Area school boards reorganize for 2018
Area school boards readied for 2018 by holding their annual reorganization meetings. Here are key adjustments local school boards made for the coming year:
Albert Gallatin
Leadership for the Albert Gallatin Area School Board will change hands as directors appointed Jeff Myers as president and Janet Swaney as vice president.
Edward Colebank will remain board secretary, and Michael Dunham will serve as board treasurer. Andrew and Price Attorneys at Law of Pittsburgh was reappointed solicitor.
Business manager Denise Sheetz was chosen to serve as the district’s representative on the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau Executive Committee, with school board newcomer Ryan Porupski to serve as an alternate.
The board welcomed new school directors Carla Franks, Charity Grimm Krupa and Porupski.
Directors also approved school board voting meetings to be held at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, with work sessions being held at the same time the Monday prior.
All meetings will take place in the cafeteria of the former D. Ferd Swaney Elementary School.
Belle Vernon
The Belle Vernon Area School District has new leadership, with board members electing Lou Rood as president. John Nusser will serve as vice president and Dan Sepesky will serve as secretary.
In addition, James Dzurica, business manager, was appointed as Act 32 representative for the Westmoreland County tax collection district and Kathy Forte will serve as first alternate.
Weiss, Burkardt Kramer LLC will be retained as solicitor for a $250 monthly retainer fee and a $135 hourly rate for matters not covered by the retainer.
The board will continue to hold workshop meetings the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. and regular meetings the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Locations will switch back and from the high school to the middle school.
Brownsville
The Brownsville Area School Board has a new leader for the first time in nearly two decades as Ron Dellarose Jr. was elected president of the board. Cheryl Terravecchia was voted vice president.
The board appointed the district’s business manager, William Boucher, to serve a one-year term on each the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau Executive Committee and the Fayette County Tax Collection Committee. Terravecchia will serve as the alternate representative for the tax bureau committee and director R.W. “Rocky” Brashear for the tax collection committee.
Directors reappointed Richard Gates to the Fayette County Career & Technical Institute joint operating committee for a three-year term.
The board also retained Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law of Uniontown as board solicitor with a $250 a month retainer. The Herald-Standard was again named the designated newspaper of record for the district.
The board will continue to meet in regular session on the third Thursday of each month in the auditorium of the Brownsville Area High School but has changed the meeting time to 6 p.m. Work session meetings be held in the high school library at 6 p.m. on the Monday prior to the voting meeting.
California
California Area School District’s board of education reappointed Barry Niccolai as president and John Bitonti as first vice president. It also named Steve Martin as second vice president, John Bitonti as legislative representative and Barry Niccolai as PSBA representative.
Andrews & Price LLC will be retained as solicitor for a $250 monthly retainer plus hourly costs.
Board meetings will be held the third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the high school library. In addition, the board will hold committee-of-the-whole meetings, 6 p.m., the Monday of the week prior to board meetings in the school library.
Carmichaels
The Carmichaels Area School Board retained Thomas Ricco as president and Edmond McIntire as vice president.
Davis & Davis of Uniontown will stay on as district solicitor.
School director Ron Ferek was selected district legislative representative and Cheryl Voytek as strategic plan representative. The board welcomed new director Dr. Jason Matyus.
The board’s schedule will remain the same, meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the middle-senior high school media center.
Charleroi
The Charleroi Area School District’s board of education unanimously reappointed Kenneth Wiltz as president and Adele Hopkins as vice president.
The board also named Barbara Pepper as treasurer and appointed Charles Yakich as Mon Valley Career and Technology Center (MVCTC) representative and Antonia Pellegrini as MVCTC alternate.
Bassi, Vreeland & Associates P.C. will be retained as solicitor for $175 per hour plus an annual retainer fee of $7,500. Charleroi Federal Saving Bank will serve as the school depository.
The board will hold informational meetings the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. (no meeting is scheduled for July while November’s meeting will be held the second Tuesday). Regular meetings will be held at 7.p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month. All meetings will be held at Charleroi Area High School.
Connellsville
Directors at Connellsville Area School District appointed Francis Mongell as president and voted Michael Omatick to the vice-president position.
Newly elected school directors Donald Grenaldo, David Martray, Omatick and David Panzella joined the board this month.
The district will have new legal counsel this year. In a 6-2 vote, directors hired Proden & O’Brien of Uniontown as district solicitor and retained former solicitor Dodaro, Matta & Cambest of Pittsburgh as special counsel for ongoing legal matters and for any other matters as directed by the board.
The board will conduct regular monthly voting meetings in the auditorium of Connellsville Area High School at 7 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of the month, with agenda meetings to take place on the Monday prior at the same time and location.
Frazier
The Frazier School Board voted unanimously to keep its current officers in place. Thomas Shetterly was maintained as president and Deborah Vargo-Alekson as vice president.
