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You might not think that very many students would be interested in getting to school at 6:30 in the morning once a week. Even fewer would be there voluntarily in order to discuss Homer’s Odyssey or Plato’s Apology. But the reality is that, on any given Thursday morning, you can find as many as seven Broadalbin-Perth seniors doing just that.
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This following video was submitted by a group of middle school students from Broadalbin-Perth.

This post is from Dominique Castelluccio, a 4th grade student at Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School.

At our school a lot of interesting things happen. We have March Mini Courses , but because of the budget cuts we haven’ t gotten all the mini courses that we had last year. These courses contribute to a well rounded educational experience. As we take this journey our minds will be growing. Opportunities like this help us be recognized by some of the smartest people. I do not think that the smartest people who help us through our daily lives are being recognized.

As the congressmen and women huddle together to talk about education, I do not feel comforted by what lies ahead. They need to remember those who made profound changes in their lives, teachers and principals, and who may be affected by their actions. I know they will eventually make the right decisions.

Best of luck to Broadalbin-Perth senior Philip Dumais, who has submitted an original work of art for consideration in the national Congressional Art Competition in Washington, D.C. If selected, Philip’s artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year as part of the national student art exhibition.

Residents of the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District are invited to learn more about the district’s options in maximizing efficiency in the use of its buildings and the possibility of using alternative energy to dramatically decrease the district’s energy costs during a meeting at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, in the high school media center.
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Students in Megan Floyd and Beth Tomlinson’s kindergarten classes dressed for work instead of school on Wednesday, March 28.
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Students in Megan Floyd and Beth Tomlinson’s kindergarten classes dressed for work instead of school on Wednesday, March 28.
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On Monday morning, students and staff at The Learning Community at Broadalbin-Perth will learn some amazing facts about elephants, jelly beans and singing thanks to a group of second-grade students who will provide the “news” about some wacky and obscure holidays during the school’s Morning Program.
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Bob Munn, the former superintendent of Broadalbin-Perth schools, received the prestigious Dutch Howland Award for Dedication and Service to Section 2 Basketball from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). His son, Tim, accepted the award on Munn’s behalf.
Watch the Video »

Heading into the 2012-13 school year, the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District is at a crossroads. The district has two choices: Continue to decimate programs until it has nothing left, or adapt to its new fiscal realities. For district leaders, the choice is clear: Broadalbin-Perth must reinvent itself so that its schools don't just survive but also thrive well into the future.
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Christopher Plunkett, a senior at Broadalbin-Perth High School who will graduate in June at the top of his class, was one of 75 representatives from the district who attended the Rural and Small City Schools Forum and Advocacy Day in Albany on Wednesday, Feb. 29. Below is a video he created at the event, as well as his thoughts on the experience.

State Senator Hugh Farley, who represents the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, has gained approval for a $75,000 special legislative grant for the school district. In the letter he sent to B-P Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson, Sen. Farley said he plans to work with his colleagues in the state Legislature to help schools. The Board of Education, working with Mr. Tomlinson, will determine how the money is spent.
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Read the letter »

Last year the Broadalbin-Perth cheerleading program decided to take a year off from competing in an effort to focus on building new and more difficult skills. This year, with a very new and young competitive team comprised of 8th- 12th graders, the possibility of coming out on top was a stretch. The time off however proved to be worthwhile as the 2012 competitive team found themselves doing just that.
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On Friday, high school science teacher Brian Henry had to return a 3D projection system on loan from NERIC. But before he gave it back, Henry’s classroom was visited by two local news crews who were intrigued by the cutting-edge technology.
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More than 100 representatives from Broadalbin-Perth joined their peers from 38 other school districts at the Egg in Albany on Wednesday for the Rural and Small City Schools Advocacy Day. B-P Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson and senior class co-president Madison Wilcox were among the featured speakers.
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I am the president of the Broadalbin-Perth board of education in Broadalbin, NY and the father of two students attending school there. I write to you today to tell you that the laws and policies of the New York state legislature and the governor's office are dismantling the district I represent.
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Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, who represents a large portion of the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, responded to Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson’s letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week, offering his support for the legislative action Mr. Tomlinson described.
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Students in Sandy Sullivan’s second-grade class and Katie Murphy’s first-grade class joined forces to celebrate PARP (Parents As Reading Partners) Month at The Learning Community.
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Imagine a world where dissections are a thing of the past; microscopic elements like cells can be viewed from all angles, both inside and out; and students wish their science classes would never end.
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Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson’s letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo is featured in the latest Rural Education blog post, a feature of the Education Week website. Education Week is the nation’s education news site of record. In the blog post, the author, Diette Courrege, presents B-P as an example of the many rural school districts in New York State that are fighting for funding changes.
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Dear Governor Cuomo:
I’m writing to ask for your help, both in your role as governor of the State of New York and as a lobbyist for the students of our state.

