During the latest Pine Bush School Board meeting, Amanda Forman, a new parent to the area, raised concerns about her child’s bus stop on Route 52. With multiple bus stops in the area, only three are positioned on the right side of the road on Route 52. Forman proposed rerouting the bus stop to Stein Road, which she believes would improve safety for both her child and the bus driver.

“You know, the kids had a shortened week due to the holiday, and my daughter had to miss a day and a half of school because we physically could not get to the bus stop,” Forman said.

Forman recounted slipping on ice while walking her child to the bus stop, an incident witnessed by the bus driver, who later directed her to a different location for pickup. She emphasized that winter weather makes the bus stop unsafe, at times forcing the driver to navigate her private road on occasion. The board will address her concerns privately.

Following Forman’s remarks, a Pine Bush student proposed implementing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Good Neighbor Next Door program. This initiative offers law enforcement officers, K-12 teachers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians a 50% discount on home prices in exchange for a three-year residency commitment. The student believes this program could help retain local employees and strengthen the community.

Career and Technical Education

Principal Aaron Hopmayer introduced a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in Woodworking as part of the district’s CTE and 4+1 Pathways initiatives. The program, in partnership with the Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC), provides students with opportunities to develop hands-on skills while completing their high school education.

Under this program, students will split their time between traditional coursework and CTEC instruction, which varies based on their area of focus. Participants will complete 54 hours of work-based learning, including externships, field trips, job shadowing, and hands-on projects at the Haas Innovation Center.

Hopmayer emphasized the demand for skilled labor and the potential career paths available through the program.

“There is a growing number of jobs in the field today in New York State that are going unfilled because of a tremendous skills gap,” Hopmayer said. “These are high-paying careers, not just jobs. And they are going not only in healthcare, but in advanced manufacturing, carpentry, and woodworking technology.”

One proposed way to get students giving back to the community is to start building tiny homes with industry professionals, potentially creating homes for apprentices. The board approved the program, with additional implementation details coming once approved by the state.

Other Matters

The board also discussed adding Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, to the school district calendar. The board is considering opting out of this holiday if no one in the district currently celebrates, but this would be updated year-to-year. Additionally, a few policies (3421 and 7556) were updated to align with the new Title IX standards and subsequently approved.

A budget transfer of $25,000 was approved to purchase electronic interactive boards for all buildings. Assistant Superintendent for Business Joseph Lenz explained that by purchasing through BOCES, the district can generate state aid.

“Instead of buying it using local money only, we’re buying them through BOCES so we can generate BOCES aid,” Lenz said. “Therefore, we’re moving money from an equipment code to a BOCES code, allowing us to purchase through BOCES and generate state aid.”

Lenz also discussed site plans for Proposition 1 and Proposition 2. Without a STAR tax exemption, the projected annual increase for 2027-2028 is capped at $133. With STAR, payments could be as low as $117 annually. Voting will take place on March 4 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Circleville Elementary School and Pine Bush High School. More information is available at www.pinebushschools.org.