Saugerties school board rejects student shuffle

By Kathryn Gill, Freeman staff Daily Freeman February 8, 2006

SAUGERTIES - The Board of Education on Tuesday fell one vote short of approving a plan to balance the student populations of the district's four elementary schools.
The vote was 4-4, with board Vice President Michael Brennan absent. A majority vote was required to approve the plan.
Board President Vince Buono and Trustees Terry Parisian, Edward Kovac and Michael McCaig voted in favor of the plan; Trustees Donald Tucker, Sam Fisco, Richard Petramale and Michael MacIsaac voted against it.
Brennan could not be reached for comment after the meeting.
Cahill and Riccardi elementary schools have current enrollments of 504 students each, while Mount Marion Elementary School has 359 students and Grant D. Morse Elementary School has 309, according to district administrators. The redistricting plan would have moved an estimated 48 students from Cahill to Morse and 35 students from Riccardi to Mount Marion.
MacIsaac, who voted no, said that although he recognized the imbalance in the school populations and initially planned to vote yes, "many good issues raised at community meetings by parents" changed his mind.
"There hasn't seemed to be a lot of room for compromise in the issue," MacIsaac said. "It's driven a wedge through the board."
McCaig, who voted yes, called redistricting an "ugly word" but said the population imbalance is a "problem that needs to be addressed."
McCaig said he did not hear anything from parents to change his mind about the proposal.
"As difficult as it may be ,we have to start someplace," he said.
Kovac, another yes vote, said: "The object of the school board is to use foresight."
Parisian, who voted yes, said the realignment is "a short-term solution, but if we don't do it now, it will make things more difficult."
"What's on the table is in the best interest of the students," he said.
Superintendent Richard Rhau has asked the board to provide guidance about what to do about overcrowding now that the redistricting plan has failed.

.©Daily Freeman 2006

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