Broadalbin-Perth, the school district that I lead—and reside in as a parent of a kindergarten student—is in trouble. We are dangerously close to being unable to provide our students with the sound, basic education that is guaranteed to them by the State Constitution.
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Over the summer, high school art teacher Wendy Carroll received a gift from her father: A hand-crafted walking stick, made by a local artist. After visiting the artist, Ms. Carroll was inspired to share the project with her sculpture students.
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Concerned citizens such as yourself ask us all the time, “What can I do to help B-P?” Our answer: Complete one or more of the items on our Advocacy Checklist. Then encourage your friends and family to do the same. It’s that simple.
View the checklist »

The property tax cap law poses an enormous challenge for public schools, and school leaders need to hear from their communities to help guide them through the difficult decisions that will need to be made. It is more important than ever to become informed about the complex issues shaping school district budgets and educational programs.
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Two cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have been confirmed in the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, one at each of the district’s two buildings. The district is notifying all parents in the district of the diagnoses and providing them with information on the symptoms of pertussis along with recommendations from the New York State Department of Health.
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Resources:
CDC Feature on Whooping Cough: http://www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis/
CDC’s Whooping Cough Page: http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/
NYS Department of Health Whooping Cough Page: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/pertussis/fact_sheet.htm

How many BPIS students does it take to duct tape their principal to the wall? All of them!
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Do New York’s students really need Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be their lobbyist? The Times Union’s Fred LeBrun weighs in…
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The tax cap legislation will affect all districts to varying degrees, but it is clear that some will be affected much more than others.
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Are you a master sewer or a yoga guru? Are you an unbelievable baker or unbeatable at board games? If so, then the shared decision-making team at The Learning Community at Broadalbin-Perth would like to invite you to share your talents and hobbies with students during its March Mini-Course Enrichment Program.
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If a district’s budget is not approved by voters, the district has two options: adopt a contingency budget or go for another vote with the same or a revised budget.
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Broadalbin-Perth Central School District is encouraging parents to sign up for Parent Today, a bimonthly e-newsletter that provides tools and information to encourage parents to be even more engaged in their children’s education.
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By law, any school district that proposes a budget that requires a tax levy (before exemptions) above its “tax levy limit” must include a statement on the ballot indicating this to voters.
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Stellar transcripts aside, students now have to worry about an increasing number of colleges peering at their social-networking pages online—and potentially denying their applications because of what they find there.

