GUILDERLAND — Demian Singleton, the supervisor for math and science at Farnsworth Middle School, wanted to set the record straight about the earth- science course the school offers.

He said he fears the message sent to parents and teachers by school board members last spring. Tuesday, he made a detailed presentation to the board.

Accelerated eighth-grade students at Farnsworth can study earth science, typically offered freshman year of high school, in the morning before regular classes begin.

Earth-science students learn the basic concepts of astronomy, geology, and meteorology.

The course maintains a middle-level philosophy while meeting all requirements for a high-school course, said Singleton. It is one of four courses that Farnsworth students can take for high-school credit; the others are in math, art, and foreign language.

Before students can take a Regents exam in science, they need 180 minutes of class instruction a week and 1,200 minutes of lab work. The June exam consists of a laboratory performance test and a written test.
"Never do we want to improperly place a student," said Singleton, adding that the risk of a poor grade would defeat the purpose.

Students at Farnsworth continue to exceed expectations, said Singleton, with mean scores of 93 percent or higher over the years.

On average, he said, 61 students a year take the accelerated course. But this year 80 students are studying earth science in three sections of about 27 students each.
"We’re certainly feeling the pinch," said Singleton.
While Singleton said he has the "utmost respect for the board," he went on to express distress with some "unfair statements" and "inaccurate comments" he said board members had made last spring.
Responding to a comment that the early-morning class was "torture," Singleton said students take the accelerated course because they have a "passion for science." He compared this to the way students with a passion for art pursue that during their lunch period, or those with a passion for sports pursue that after class, or those with a passion for music practice with the select band or choir before class.

He also said it was necessary that earth-science students take the regular eighth-grade science course as well, because that course, which he said was improperly characterized by board members, builds a strong foundation for later study of chemistry, biology, and physics.
Singleton referred with "a heavy heart" to the late science supervisor Dale Westcott, who had died that day. He said Westcott had collected data on accelerated students who had skipped eighth-grade science and he found that four years later these top science students were struggling immensely with chemistry and physics.
"We view science as a process," said Singleton.

Other business

In other business, the board:

— Heard from Carolyn Kelly, a parent who served on a committee that studied school security and recommended monitors be posted at elementary schools to buzz in visitors through locked doors. The board had compromised on hiring just the monitors and planned to evaluate response.
Kelly said she was disappointed with a "misleading questionnaire" that was sent to parents without previous information. She called it "an insult to parents on the committee."

She asked the board to direct the administration to disregard responses to the questionnaire; to schedule, before Dec. 1, presentations for parents at the five elementary schools; and to send a new questionnaire to parents in December, asking for comments on monitors only.

Superintendent Gregory Aidala thanked Kelly for her comments and said elementary-school principals would make a presentation on the subject at the Nov. 15 board meeting;

— Adopted policies on student complaints and grievances, energy conservation and management, and no idling for school buses;

— Unanimously accepted the state-required independent auditor’s report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005.
A shareholder in Dorfman-Robbie Certified Public Accountants, P.C., presented the report, noting it stated, "There were no instances of reportable conditions, material weaknesses, or noncompliance..." which he said "is the highest level of assurance we can give on financial statements";

— Established an audit committee, as now required by state law, which will be made up of three school board members and two district volunteers with financial expertise;

— Agreed to set aside $100,000 in a tax certiorari reserve fund to pay for challenges to assessments.

The town of Guilderland this year revalued properties town-wide, leading to a large number of challenges. By law, if the money in the reserve fund is unused after four years, it will go back to the district’s general fund;

— Learned that students will be dismissed early on Nov. 8. Elementary teachers will confer with parents; middle school teachers will map curricula, and high-school staff will be involved in professional-development activities;

— Accepted a donated stove and refrigerator from Mary Summermatter, principal of Farnsworth Middle School. The appliances will be used by home-and-career students at Farnsworth;
— Heard congratulations for fourth-grader Ben Beckman, whose poem "Horses," was published in November’s Highlights magazine; and

— Met in executive session to discuss teacher and administrator performance reviews and to review the superintendent’s contract.