The following article,
written by Heather Plonchak, is reprinted from The
Saugerties Times, 12-14-07 LET
FREEDOM RING By: Heather Plonchak, Saugerties Times , December 14,
2007 Very shortly after being elected to the Saugerties School
Board, George Heidcamp introduced a proposed new policy to
govern the use of district-provided cell phones. Heidcamp
had lobbied for more than a year before the election to curb
the personal use of district cell phones, and at the August
meeting of the board, a new policy was approved, via a 6-3
vote, severely limiting the use of the phones for anything
other than business directly related to the school
district. At the December 12 meeting of the school board, a
unanimous vote voided that policy, citing reasons of
illegality. It had come to the attention of the board in
November that the policy was in violation of administrators'
contracts, as cell phone use has become a term of
employment. Heidcamp pointed out that by the previous board
allowing the administrators to use the phones as they
wished, they had set a precedent due to past practice.
Changing that practice would now be considered a change in
the terms of employment, and must be negotiated with the
union. Also voided was the "acceptable use of technology"
policy, which was passed in June, limiting the personal use
of district computers and Internet service. Similar to the
cell phone policy, this has been a past practice for several
years, and must also be negotiated with the proper
unions. Although no grievance has been filed against the board
regarding cell phone use, the Saugerties Teachers
Association (STA) has filed a grievance regarding the
acceptable use of technology policy. It is expected that now
that the board has withdrawn the policy, the STA will most
likely withdraw the grievance. District employees will revert back to the previously
used policies governing these areas until a new agreement
can be reached between the unions and the school board
regarding these issues. It is unknown when these
negotiations will be pursued. The Future of Technology The focus of the December school board meeting revolved
around the future of Saugerties High School's technology
department, as indicated by several members of the public
speaking in support of a continued hands-on program at the
high school. According to department chair John Lombardo, a request
had been issued some time ago for information regarding the
needs of the department, in terms of space and programming.
Administrators, in planning the renovation of the high
school building, needed to know how the department would
like to expand and improve its program. The three teachers in the department - Lombardo, Jack
Herchenroder, and Ken Washburn - approached the board with a
presentation on technology education, and how it can better
serve the students of the high school. Currently, the
department's classes are conducted in three shared
classrooms, with heavy electrical needs, high ceilings, and
access to the outside of the building. These factors will continue to be needed in the
department. Lombardo suggested adding a fourth, smaller
classroom to be used as a CAD (computer-aided design) and
mechanical drawing lab, furnished with drawing tables and
computers, which will bring the department into the 21st
century, and significantly enhance the entire department's
curriculum. Other suggestions, laid over a four-year plan, included
the hiring of a fourth technology teacher, and the additions
of several elective classes. This will enable students to
have another option to earn a Regents diploma with
distinction. Students in New York State who wish to graduate
with a Regents diploma with distinction must either take
three years of foreign language and pass three Regents
exams, or successfully pass a five-year sequence in business
or technology. Many students struggle with three years of
language; the expansion of the technology department would
offer these students another option. Lombardo said that the department has no plans to
discontinue any of its current programming, and that he
would like to see the department grow into something that
the district can be proud of. Currently, only two high
school technology classes are offered per year, aside from
the eighth grade introduction to technology class required
by New York State. "There are always kids who have to be
turned away because the classes are always full," he
said. The technology classrooms are scheduled to be renovated
in June, and although plans are already in motion there is
some space for flexibility, according to Superintendent
Richard Rhau. "Form follows function. Now that we know what
the function of the rooms will be, we can discuss the form,"
Rhau said. Rhau, who was directed by the board of education to meet
with the technology department, will return to the January
board meeting with a full report on the proposed future of
the department and its anticipated future. "I'm pleased with the recommendations for how the
department will grow, and that we now have a sound and solid
plan for growth and improvement," said Rhau, complimenting
the department on its report. Retreat One of the most significant points of controversy
throughout the three-hour meeting was the proposed
scheduling of a board retreat. Explained by board president
Don Tucker as an opportunity to meet, away from the
district, with the district's attorney, to discuss issues of
liability that board members may encounter, the retreat does
not yet have a firm date attached to it, and is in the
discussion stages. Trustees Heidcamp and Steinhilber both voiced objections
to the concept of a retreat at the present time, explaining
that other issues currently facing the district, including
contract negotiations, should take precedence. Steinhilber
also said that he felt the retreat was being used as a
tactic to pinpoint the mistakes of certain board members.
"If anyone on this board is doing something wrong, bring it
out. Let's talk about it right here." Michael Brennan, much in favor of the retreat, argued
that, "The good board members are the ones that will accept
training." The heated discussion was quickly brought to an end by
Tucker, who said that once a date is set, it will be up to
the individual board members to attend. Steinhilber did say after the meeting that he has not
committed to attending or not attending at this time. Heather Plonchak