The New Paltz School District board focused the majority of its January 6 meeting on a variety of pandemic-related issues.
Plans remained in place to shift from fully remote to hybrid learning in the district effective January 19, although the superintendent is prepared to change that as conditions warrant. At the same time, parents are being asked to make their next semester-long commitments for their children, as to whether they will be attending in person when possible or not. Those commitments, which will be in effect starting January 25, must be submitted via an online form no later than January 14. While some parents would prefer the flexibility of being able to commit to just one quarter rather than a semester, superintendent Angela Urbina-Medina said that would make the planning process unduly complicated for administrators.
The heating and cooling systems in all school buildings “meet or exceed state standards,” according to trustee Teresa Thompson, who oversees the board’s facilities committee. With windows needing to be closed for the colder months, Thompson said that this question has been raised often enough that some parents will be receiving a letter providing assurances to that effect.
The school board continue to wrestle with the challenges posed by remote learning, even for children with the proper equipment. Members of the racial equity committee have requested more data about student performance to help them understand those impacts. Even the relatively simple act of submitting an assignment can be more complex than it was when a child could simply leave it on the teacher’s desk, it was observed, and the overall impact on learning is as yet unknown. Superintendent Medina advised that a presentation on student support is scheduled for a meeting next month.
Members of the board’s legislative action committee brought forth a resolution in favor of foundation aid, the program through which most state aid for schools is distributed according to a complicated formula. The problem is that elected officials are falling short of ponying up enough tax dollars to fully fund the program. The resolution is in support of a bill in the state legislature that would close that gap with income-tax tiers triggered at various income levels. Governor Andrew Cuomo has resisted “millionaire’s tax” in the past, arguing that it would cause wealthy people to move elsewhere. The resolution was passed unanimously.
Robert Jackson, the state senate sponsor of S7378, will not be bringing his bill back in the new session. According to Chris Nickell, Jackson’s deputy chief of staff, “S7378 is not a bill we have chosen to renew in the new session. We very much appreciate the support of the New Paltz school district all the same, and look forward to standing with them and all other school districts in New York to raise revenues this session that can give our school communities the resources they need to come back stronger after the challenges they’ve experienced during this pandemic.”
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