Districts prepare for new school year
Students in area school districts will return to class this year to find changes in everything from renovated buildings to revamped curriculum to new staff members.
The following is a look at what’s in store this school year.
Albert Gallatin
A significant change through a staff realignment will be evident for students returning to school Aug. 27 in the Albert Gallatin Area School District.
Through the School Improvement Grant program, the district will use $3 million over three years to transform academics at the high school. The model will include realigning several staff positions, creating several team initiatives and a complete overhaul of the curriculum.
Superintendent Carl Bezjak said the district also will implement a writing professional development and execution of writing curriculum for staff members of the district’s elementary schools. A consultant will work with district staff to provide ongoing professional development.
Bezjak said a new coach for science, technology, engineering and mathematics will begin work this year to support staff members who teach at the middle school level.
Lunch prices will remain the same as last year, with a cost of $1.75 for elementary lunches and $2.10 for secondary lunches. Reduced lunch rates for all students is 40 cents. Breakfast is $1.10 or 35 cents reduced.
Brownsville Area
Two new principals will greet students as they return to class in the Brownsville Area School District on Aug. 27.
Justin Dellarose will assume the post at the high school and Amy Guty is the new principal at Central Elementary. Dr. Philip Savini, superintendent, said both are former teachers in the district.
The closing of Cardale Elementary School will bring major changes as all students in kindergarten through second grade will now attend Cox-Donahey Elementary School and students in grades three to five will attend Central. Savini said the realignment has been a smooth transition.
New to the district this year is a professional development program that will allow Brownsville staff to pair up with some programs at the University of Pittsburgh.
Savini said the district also will be working with the College Summit Program, an organization that works with high and middle school students to enhance study skill habits and preparation for post-secondary education. The program is operated through Intermediate Unit 1.
Lunch prices will remain at the same rate as last year. Secondary lunches will cost $1.90 and elementary students will pay $1.75, or 40 cents at a reduced rate for all students. Breakfast is also offered to students for $1.25 or 30 cents at a reduced rate.
California Area
A new superintendent is in place at the California Area School District with classes set to start Thursday.
Brian Jackson, who had been the high school principal since 1994, assumed the superintendent’s duties in July. Leigh Ann Folmar, who had been the assistant high school principal, moves into Jackson’s old job. There no longer will be an assistant principal.
The district lost six English teachers because of retirements this year and filled four of those slots. Still, Jackson said, class sizes in the district are between 15 and 23 students, with some even smaller, depending on the course content.
Most changes are at the high school level, with the realignment of the curriculum with the new state Common Core program. The Marcellus shale natural gas industry is also playing a role in a new technician program being offered at the Mon Valley Career Technology Center.
The district’s own cyber school is starting to take shape through the Cyber Solutions Initiative with IU1, which would allow district students to take advantage of the cyber school flexibility without giving up their California Area diploma. Jackson said the district’s own cyber school also provides options for students who are home-bound by illness or injury and students who need an alternative education placement.
Lunch prices will be a nickel more this year, at $2.05 for all student lunches at full price.
Carmichaels Area
Students in the Carmichaels Area School District will return to the classrooms on Aug. 27.
Superintendent Craig Baily said a new pre-engineering course is being offered through the math department. The class is designed to give students a general understanding of the different types of engineering fields.
Students in the senior high will be sitting in classrooms under a newly constructed roof. The district is now looking ahead to major renovation projects for all three school buildings in the district.
Baily said the district would like to encourage parents to use the student portal (accessible through the district’s website) to view their child’s homework assignments and up-to-date grades.
In addition, there is a printed Family Gram that is available in the school office or in local businesses. The Family Gram offers families with information such as bus routes, the lunch program, the football schedule and other information.
The cost of breakfast will be $1 at full price and 30 cents at the reduced price. The cost of lunch for elementary school students will be $1.70 and secondary students will pay $1.90 or 40 cents at the reduced rate for all grade levels.
Connellsville Area
Ninth-grade students will join sophomores, juniors and seniors at Connellsville Area High School when classes resume for district students on Sept. 4.
Recent renovations to the high school will accommodate the increased number of students. High school students can expect to learn in newly renovated classrooms, and eat in a new food court, which will provide more nutritionally sound food options, said Dr. Daniel Lujetic, superintendent.
With the renovation, and the closing of Junior High West, all seventh- and eighth-grade students in the district will move into Connellsville Area Junior High School, formerly known as Junior High East and located near the high school.
According to Dr. Tammy Stern, curriculum director, students will continue to receive free tutoring in Zachariah Connell, Dunbar Township and Connellsville Area Junior High School — the schools that failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Stern also said the district is in the process of transitioning from Pennsylvania Standards-aligned curriculum to the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards-aligned curriculum in the areas of math and English Language Arts.
Additionally, teachers will have an opportunity to create their own web pages where they can add resources and information about class expectations, assignments and tests. Parents will still have the ability to monitor their child’s classroom progress through the parent portal.
School cafeteria prices have increased by 10 cents from last year. Breakfast rates are now $1.35. Elementary lunches will cost $2.05 and secondary lunches will cost $2.35.
