GUILDERLAND — Most school board members want to create a committee on health and other insurance.

Vice President Linda Bakst presented a motion to the board last Tuesday in the wake of criticism, initially raised by board member Peter Golden, of the current system where a committee made up of representatives from the district’s bargaining units proposes plans for health-care coverage.

Health-insurance costs for Guilderland, which have doubled in the last five years to $8.2 million, have come under board scrutiny this year.
"The board needs to develop its expertise," said Bakst in making her proposal.
"The intent of the Board committee is not to supersede the existing district-wide Health Insurance Committee process," says Bakst’s motion. "Our objective is to create a conduit through which ideas and information can be discussed between the board and the district office team, and subsequently shared with the district-wide Health Insurance committee."

While board members Barbara Fraterrigo, Colleen O’Connell, Thomas Nachod, Peter Golden, and President Gene Danese stated support for the motion, Catherine Barber, John Dornbush, and Richard Weisz had some reservations. The board plans to vote on the matter at a future meeting.
Barber said that subjective board opinion "should not drive our process." She said the current process is governed by contract and the board should get a legal opinion on its role.
"We need to comply with a lot of laws...that it’s our duty to know about as board members," said Barber.
"The only thing we’re changing here is the dynamics of how we learn," said Fraterrigo, who made a proposal of her own; Bakst said Fraterrigo’s ideas could be incorporated into her motion.
"To continue in willful ignorance is destructive," said Golden.
Dornbush said to learn by listening to presentations made to the committee, "All we have to do is get invited."
"The ultimate reality is...Guilderland is not going to solve the health-insurance crisis that is plaguing...the country," said Weisz.
He said the board’s committee would undermine the district’s tradition of shared decision-making "because we’ll be there all the time."
Weisz said, "I don’t want to break something that’s working."
He also said that it could lead to a breakdown in communication. "You lose an element of trust," said Weisz.
"I don’t want to fold my tent because it’s everybody’s problem," said Nachod of escalating health-insurance costs.
He also said, "We’re not getting in the way at all of the bargaining process."

Peaceful School Bus

In 1999, fifty-eight referrals were made to the Lynnwood Elementary School principal, James Dillon, about problems on school buses. Over the past three years, an average of 10 referrals have been made.

Seven years ago, Lynnwood, under Dillon’s guidance, launched the Peaceful School Bus program; now other schools in the district are incorporating some of its principles.

The program is based on building a positive connection between staff and bus riders, Louisa Lombardo, a social worker at Westmere Elementary, and Jocelyn Zimmerman, a team leader at Lynnwood, told the school board last Tuesday.
The children who ride each bus meet as a group in the school several times a year. "It really holds children accountable" and celebrates "the fact they have resolved many problems," said Zimmerman.
In a video produced by Nicholas Viscio, Dillon comments that school buses, with their high seats, and lack of adult supervision provide "the worst possible conditions for behavior." The bus drivers, he said, have been the "beneficiaries" of the Peaceful School Bus program.
"It helps the kids learn to govern themselves, not to be dependent on the adult authority," he said.

Lombardo said that Westmere Elementary started the program two years ago and now spends much less time dealing with bus problems. Before, she said, students wouldn’t even know the names of their bus drivers; the program has created strong relationships.
"What makes a good bus ride"" Lombardo asked, answering herself, "Relationships, relationships, relationships."

Other business
In other business, the school board:
— Heard from Timothy Burke, a member of the citizens’ budget advisory committee, that the board has to take a more "active approach" with the district’s health-insurance committee.
"New York State property owners pay the highest taxes in the country and we’re overburdened," he said;
— Clarified eligibility for health-insurance benefits upon retirement for district office administrators by adopting an amendment that says the retiree may elect after at least one year following retirement to discontinue benefits "with the proviso that such member has the right to have health insurance benefits reinstated at a later date due to the spouse predeceasing the employee";

— Authorized the district to participate with BOCES in a cooperative bid for intrusion and access control systems.

Neil Sanders, assistant superintendent for business, told The Enterprise that Guilderland will use the money it has left for elementary-school security — $27,500 — to get camera-surveillance systems for the schools that don’t have them (Guilderland, Pine Bush, and Altamont) and also anticipates having enough money to install card-swipe access systems in three or possibly four of the elementary schools.

Because the purchase is being made through BOCES, Guilderland will get back 60 percent in aid, said Sanders;

— Postponed a decision to buy eight-tenths of an acre of land along Route 20 next to Guilderland Elementary School. Last year, the district executed an option-to-purchase agreement with the YMCA, which owns the land. The option runs until June of 2007 and the price for purchase is set at $175,000;

— Adopted policies on visitors to the schools and on the musical-instrument program;

— Agreed to meet on April 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the district office library to vote on the 2006-07 BOCES budget and BOCES board election;
— Heard from Superintendent Gregory Aidala that "Motivation," a video produced by a team of high school students and Viscio, director of media services, won the J.P. Morgan Chase Multi-Media in the Classroom Awards competition, part of the Celebration of Teaching and Learning to be held in New York City on March 24 and 25.

Ten videos were selected and each school will win $1,000.
"Motivation," a 21-minute, wide-screen production, documents a field trip to New York City where students are assigned to produce news-story packages on the impact of the terrorists’ attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and learn lessons in self-discovery.

The students are: Sean Balogh, Carina Engelberg, Scott Friedman, Kristen Jorgensen, Benjamin Gorenstein, Sean Gallagher, Kerrin Moon, Tara Nelson, Maggie Olson, Katie Steinmann, Daniel Capobianco, and Sarah Bolognino. Gorenstein and Olson graduated in 2005;
— Heard that the Guilderland High School Orchestra will present "A Renaissance Feast" on Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m. at the Italian-American Community Center, featuring singers, dancers, jugglers, and jousters.

Tickets are $24 for a full-course dinner or $16 for a student buffet;

— Learned that Gloria Towle-Hilt, a Farnsworth Middle School social-studies teacher leader, was selected as Outstanding Middle School Social Studies Teacher by the New York State Council for Social Studies and was honored at a March 3 dinner in Rye, N.Y.;

— Heard that Farnsworth Middle School will hold its Wellness Day on March 29 this year;

— Learned that on Saturday, April 1, the Guilderland High School PTSA will hold its Third Annual silent Auction to benefit college scholarships and student enrichment programs. It will be held at the Western Turnpike country Club from 6 to 9 p.m.. Tickets are $23, and include dinner;

— Heard congratulations for 17 Guilderland High School students whose work was selected for the 2006 High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition — Aaron Betancourt, Chelsea Bush, Chris Duffy, Allyson Einbinder, Jessica Endres, Elena Cruz-Allen, Alison Dubois, Lee Anna Fitzgerald, Fiona Hickey, Jaclyn Kerschner, Emily Kurzon, Miranda LaMorte, Jessica Martin, Anthony Martini, Tara Nelson, Shera Sonenberg, and Claire Stankus.

The show, in College Park Hall at Union College, runs through April 15; and

— Met in executive session to discuss teacher performance review and a student issue.