As first appeared in Education Week, December 8, 2011. Reprinted with permission from Editorial Projects in Education.
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Yes, school district residents will still vote on a proposed budget on the third Tuesday in May. This year, the date is May 15. Under the new law, the level of voter approval needed to pass a budget will now depend upon the amount of the tax levy required by the proposed budget.
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When Robert Townsend graduated from the Perth Central School District in 1970, he earned more than just a diploma. He gained skills that he says have been critical to a long and successful career at General Electric and in service to his community.
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Broadalbin-Perth Kindergarteners celebrate the holiday season by making gingerbread houses.
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Well, that remains to be seen. First, the new law applies to the tax levy, not to tax rates or individual tax bills. Second, it does not impose a universal 2 percent cap on taxes—or any other specific amount. The law does require a greater number of voters to approve a budget that exceeds a school district’s individual “tax levy limit,” as calculated by a complex formula. And third, there are several factors that dictate how an individual’s school tax bill is calculated after a school district sets the final tax levy—none of which are within the district’s control.
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Students in the photography class at Broadalbin-Perth High School can give you a great deal on a last-minute holiday gift: A 16-month 2012 calendar, "Life in the Adirondacks."
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Some of the students in Meg Marsden’s second-grade class took their first trip to Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School – where they’ll be third-graders next year – on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The class was at the school to visit Dianne Magliocca’s fourth-grade classroom, where students worked in pairs to complete snowman-themed activities at seven learning stations.
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Children of all ages visited The Learning Community on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 3, to enjoy Breakfast with Santa, the Broadalbin-Perth PTO’s annual fundraiser. For $5 a person, families received a pancake breakfast, and had a chance to shop a book fair, bid on wreaths, listen to live holiday music and, of course, get their photos taken with Santa.
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By law, each school district’s tax levy is determined by a complex, eight-step formula that was developed by the state. The formula takes into consideration a number of variables.
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For 30 minutes on Tuesday, Nov. 29, everyone at Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School and The Learning Community was reading. The schools were participating in D.E.A.R. – “Drop Everything And Read” – Day, an event that encourages families to make reading a regular part of their day.
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Whether in the classroom, the band room or on the basketball court, 1985 alumnus Howard Goebel says it was at the former Broadalbin Central School District where he learned that hard work was necessary in order to be successful, both as an individual and as a team.
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The correct answer is three. During the school budget development process, taxpayers will hear three different levy figures talked about: the tax levy limit, the maximum allowable levy, and the actual proposed tax levy.
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For school districts, the “tax levy limit” is the highest allowable tax levy (before exemptions) that a school district can propose as part of its annual budget for which only the approval of a simple majority of voters (more than 50 percent) is required. Any proposed tax levy amount above this limit will require budget approval by a supermajority (60 percent or more) of voters.
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Broadalbin-Perth community welcomes home its state champion soccer team.
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Does the new tax cap law mean school tax levies can’t increase by more than 2 percent? The answer is: No. The law has been misconstrued and misrepresented in media sound bites as a “2 percent tax cap.” The law does not prohibit tax levy increases greater than 2 percent. The legislation signed into law in June requires every district to calculate its own “tax levy limit.” Two percent (or the rate of inflation, if less) is just one of eight factors in this calculation.
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Recently, the State Education Department announced its list of “Schools in Need of Improvement,” and Broadalbin-Perth Middle School was on the list. We know that our residents – especially parents of students who attend the middle school or will soon be attending the middle school – have a lot of questions about this designation. Some of the most frequently asked questions are provided here.
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Education Speaks: Tax Cap Tuesday: 11.8.11 - Yesterday, Governor Cuomo released a video stating that NYS’s tax cap is doing its job, rolling back the average rate of increase for local levies and bringing “much-needed scrutiny to government spending.”
Watch the video here. (8:09)

The one thing that struck us most about the video was that it doesn’t mention mandate relief at all. The governor has recognized the need for mandate relief, even forming a mandate relief redesign team to address the issue at the state level.
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Yearbooks are now available online starting with the Broadalbin High School Class of 1934 yearbook. We currently have 22 yearbooks to view and will be adding more throughout the year.
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Before heading to France to study abroad this school year, 2009 Broadalbin-Perth graduate Matthias Maier made one last stop this summer—back to his alma mater, where he was invited to speak to faculty and staff as part of B-P’s Opening Day ceremony.
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More than 364 runners and walkers participated in the Females in Training (FIT) Run for Life event on Saturday, Oct. 22. FIT, whose membership includes many B-P faculty and staff members, raised more than $10,000 for the families of Sheri Spraker, Theo Higgins and others in the community who are currently battling cancer.

