VOORHEESVILLE – In contrast to the public outcry in August over the possible appointment of Robert Baron to coach the Lady Blackbirds’ basketball team, on Monday night, a petition signed by 89 parents was presented to the school board in support of Baron.

The team has a history of winning and is a point of community pride.

The search for a coach for the Voorheesville girls’ varsity basketball team was reopened after Dennis McCormick, a physical education teacher at the Voorheesville Elementary School and coach of the girls’ junior varsity team for eight years, declined the position for personal reasons.

The board appointed McCormick at its Aug. 13 meeting.

The controversy over the post began when rumors surfaced around the Voorheesville community that the board was going to appoint Baron over McCormick to fill the position vacated by John McClement, who resigned in June after being approved to coach Albany High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team.

Baron, a former president of the school board, is not a certified teacher.
Regulations of the state’s commissioner for education stipulate: "A person who does not hold a current New York State teaching certificate may be employed as a temporary coach only if there are no certified teachers available with experience and qualifications to coach the team."

The district’s athletic director, Joseph Sapienza, had recommended that the board appoint Baron.

The meeting hall was packed on Aug. 13, and a lengthy public comment session ensued over the coaching appointment.
A few residents spoke fondly of Baron, and many were concerned that Baron might be appointed over a certified teacher, which violates State Education Law. [See earlier articles regarding this issue at altamontenterprise.com under "archives" for Aug. 2, Aug. 16, and Aug. 30 in 2007.]

On Monday, after school board President David Gibson opened the meeting up to the public, Chris Madden, a district resident for seven years, addressed the board regarding Baron.
He said that he had provided Sapienza with a petition that had been circulated to parents of girls who participate in the basketball program at Voorheesville. It was signed by 89 parents, all of whom "fully support the hiring of Bob Baron," he said.
He urged the board to "hire Mr. Baron" if no other candidates were qualified. Madden said that Baron has a "commitment" to the girls, and maintains a high level of sportsmanship.
Gibson announced that the board did not have a recommendation, due to "unexpected events" that had occurred since the last meeting.
"We are trying to close it as soon as possible, for the sake of the girls, and for the coach," said Gibson.

Resident Tav Daly asked if there is any reason why Baron is not eligible for the position. She went on to ask if it is more important to hire a certified teacher over someone who may be more qualified.

The district is getting an interpretation on that, Gibson said, explaining that the requirements are different for those who are not certified teachers.

Baron told The Enterprise earlier that he has been involved in numerous youth leagues around Voorheesville over the past 20 years – Catholic Youth Organization, Amateur Athletic Union, and community basketball teams – and coached third- through twelfth-graders. Last year, he was the assistant coach for the girls’ varsity team at Scotia.
"I have all my credentials – first aid, CPR, and coaching first aid," Baron told The Enterprise earlier.

After McCormick declined the position, the district re-posted the opening, first internally, and then ran ads in both The Times Union and The Gazette, Langevin told The Enterprise this week.
She said there are now seven applicants and stated, "Our candidate pool is sufficient."
When asked how the board would consider the petition in support of Baron, Langevin said that the process is being completed and "we’re making sure each of the applicants is thoroughly reviewed for their qualifications and certifications.
"We will have closure very soon" We’re going to complete the process and find a coach," Langevin said.

The district has been working with the State Education Department to check the candidate’s qualifications, she said.
"Review has been very thorough," Langevin concluded. "We don’t want to make any missteps."

Other business

In other business at the Sept. 10 school board meeting, the board:
– Heard from former school-board member Richard Brackett that he doesn’t feel the board should rush into a contract extension for Superintendent Langevin. "The school is in chaos," Brackett said. "It is almost a hostile work environment," he said, adding that the hostility has trickled down to the students. "There is no reason to rush into this," he said of the contract extension.
Longtime bus driver Chris Allard, who heads the United Employees of Voorheesville, informed the board that she thought Brackett’s assertion that the school is in chaos was inaccurate. "I didn’t see any hostile environment," Allard said. "Teachers all seem to be very happy. I thought it went well," she said of the opening of school.
Administrators from all three schools categorized the events of the first day as "uneventful" and said things ran smoothly.

