Mapping out the curriculum, the possible addition of a new Nordic Ski Team and technology were just some of the topics discussed by the Saratoga Central School District at its Tuesday, March 25, budget workshop.
The district’s board of education listened to presentations from department heads on budget items pertaining to education, special education and pupil services, as well as staff development and assessments.
Administrators went over the tentative 2008-09 budget numbers, with a budget adoption expected by the board on Tuesday, April 8, according to Public Information Specialist Maureen Dana.
A statewide vote on local school and library budgets will take place May 20. Board of education members and library trustees are also up for election during the statewide vote.
David L’Hommedieu, director for information technology, gave the first presentation to the board.
Out of 6,900 students in the district and 1,000 staff members, there are only 15 IT positions in the school, L’Hommedieu said, emphasizing the importance of technology to schools.
Think of a car where the engine doesn’t work well, he said. `That car isn’t of very much value to you.`
L’Hommedieu said he hopes to continue making improvements in several areas for the district, including upgrading the school’s e-mail system and pupil service package and switching over to fiber optics. He also plans to continue the computer replacement plan on a five-year cycle and upgrade the school’s Web site filters, which students can sometimes override.
The school’s districtwide technology plan is reviewed every three years.
L’Hommedieu made two new requests to the board over last year’s budget. He asked for an annual information technology stipend of $250,000, which could be used for new interactive whiteboards, a wireless Internet network, new laptops for students and teachers, and video conferencing equipment.
The current video conferencing allows students to interact nationwide, including conferences at places like NASA, Alaska, and the San Diego Zoo, said L’Hommedieu, who wanted to expand the school’s capability.
He also asked for $6,000 in audio and video support.
One of the biggest expenditures for the next budget would be replacing 16 servers, L’Hommedieu said, but added that there will be a substantial decreases in the district’s cell phone plan and telephone system maintenance because of new contract deals with suppliers.
Board member Regina Gapczynski said she was pleased with L’Hommedieu’s presentation and excited about the new technology initiatives.
`The other departments must be jealous,` Gapczynski said. ‘You are taking students, teachers, and the district into the future with technology.`
The school’s athletic budget showed an increase over last year’s, although there was no change in the current staffing levels for physical education teachers or coaches.
Peter Sheehan, the school’s director of physical education and athletics, presented his proposed budget to the board for the school’s 1,700 athletes. Last year’s athletic budget came in at $339,346 and Sheehan said he would like to increase it this year to $343,587.
He also said that he was interested in creating a Nordic Ski Team, which would be a program `with no cuts,` and would cost around $15,382.
Sheehan said that 12 sets of ski equipment to be kept by the school would be needed for the program.
`The early indications show that there is plenty of interest,` Sheehan told the board, adding that the nearby state park and area behind the school would be ideal locations for practice and training.
Recently, Olympian John Farra, who is a Saratoga native, has been named as the new Nordic Director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. As a former U.S. champion, he was a 1992 Olympic cross-country skier and member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1990-93, and was a 1991 NCAA All American at the University of Utah.
At the district there are over 700 fall athletes, with more than 200 involved in football and over 100 in soccer; over 495 winter athletes, with over 90 in wrestling and over 90 in track; and over 510 spring athletes, with 110-plus students in boy’s lacrosse and over 75 students each in boy’s and girl’s track and field.
The school currently has 107 paid coaches, Sheehan said, and he highlighted the school’s athletic successes, adding that 19 out of 28 varsity teams were awarded by NYSPHSAA for having grade points averages about 90 percent.
Sheehan also said that the budget for equipment reconditioning would have to double because of the recent outbreaks of MRSA, a bacterial `staph` infection resilient to antibiotics.
Other increases included uniforms, increasing from $32,051 in 2006-07, to $40,796 in 2007-08, to this year’s proposed $54,223. Board member Chuck Phillips described the athletic budget increase as substantial and would be looked at more closely in the upcoming budget-to-budget discussions.
Michael Piccirillo, assistant superintendent for Secondary Education and former Guilderland Central School District principal, said that he wanted an expansion of the district’s curriculum mapping.
His new budget proposals included initiating a Sponsor-A-Scholar program, which would start with students in 10th grade that may not be able to attend college and help them financially and through the use of mentors. The program would be grant funded, he added.
Piccirillo said that the Schenectady Central School District has such a program and that it’s very successful.
`It’s a really great program for kids that would not normally be served,` Piccirillo said.
As for the mapping expansion, Piccirillo asked to hire an English Language Arts curriculum coordinator, at the cost of $108,982 including benefits, and keyboard specialist to for clerical duties, at the cost of $49,016 including benefits.
The keyboard specialist would help serve both Piccirillo and the superintendent of elementary education.
The grand total of both programs would come in at $200,960, he told the board.
Curriculum mapping is a process for collecting and recording curriculum-related data that identifies core skills and content taught, processes employed, and assessments used for each subject area and grade level. The completed curriculum map can then become a tool to help teachers keep track of what has been taught and plan what will be taught.
Saratoga residents approved a $104,306,029 budget last year on May 15, by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to school officials.
Voters also approved two propositions: the $7,434,000 EXCEL Capital Improvement Project and a $995,795 school bus purchase proposition for up to 10 66-passenger buses and two 24-passenger buses.
The budget-to-budget increase last year was 4.2 percent or $4.2 million. The finalized tentative budget for 2008-09 has not yet been released and the next scheduled budget meeting will take place on April 1 at 7 p.m. at the high school.“