In this first year of New York’s property tax cap, details about its provisions and implementation continue to evolve. This publication, developed by the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service and Questar III’s State Aid Planning and Communications Services, answers some questions that parents, taxpayers and school staff members may have, based on what we currently know about the tax cap. School districts like Broadalbin-Perth await further clarification about the law from the Office of the State Comptroller, Department of Taxation and Finance, State Education Department, Division of the Budget and the Governor’s office. We’ll provide additional details about the tax cap as soon as they are known.
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Our country’s public education system is complex and can be confusing. The help demystify it, the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education is providing a series of fact sheets designed to help residents better understand key parts of the system, as well as current issues that are affecting Broadalbin-Perth schools. This fact sheet on mandates is the first in the series.
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I’d like to tell you a story from a book I recently read called Switch, by Chip and Dan Heath. It’s a true story of a young first-grade teacher who had a classroom full of students with everything stacked against them. There was no kindergarten or pre-K in this poor, inner-city school, so many of her first-graders didn’t even know the alphabet yet. But, at the beginning of the school year, she told her first-graders that by the end of the year, they would all be third-graders.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in an exciting Homecoming weekend! Click the links below to check out photos from Friday’s pep rally, halftime of Friday night’s football game – which featured the introduction of B-P’s homecoming court and the presentation of a check for more than $3,000 from TLC students to administrators from Schoharie – and Saturday morning’s parade.
Pep Rally | Halftime of Homecoming Game | Homecoming Parade

Mark Lempke, a 2001 Broadalbin-Perth grad, recalls his time at B-P fondly. In fact, it was during his high school years that Mark says his love of history began.
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Students at The Learning Community collected more than $3,290.17 in their “Change for Change in Schoharie” campaign, project organizers Christine Plunkett and Marlana Scott announced during Wednesday’s Morning Program. The money will be donated to the Schoharie Central School District’s yearbook, which is a K-12 publication, to help reduce the price each student would pay for the book.
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Colorful signs greeted members of the Broadalbin-Perth football program when they traveled to the Schoharie Central School District on Wednesday, Sept. 28, to deliver a truck-load of donated items to help flood victims. But the messages of thanks weren’t just for the players and coaches – they were for the Broadalbin-Perth community, which helped the football program fill a tractor trailer with donations and gave more than $3,000 in cash. Thank you, once again, to all who contributed to this great cause!
CBS6ALBANY: Students helping other students (video)
YNN: Fulton County school helps Schoharie peers recover

The district’s Adult Education Program is offering 19 classes this fall on topics ranging from beginning guitar to ballroom dancing and horseback riding.
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Johnny Mac and Jeanne Brown, along with their 13-year-old daughter Katrina, brought their message about the dangers of distracted driving to Broadalbin-Perth High School on Friday. After the presentation, B-P students, faculty and staff were invited to sign the Remember Alex Brown pledge. For more information on the Brown’s message, visit their website, http://www.rememberalexbrownfoundation.org/.

If you or your teenage driver is having a hard time breaking the texting-while-driving habit, consider downloading the PhoneGuard app for your phone: It uses your phone’s GPS system to detect when your phone is moving and disables its texting, email and keyboard functions when it detects speeds over 10 MPH.

Click here to take the Remember Alex Brown Pledge online, or click here to download the pledge form.

