As the Scotia-Glenville Board of Education prepares the budget for the next school year with an eye on current economic difficulties, Tech Valley High School tuition was mentioned as an item that may be scratched in order to keep costs in line, but the idea is not sitting well with some parents, especially one who was told his child might have the opportunity to attend next year.
Several parents told the board at the Monday, March 23, meeting that they feel keeping Scotia-Glenville students at the high-tech school is important not just for the students but for the community as a whole. Many said that the education students receive at Tech Valley would allow them to bring innovation back to the district.
Eighth-grader Luke Phillips, who was admitted to Tech Valley next year through a lottery system, is now being told his tuition may not be in next year’s budget, and his father, Scott Phillips, said that telling students they have been selected and then taking it away sends the wrong message about the district’s priorities.
It’s been a roller coaster for us the past week and a half, Phillips told the board. `We had Luke’s guidance counselor tell us he was selected, and I have not seen him that happy in a very long time. To then take this opportunity away from him is heartbreaking.`
Phillips said he spoke to the Tech Valley principal regarding the tuition costs for next year and said he was told it would actually cost the district the same amount to send three students next year as it cost to send two students this year.
Communications specialist for the district Robert Hanlon said that with the tuition decrease, it will cost $12,000 plus transportation to send each student.
He said the cost of educating a student within the district is a little bit harder to calculate.
`As for a comparison on costs, I don’t have one except the very simple one of dividing our $45.8 million budget by 2,900 kids,` Hanlon said. `That would work out to around $15,812 per student, though this is not a perfect comparison.`
Phillips said the benefits outweigh the costs.
`How does this benefit our district as a whole to not take advantage of this amazing team of educators?` asked Phillips. `Next year they are moving to the University at Albany Campus in East Greenbush, where students will be able to be hands-on with biotech science. They can then bring back to the community what they have learned, which makes this a real success story.`
Tech Valley High School is a regional public high school that was created to prepare students to be part of the region’s growing high-tech economy.
Halle Prentice, a Scotia-Glenville freshman who attends Tech Valley, told the board that she is grateful for the opportunity and wants to see it offered to the younger students.
`Anytime you can give kids the chance to press them beyond their limits, it’s worth it,` she said. `I am learning things in ways I never imagined. I am learning in a way that I will always remember.`
Board President Margaret Smith asked Prentice if, given the opportunity, she would come back to the high school to show teachers and students what she has learned.
Prentice said fellow Tech Valley student Bruno Pinhero has done exactly that, and she would be willing to also.
`We want to be able to show what we have learned and be able to integrate that with area high schools,` said Prentice.
The district is also looking to save money by not replacing the director of curriculum position currently held by Joseph Kavanaugh, who will be retiring in June.
The board is hoping to adopt a building project proposal and the 2009-2010 budget at a special meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the middle school. Board members also plan to hold a public hearing on the building project Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. at the middle school.“