VOORHEESVILLE — This is a transition year for the school district’s decision-making authorities. The school board reorganized this Monday night, with two new board members, Kevin Kroencke and David Gibson, replacing two veteran members, and the new superintendent of schools, Linda Langevin, took her place at the center of the dais.
"We have to let Mrs. Langevin get acclimated," newly-elected school board President Joseph Pofit told The Enterprise this week. Pofit said that he had expressed interest in the head position to his fellow board members prior to the meeting; he was the only one that received a nomination.

James Coffin is continuing as vice president of the board.

Pofit is entering his eighth year on the board. He said that he has certainly become more familiar with the issues and regulations and felt as though he has good base understanding to now lead.

Pofit thinks the district is in great shape to transition smoothly; he said he’s going to let Langevin get her feet on the ground and then learn what her impressions are of the environment at Voorheesville.

The two new board members are also going to be great new assets, Pofit said. Kroencke is very active in the community and one can tell very quickly that he loves the community, Pofit said, and Gibson’s business background and interest in technology will also offer another expertise, he added.

The board’s job is to work on policy and the budget and to make the administration accountable, not to get involved in the day-to-day operations, Pofit said.

It’s the board’s responsibility, Pofit said, to understand the budget, discuss things with the staff and community, and maintain the facilities especially since so much money has recently been spent on them.

Pofit said the board wants Voorheesville to remain one of the top five schools in the Capital Region, a ranking that it is very proud of, he said.
His job as president is to "keep the agenda moving, solicit dialogue, control the meeting, and maintain the integrity of the agenda," he said.
When asked how his chairing style differs from what residents have seen in the recent past, Pofit said, "What I enjoy doing is soliciting from all the board members." He said it won’t be uncommon for him to go around the table and try to get comments from each board member, with the "hope of getting a consensus, but if we can’t get one, that will be fine too," Pofit said.

Some people are squeamish about commenting, Pofit said, and his goal is to create a meeting environment where everyone is able to make as much or as little comment as they want.

Pofit works with Catholic Charities in developing senior housing, assisted living, and skilled-nursing facilities; he deals with the construction and financing of these programs for 14 counties, he said.

Pofit has three children who have been a part of the Voorheesville school system. One child graduated two years ago from Clayton A. Bouton High, one child is entering her sophomore year, and another will be a senior this year.

Curriculum

The board and Langevin want to take a look at the district’s curriculum.
The curriculum committee hasn’t been very active recently, Pofit said, and, while the school does have a "strong curriculum" and the board is "very happy with it," the board just needs to continue to stay on top of it, he said.
The board needs to make sure that children move from grade to grade smoothly, that each class flows to another logically, that the district is offering challenging courses, and that the curriculum is flexible enough so that students are "not locked in because of the grade they are in," Pofit said.

One of the reasons the district made the decision to move the middle school to the high school building was so that students who can excel and handle the workload can take upper-grade courses.

Another thing the district has wanted to look at, Pofit said, is beginning foreign language instruction at the lower grade levels.
While curriculum is reviewed regularly, this is a good time to do a review of all the curriculum across the board, because it is "certainly one of the strengths of our new superintendent," he said.

Langevin proposed on Monday night that the board hold two retreats this year rather than just one, and that one of the meetings be dedicated to reviewing the curriculum.

She has been setting up appointments and interviews to meet with community leaders and district staff, Langevin said and she soon would like to meet with each board member, one-on-one.

She is using the entry plan recommended by retiring superintendent Alan McCartney, but she has modified it to fit her style, she said.
"It’s become clear to me immediately," Langevin said that reviewing curriculum is an interest of many parties.

One retreat will focus on setting the goals for the administration and the board, Langevin said and the school board will set goals for her.
She would like a "roll up your sleeves" meeting lasting at least three hours, to discuss and make out a plan of how to tackle where the district wants to go with its curriculum.

Pofit wants to address the role the board should take in curriculum development.

All agreed that the department heads should attend the curriculum retreat to share their desires and be a part of the reconfiguration.

Adult Education

The district is losing money on the adult-education programs and the board wants to actually break even.
"It’s a very valuable program," Gibson said.
Pofit expressed his concern: "If it’s not self-sustaining, where is the money coming from""

Assistant Superintendent for Business Sarita Winchell said that the money, already budgeted, comes from the general fund.
"I myself do not like giving increases in payroll when we’re in the red," Pofit said.

Approving an increase in salaries for adult-education teachers was part of the agenda for the night.

Winchell suggested that the board go into executive session so that she could explain why individual salary raises were proposed.

Pofit told The Enterprise on Wednesday that the board decided to maintain the same salary schedule as last year, but that it will continue to be reviewed and looked at again in the winter before the spring adult classes.
The community voted and approved the district’s spending money on improving Voorheesville’s facilities, so it’s important that the buildings remain a community resource, Pofit said. "The school building doesn’t shut down at 3:30," he said. The board continues to want to offer courses and activities to the general public.
But also, he said, the board wants to explore all the options possible since the report from the administration showed that the adult-education program falls $4,900 short. "We’d like to see it break even," he said.

Winchell suggested the board reconfigure the senior-citizen discount.
Coffin said what is needed is a "real good review of what courses are offered, their cost, and a proposal to fix the short fall."