When Broadalbin-Perth High School Principal Robin Blowers travels to Washington, D.C., next week, she won’t just be going to network with other state high school principals of the year or to attend a fancy awards gala. She’ll be making the most of her opportunity by scheduling meetings with members of Congress in order to speak with them about two issues she is passionate about: equitable funding in public education and early detection for breast cancer.
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As part of its ongoing efforts to maintain strong lines of communication with its residents, the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District has begun using the social media tool Twitter to distribute news and announcements, and to provide updates about live events as they happen.
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After graduating from Broadalbin-Perth in 2001, Meghan Ochal pursued her interest in public health and today, she couldn’t be happier working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C.
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Broadalbin-Perth teachers and staff members were back two days early, celebrating the opening day of the 2011-12 school year on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
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Students and their families came to Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School and The Learning Community a day early on Wednesday to drop off their school supplies.
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“Our problems are bigger than the solutions we have right now.” That ominous assessment by New York State School Boards Association President Timothy Kremer summed up the initial mood of area education leaders when they gathered to consider life under the new tax cap.
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New York State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. has a message for students, parents and educators as classes resume this week in school districts around New York State.
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The Broadalbin-Perth Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has given the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District $13,800 to support programs for students in grades pre-K through 6 during the 2011-12 school year. The PTO has indicated that $5,000 of that money should be used to help the district participate in the HFM BOCES Arts in Education program.
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Incoming 9th graders and their families participated in freshman orientation on Tuesday, Aug. 30, at the high school.
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Attention incoming seniors! If you have not yet made an appointment to have your senior photos taken for the BPHS yearbook, you MUST call Viscosi Photography at 762-2780 as soon as possible! Remember -- if you want your photo to appear in the yearbook, you must be photographed by Viscosi Photography. If you have any questions about the yearbook, please contact yearbook advisor Wendy Carroll through the high school office by calling 954-2600.
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The 2011-12 Broadalbin-Perth district wall calendar is now available! You can pick up your copy at the district office, Citizens Bank in Broadalbin, or NBT Bank in Vail Mills. Please note that calendars will NOT be available at the Broadalbin Post Office.
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The new president of the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education, Ed Szumowski, says he is interested in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the board during the upcoming school year. His first step toward achieving that goal was to attend the Board Officers Academy at the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) headquarters in Latham on Aug. 5.
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With both parents as teachers in the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District and a father who coached many sports, pursuing a career as an educator and coach himself seemed like a natural fit for David Thompson, a 2000 B-P graduate. David says he owes much of his success to his experiences on and off the field at Broadalbin-Perth.
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More than half of Broadalbin-Perth Central School District students in grades 3-8 were deemed proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and math, according to the results of statewide exams that were released on Monday, Aug. 8. The district achieved a 54.3 percent proficiency rate on the ELA exams and a 56.6 percent proficiency rate on the math exams.
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The Broadalbin-Perth Central School District will soon receive $475,000 in back taxes from the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District (HRBRRD). On Tuesday, Aug. 9, the regulating district’s board of directors approved a plan to pay two years’ worth of property taxes it owed to the Broadalbin-Perth, Mayfield and Northville school districts and Fulton County.
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Producers of the upcoming film The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, are looking for more than 500 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to serve as extras on August 25-26. The students are needed during the filming of a crowd scene in the Schenectady High School cafeteria.
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The Broadalbin-Perth Central School District’s annual calendar will once again be distributed to students on the first day of school, Thursday, Sept. 8.
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Teacher Christine Plunkett reads "Baby Baluga", based on the Raffi song, to area children during Wednesday Story Hour on July 27. A different guest reader presents a children's book and accompanying lesson every Wednesday this summer at 11 a.m., in the TLC Media Center. No advanced registration is required, but parents must accompany their children.

Less than two months after the New York State Education Department announced the elimination of the January 2012 Regents Exams because of budget cuts, the exams are back on the state testing schedule after private donors contributed $1.5 million to fund the administration of the exams.
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Forty-seven school administrators from the HFM BOCES region who spent three days at Minnowbrook in mid-July weren’t there to enjoy the recreational opportunities. They were attending the inaugural Adirondack Leadership Academy.
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The Board of Education is dedicated to keeping the public involved in our efforts to achieve mandate reform and we know that many of you are interested in helping but don't know where to start.
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The Broadalbin-Perth Transportation Department has earned a high rating on a recent New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) school bus safety inspection report for the 2010-11 school year. Of the district’s 55 transportation vehicles that were inspected by the NYSDOT in June, 96.4 percent passed. This is up from an 88.7 percent passing rate in 2009-10 and a 81.1 percent passing rate in 2008-09.
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After years of debate, the New York State Legislature has passed a law establishing a cap on the property tax levy that local municipalities, including school districts, can raise each year.

The law caps annual increases in the local property tax levy at 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, with several exemptions, including some pension cost increases, capital expenditures, and court judgements.
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Members of the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education held the district’s annual reorganizational meeting on Wednesday, July 6. During the meeting, the board members elected a new president and vice president, and welcomed a new member to the seven-person board.
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The members of the Broadalbin-Perth High School Class of 2011 graduated at a ceremony that included laughter, tears and moments of surprise on Friday, June 24.
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