Presentations on the elementary, middle and high school budgets were given at the Board of Education meeting held on Tuesday, March 18. For well over two and a half hours members of the board and the community listened as presenters outlined program goals, staffing information, projected enrollment, building budget allocation and new initiatives.

Division Street Elementary School Principal Greer Miller spoke first, highlighting some notable happenings at each of the elementary schools. Among these were: Caroline Street School’s 50th anniversary; a fifth grade residency with author Matt McEilligott at Geyser Road School; a promise tree character education program at Greenfield School; a global partnership program at Division Street School; monthly character education assemblies at Lake Avenue School and the creation of a 1,000 Book Club reading program at three of the schools.

Miller also reviewed the district’s ongoing goals for the elementary schools and the potential goals for the 2008-2009 school year. Kevin Froats, principal at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School, spoke after Miller and summarized the upcoming year’s new proposals.

The proposals include two classroom teachers, summer school for first and second grades, an after-school foreign language program and curriculum writing. The total cost of the new proposals has been estimated at approximately $192,000; the curriculum writing would be grant funded.

Many of the board’s members scrutinized the specifics of the proposals and questioned the need for each of them. Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Thomas Mele helped Miller and Froats bring clarification on a number of issues.

Maple Avenue Middle School Principal Stuart Byrne discussed the advantages of a sixth grade reconfiguration proposal at great length. He believes the reconfiguration will create more interdisciplinary projects, develop student mentor programs, allow for more hands-on science and eliminate cross teaming for subjects.

Byrne also touched on the need for one summer school clerk and two foreign language teachers, one Spanish and one French, at the middle school. Right now, there is no foreign language program at all for sixth graders.

The New York State Health Department has mandated that the Body Mass Index of all sixth grade students be reported starting this fall. Byrne said the school will be adding BMI curriculum writing to help teach students learn how to maintain a healthy weight and make good food choices.

Frank Crowley, principal at Saratoga Springs High School, closed the evening’s budget workshop presentations. He discussed grade enrollment at the present time and what it’s projected to be through 2011, as well as class size, budget allocation per pupil and summer curriculum projects.

Prior to the presentation, the board approved the nomination of Jeffrey Piro as a candidate to the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Members will be elected to the WSWHE board on April 22.