More than 100 board members and superintendents attended Questar III’s 2012 annual meeting on April 4.
The event, which fulfills Questar III’s legal requirement to provide component school districts with information on the 2012-2013 administrative budget prior to the April 24 board vote, also shared information on various programs and services.
Questar III District Superintendent James N. Baldwin provided information on the agency’s proposed administrative and capital budgets for 2012-2013.
Questar III’s proposed administrative budget for 2012-2013 is $4,202,000, which is $83,947 more than the current year’s budget. This budget supports the management, coordination and leadership provided by the BOCES board and central administration.
Following Baldwin’s presentation, superintendents presented information on tentative program budgets. Ultimately, these budgets depend upon service requests from districts.
Greenville CSD Superintendent Cheryl Dudley discussed leadership and professional development within the Questar III region, most notably work being done to implement the Regents Reform Agenda, Race to the Top and Common Core Standards.
Brunswick CSD Superintendent Louis McIntosh detailed the work of the District Services subcommittee and how these services extend and enhance the capacity of participating districts.
New Lebanon CSD Superintendent Karen McGraw reviewed the work of the academic subcommittee. She provided information on the intake process implemented several years ago and the three new CTE programs launched last fall.
Following the business meeting, board members and guests were treated to a special dinner prepared and served by Questar III’s culinary arts students. The dinner featured roast pinwheel flank steak, grilled jerk pork tenderloin, pasta, salad and a dessert station.
Attendees also heard from two student presenters, Kenneth Hunt and Matthew Paradise.
Kenny Hunt high-fives his teacher Beth St. Clair Bedell after his presentation
Hunt, a special education student from Chatham CSD, discussed his experience in Beth St. Clair Bedell’s program based at Ichabod Crane. He provided attendees with a photo slideshow of his experiences ranging from volunteerism to community field trips.
Baldwin also recognized St. Clair Bedell for her outstanding statewide and regional leadership on behalf of all special needs students.
“Beth is an extraordinary educator and leader at Questar III – someone who’s so giving of her time and talents,” Baldwin said.
Matthew Paradise
Paradise, a student from Ichabod Crane CSD, discussed his experience at Tech Valley High School in East Greenbush. He shared how the school provided him the freedom to use machines he never knew existed, such as a CNC machine and a 3-D printer.
Paradise not only discussed his work (including showing a project he designed with the CNC), but also gave credit to classmates that traveled abroad for special research projects.
Joe Mix and Robert Gibson
Following dinner, Questar III Board President Robert Gibson presented Teacher Joe Mix with the G. Lucius Cary Annual Service Leadership Award. The award recognized Mix for his work with students and the Rensselaer County Habitat for Humanity.
Culinary arts students were individually recognized for their efforts to make the dinner a success under the direction of Chefs Peter Desmond and Andrew Ottati.
Students from Catskill CSD provided music entertainment prior to the annual meeting.
