been closed since March due to the pandemic.
Also at the meeting:
• The board recognized the retirements of Tamara Rouse, Maria Wuchte, Tim O’Brien, Lori Jeanne Kruger, Tracey Gold, Terry Petroccione, Jo-Ellen Estabrook-Pollack, Laurie Wills, Priscilla Shaw, Harold Hutchiso, Lauralea Ingham and Leslie Sambrook. Administrators spoke about each person who retired—some left earlier in the year or last year, others will be retiring at the end of this year
• The board awarded tenure to: Christine Hamm, Special Education; Britney Firstiun, Special Education; Anna Kemp, English Language Learner; Nicole Canuteson, teaching assistant; Maxine Seaman, teaching assistant; Katherine Johnson, teaching assistant; Eugene Ringwood, teaching assistant; and Michelle Robillard, teaching assistant
• Abatement and other work as started on the middle and high school buildings as part of the major capital improvement project in the district. Work is expected to continue through 2022
• Board President Nelson pointed out that the district received a donation of wireless hot-spots for better access to wifi on the school campus.
The next board meeting will be a special meeting on June 10 at 6 p.m., on Zoom, where the board will accept the results of the budget vote and the person who received the highest votes for the open seats on the Board of Education will be sworn in to fill a vacant seat.
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