Ends up Pete Seeger, that old Folkie, is getting an apology for being labeled a young Commie.

San Diego Unified School District’s current school board has said sorry to the now 89-year-old singer for trying to get him to sign an oath against communism or cancel a concert at a high school auditorium. (Here’s the AP story.) That was in 1960, on the heels of Seeger’s blacklisting. Of course, Nyack-raised Seeger, known for his Leftist politics and actual understanding of the First Amendment, said no. A judge cleared the way for the concert at Hoover High (no kidding) anyway.

Who wants to be the public education entity that tried to ban a guy who got to help lead the nation in “This Land Is Your Land” at a presidential inauguration? Dissing a national treasure? One who’s fun to sing along with, even? So, the board apologized; Seeger issued a statement that he appreciated the gesture.

Seeger’s activist voice is still strong, clear and current. He’s now working to shore up the finances of Clearwater, an enironmental group that he helped found. (See Journal News/LoHud story here.) Part of the plans includes a Madison Square Garden “special concert” on May 3. It’s going to be big, organizers say, but they are being rather hush-hush about who will perform. Sure bet, one old folkie will be leading the chorus.

AP file photo: Pete Seeger plays his banjo in May 2006 in Beacon.

I’m having some visitors tomorrow — Clarkstown schools Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan is coming to The Journal News’ West Nyack offices to discuss a proposed $187 million bond referendum that voters will decide on March 10. (here are the details, from the Clarkstown school district website, ccsd.edu.) The capital projects bond would cover the cost of roof/window/door repairs at all buildings in the district, as well as updates to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Also, Clarkstown North High, which made headlines in 2007 when a roach infestation sparked student protests, would be renovated.

Yeah, that’s a lot of money in a pretty bad economy. In this climate, it’s going to be tough enough to pass basic school budgets (that will be voted on in May), let alone bonds for any perceived “extra” costs. Across the Lower Hudson Valley, property tax owners are crying “uncle” and demanding schools hold down their operating budgets. Yet, the district has shown clear needs for facility-wide updates. And these are facilities the district owns, so sooner or later, these fixes will need to be done, and property owners will end up paying for them.

I have many questions about the bond, but I’m wondering: What are yours? Add your questions, comments, suggestions, observations about the Clarkstown school district bond proposal here, or email me at ncutler@lohud.com.

Leadership Rockland, a non-profit educational organization that prepares individuals who live and work in Rockland for leadership roles in the community, is seeking applicants for its next 10-month program, which begins in September.

Class membership is competitive, based on an application including an essay, three references and interviews by Leadership Rockland alumni. Since the first class in 1990, nearly 500 individuals from business, non-profits, education, government and other aspects of life have graduated  from the program. A $1,000 tuition fee, usually paid by the individual’s employer or organization, covers ten day-long classes — typically one each month — and includes meals, materials.

Areas of study include leadership skills; Rockland history and diversity; environment and transportation; economic development and tourism; education and developing human capital; politics and public policy; and arts, culture and the media, among others. Classes are facilitated by local expert coordinators, often at locations appropriate to that class topic.

The organization is dedicated to nurturing a visionary leadership base that is prepared to address the county’s challenges and their solutions.

The deadline for applications, which can be downloaded here, is April 24, 2009.

What seemed like a simple assignment yesterday — riding along on three of five stops on a five-county tour by Boy Scout officials — got a little dicey late in the afternoon.

I had driven to Newburgh, to the new home of the Hudson Valley Council of Boy Scouts of America, at mid-morning for a noon presentation there on plans for the Boy Scout centennial celebration beginning this month and extending through the February 2010 anniversary until the end of next year.

We then boarded a bus in Newburgh, amid snow flurries, to ride to Hyde Park, for a similar but modified presentation in Dutchess County, one of five counties served by the Hudson Valley Council.

It snowed most of the time we were in Hyde Park, which made a late afternoon trip down the east side of the Hudson River to the Bear Mountain Bridge slow and arduous.

The bus, carrying press, scout officials and several scouts, just made it to Bear Mountain in time for the 4:30 press conference there. Because I would be heading back to Newburgh by bus, another reporter Jenna Carlesso was heading from our West Nyack office to cover the Bear Mountain event.

Problem was, she was stuck in traffic behind accidents on the Palisades Parkway and made it to Bear Mountain about 15 minutes before the bus was to depart, taking me and all the sources she needed off to Orange County. She made it to the Merry-Go-Round at Bear Mountain just in time to speak with everyone she needed. Her trip back to West Nyack to file her story was uneventful.

So was my trip back to Newburgh to retrieve my car, except that it took almost three hours.

We left Bear Mountain at about 5:35 p.m. and pulled into the Hudson Valley Council Service Center parking lot at 8:30, most of the time inching along Orange County roads.

Fortunately, we had bags of chips, chocolate and plenty of water. We joked about having to ration one scout volunteer’s box of powdered donuts and another volunteer’s red grapes.

The driver of our West Point Tours bus showed remarkable endurance as he tried at first to head north on Route 9W past Highland Falls. When it became clear that route was blocked by accidents and cars on ice, he headed for the front gate of the Military Academy.

Because of the security there, an armed soldier had to board the bus and check each passenger’s photo ID.

We then headed north through the post and onto Route 293. After a merge with Route 6 coming off the Palisades, we crawled all the way to where the road crosses the New York State Thruway, near Exit 16. We headed north on the Thruway to Exit 17. From there, it was a short hop to the council offices on Route 300.

For most of the folks on the bus, Newburgh was a final destination. Of course, I then had to make the drive back to Nanuet, arriving after 9:30 p.m.

All that time, we saw only one serious accident — near Cold Spring in Putnam — but knew there were many out there who had bigger problems than a three-hour bus trip.

We were tired, but lucky, and we all realized it.

During my work life, I talk to a lot of people in the “prevention” world, ie: drug and alcohol prevention, bullying prevention. One theme that I’ve often heard (and seen with my kids’ friends) is the value of team sports to keep a kid busy, focused and engaged with others.

So, I found fascinating the logic track behind a recent decision to cut the number of games played by high school teams, a cost-cutting decision by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA ) executive committee. Click here for full coverage of the NYSPHSAA’s decisions on LoHud.

As a way to cut costs for school districts, the sports association trimmed the 2011 varsity schedule for football (from 10 regular season games to 9), as well as baseball, softball and hockey (all had 24 games but will have 20); and other sports. There were other cost-cutting measures designed to help public school districts deal with the impact of state budget cuts and the economic downturn in general. The ideas was, if if they cut the games (and travel and other costs that go with them), districts will be able to afford junior varsity and modified (middle school) sports programs. This means younger kids also get the opportunity to participate in a sports game and the benefits of exercise, discipline, school spirit, etc. Seems like a good idea to me, even if it means fewer games, at least there are games.

Here’s how Bronxville athletic director Karen Peterson put it in an article by TJN/LoHud sports writer Harold Guttman:

I think the sense was: What could we do to try and save programs for our kids? How can we cut costs so a district won’t cut modified or junior-varsity sports teams? What can we do to cut costs with the least amount of effect on kids?