Applause for 8th grade celebration

Comment: I would like to applaud Mr.Bell and the 8th grade teachers and staff for the wonderful celebration they gave the 8th grade students. The ceremony was a delight and to see them give back to the naval officer and and Bethany Sweet -- there was not a dry eye near where we were sitting. It was a pleasure to see that the students have learned respect and giving. Also, giving back to their principal and teachers was very nice. It really shows that between the school, staff, teachers and parents, we can make a difference. The decorations were beautiful and I hope the children will remember this forever. Again, thank you. All of you should be proud.

ConnectED system helps find missing child

Comment: I would like to commend the school district for the wonderful efforts made when a child was missing from our school district. Having the phone system in place for an emergency like that is very comforting to me knowing that every effort is being made to help find a child. Thank you to the district for being as concerned and informative as you are.

Praise for Patriot Plain Talk

Comment: As the school year comes to a close, I just wanted to say thank you to the district for making this site available. It has been both informative and thought provoking. I commend those within the school who have responded to questions and comments here and for putting the information out there so publicly.

A cornered New Yorker

Comment: I voted "yes" to the budget this morning. I did this because I feel cornered, not by the school district or the BOE , but by New York State. We all know what flows down hill and we as tax payers are getting covered by the flow at the bottom of the hill. I can't stand that my taxes are going up AGAIN but I also feel that our kids deserve simple things like sports, band and other activities. To me, there is ALOT of fat on the administrative side, but these positions are MANDATED by the State. I look at a budget of 29+ million dollars and that 62% of that is payroll and benefits, that also gets to me, but what am I to do? Whether you vote yes or no, get out and vote! Just stop to think about where the true point of origin of these tax increases are coming from, it's not the BP BOE or directly a result of the administration. Just don't let your feelings for the way things are economically have an adverse effect on the group that it is REALLY hurting, our kids and their futures!
- signed, A Cornered New Yorker

On the proposed budget

Comment: Over the past few weeks the words “School Budget Vote” has evoked many different emotions from many different people. It can leave questions in your mind. It can leave you with very strong opinions. And all of this is ok, it is after all a free country in which we have the right to say what we believe. In order to form the best opinion in voting for myself, I did a lot of research and I want to share what I learned from various sources (all public information).

Abuse of Patriot Field

Comment: I was at the high school field yesterday and was apalled to see how the turf was being treated by the track people -- dragging hurdles across the turf (not lifting, dragging), throwing shot puts across the field, and watching them dig into the turf. There was gum stuck all over the track itself and there was garbage everywhere. That field was very expensive and should be shown a lot more respect than it is. Also at the meet the day before, people had dogs on the field and no one told them to take the dogs off the field. Someone should speak to everyone again about respecting the field and equipment.

Praise for Mr. Halligan

Comment: I applaud the person or persons who set up the bullying assembly at the middle school last week. It was very nice to hear Mr. Halligan speak. I really believe it left a good impact on the students. I would like to suggest that you have him come back for a parent evening since it would be very helpful for all to hear. Maybe the high school students could learn from him also.
Click here to read about John Halligan's talk at Broadalbin-Perth Middle School on Friday, Feb. 5.

Considering the assistant superintendent's position

Comment: I agree with the posting regarding the Assistant Superintendent. (Click here to read the earlier post.) It is my understanding the district has a Supervisor for Transportation, a Supervisor for Food Service and a Supervisor for Building and Grounds. Why can't THOSE supervisors report directly to Mr. Tomlinson? I believe then we could eliminate the position of Assistant Superintendent.

Eliminating assistant superintendent position -- worth it?

Comment: I like the idea of saving money, but to get rid of the position of assistant superintendent and give that role to Mr. Tomlinson would only slow down the process. Do you realize the two different roles they play and how much each of them do? We want to be informed and adding more work so someone works "harder" is just nonsense. Do you really think there are enough hours in the day that Mr. Tomlinson can accomplish both positions to the taxpayers' liking?

Praise for Responsive Classroom

Comment: Just a comment to say how pleased my husband and I are with the Responsive Classroom for our son this year! What a refreshing change and we can't begin to tell you how this has improved his outlook on himself and positively affected his school work! It's a terrific way to approach our education system!

Quoting Dr. Swanger

Comment: I would like to quote Dustin Swanger, President of the Fulton Montgomery Community College, from an article, "Back in the Classroom," in today's Recorder:

"As long as there has been a younger generation, there have been complaints about their preparedness and dire predictions for the future of our society. Yet, there is also the reality that if you set high expectations, make them clear, and demonstrate to students how to attain them; attain them they will."