School elections
Three run for Voorheesville School Board



VOORHEESVILLE – Three candidates are vying for one school board seat on May 15. Thomas Jones, Timothy Blow, and Sean Signer are all long-time residents of the district, making their first run for the board. Each feels that, if elected, he could bring a new perspective to the board.
Richard Brackett is retiring after one five-year term on the board. "I did my five years," Brackett told The Enterprise earlier. "It’s time for someone else to take over."

The elected candidate will serve for a term of five years on the seven-member board. The position is unpaid.

On May 15, voters will also decide on the district’s $21 million budget proposal, an increase of about 4.7 percent over this year’s.
The district will hold a "meet and greet" the candidates meeting on Wednesday, May 9, at 7 p.m. in the performing arts center at the high school.

The Enterprise spoke with each candidate and asked about several issues relevant to the Voorheesville School District:

– Tech Valley: Candidates were asked about their views on technology-rich learning, and the concept of the Tech Valley High School, which is set to open in the fall. The school will draw students from across the region; participating districts will pay $18,000 per student, eligible for state aid the following year. Tech Valley High plans to focus on teaching skills that the students will need in the real world. The curriculum will be student-centered, and subjects will be interrelated.

– Communication: Candidates were asked how they would handle a situation such as the one that resulted from the state comptroller’s findings that former Superintendent Alan McCartney and former Assistant Superintendent for Business Anthony Marturano inappropriately paid themselves $216,000. The school board, at the time, voted unanimously to file civil suits against the two men to try to recoup the money. The district recently settled with McCartney; he paid the district $40,000. The case with Marturano is ongoing.
Candidates were also asked how situations like the resignation of popular music teacher Charles Reader might be avoided in the future. Reader resigned from his job with the district about a month after he was placed on administrative leave by Superintendent Linda Langevin because he had "engaged in inappropriate conduct with a student of the District," according to a letter she sent to Reader. Later, an agreement between Reader and the district, stated the resignation was "for various medical reasons." The Enterprise submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to the district to obtain the documents relevant to Reader’s resignation. The paper was unable to determine the reasons why Reader felt compelled to resign.

– Enforcement of policies: Candidates were asked how they feel about district policies being enforced at the discretion of the school administration. The school board was divided over a stricter dress code passed in July. The three board members who opposed the policy had issues with the enforcement being at the discretion of administrators and other adults in the building. Students were invited to speak at the November school board meeting on their reaction to the dress code. The students who spoke said that the popular kids received special treatment and the enforcement is unfair.
The school board is also discussing a tobacco policy that would be enforced at the discretion of administrators. "All administrators, faculty, and staff will be encouraged to enforce the tobacco policy," the policy reads.
– Social worker: Candidates were asked if they felt that adding a social worker is a good direction for the district. The 2007-08 budget proposal includes the addition of a full-time social worker, the first to be employed by the Voorheesville School District. "There is an increasing demand on our guidance staff and psychologist," high-school Principal Mark Diefendorf told The Enterprise earlier. The position is budgeted at around $60,000.
– Growth: Candidates were asked how they would address increasing enrollment and the concerns it brings to the district. The 2007-08 budget proposal also includes the addition of a fourth-grade elementary-school teacher in response to growing enrollment at the school. Enrollment numbers are expected to continue to increase, especially with numerous developments in the works, including the Vista Tech Park, which is estimated to bring "an annual average increase of 409 new jobs" to the area in the 10 years from 2009 to 2019, according to the draft environmental impact statement for the project.

Candidates were also asked how the district could work at minimizing taxes while maintaining a good quality of education.

– Security: Candidates were asked if Voorheesville should look at the status of the security within the district in response to the massive school shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech University on Monday.