GUILDERLAND — Over $150,000 more than the school district had counted on in its $98.5 million spending plan for next year allowed for repairs to the Cobblestone Schoolhouse and a broken elevator as well as more instruction for new English language learners.

Guilderland had based its budget on the governor’s proposal for aid — about $25 million — but received an additional $151,235 when the state budget was finalized, bringing the total proposal to $98,484,110.

The district estimates a tax increase of 1.61 percent, said Neil Sanders, Assistant Superintendent for Business.

Schoolhouse repairs

The board voted to put back in $35,000 for repairs to the cobblestone schoolhouse. In a straw vote last week, the board had tentatively decided to take out the $35,000 and make no repairs to the 1860 cobblestone building at this time.

During the public comment session near the start of the meeting, board members were greeted by one public official and long-time resident after another making impassioned speeches urging them to`stabilize the building for the time being so that decisions can be made later about what to do with it.

Speakers included former Altamont mayor James Gaughan, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, new town historian Anne Wemple-Person, town grant writer Donald Csaposs, and long-time residents Jerry Houser and Carol Rothenberg.

Fahy said that she had had representatives of the Preservation League of New York State in her office on April 10 and talked with them about the cobblestone schoolhouse. She said that they later contacted Guilderland Superintendent Marie Wiles to tell her about grants the district could apply for to help offset the cost of repairs.

Csaposs pulled out a sheaf of papers and said that he was going to leave with the clerk some information about available grants.

Wemple-Person said the building could be used as a meeting hall for community groups, or a training center for student teachers, or a destination for history buffs. She said, “There are possibilities,” and added, “For now, it needs this modest amount of money, to be stabilized.”

Regardless of whether the $35,000 was put back in or not, the board planned to include in the budget $12,000 to conduct a quiet-title search that would open still more possibilities for the future, and potentially allow the district to sell or donate the property.

The school district was deeded the land by Stephen Van Rensselaer in 1840, but it came with a caveat that the land cannot be sold or transferred to a new owner, and that if the district does not wish to use it for educational purposes, it reverts to Van Rensselaer’s heirs.

A quiet-title search would involve announcing that the district was looking for direct heirs of Stephen Van Rensselaer; if none came forward within a set period of time, clear title could revert to the district, removing the caveat.

Board vice president Christopher McManus suggested possibly doing just the quiet-title search for now, and putting off repairs until that process is completed.

Board member Catherine Barber said the process can take between six months and two years, and that the building cannot be left to deteriorate for two more years.

McManus asked if it would be possible to put off starting repairs for six months, in hopes of completing the quiet-title process by then.

Clifford Nooney, the district’s supervisor of buildings and grounds, said that that would push it into next winter, when repairs are harder to do, and would make it vulnerable to further deterioration.

Barber reminded the board that the building is currently not watertight — the roof was repaired in 2003, but the fascia were not repaired, leading to leaks that have since caused some damage — and said that animals have been getting in and “chewing on things.”

McManus expressed worry that the district would spend $35,000 to repair the structure, only to have an heir come along and ask for the property back.

Town Supervisor Peter Barber, the husband of Catherine Barber — both are attorneys — wrote in an email to The Enterprise Wednesday that an early deed to the property contains a reverter clause, stating the building is to be used as a school. An heir could seek the return of the property if he or she were able to prove legal interest and prove that the reverter is enforceable, but that would require a very expensive legal proceeding and is highly unlikely to occur, Barber wrote.

Even assuming that a valid heir appeared, a court would have to determine if that person’s rights were superior to those of other heirs; and, even if that were done, an argument could still be made, Barber wrote, that the reverter’s purpose has been met by the building’s 90-year use as a school and its intended future use as an educational resource for local history.

Last week’s straw vote was 5 to 3 to eliminate the $35,000 for repairs. Voting no — wanting to keep the cobblestone schoolhouse repairs in the budget — were Barber, Judy Slack, and Gloria Towle-Hilt. Allan Simpson was not present.

This time around, the vote was 6 to 3, with only Barbara Fraterrigo, McManus, and Teresa Gitto voting against reinstating the money for repairs into the budget.

Elevator

The superintendent had, earlier, named the items that she would like to add to the budget if more money became available.

Wiles said at the meeting that the cobblestone schoolhouse and the elevator were both ideas that were being raised now because the district has a little leeway about what to support. It would not have been practical, she said, to recommend putting either of these items into the budget in past years, with less state aid, when the district was cutting programs and teachers.

On Tuesday night, the board voted to add to the budget $150,000 for repairs to a non-working 1970s-era elevator at Farnsworth Middle School. The school currently has just one elevator in service.

Farnsworth Principal Michael Laster and Nooney told the board that having just one elevator is a safety issue, since, whenever it is out of order, there is no elevator access between the two floors.

Simpson expressed frustration that the board had not heard about the safety issue before. “We have a responsibility to provide a safe environment, and it doesn’t sound like we have,” he said.

Sanders said that the elevator serves as an exclusion for capital expenditures, removing it from the calculations. He added that it would be an aidable expense.

Occupational therapy  

Over the objections of two parents who spoke at the meeting and Pine Bush music teacher and Altamont Mayor Kerry Dineen, the board voted to go ahead with its planned reduction of occupational therapy assistants, after lengthy discussion.

The district currently has three occupational therapists and three occupational therapy assistants, for a total of six. The 2017-18 budget cuts one assistant.

The district’s analysis, Wiles said, says that 3.5 full-time employees — including OTs and OTAs — are needed.

One of the parents who spoke said that she has started a new PTA for parents of children with special needs, and that the first meeting will be held on April 25 at Farnsworth Middle School.

ENL teachers

The superintendent’s draft budget had originally included a half-time English as New Language teacher for Westmere Elementary, the elementary school with the highest number of new English learners.

At a budget workshop on April 6, Wiles told the board that the district in fact needed not a half-time teacher but a full teacher at Westmere.

The board voted on April 11 to increase the Westmere ENL teacher from one-half to a full teacher.

Football scoreboard

The board also learned on April 11 that Albany Medical Center has committed to donating a new football scoreboard to the high school. The projected cost of the scoreboard is $15,000.