Frazier
As Frazier School District students return to the classrooms Aug. 27, they will be greeted by several new faces and other staff member changes.
The school board recently filled the positions of a high school math and high school English teacher, along with a special education teacher and fifth-grade teacher at Perry Elementary School.
In June, the board hired Dr. David G. Blozowich of Latrobe as superintendent under a three-year contract. Blozowich replaced Ken Meadows, who was appointed by the board as acting superintendent last year.
In the elementary schools, Jerry Strother took over as acting principal following the board’s appointment of Kelly Lombard from principal to director of educational programs and curriculum coordinator for pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
The district also has started site work and a geotechnical survey for the construction of a new building for middle and elementary school students. The board committed to a $20 million bond issue that will be used toward the construction. Perry Elementary School will be demolished and Central Elementary will be closed. Representatives of Eckles Architectural and Engineering Inc. of New Castle anticipate the project to be completed by August 2014.
This year, students and adults will pay 25 cents more for lunch and a la carte items.
Jefferson-Morgan
Students in the Jefferson-Morgan School District will return to class on Aug. 27 with the loss of some long-term teachers and a few other changes.
Of the 12 retirements last year, only three of those positions were filled. Superintendent Donna Furnier said the staff is working well together to help keep the district moving forward with the employee reduction.
Even with the vacancies, the district has been able to add a new communications elective course in which students will have an opportunity to learn about and work in several types of media.
Elsewhere in the district, elementary school students and parents can look forward to a new nature walkway that will encircle the playground. The walkway was funded by a donation to the district from Mylan Pharmaceuticals of Morgantown, W.Va.
Parents can expect to see an increase in school lunches, with the elementary rate set at $1.90 and the secondary rate at $2. Lunches at the reduced rate will be 40 cents for all students and breakfast will cost $1.15 or 30 cents for reduced.
Laurel Highlands
Both online and bricks-and-mortar high school students will see changes this year in the Laurel Highlands School District.
Superintendent Jesse Wallace said the district’s online learning academy will be launched this year.
Wallace said the 15 to 20 online courses will be taught by the district’s teachers and students who enroll in the district’s online learning academy will earn a diploma from Laurel Highlands, unlike other online programs.
Renovations are under way at the high school and will continue throughout the school year.
The floor tile has been removed throughout the school in anticipation of new flooring being installed. Wallace said the floor has some rough spots and students should use care while walking throughout the building.
Changes in parking for students will be in store this year, with only seniors who have early release permitted to park at the high school
Wallace said the district has restored the middle school and elementary music programs that had initially been struck from the budget, and efforts are still being made to keep class sizes reasonable. Wallace said the largest classes at this time are the fourth- and fifth-grade classes, which may have as many at 28 students in them. Most classes will have between 20 and 25 students, Wallace said. He also noted that all academic programs have been left intact for this school year.
Lunch prices were increased to bring them in line with federal guidelines. The elementary lunch will be $2.15 at full price and the high school lunch will be $2.40. The reduced lunch price will be 40 cents at all grade levels.
Southeastern Greene
Students enrolled in the Southeastern Greene School District will attend their first day of class Aug. 27.
Junior and senior high students will return to an air-conditioned school at Mapletown. A new heating and cooling system was installed over the summer.
Students also will see a renovated library with new floors, ceiling and furniture at the middle/high school. Superintendent Bill Henderson said some of the classrooms also have new floors and ceilings.
New iPads offered in two classrooms will be available to students, thanks to part of a $40,000 grant from Consol and the Community Foundation of Greene County, according to high school Principal Jason Pappas.
Henderson said there are also between 200 and 250 new laptops awaiting the students.
In addition, a new data management software system will enable staff to take an in-depth look at student’s individual course of learning and track improvement.
Students at Bobtown Elementary School will see new technology with the implementation of “Techno Kids,” a computing system that aims to strengthen literacy skills.
Lunch prices for the elementary will be $1.60 and $1.75 for the high school. Breakfast will cost $1 for all students. Reduced prices are 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
Uniontown Area
High school students returning Aug. 27 to the Uniontown Area School District will see major changes as the $35 million renovation project nears completion.
According to Dr. Charles Machesky, superintendent, every square foot of the high school has been renovated in some way. Highlights of the renovations include state-of-the-art classrooms, technology upgrades, refurbished science labs and an updated cafeteria with several new serving areas that will include stations offering salads, pasta, deli choices and more.
Renovations are almost complete at Lafayette School featuring a brand-new wing that will house the elementary school. Machesky said while the physical transformation of the building is evident, students and parents also can expect a more unified culture at the school from a long-standing staff that will make a lasting impact.
Machesky said the district will expand after-school tutoring services this year for students at A.J. McMullen, Ben Franklin and Lafayette schools. The program is operated by the Westmoreland/Fayette Private Industry Council.
Lunch prices have increased this year with rates set at $1 for breakfast, $1.55 for elementary lunches and $1.80 for secondary lunches. Reduced rates are also available.
Staff writers Carla DeStefano, Joyce Koballa, Natalie Bruzda and Christine Haines and freelance writer Toni Cekada contributed to this report.