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The School’s Report Card

The 2007-2008 testing and accountability statistics have been released for all schools in the state, so here is a link to the Whitehall Central School Districts info.

If you look at the Accounting and Overview Report (page 2), you’ll notice that in a 3 year period enrollment has dropped from 860 to 845 students and the average class size has fallen from 20 to 18. If you further look at the demographics by class, you’ll see this trend will most likely continue to drop in the years ahead. The school boards response and planning for this? Ask the voters to approve $500,000 which was over budgeted this year, to be put in reserve accounts to fund future expansion. Unbelievable!

But then again, if you’re a reader of the Huletts Current, you’ve known this for some time…..

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All Things Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one:

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Cecil Alexander

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Think of Places Where the Town Could Use Stone?

The Post Star reports that Champlain Stone, which has a quarry on Pike Brook Road, has made an interesting offer to all local municipalities.

They are offering to donate their scrap material/stone to any interested highway departments. The excess scrap rock can be used for culverts and sidewalk reconstruction efforts or any other project a town can think of.

Have any ideas where the Town could use some stone? Let us know.

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Rest in Peace – Alice Foster

We are sad to report that Alice Foster, wife of former Dresden Town Supervisor, Francis “Zeke” Foster, and mother of former Dresden Town Supervisor, Sue Foster-Ives, died Saturday, April 18th. For those who didn’t know Alice Foster, she was a very kind and gentle person who was always interested in family and community.

We heard an endearing story about Alice which we pass along here. When she was young, during the winter, when Zeke Foster was courting her, he would snow shoe up Lake George from Huletts Landing, to Schwerdtfeger Mountain in Putnam to see her. As many may know, Zeke Foster was instrumental in establishing the Washington County Beach in Huletts.

We pass along the condolences of the entire Huletts Landing community to the Fosters.

Click here to read her obituary.

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Analysis of the School Contracts

Previously we posted the contracts of the Whitehall School Superintendent and Teachers Union.

Today, we’ll examine the Superintendent’s contract. Note that the yearly salary for this position from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 is $135,000. This is high in comparison to what other school superintendent’s earn. This is the website we looked at for comparison. The salary for the Whitehall Superintendent is clearly above the average based on the figures on that website.

Please keep in mind that most suburban superintendents manage multiple schools. We spoke to an individual from another district who said this position in that district was responsible for 8 schools and paid in the $90,000 range. The Whitehall District only has two schools. Whitehall is a small rural district with falling enrollment. From these observations, it appears that the Whitehall School District has been very generous in what they pay our Superintendent.

You will also note that the contract states; “Upon his retirement from the District in accordance with the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, the Distict shall provide health insurance and dental insurance coverage under either an individual or family plan (whichever is applicable) in which the District participates at such time for the Superintendent and his spouse for the remainder of their lives. …. The District will pay 100% of the premium cost of the applicable insurance plan through June 30, 2013. After July 1, 2013, the District will pay 75% of the premium cost of the applicable insurance plan….”

It is impossible to calculate what the cost of this benefit will ultimately be for the district because it is of undetermined length. However, the 75% in perpetuity starting July 1, 2013 is an increase over the 50% in perpetuity the district agreed to pay from the previous contract (paragraph 4E of the July 1, 2003 contract). This is a very large increase from one contract to the next and also a very generous retirement benefit.

By reading this contract and by comparing what Whitehall pays its superintendent to what other districts pay their superintendents, we can state that the Whitehall School District has been very generous in how they compensate our Superintendent. Whenever the current superintendent leaves or retires, a number of applicants will clearly want this very lucrative job.

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Take the Train

If you’ve never taken the train from NY City to Huletts, it’s a lot of fun. You start at Penn Station, which is below Madison Square Garden and you take the train to Whitehall. The train goes along the Hudson River almost all the way.

You see so many interesting sites as you go. You pass under the George Washington Bridge, you see the Palisades and Tappan Zee Bridge, you pass West Point and many other places of note. The key is to sit on the left side of the train going north and the right side of the train going south!

Take a quick look here.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDqhS1GoO2M

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Saturday Quote

Not in the clamour of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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We Need a Tea Party in Huletts

In good times, all government spending goes up and citizens pay more. In bad times, government spending still goes up and citizens are still told to pay more. Isn’t it about time that our elected local and school board representatives pay attention to what we can afford and live within our means?

Some have taken pay cuts, others have been laid off, still others are not getting pay increases. Our government needs to live within our means. The days of county and school spending hikes above the increases in citizen incomes must end.

Let’s argue for the constant yield rate, which is the rate at which county and school property tax revenues would remain the same as last year’s. Property values have not risen this year. In fact, they’ve dropped. Let’s get some realism in county and school budgeting. Two seats on the school board are up for election in May. The Huletts Current seeks to keep you informed.

Here are the facts:

State & Local Tax Burdens
Per-Pupil Spending
Per-Pupil Revenue
Average Test Scores
Graduations Rates & Average SAT Scores
Medicaid Spending

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The Robin

Here is a picture of a robin that was spotted in Huletts this week.

“The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Robins are the largest North American thrushes, and their profile offers a good chance to learn the basic shape of most thrushes. Robins make a good reference point for comparing the size and shape of other birds, too. They bound across lawns or stand erect, beak tilted upward, to survey their environs. When alighting they habitually flick their tails downward several times.”



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Bits of Everything

Adirondack Almanack Celebrates 4th Anniversary

We received this press release from the Adirondack Almanack Blog celebrating 4 years in the blogosphere. If you want to keep current with Adirondack issues, stop and check out the Adirondack Almanack.

Watch Out – Work on Route 149 Slows Things Down

When traveling to Huletts during the week, be aware that there is work going on on Route 149 between the Northway and Fort Ann that will slow you down. There is a flagman and one lane is closed so that traffic both ways has to share a single lane. This work is only on weekdays, so if you’re traveling on a weekend it will be quicker.

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A Look Around

The birds have been making lots of noise this week and the sun has been out, so I went for a walk yesterday and I thought this picture captured the flavor of the day. Summer is coming soon and if the birds are back, hopefully you’ll be coming back soon also.