GUILDERLAND — While the school board Tuesday adopted a budget proposal that will form the blueprint for next year’s curricula, board members discussed several matters that had been raised as part of the budget-building process and will continue to be issues.

These include how best to teach writing, starting study of foreign language at a young age, and the analysis of test results. All of them have budget implications.

Superintendent Gregory Aidala proposed forming a committee to discuss courses taught in the English and social-studies departments at Guilderland High School. Last year, he had proposed English faculty members each teach five courses, like most high school teachers, rather than four, which supporters say allows for extra richness in teaching writing.

The final budget proposal for next year keeps the English course load at four; moving it to five would have saved $116,000 in salary and benefits.

Faculty from both the English and social studies departments spoke to the school board about the proposal to merge the supervisor’s post as a cost-saving measure. Both departments strongly opposed that, and other issues were raised as well.

Aidala said the committee, made up of members of both departments, could discuss integrating writing skills across English and social studies to come up with a better plan to benefit students.
"Good writing doesn’t only take place in English," he said.

Board member Richard Weisz said the committee should not just focus on who teaches four classes and who teaches five but on broadening writing and cultural skills.

He said he was intrigued by comments from social-studies teachers on electives they could teach.
"In a good budget year, we could add a social-studies position," Weisz said.
Board member Barbara Fraterrigo, long a proponent of teaching foreign language in the elementary schools, said, "Our budget situation is never going to get any better."

She said that, without early foreign-language instruction, the district is not fulfilling its goal to prepare students to succeed in the 21st Century.

A committee several years ago had studied the issue and made a strong recommendation to begin teaching Spanish in the elementary schools, but budget constraints kept the board from doing so. Currently, Guilderland students start foreign-language study at the middle school.
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Nancy Andress said she thinks early foreign-language instruction is very important, but she went on, "This would have been a disastrous year to try to implement it because of the testing."

Andress said the demands of curriculum on Guilderland teachers affects their time in the classroom. She also said the prospect of state-required full-day kindergarten must be considered; Guilderland currently offers half-day kindergarten classes.

Finally, referring to a recent transportation study that suggested a longer elementary-school day would help with creating efficient bus schedules, Andress said, if the school day is lengthened, that may allow time for foreign-language instruction.
"As long as there’s a light at the end of the tunnel," said Fraterrigo. "I just don’t want to lose it," she said of early foreign-language instruction.

Fraterrigo then raised the issue of the computer operator cut from next year’s budget and replaced with a more-expensive analyst to help interpret data from the state-required testing.

Fraterrigo said she has heard from many workers who are dependent on the computer operator.
"I know Greg says they should solve their own problems," said Fraterrigo of the superintendent.
"I don’t quite say that," interjected Aidala.
He went on, "Change is very difficult....We believe we can provide the level of service needed to support our staff."
The new position is a higher priority, he said, and the district can’t be "cavalier" in its spending, just adding a new position.

The state expects testing data will be used to plan instruction, Andress said.
"When you look at the knowledge...that’s required, there’s no one here who can do that," she said. "We really need someone with a different type of expertise."
"If we have to have all this testing...if it’s being stuffed down our throats," said board member Colleen O’Connell, "let’s make the best of it...so it can have some meaning in the curriculum."

Other business
In other business, the school board:

— Watched and applauded for Motivation, a 21-minute award-winning video created by Guilderland High School students with the help of media director Nicholas Viscio. Members of the Media Club and The Journal traveled to New York City for a day to interview those passing by the area near where the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.

Students recognized were: Sean Balough, Sarah Bolognino, D.J. Capobianco, Mike Dellarocco, Carina Engleberg, Scott Friedman, Sean Gallagher, Ben Gorenstein, Kristen Jorgensen, Kerrin Moon, Shaun Moore, Tara Nelson, Margaret Olson, and Kathryn Steinmann.

The video won the J.P. Morgan Chase Multi-Media in the Classroom Awards competition, part of the Celebration of Teaching and Learning held in New York City on March 24 and 25.

Ten videos were selected and each school was awarded $1,000.

Motivation will be aired on Channel 16.

Capobianco urged the school board members to keep the video in mind as they made budget decisions,
"My education here has"been completed by the opportunities outside of the classes," he said. "Make sure that motivation stay there with the faculty. Make sure it’s not just about the test scores";

— Appointed election workers for the May 16 budget vote and school-board elections;

— Learned, from Andress, that Marie Eoff, Westmere Elementary School nurse, has been elected co-president of the Capital Region School Nurse Association;

— Heard congratulations for Guilderland High School students who won awards at the annual Media Arts Festival held at Niskayuna High School.

Alison Dubois took first place in both web design and graphic design.

Dave Banan took firs place in color photography.

Jessica Enders took second place in web design and Benjamin Zucker took second place in black-and-white photography.

Maryna Artemenko took third place in digital fine art and Steve Twardzik took third place in black-and-white photography.

Miguel Bendana competed in computer-based animation; and
— Heard that a workshop from parents will be held on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Farnsworth Middle School — "Internet — The Information Super Highway — What Parents Need to Know to Keep Their Children Safe."