After an executive-session discussion regarding Lagevin’s contract, the board unanimously approved an extension ending June 30, 2009;

– Unanimously approved, following an executive-session discussion, a renewal agreement with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna for legal services, effective from Jul 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, at a retainer fee of $22,000 and a non-retainer fee of $185 per hour;

– Approved substitute-teacher appointments for the 2007-08 school year from the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) substitute registry;

– Designated Superintendent Langevin as signatory for health-service contracts relating to special-education students’ individualized education programs;

– Approved the 2007-08 contract with Four Winds Saratoga, which treats those with mental-health problems, for tutorial services for Voorheesville students who may be admitted there. The district will pay $26 per hour for instruction, allowing 10 hours per week for high-school and middle-school students, and five hours per week for elementary-school students;

– Approved the request for non-public school transportation for one additional student to a private school for the 2007-08 school year, bringing the total number of students transported to private schools to 77. Transportation Supervisor Michael Goyer informed the board that he has contacted the neighboring districts of Bethlehem, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, and Guilderland to explore the possibility of working together on transportation to private schools where possible. He said that, at this point, nothing really works;

– Accepted a donation of $1,000 from the Karen J. Cole Educational Trust for funding of the Cole Summer Writers’ Institute, which was held July 16 through July 20. The board appointed Brian Stumbaugh to teach the course, at a rate of pay of $900;
– Heard from Associate Principal Michael Paolino that Voorheesville students scored better on the ACT (American College Test) than did other students in New York State. The average overall score for Voorheesville students was 24.7, and the average in New York State was 22.9, Paolino said. "It goes to show the outstanding performance of our students," he said. He explained that students tend to do better on the ACT than on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), and the numbers of students taking the ACT has spiked. Many colleges, he said, are taking the results from either test, where previously, SAT scores were required.

The average score in Voorheesville on Advanced Placement exams, said Paolino, was a 3.44, with a perfect score being a 5. Seventy-seven percent of students who took the tests successfully passed, and 43.6 percent scored either a 4 or a 5, which awards those students college credit, he said;
– Heard that the first phase of the $2.28 million building project at the elementary school went well. Phase two will be done in the evenings during the school year, and classrooms being renovated will be transferred into "swing rooms," said Goyer, who added that the students’ desks will be moved as units, so the children will have their things with their desks.
The project, said Gibson, "provided a much-improved environment at the elementary school." Kenneth Lein, the elementary school principal commended his staff. Two weeks ago, he said, "It was just a demolition site." Custodial and teaching staff, though, pulled together and worked to get the building in functioning order for Monday’s first day of school. "Everyone understands how difficult it was to turn it around like we did," Lein said;

– Approved amendments to the school district officer and employee code of ethics and to district policies for home-schooled students and for expense reimbursement. The board also approved the second reading of the district’s capital assets policy;
– Postponed approval of the first reading of the district’s policy on disclosure of wrongful conduct after a discussion on the stipulation in the policy that the wrongful conduct be "school related." Board member Timothy Blow asked the school’s attorney, Norma Meacham, if there would be any harm in taking out that clause. Meachan said that it would depend on how much responsibility the district is prepared to take on. "If something is reported to you, you have the responsibility to do due diligence," Meacham said.
"As a practical matter, I don’t know how we assume that level of responsibility," said Vice President C. James Coffin. "We don’t want to open up the risk for defamation of character," said Gibson.

Blow argued that the district would take the same steps whether the conduct took place within school limits, or outside.
Board member Kevin Kroencke said he is concerned about "turning the district into a police state." He said that, if a matter is criminal — for instance, if a bus driver is arrested for drunk driving — law enforcement will reach out to the district.

Blow said that he will call the New York State School Boards Association to get its recommendation, and report back to the board;

– Approved the inter-municipal agreement between the district and the town of New Scotland regarding tax certiorari. Payments for attorney fees, litigation expenses, and expert costs will be divided between the two parties — the district will pay 80 percent, and the town will pay 20 percent. The district receives far more in taxes than the town;

– Amended the 2007-08 budget, allowing the expenditure of a gift donation of $1,112 to the elementary school from Life Touch for BOCES Reading Conference;

– Announced that the district has been awarded a $50,000 general fund grant from the State Education Department; and

– Transferred $42,248.75 from the capital fund to the debt service fund to be used in 2008-09 to offset general fund debt expenses. District voters approved $190,000 for the high-school roof replacement project, and the project’s actual cost was $147,751.25.