To the Editor:
It’s astonishing that school districts continue to raise taxes after record amounts of federal aid and state aid have been given to them, considering that the economy’s trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, gas prices are at historic highs, and the cost of basic food provisions are moving out of sight.  

We were told months ago that the Guilderland School District was flush with money, and now what is proposed is a Guilderland school budget that pushes to the top of the allowable tax cap.

At the most recent school board meeting, some of the school board members echoed these sentiments, as reported by The Altamont Enterprise in its March 24, 2022 coverage of the district’s March 8 and 15 meetings [“GCSD drafts $110M budget for next year: spending up nearly 5%, taxes up nearly 3%”].

“Besides thinking only of our needs, we need to think of our community,” said board Vice President Gloria Towle-Hilt. “It’s not been easy for anyone,” she said of dealing with the pandemic.

Board member Judy Slack echoed her thoughts, noting many taxpayers in the district don’t have children in school and they are thinking, “I don’t have more to give you.”

Board member Kim Blasiak commented that addressing student needs is important. “We’re Guilderland and these are our students … but our adults are sinking too.”

Superintendent Marie Wiles, in answering questions from the board and the public about her draft budget, said that the nearly 5-percent spending increase and the nearly 3-percent tax increase “are the highest they’ve been in my time here” as she stressed the importance of “balance” in not overburdening taxpayers.

I do not feel that the important balance has been achieved.

However,  I am writing to raise a more basic issue — our school administrators should not just provide equal amounts of resources but demonstrate equity and fairness in distributing these massive amounts of funds, and specifically to Altamont’s elementary school.

Several parents expressed their concern at the meeting that Altamont Elementary School has just a part-time librarian while the other district elementary schools each have a full-time librarian. Gloria Towle-Hilt raised the issue of equity with Altamont students being underserved at a time when relevancy is “more and more crucial.” Board member Blanca Gonzalez-Parker agreed, saying she felt it’s a disparity with the situation.

In my opinion, this smaller allotment to Altamont is not just about giving everyone the same equally. It is making sure access, opportunity, and advancement are achieved by eliminating barriers that prevent the full participation of all Altamont students, especially since this school has the largest population of reduced-price and free-lunch students, a measure under federal Title I that mandates addressing children's special needs to close gaps and increase opportunity for all students.

In response to requests to fill the librarian gap, Superintendent Wiles considered this a “worthwhile and appropriate request,” but she stressed there were “many requests for additional staffing …. Most importantly, we are every day still uncovering more information about our students’ needs and so don't simply want to spend the federal money all at once.”

She suggested  that the district must have some resources available in case of  new future  needs. It seems to me that delaying consideration of this legitimate and present need is not an option. Suggesting that “volunteers,” she continued, could fill the gap is avoiding district responsibility rather than addressing this inequity straight on.

I applaud the efforts of some board members who attempted to identify a way to address this issue, but to no avail. For example, board President Seema-Rivera, whose suggestion to use federal funds to cover the librarian position, was told by Superintendent Wiles that the COVID-related federal funds would be going away so they shouldn't be used for permanent posts.

Rather than dismiss efforts to solve the problem out of hand, I encourage the district to seek other avenues to increase the librarian resources at Altamont Elementary.

Although there may be restrictions on the use of COVID-19 monies, I wonder if a full assessment of the use of the district’s federal Title I funds has been made in this case, especially since Altamont Elementary School is responsible for a large portion of these federal funds.

I believe these funds do not have the same restrictions on their use as the funds to address the pandemic.   I cannot determine the source of revenues used for various purposes in the public budget documents, so would encourage interested board members to seek clarity on the actual use of federal Title I funds for addressing needs at Altamont Elementary School.

I praise the staff and teachers at Altamont Elementary School for doing more than their fair share to meet student needs, especially in the area of special education. I remind everyone that Altamont sustains two or three special-education classes (although I cannot determine from the public materials which is the actual number), more than any other elementary school.

The district performs admirably and deserves credit for providing an excellent education to its students.  We, however,  should not forget the outstanding work that the staff perform at Altamont Elementary — and we should not make their job more difficult by denying them equal and appropriate resources.

The school should not be shorted financially during this budget time, with the district’s state aid up nearly 11 percent over this year and expected to total close to $30 million next year.

Altamont may be the smallest of Guilderland’s elementary schools but it does more than its fair share. I encourage parents of children there to continue to raise their voices to the district officials.

They should not be satisfied with the answers given them at the last school board meeting regarding a fair and equitable share of librarian services. There also may be other issues that deserve attention by parents, but, until they make their views known publicly and loudly, their children’s needs may continue to be overlooked and not be included when resources are allocated.

As Superintendent Wiles stressed at the board meeting” We are “making sure all students, and by that we mean each and every one, … are ready for whatever the future brings."

James Gaughan

Altamont