To the Editor:

I have been a taxpayer and teacher in the Guilderland Central School District for 30 years. My wife is also a teacher in the district (28 years) and both my sons are alumni. We have a lot of time, money, heart, and soul invested in the GCSD and the community. After attending last week’s board of education meeting and reading the most recent Enterprise, I felt compelled to write this letter.

The symbol of a great old wooden sailing ship can be seen on flags, banners, and murals across the Guilderland School District. You might be reminded of the Mayflower, the USS Constitution, the Halfmoon, or some other vessel that has sailed through history. Or, given the current state of the Guilderland School District, you might think of the Vasa.

In the early 1600s, Sweden was recognized as a leading power among European colonies. Sweden’s king at the time was Gustavus Adolphus. His prime mission was to defeat Poland by amassing a sailing fleet of warships that would overwhelm the enemy.

The king and ruling elites tasked strategists, planners, and builders with constructing the fleet. The centerpiece of the fleet would be a ship like no other — the Vasa! The great ship would have a height of 172 feet and would be propelled by 13,720 square feet of sails. With two gun decks, 64 cannons, and a crew of 145 sailors and 300 soldiers, the Vasa would be the premier warship of its time.

During construction of the Vasa, the shipbuilders began to sound a warning cry about the vessel’s unstable, top-heavy design. They feared the ship would not be safe. But, the king and ruling elites ignored these warnings and commanded the ship be ready for battle. There was no tolerance for dissent. The politicians did not listen to the practitioners. The Vasa would sail!

Aug. 10, 1628 was a calm day. There was a light breeze in the air and a small chop on the seas. The expensive and impressive Vasa was about to go on its maiden voyage. It was truly battle ready.

But, was the king’s pride and joy seaworthy? The answer came swiftly when a light gust of wind filled the sails, and the ship began rocking from side to side. Water started rushing in the gun ports and the Vasa began to sink.

Thirty people went down with the ship, their skeletons still amidst the wreckage when it was salvaged in 1961. Many sailors and soldiers hung onto debris in the sea and were rescued since the Vasa had only traveled 1,400 yards on what would be its only voyage.

The practitioners who warned of an unsafe and unstable ship were sadly proven correct. The king blamed the captain, crew, and shipbuilders for “imprudence and negligence.”  You see, when it’s time to place blame, it’s good to be king.

So what does the story of the Vasa have to do with the Guilderland School District? Two words — strategic planning. District administrators have proposed hiring a facilitator to lead strategic planning sessions with a goal of determining a vision for “the experience that we want our children to have in the future.”  The cost of this initiative would be $40,000 or $45,000 or more than $50,000 depending on what part of the article you read from last week’s Enterprise titled “Guilderland School Board divided on need to hire a strategic planner for $40K.”

The school board members discussed the initiative at its meeting on Jan. 31, and will continue to explore the idea as they head into budget season. As the mayor of Altamont questioned in his “Mayor’s notes” column of last week’s Enterprise, will the district administration explain their underlying motivation for the strategic planning initiative? Will they give the citizenry a clear picture of this pursuit before committing to spending tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds?

The mayor of Altamont points out that Guilderland stakeholders already take part in an annual district priorities meeting. Why not use this long-standing past practice to shape and extend the district’s vision for the future?

There are over 500 teachers with master’s degrees working with children on a daily basis. Teaching assistants, bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers, and other staff have daily face time with students across the district.

This is the talent pool that should be tapped to achieve vision and direction for the future. According to the superintendent, district administrators already have “totally full days doing day-to-day stuff.”  All the more reason to value and empower the more than 900 professionals at work in the district, using their hearts, minds, and souls while engaging in daily contact with students and preparing them for the future.

Mayor James Gaughan uses the the word “perplexing” to look at the Rubik’s Cube-type actions of district administration. Great word! School board members were told there is no specific deadline for a decision on strategic planning, but then the March 17 Superintendent’s Conference Day was offered up as a “built-in opportunity” to kick off the initiative.

The plan hasn’t even been voted on, and there is a moving target of between $40,000 and more than $50,000.  No deadline for approval, but let’s roll out strategic planning in a few weeks? You can’t have it both ways.

When considering spending thousands on an initiative such as strategic planning, there are other questions the public should be asking. What happened to the $6.3 million district administrators discovered last summer at the conclusion of the June audit?  Why is the public looking at a 2.7-percent tax hike along with an almost $1 million transportation bond for new buses?

Couldn't the excess funds discovered be allocated to pay for new bus proposals or any number of new initiatives being explored? Residents need to get a clear accounting of how a net gain of $6.3 million dollars is being used to offset current and future costs.

Guilderland taxpayers should be feeling déjà vu all over again. Call them consultants, facilitators, or whatever you want, but we have been down this road before with studies of special-education services, the infamous Seversky building-use debacle, and other so-called initiatives.

A Guilderland taxpayer summed it up best when saying GCSD is becoming notorious for spending tens of thousands of dollars on studies, then ignoring the outcomes. Which begs the question, why pay for these studies in the first place? Board member Alan Simpson is correct in saying you might as well throw the money for strategic planning out on a parking lot and let the birds peck at it.

Not engaging the  existing professionals to determine goals and chart a course for our students and district would be a mistake. Rushing to spend thousands of dollars once again on an outsider would be a disservice to the taxpayers. We already have the talent to get the job done right. Listen to and empower the practitioners. We want this ship to sail smoothly, not go down like the Vasa.

Tim Horan

Guilderland