Do school boards ever talk education?
Adirondack Film Festival next weekend
The Front Page
Morning Update
Monday, October 11, 2021
By Ken Tingley
Former State Sen. Betty Little made consolidating small school districts one of her projects for a time. She quickly threw in the towel. Just before she retired, she said he was encouraged by the merger talks between South Glens Falls and Fort Edward.
Three times over the past 30 years there have been serious merger talks locally. Hudson Falls and Fort Ann considered it three decades ago, but it was loudly rejected by Fort Ann. Abe Wing and Glens Falls considered it, but Abe Wing voters were overwhelmingly opposed. The latest merger chapter came to a close this past week when a new board of education at Fort Edward decided by a 5-4 vote to take it out of the voters hands.
I suspect the voters would have rejected it resoundingly as well.
I also believe local school communities should decide how their children are educated, but far too often those communities vote with their hearts and not their heads. The merger between South Glens Falls and Fort Edward would have helped both schools, raised the salaries of Fort Edward teachers while reducing taxes and offsetting any needed capital projects in the years ahead.
I don’t have any urge to sell my house either, but if someone offered me $50 million I’d be on my way.
That’s kind of what Fort Edward did. Even though its taxes continue to rise - the budget has been defeated several times in recent years - the school board left $50 million in the state aid on the table at a time when its tax rate is nearly twice that of neighboring South Glens Falls.
What is more disconcerting was the lack of civility around the discussion. People who argued for the merger were booed down and harassed on social media.
When I pointed out the community had passed on $50 million in state aid in a social media post, I was told to butt out. The sad reality is that the Fort Edward tax base isn’t going to rise significantly in future years and the enrollment will continue to fall.
As a state taxpayer, I guess I should be happy I won’t have to fund that $50 million with my own taxes.
Meanwhile, down in Cambridge, the state education department has begun to play hardball with the school for failing to address eliminate its Indian mascot.
Cambridge has been playing musical chairs on the school board and keeps changing direction about whether to address the “Indian” issue. I can’t imagine any student is going to lose a lot of sleep over who their mascot is.
The school quietly removed all the “Indian” references on it websites, but it wasn’t until the public address announcer stopped calling the football team “Indians” that anyone noticed. I doubt the team played any differently after they weren’t called “Indians.”
The state eventually got tough and ordered the school to dump the “Indian” or it would pull its state aid.
That seemed a little heavy handed. There are far more important issues to consider, such as school districts that refuse to look out for the best interests of their students. There is one just up the road from Cambridge.
Film Festival
Reminder that the Adirondack Film Festival will held next week and gets under way on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Wood Theater.
There is an in-person component to the festival as well as a virtual component.
I tend to be somewhat compulsive about my movie watching. I watched almost every Academy Award nominated film last year, so a film festival with multiple offerings over four days is right up my alley. I will be spending a lot of time in Glens Falls next weekend.
The festival runs Thursday through Sunday with movies at the Wood Theater and Park Theater in Glens Falls.
For one $65 ticket, you can get three days worth of movies.
I hope to see you there.
Downtown message
Saw this outside a downtown Glens Falls eatery. Not sure how I feel about it.
I don’t suppose those folks so adamant about opposing the merger would mind paying a little extra to keep the school in FE? Maybe hold a few bake sales?
Aside from Cumby’s and Stewarts there are like 3 businesses in FE. Slinkfin brewery, Stumpy’s and the Old Fort Diner. And the latter is only open 5 days a week and not for breakfast because he can’t find a breakfast cook.
So, I suppose it’s pretty much 100% on homeowners.
Oops, The Anvil, too.