VOORHEESVILLE – Development brings with it more than new homes and new residents; it also creates more traffic.

Voorheesville’s middle school and high school are located on Route 85 A, which has had an influx of new homes and added traffic in recent years. The 40-mile-per-hour speed limit was recently scaled back to 30 for the stretch of road in front of the school, and, on Monday, the school board agreed to pay $1,200 per year for maintenance fees associated with a flashing light indicating the reduced speed in the school zone.

Superintendent Linda Langevin said that she noticed the new 30-mile-per-hour speed limit sign as she drove into work on Monday morning. On Wednesday, the Albany County Sheriff’s Department installed a temporary flashing marquee, advising drivers of the speed change and to drive with caution, Langevin said.

Most drivers are traveling faster than 40 miles per hour on the roadway, especially when coming up the hill where the school sits, Langevin said.

The flashing lights approved by the school board would be similar to the signs on 85 A in front of the Voorheesville Elementary School, and on Route 155 in Guilderland in front of Farnsworth Middle School.

Michael Goyer, the district’s superintendent of operations, maintenance, and transportation, told the board that the lights would be controlled by the district, so that, unlike the signs at Farnsworth Middle School, the lights could be turned off when school is not in session.

Because of the road’s speed limit, the road is relatively unsafe to cross, which created numerous concerns for parents, especially those with children who walk to school, said high-school Principal Mark Diefendorf.
Some parents, Diefendorf said, have requested that a crosswalk be installed. In order for a crosswalk to become a reality, he said, there needs to be a sidewalk on either side of it. It is an issue that "may be considered," he said.
"We’ll see what happens with the flashing lights," Diefendorf told The Enterprise.
"I think the blinking lights will help a great deal," Langevin said. "I’m sure people will respect it," she added of the lower speed limit.

Diefendorf said he was aware of only one accident, about two years ago, when a student was pulling out of the school’s parking lot and was hit by an oncoming car. No one was hurt in that accident, he said.
The concern in this case, he said, is for the students who walk to school. "Getting the child safely across the street is the most important issue," Diefendorf said.
The school will "be safer if we can get cars to slow down," Diefendorf said. "Flashing lights will publicize that" We’re very committed to making it a safe area," he said.

School scores

At Monday’s board meeting, Associate Principal Michael Paolino gave a presentation on statewide test results for the district.
The results speak "to the commitment of the teachers in the district," Paolino said. Paolino’s compliment to the district teachers came not long after the board awarded tenure to nine teachers, and praised the work of eight retiring teachers, who had worked for the district for more than 200 years combined.
"The board feels very, very excited about these teachers," school-board President David Gibson said of the newly tenured teachers.
"We all grew up together and grew old together," said long-time board member, C. James Coffin, currently the board’s vice president, regarding the retiring teachers.

Paolino then went over test scores for the district, in which Voorheesville scored very well.
"Voorheesville students in the eighth-grade obtained the highest mean score on their ELA [English Language Arts] and math assessments," Paolino said.

The number of students acquiring mastery level test scores on the United States history and government Regents exam, he said, has increased by 117 percent over the past five years.

The French foreign language Regents exam had a100-percent passing rate, he said, and 90 percent of the students were at mastery level.

He went on to say that the state standard graduation rate is 55 percent, and Voorheesville’s graduation rate is 93 percent. The state now requires all but a very few special education students to pass five Regents exams to graduate from high school.

Of the 120 students who graduated from Voorheesville in 2006, he said, 92 percent graduated with a Regents diploma; 55 percent with a Regents diploma with advanced designation; 26 percent with a Regents diploma with advanced designation with honors.

Sixty-eight percent of the 2006 graduating class enrolled in a four-year college; 22 percent enrolled in a two-year college; 3 percent enlisted in the military; and 7 percent were undecided, Paolino told the board.

Other business

In other business at Monday’s board of education meeting, the board:

– Approved substitute teacher appointments for the 2006-07 school year presented by the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) substitute registry;

– Approved the creation of a new bus route, effective May 8, to provide transportation for two special-needs children;

– Allowed Paul Barrowman to prepare three voting machines for the school budget and election and the public library budget vote on Tuesday, May 15, at a cost of $35 per machine;

– Approved requests for 73 students to be transported to non-public schools for the 2007-08 school year;

– Approved a contract with the North Colonie Central School District for health services to be provided to five students who live in the Voorheesville district who attend schools in the North Colonie School District, at a cost of $390.24 per student;

– Approved two out-of-town field trips: a senior class trip to Jenkinson’s Beach in Point Pleasant, N.J. on Monday, June 11, at a cost of $30 per student; and a trip to Sedan, France as part of the France exchange program from Nov. 7 through Nov. 18, at an estimated cost of $1,500 per student;

– Awarded the bid for three Chevrolet Suburbans, pending voter approval on May 15, to Joe Basil Chevrolet in Depew, N.Y.;

– Awarded tenure to elementary Principal Kenneth Lein, effective July 1, as well as to nine teachers whose tenure will become effective on Sept. 1, 2007 – Melissa Green, in elementary education; Joan Baron, in special education; Brenda Clair, in elementary education; Jennifer Zeh, in elementary education; Stephen Matthew Fiato, in physical education; Lynn Kelly, an English teacher; Mary E. Kelly, an earth science teacher; Martha Kemp, in school psychology; and Kelly McHale, a biology teacher;

– Recognized eight retiring teachers – Richard Freyer, Susanne Hudacs, Mary Jackstadt, Thomas Kurkjian, Patricia Lambert, Linda Spina, Estelle Sullivan, and Janice Wysocki;

– Approved the memorandum of understanding between the district and the Voorheesville Teachers’ Association to allow teachers who have exercised their right to receive the retirement incentive effective June 30, 2007, to continue to be eligible to have their children attend school in the district as if the retiring teacher were still employed with the district;

– Approved recognizing the positions of district technology coordinator; director of special education; and the superintendent of buildings and grounds, and supervisor for transportation under the collective bargaining agreement, effective July 1;
– Extended the probationary period of technology teacher Kyle Turski for an additional year, ending on June 30, 2008. A district parent, during the portion of the meeting open for public comment, told the board that Turski "has been very helpful," and even suggested that the board forego an extended probationary period, and give him tenure. A student also chipped in saying, "He’s always there for his students";

– Amended the 2006-07 budget to allow for donations of $357.99 and $240 to be added. The elementary school was given $357.99 from Target Take Charge of Education, and the Extra-Mile Award Program was awarded $240 from the Voorheesville Community and School Foundation;

– Approved a license agreement between the district and Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation for use of its land for access during the building project at the elementary school. The land runs along the west side of the building, and it will be necessary for contractors to cross the land to get to the staging area;

– Approved a contract for placement of a disabled Voorheesville student in the Guilderland Central School District’s skills development program from Feb. 12, through June 22, at a cost of $16,408;

– Announced that the budget vote and board election will be held on Tuesday, May 15, from 2 to 9:30 p.m. in the middle-school foyer; a volunteer reception for the Extra-Mile Awards will be held on Monday, June 11, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the high-school commons preceding the school board meeting;

– Accepted the retirement of Molly Hoyt-Fowler, senior keyboard specialist, effective Sept. 23; and

– Entered into executive session to discuss negotiated agreements and current litigation.