UPDATE: Board Votes For Congers Bond And Stays In Race To The Top

During the course of a three and a half hour unruly meeting Clarkstown School Board members voted down five motions of varying amounts to repair Congers Elementary School before finally passing a resolution for $6.5 million. A motion to opt out of the federal Race To The Top program failed to pass. 

Some of the 200 plus audience members yelled out comments throughout the evening and three board members left the auditorium at Felix Festa Middle School before the meeting ended with just one, Joe Malgieri, returning.

The motion for a $6.5 million bond for fixing Congers Elementary passed with five yes votes. It had been preceded by unsuccessful motions for $6, $20 $24.5, $25.5, and $26 million bonds. The larger bonds amount would have included roof repairs to other Clarkstown district schools. 

Residents had mixed feelings about the vote to put a $6.5 million bond up for public referendum.

David Gottlieb of Conger expressed optimism.

“I think we have a perfect roadmap to begin fixing the crumbling infrastructure of our schools,” he said. “Hopefully the community will support this. Every single school in this district needs something like this.”

John Doe of West Nyack was not certain voters in other parts of the school district would support it.

“The way you structure the question determines the outcome of the vote,” he said.

Numerous residents who spoke during the meeting asked the board to put forward a bond that benefited most or all district schools. 

“If Congers goes out by itself - it’s 8,000 people against 75,000,” said Peter Bradley of Congers, who added that just funding one school’s repairs could stir up animosity.

Prior to the final vote approving the $6.5 million bond Clarkstown South student board representative Jennifer Hopkins said she thought keeping Congers Elementary closed and redistricting was the direction the board was headed in. That led to outbursts from the audience asking what is the plan and if the board’s real intention is to redistrict. 

The board took only one vote on opting out of the Race To The Top initiative after a presentation by Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Jeff Sobel. The vote was three in favor, Diane Hoeneveld, Joe Malgieri and Chris Conti, with Kevin Grogan, Robert Carlucci and Mike Aglialoro opposed. Wendy Adolff abstained saying she did not have enough information.

Sobel said the data dashboard is a reporting tool but the concerns that have been raised deal with the students’ information going to a warehouse and then forwarded to a non-profit and the possibility of that information being shared or sold in the future. 

“There are many concerns where that information would go,” he said.

Sobel said the district has asked two questions of the state education department about limiting its participation and the answers to both were no. He noted that the Pearl River and South Orangetown districts opted to leave the program.

Parents objected that the board members voted before hearing them speak.

One woman referred to the required information as “data mining” and said local control of students’ information needs to be maintained. 

“Opting out would be the first indicator you are concerned about our children’s privacy,” she said.

Another resident warned that once the information is sent out it is unlikely that it could be retracted if the district wants to opt out in the future.  

School Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Morton said if the state directs Clarkstown to submit the data and it does not, the district runs the risk of losing $29 million in state aid.

Some people said the district should take a stand and state its opposition.

“So we’re willing to sell our children’s privacy for money,” said one resident. “I haven’t heard any reason other than money for doing this.”