FALLS VILLAGE
From The Sunday Republican-American-video of the meeting available at
http://www.youtube.com/user/MMilesWHDD?feature=mhee
Region 1 discusses hiring director for science center
The Region 1 Board of Education discussed the topic of hiring a director for the Mahoney-Hewat Science and Technology Center at a cost of $30,000 during its meeting this week. Retired science teacher David Lindsay is serving as a consultant for a $5,000 stipend. Business Manager Samuel Herrick said benefits have to be offered to the director’s position.
Salisbury member Jennifer Weigel said her concern is that the position appears to be focusing on building management, not on programs and students. Philip Hart of Cornwall said he’s heard sound criticism that a director has not been hired for the center, which was created through the efforts of the 21st Century Fund, a group of private citizens who worked to convert it from the old aged building. Their vision is to have the space used by students from throughout the region for a wide variety of projects.
“I see this as a place for promoting higher learning skills,” said Sharon’s Marilyn Yerks. “I see money going there rather than to [add staffing for] intervention.” After much discussion about qualifications and the cost to hire a certified teacher, Herrick suggested they talk to Lindsey and ask if he’d be willing to accept $30,000. “That seems logical to me. I certainly think it’s a place to start.”
Thank God for the common sense of Sam Herrick. Hiring Dave Lindsey is a no brainer. His dedication and love for HVRHS, as well as being one of the founders of Team 716, The HousCTeks Robotics Team just add to his impressive resume. I vote in favor of Sam’s idea.
Pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but it was just a few years ago that the taxpayers of Region One were assured that the operation of the Science and Technology Center would have no impact on the high school budget. How quickly things change.
Dave Lindsey is a treasure. Find another way to pay him the salary he would wholly earn as director.
It’s good to see that Ms. Yerks continues to lead with her mouth. Her remarks should prove wholly useful when the NEAS&C visiting committee returns, asking tough questions about the absence of tier 2 intervention at Housy.
Perhaps the first thing that should happen if Tier 2 intervention doesn’t exist is ask why that is the case. It would seem that the head of each department should take a careful look at each instructor in the department’s class and planning period schedule, including his/her own, if that hasn’t already happened. If any teacher has less classes then required by contract or conversely more planning periods then the contract demands, then perhaps a teacher in that position should be doing intervention work. I think that if the public could be assured that the maximum is being done at the moment with Tier 2 intervention and it’s not meeting the needs of students there would be a greater chance of accepting the fact that more staffing is needed and there would be more of a willingness to pay for it.
As for the science technology center, perhaps there should be a review of exactly what was say regarding the operation because if that comment was made, it may have been made based on what was being provided at the time. If over the last two or three years more demand by the high school community for the use of the expertise that now exists because the committees hard work and success has resulted in increasing the load of work there may be justification for the expense.
It doesn’t make much sense to me to understand that more money might need to be invested in intervention and not understand that our science and math programs could be exceedingly more strong and sound with an investment by the taxpayer in what the science/technology center has to offer.