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Board hears consolidation plea |
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Friday, 10 October 2008 |
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Photo by Heidi Zemach Ridgway resident William A. Seely addressed the Johnsonburg School Board about consolidating with the Ridgway School District.
By Heidi Zemach
Special to The Record
JOHNSONBURG – The Johnsonburg Board of Education held its regular meeting last night at the high school library, with Superintendent Walter Fitch at the helm once again following a brief absence.
During public comments the board heard from Ridgway resident William Seely, who argued in favor of reopening a general discussion in Ridgway and Johnsonburg about consolidating or merging them into a single school district. With steadily declining student enrollment combined with state projections for that trend to continue, Seely said both districts could save considerably on administration costs by merging. A consolidated school district also could offer more of the classes that students will need, he stated. Seely mentioned the low average numbers of students per class, saying 15 students in a classroom is a “cakewalk” for teachers.
Disagreeing, Fitch said 15 in a kindergarten class is a good number these days, when so many of the children have medical problems and behavioral issues. Fitch said there has not been such a merger in Pennsylvania in more than 20 years, but that the idea was worthy of looking into. He suggested that Seely either go to or form committees to explore the idea further.
Board Chairman Robert Paladino also felt the idea was worth looking into at some time in the future.
On another matter, the board unanimously approved a student data access and use policy non-disclosure agreement, required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education of all schools. The agreement means that the school will track via computer a database containing a variety of information on every student in the district including addresses, phone numbers, classes, teachers, state test results and more. Each student would be listed by a different 10-digit code, and only a limited number of personnel would have access to that information. Parents or teachers could access information on their own children only with the school district’s permission. Class grades and disciplinary actions would not be included in the data. Fitch said many staff members had already spent three months entering the data into the system.
High School Principal Kurt Pyle said 39 representatives from colleges and the military attended college night this week, and 150 people turned out to talk with them.
Pyle said the Veterans Day event at the Johnsonburg High School will take place Nov. 7 at 8 a.m. and the public, and especially veterans, are invited to attend. Students interested in working in the lumber industry will be selected for an intensive four-day course on how to treat lumber, with two days of on the job outdoor activities.
Dennis Crotzer said the Elementary School Open House had a 90-percent attendance rate, which is very high. The district is looking into starting up tutoring sessions for students in grades 1-10, using federal block grants. The School Lunch Week at the elementary school will take place Oct 13-17. A new on–line pre–payment system is available on the district Web site under MyNutrikids.com. It allows parents to check on the meal ticket balance, add to it via credit card, and explore health tips or play healthy food-related games. The Halloween Parade is Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. Parent conferences take place Oct. 31.
Following an 85–minute executive session the board:
* Approved reports and minutes from various committees.
* Approved payment of bills.
* Approved Melanie Oknefski, Mary Kay Hilyer, Kerry Bresslin and Lacey Stanley to the substitute teachers list.
* Accepted the resignation of Malory Samick as Health Aide, who resigned after about a week on the job, effective Sept 18.
* Added Ken Shaffer to the Certified Bus Driver list for the 2008-2009 school year.
* Approved Bart Nelson, Jim Launer, Keith Guaglione and Jeff Wolfe as volunteer wrestling coaches.
* Approved Carrie Caruso and Ellen Leslie as co-advisors for the Elementary Yearbook.
* Approved Renee Timm as volunteer cheerleading coach.
* Added Troy Antse and Alex Reinsburrow to the custodial substitute list.
* Approved Dick Zimmerman as Junior High Wrestling Coach
* Changed the custodial hours during the wintertime through March 2 to accommodate increased school nighttime activities.
* Approved a list of Activity Club advisors and officers at the high school and elementary school.
* Approved Sue Grumley as volunteer girl’s basketball coach for the current year.
* Approved Dennis Crotzer and Jean Hart as school district bulk purchasing representatives for the school year.
* Hired Troy Asti as custodian, effective Nov. 3.
* Hired Laurie Trunsal for one year as a health aide for $11.52 per hour, plus benefits.
* Hired Michael Botano as long–term sub for Rick DeLong.
* Hired Dustin Oknefski as long–term substitute for Andy Cortez. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 20 October 2008 )
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