The board welcomed new school directors Jill Devine and Stacey Erdely.
District business manager Kevin Mildren was appointed to represent the district for one year on the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau Executive Committee and the Fayette County Tax Collection Committee.
The board retained Davis & Davis law firm of Uniontown as district solicitor at a rate of $500 per month and an hourly billing rate of $115.
The board also set its slate of board meetings to be the third Monday of each month, beginning with a work session at 6 p.m. and the regular voting meeting immediately following. The board will divert from that schedule in January, February and June when they meet on the fourth Monday of the month.
Jefferson-Morgan
Longtime school director Mark Pochron takes over as president of the Jefferson-Morgan School Board, a seat he has held previously during his 26-year tenure on the board.
Bob Mitchell was re-elected vice president and Donna Brown was named secretary, a position vacated by Pochron. The district retained the services of solicitor Ernest DeHaas of Radcliffe & DeHaas of Uniontown.
Brown was appointed to another term as a district representative to the Greene County Career & Technology Center joint operating committee, with Deborah Phillips named an alternate.
Board meetings will remain the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the elementary school library, with the exceptions of January and February (third Tuesday) and May (second Monday).
Laurel Highlands
Many of the positions and committee appointments will remain the same for Laurel Highlands School Board. Melvyn Sepic was chosen to serve another term as president, with Debra Bortz serving another year as vice president.
Gary Frankhouser of Davis & Davis in Uniontown will continue as solicitor at the same rate as last year.
The board voted to name Jamie D’Andrea as representative to the Fayette County Career & Technical Institute for a three-year term.
Bortz was named as the representative to the Southwest Tax Bureau for one year. New board member Randy Raymond was voted in as the alternate.
Bortz will also serve as representative to the Fayette County Tax Collection Committee and D’Andrea the alternate.
The board’s other newcomer, Brandi Kalich, was appointed to serve as the PSBA’s governmental relations contact and representative. Alicia Santore was named the alternate.
Meetings will be held the third Thursday of every month at 6 p.m., with a meeting held in July if needed. Work sessions will be held at 5 p.m. the Tuesday before the regular meeting.
Monessen
Despite not running for another term on the Monessen City School Board, Donna Fantauzzi will remain board president after she was appointed for a two-year term to fill a vacated seat and unanimously approved for the position.
Roberta Bergstedt declined a nomination to serve as president and was subsequently approved to continue serving as vice president.
The board welcomed new member Frank Rapsky and also retained John Toohey as district solicitor for one year at a retainer of $10,000.
All meetings will be held at the elementary center board room — public information meetings at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and regular meetings at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.
Ringgold
Ringgold School District’s board of education elected Carol Flament as its new president, Sherrie Garry as first vice president and Maureen Ott as second vice president.
Ott was also appointed as a one-year SHASDA representative and Timothy Berggren was reappointed as solicitor at a rate of $100 per hour.
The board will continue to hold its regular monthly meetings the third Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m., at the Administrative Building in New Eagle.
The board also voted 6-2 to appoint former president William Stein Jr. to fill a vacant at-large region board seat. Larry Mauro, who recently was reelected to a four-year term in two categories, decided to accept the Region I seat instead of the at-large seat because he lives in that region.
Southeastern Greene
School board leadership remains intact with Janet Pennington and Gary Moser continuing to serve as president and vice president, respectively.
Joe Spiker was appointed a district representative to the Greene County Career & Technology Center joint operating committee. New school director Sheri Garlick to her seat on the board. Attorney Timothy Berggren of Washington was retained as district solicitor.
The board will continue to meet the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Mapletown Jr. Sr. High School cafeteria, with the exception of January and February, when the board will the fourth Monday.
Uniontown
The Uniontown Area School Board leaders will swap places, with Dorothy Grahek taking over as president and Terry Dawson moving to the vice president position. Susan Clay will continue to serve as assistant secretary to the board.
School directors will continue to meet at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month with the exception of January, which will be held the second Monday; June, when the board plans to meet on the last Thursday of the month; and September, when the board will meet on the first Tuesday due to Labor Day. The board will not hold a July meeting.
Work sessions will be scheduled by Grahek as needed. All meetings will be held in the high school band room.
Don Rugola and Pam Neill were reappointed to serve on the Uniontown City Recreation Commission for a one-year term, and Clay was reappointed to serve on the Fayette County Career & Technical Institute joint operating committee for a three-year term.
Clay will again serve as district chairperson and Grahek as representative on the PSBA legislative policy council.
The board reappointed William Rittenhouse to serve on the executive committee of the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau and the Fayette County Tax Collection committee for one year, with Bill Gerke to serve as alternate for both.
The board voted to retain the legal services of Maiello Brungo & Maiello of Pittsburgh as district solicitor.
Staff members Alyssa Choiniere and Mike Tony and freelance writers Amy Fauth and Mark Soroka contributed to this article.