Angry residents urge reconfiguration reconsideration

PINE PLAINS — A crowd of at least 30 parents gathered in the Stissing Mountain High School library last Wednesday, Feb. 4, to complain about the Board of Education’s (BOE) recent vote on reconfiguration plans.

On Jan. 21, the board voted to begin implementation of plans that would move the entire kindergarten through grade two to Cold Spring Elementary, with grades three to five being held at Seymour Smith. This decision came after three years of research and debate about class size inequities between the two school buildings in the district, as well as more recent inquiries into possible financial savings.

In December, two presentations made to the board summarized the pros and cons of either closing a building or reconfiguring grades. While both presented considerable cost savings to the district, reconfiguration was chosen as the right choice for a variety of reasons, included an estimated annual savings of $112,000.

Most complaints raised during the public comment period opening the meeting dealt with two main points of opposition:

First, many parents said they were unaware of the board’s decision until a letter that was sent home Monday, after the board had already made its decision.

The district had previously made information on the board’s ongoing plans available on the district’s Web site at ppcsd.org and flyers have been posted around the schools to notify parents of community forums. The local newspapers have also been running stories on the board’s actions as they have progressed.

Even though district Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer said that all decisions and discussions had been made at public meetings, and that both the minutes and the superintendent’s report on board meetings were available online, many parents and residents said that if they had been aware of the situation itself earlier on, they would have attended the BOE meetings and forums held to voice their disapproval of the plan.

Transportation of students was the second contentious issue. Some parents said their children had just recently adjusted to their current school and it was unfair to move them around again. Others complained that the littlest students would end up having the longest bus ride, which many said would be traumatizing to a small child attending school for the first time.

Several parents said they specifically purchased houses in Pine Plains close to Seymour Smith so that their children could attend the school, while others announced that as far as they were concerned, the Cold Spring building should be closed. One person said he didn’t even know where Cold Spring Elementary was, which was met by murmurs of approval from the crowd.

Several parents with students not yet old enough to attend school said they now doubt they will send their children to the Pine Plains school district.

The majority of attendees appeared to be from the immediate Pine Plains area, indicating that parents of students attending Seymour Smith Elementary were less aware of the impending changes than parents of Cold Spring Elementary students. This was attributed to the Cold Spring PTA members, who made a strong effort to inform parents of the proposed changes as well as the three community forums that were held in Pine Plains, Elizaville and Cold Spring. BOE president Helene McQuade acknowledged later on in the meeting that the board had wondered why there was a much larger turnout at the forum held at Cold Spring.

 Another problem evident early on was that many parents and residents were voicing their displeasure based on incorrect or insufficient information, and many said that the only reason they found out about the changes was through hearsay.

The public comment period lasted for almost two hours. Parents shouted, interrupted and argued with each other as well as board members, and one even called for the board to resign over the issue. Many came into the meeting under the impression that the board’s decision was final and that their complaints would fall on deaf ears.

“We understand you feel that whatever we have to say is ‘too little, too late,’†Kaumeyer acknowledged. “However, putting aside feelings, it has never been our intention to deprive you of information. Certainly if there is a gap in communication, it will be rectified.†She offered to mail copies of the board’s report to anyone who was still interested.

At one point John Shea said he was on the board for a number of years and had only seen a handful of people present at any Board of Education meeting. He criticized many of the parents for not staying in touch with what the district was doing and reminded everyone that being on the board was not a paid position.

A petition was passed around that almost all of the attendees signed in opposition to the reconfiguration plan. Nearly all the parents or residents that were upset with the board’s plans left immediately following public comment, without hearing the board discuss the issue at all and without hearing a resolution of any kind to their stated concerns.

After regular business had been conducted, the board mulled the night’s turn of events.

“I’d like to have another forum,†said board member JoAnn Wolfe.

Board member Karen Lindsay called the public comments an opportunity to pull back and make sure that all the information was available to everyone.

“Because we are in such a geographically large area, even if we can get it in the papers and on the Web site and in the schools, what else can we do besides sending out mass letters?†asked BOE Vice-President Bruce Kimball.

“Up until tonight, I thought we had done a good job spreading the word,†said board member Brian Croghan. “But as painful as it is to hear those comments, 95 percent of people who had concerns left after public comment.â€

“I don’t think we dropped the ball,†Kimball said. “Isn’t this a two-way street? Isn’t there a certain responsibility on the resident’s part [to keep themselves informed]?â€

It was voted that another community forum will be held. Kaumeyer said she would put together some possible dates and McQuade said a final date could be decided upon before the next Board of Education meeting. Kaumeyer added that the forum will be heavily publicized and that first class letters will be sent out as notification.

The evening ended with Seymour Smith teacher Carol Ruggiero commenting, “I am not unhappy. I think the board made a good and thoughtful decision and I don’t think it was a quick one. Mr. Shea’s comment was very appropriate and I wish he were still here.

“Educated people have a responsibility to act better than that,†Ruggiero continued, referring to the group of parents as an “angry mob†before she continued.

“Change is hard for people and I think the adults are often the ones that have a harder time with change than children,†she said. “They needed to get that out tonight, but I’m embarrassed by their actions. If we can’t set a good example, how can we expect our children to behave?â€

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at the high school library.