At Voorheesville
New plans for health and technology



VOORHEESVILLE — Spurred by demands from the federal government, the Voorheesville School District has two new plans — one for health and another for technology.

The school board recently approved, by unanimous vote, a wellness policy on physical activity and nutrition that took effect on July 1.
"If children knew what junk food does to them, they would probably make better choices," said Superintendent Linda Langevin on the need to educate students about nutrition.

The preamble to the 12-page policy states that obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, and physical inactivity and excessive calorie intake are the main causes of obesity.

It also states that 72 percent of high school students do not attend daily physical-education classes and only 2 percent of children, aged two to 19 years, eat a healthy diet.
Nationally, it says, "the items most commonly sold from school vending machines, school stores, and snack bars include low-nutrition foods and beverages...."

Goals

The policy outlines six tenets:

— The district is to engage students, parents, teachers, food-service workers, health-care workers, and others who are interested in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical-activity policies;

— All Voorheesville students are to have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis;

— Foods and beverages sold or served by the school will endeavor to meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans;

— Students will be provided with a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet their health needs, and will accommodate religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity. And an attempt will be made to provide adequate time for students to eat in clean, safe, and appropriate settings;

— Schools will participate in available federal school meal programs; and

— Schools will provide physical and nutritional education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will link health education and school meal programs with related community services.

Details

The plan is detail-oriented specifying, for example, that food items sold individually will have no more than 35 percent of their calories from fat and no more than 35 percent of their weight from added sugars. Portion sizes are specified, too: for example, no more than three cookies, with a goal of one ounce per cookie.
Fund-raising activities "should endeavor to not involve food or to use only foods" that meet the guidelines, the policy states. Also, schools should not use food or drink as rewards.
School-based marketing is to "be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion," the policy says.
Students are to spend at least half of physical-education class time "participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity," the policy states. All elementary students will be offered at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors.
Staff members as well as students are affected by the policy. For example, food at staff meetings is to meet the outlined standards. And the district, the policy says, "will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

Changing behavior
"There’s going to be some costs involved in this," said board member Kevin Kroenke. He said, for example, the rule on school-based marketing having to be consistent with health promotion "does away with any opportunity to avail ourselves of pouring rights."

Pouring rights are when beverage companies pay schools to sell and advertise their products exclusively.

Superintendent Linda Langevin said that both Pepsi and Coke had decided not to allow caffeine and sugar beverages in schools across the nation. She estimated that a small district, like Voorheesville, might get $10,000 in pouring rights wile a large district might get $50,000.
About costs in general, Langevin said, "When you increase to the mandate levels, you increase staff."

Kroenke also asked about the regulations on fund-raising activities, which encourage those that promote physical activity and discourage those that sell unhealthy foods or drinks.
"At some level," said board President David Gibson, "what’s the point, if you don’t change behavior."

Langevin said that the point was to change over time. She compared it to the evolution of non-smoking policies. At first, she said, smokers were limited to a certain room and now smoking is banned altogether.

Technology plan

The school board in July also unanimously approved a new technology plan for the district.
Federal No Child Left Behind legislation "has raised the bar," said Frank Faber, career and technical-education coordinator, in a report to the board.
The purpose of the plan, Faber said, is to "improve education," making learning more enjoyable and raising test scores.

A committee worked for a year on the plan, he said, and established eight goals and actions:

— To reinforce curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade by integrating National Educational Technology Standards and information literacy skills;

— To extend leadership for integrating technology at the district and local school levels;

— To continue to provide teachers, administrators, support staff, and other members of the community with relevant training in technology to improve student achievement;

— To increase financial support for the technology program through various sources, including grants, gifts, donations, and local funding;

— To maintain the infrastructure and equipment needed to provide technology integration and service throughout the district;

— To implement a computer-use plan that replaces machines every seven years;

— To upgrade the district’s information system and expand data warehousing to provide appropriate information to the staff and community; and

— To enhance communication with the parents and school community through the use of technology.

Faber also outlined the technology budget for five years, which totaled $140,00 the first year, $155,000 the second year, $116,000 the third year; and $110,000 in the fourth and fifth year.
"Five years is a long time in terms of technology," said Langevin, asking how the plan would be assessed and updated.
"A technology plan is always in motion," said Faber, and the committee, with added community members, will continue to evaluate the plan.
"What do you need from the board"" asked Gibson.
"The budget," replied Faber.
"We would like all of this in one year, if we could get it," said Faber.

The plan, he said, will be filed with the State Education Department.

Other business

In other business at recent meetings, the school board:

— Agreed to have the Capital Region BOCES (Board Of Cooperative Educational Services) provide website services for the district, costing up to $20,000.
"We’ve had a website since 1999," said Faber, describing the first one as "pretty plain."
He went on, "People coming out of college now, this is how they communicate...Our school needs a class website."
In recommending the BOCES package, Faber said, "We want someone to come in-house, interview the people, write the story, get it up there in 24 hours";

— Approved adding an additional section for next year’s third grade.

Currently, there are 102 students in the class, Langevin said.

Elementary Principal Kenneth Lein said that, since the end of April, eight third-graders had moved into the district. All the other elementary classes have 90 students or fewer, he said.
Christine Wilcenski, who described herself as "the pesky mom" who asked for another section, told the board, "I’m so pleased you’re going to be so proactive." She had petitioned last year for the second-graders to have an extra teacher.

Lisa Myers, another parent sitting in the gallery, asked if the extra teacher would follow the bigger-than-average third-grade class as it moves on to fourth grade.

Langevin said the appointment is just for 2006-07.

Next year, it would have to be discussed as part of the budget-setting process, said Gibson;

— Heard a question from parent David Adkins if the budgeted reading teacher at the elementary school would still be hired.
"That hasn’t been brought to the table yet, Dave," responded Langevin;

— Responded to a question from resident Robert Denman about the status of Robert Crandall, a long-time coach and physical-education teacher at Voorheesville who has been on paid leave since the spring of 2004.

The administration has not disclosed the reason Crandall was relieved of his duties. Sarita Winchell, the assistant superintendent for business, told The Enterprise in 2004 that Crandall earned $73,150 a year; the district had hired a new teacher and two coaches to replace him while he was on leave.
"The hearing itself has concluded and it’s going into briefing," responded Langevin. She told Denman that she anticipated there would be a decision by October or November.

According to State Education Law, until an individual has been found guilty by a hearing officer or panel, all aspects of the proceeding are confidential;

— Approved sending Langevin, Lein, high-school Principal Mark Diefendorf, and middle-school Principal Theresa Kennedy to the School Reinvention Symposium, which will be held in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 27 to 29.

The conference costs $425 per person and lodging will be $189 per night per person.
"This is actually the next step in the international leadership conference I attended in June," said Langevin.
"This money is in the budget," said Gibson, and he asked that the administrators "find a way to minimize the cost" of traveling to Washington;

— In a split vote, after a lengthy discussion, agreed to offer a new community drama group, The Classic Theatre Guild, a reduced rate for renting the elementary-school stage for its August performance of The Brady Bunch. The agreed-upon fee would still more than cover the added custodial costs for the district.
"I think we open up a floodgate," said board member Thomas McKenna, who voted against the proposal.

Langevin, too, opposed setting a precedent.
"I would recommend they put more children in the show," said Lein. "That’s what brings in the money."
"This group is looking to put down roots," said board member Kevin Kroenke who backed the reduced rate, saying the group should be encouraged; and

— Recognized elementary teacher Patricia Burnham for her 32 years of teaching.
"Thirty-two years is like a calling," said Gibson. "Imagine the thousands of children that passed through."