KINDERHOOK – The Ichabod Crane School Board approved a contract with the Town of Kinderhook and Village of Valatie to sell the Martin H. Glynn School to the municipalities for $1. The deal has a clause that says the municipalities may not sell the building for five years.
The board has been working out the details of the contract since last May, when voters approved the sale of the school building and the park across the street on Church Street in Valatie. The town and village plan to move their offices into the building and use part of the school as the town court. The contract allows the school to use two classrooms in the building plus the gym, which will be used for community sports events.
Interim School Superintendent Lee Bordick said at the Tuesday, October 2 schoool board meeting that he hoped to have the contracts signed by Town Supervisor Pat Grattan and Village Mayor Gary Strevell as soon as possible.
“It took a while for us all to get to this night,” said Board Vice President Regina Rose.
The municipalities will pay $1 for the building and $800 for the Martin H. Glynn Park, which covers the amount remaining on the lease the school district has been paying for the land.
Also Tuesday, the board also approved the contract with the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) for the next four school years. Board President Anthony Welcome commended the union for “corporation and problem solving” during negotiations with the board. Mr. Bordick would not give any details about the contract but said after the meeting that it contains reasonable salary and benefits costs for the district.
The district’s teachers’ union is still negotiating with the board over a contract. One item teachers have worked on with the district is the new Annual Professional Performance Review, or APPR, which rates teachers based on evaluations and student test scores.
Melissa Murray, the district administrator in charge of the APPR, gave the board a presentation on the program, which also evaluates administrators on the teacher and student performance. Though Ms. Murray said that Ichabod Crane started working on its APPR plan a little late but the district has moved very quickly to put together the plan. The plan must be sent to the state for review by January or state aid money may be withheld
“This is fairly transformational for most, if not all, of us,” said Mr. Bordick of the new plan. “There are going to be adjustments made along the way,” he added.
Before the regular meeting Mr. Bordick met with community members about a $7-million proposed capital improvements project the board wants to put to a public vote in December. The project includes several maintenance projects, like paving the parking lots, roofing on the high school, and replacements of bathroom sinks and toilets.
The project also includes about $1 million in technology upgrades, and well as renovations to the high school library and gym. The cost of the project will be paid for with the fund balance and one-time revenues, as well as with state aid. Mr. Bordick scheduled another meeting next Tuesday, October 9 at 6 p.m. with what the district is calling the capital project steering committee.
The next board meeting will be Tuesday October 23 in the Middle School Library at 7 p.m.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.
