Florentine, Kolb and Farmworker Labor

Louise Hoffman Broach / Wayuga Editor
Wednesday, February 3 2010

The North Rose-Wolcott  school board has once again postponed a decision about the future of the Florentine Hendrick Elementary School. It was on the agenda last week and it was tabled. Retiring Superintendent Lucinda Miner said the resolution that was proposed was for closure, saving $575,000 annually. That’s not a small sum, considering that, according to Miner, the district is facing the possibility of a budget gap of more than $2 million for the next school year.
Enrollment in the district is declining by 50 students a year; she said there are already classrooms throughout the district that are not used as such because there aren’t students to fill them. There is also the possibility the building, or at least part of it, could generate revenue if it is either sold or rented for other use. The Town of Butler and the Village of Wolcott have expressed interest in moving their offices there, if it is feasible.
But Miner acknowledged that closure of a school is a very emotional issue and that there are board members who are adamantly opposed to it.
Even with that being said, it’s time to make a decision either way. The issue has been discussed and studied for more than a year; there’s not a lot else that is likely to change.

I make no bones about it, I’m a Brian Kolb fan. I was delighted this week when I heard that the state Assembly minority leader from nearby Canandaigua was contemplating a run for either U.S. Senate or statewide office as lieutenant governor.
I’ve known Brian since he first sought his Assembly seat. He has always impressed me as a down-to-earth, realistic representative who paid genuine attention to the people in his district and the surrounding Finger Lakes. He’s smart, plain spoken and not a big fan of political rhetoric. He’s been an excellent counterpoint to Gov. David Paterson, shining a light on what’s wrong with Albany’s status quo and speaking loudly for Upstate New York interests.
It would be advantageous to have him in a more powerful position, where he could bring even greater focus to needs of New York outside of the five boroughs.
However, he’s decided, maybe rightly, that now is not the time for him to be thinking about exiting the Assembly, so he will leave his higher political aspirations to the future.

Kudos to a bi-partisan effort between Democratic State Sen. Darryl Aubertine and Republican State Sen. Catharine Young for making sure the Senate Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act. The agricultural community will now be able to give the bill the proper scrutiny and thoughtful deliberation it deserves.
Aubertine is right when he says  the impact of the bill has to be better assessed to be sure that every Senate member understands the effects of this bill on the economy, the potentially devastating unintended consequences for farm workers, and the expansive changes it would impose on New York’s family farms.
 




 

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