The Scotia-Glenville Board of Education has decided not to send a student to Tech Valley High School next year, and other districts are also weighing the cost versus the gain of sending their pupils.
The S-G BOE declined to send a new student to Tech Valley High School during its meeting on Monday, Jan. 9, but stood firm on commitments made to two students currently enrolled at the high tech, project-based academic institution.
Budget constraints for the upcoming school year spurred the board’s decision and other districts have also recently questioned the cost of sending a student to the specialized program, which each year requires around $10,000 per student after school aid.
“I wouldn’t be supportive, personally, of telling somebody who is there already that they have to come back, which means that we are running at least one person to that school for the next two years,” school board Vice President John Yagielski said.
Scotia-Glenville had its first graduate from TVHS in 2011, and the student attended school since the program started in 2007. Currently, there is a senior and a sophomore from S-G attending the school, which costs the district $24,000 before aid. Superintendent Susan Swartz said the district receives aid covering around 65 percent of the cost, which would place the cost for the two students around $8,400 annually.
“It is a tough spot,” Swartz said. “I think there are other ways to get a similar thing, but I think time will tell.”
Swartz said if districts continue to have difficult budgets in coming years, TVHS will “continue to struggle to maintain enrollment.” She added the mission of the school was to increase enrollment over four years, but it hasn’t been able to “steadily” increase enrollment.
Dan Liebert, principal of Tech Valley High School, said the school has seen “stable enrollment” during the last few years. The school has nearly 120 students enrolled and is now a full four-year school after adding a new grade every year since its 2007 opening, as the original freshman class moved forward.
Each grade has around 30 students, said Liebert.
“We are not at a full capacity yet and that is probably an indication of the economy and what we are hearing from the districts,” Liebert said. “The districts that are participating are continuing to participate.”
TVHS officials did not provide exact enrollment numbers for past years before The Spotlight went to press.
Liebert said TVHS is not experiencing “a declining enrollment,” but Scotia-Glenville isn’t the only district in Schenectady County facing the tough choice to pull back BOCES type programs.
He added Mohonasen Central School District currently doesn’t have any students at TVHS and that the only student the district has sent graduated last year. According to Mohonasen district spokeswoman Adrienne Leon, the district doesn’t plan to send another student in the coming school year.
Schalmont Central School District Superintendent Valarie Kelsey said the district has one student currently at TVHS and they will graduate this school year. Although, she said if a student applied to attend the school the district would probably send another student.
“It is another option of many types of BOCES-type programs … at Schalmont we try to have as many options as we can for students,” Kelsey said. “We have had a couple students that have gone and felt it was not right for them.”
Outside of Schenectady County, Bethlehem Central School District spokesman Bill DeVoe said the district currently has one student attending TVHS although the school was approved for two, but the district “cut one student due to budget constraints.”
Swartz said Scotia-Glenville is hopeful it would be able to send another student in the future.
S-G school board member Andrew Crapo echoed this statement, but added that the cost for one to two students to attend TVHS could otherwise be used to benefit a greater number of students.
“It seems one of the most valuable things that we have gotten from Tech Valley, aside from benefit to the students going there, is Mr. Jenkins has taken a group of teachers over … we have observed the project-based approach and I think we have found some of it very attractive and presumably we are trying to integrate what makes sense for our district,” said Crapo. “The sort of incremental costs, given that it is a small amount … how does that line up with what else we can do with that money?”
“I don’t see a future in the program with our students,” BOE member William Pytlovany said. “I can’t believe I am saying that, because I am the last person on earth that you would think would go against such an idea that Tech Valley … originally promised it could do for students in our area.”
Yagielski said the district has been in the process of “slowly weaning itself” off from sending students to TVHS.
Swartz added much more difficult decisions regarding the budget would be facing the board soon.
“I would save my energy for what I anticipate will be the much harder and more difficult decisions, not this one, with all due respect,” Swartz said to the BOE.
Liebert said despite budget constraint for schools statewide, he doesn’t think TVHS is in danger.
“The BOCES are about creating opportunities for kids and region’s districts … I think you see varying levels of participation in those opportunities from the districts,” Liebert said. “Given what I am seeing in this district and the economy, I would anticipate stable enrollment for next year.”
“I think we are a great resource and I look forward to full enrollment,” he added.
