Uniontown finalizes teaching staff
With just more than a week’s summer vacation left before the first day of classes, Uniontown Area School Board, during a special meeting Tuesday, lined up new teachers to fill a number of vacancies. The school board held a 90-minute executive session to consider the hirings, ultimately accepting three resignations and then voting to fill eight positions.
They accepted the resignations of Michael Silbaugh, high school chemistry teacher, effective Aug. 13; Mark Willis, Lafayette School industrial arts teacher, effective July 29; and Mary Rose-Deal, A.J. McMullen School Spanish/French-/reading specialist, effective Aug. 8.
The board hired Leslie Staggers, elementary teacher assigned to Menallen School, fifth grade, through the Class Size Reduction Act at level two of the teachers’ contract standard and bachelor’s pay scale; Cheryl Hostetler, elementary teacher assigned to Marclay School, third grade, level one of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale; Cortney Patek, elementary teacher assigned to Lafayette School, seventh- and eighth-grade English/mathematics/science, level two of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale; and Michele Provance, elementary teacher to be assigned, level two of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale.
Also hired was Michael Simon, social studies teacher at Benjamin Franklin School, level nine of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale; Heather Jesso, math teacher at the high school, level one of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale; Vicki Bortz, English/reading specialist at the high school, level 13 of the master’s pay scale; and Katherine Lacek, chemistry teacher at the high school, level one of the master’s pay scale.
The starting salary at level one of the standard and bachelor’s pay scale is $24,500.
The hirings garnered unanimous votes, although director Nancy Herring passed on the vote for Simon.
In other matters, Superintendent Chuck Machesky announced the schedule for the first week of school, which starts Monday, Aug. 26.
He said that first Monday is a full day of classes except for kindergarten, when the morning and afternoon students will meet in the morning only.
The kindergarten students will all have their morning sessions that first Tuesday through Friday, and the afternoon sessions will be dismissed early.
He said information on the schedule will be sent home with the students.
Machesky said all other students, from Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 27-30, will have half days of classes with the rest of the time set aside for teachers’ professional development.
He said Franklin School, which is in the midst of renovations, will be ready for the first day of classes.
Architect Mark Altman said the classrooms are almost done and the building will be useable and will be cleaned up in time for the start of school, although there may be some loose ends to complete.
Robert Smalley, director of buildings and grounds, said the offices were left for last and will temporarily be relocated while work there is completed.
Also regarding building projects, Lori Frazee spoke during public recognition and invited school board members to a community meeting Thursday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. at Marclay School to discuss the building.
Frazee said as a Markleysburg Borough council member, she was there on behalf of the council. She said residents in the area are concerned about the school board’s plans for the building.
Marclay School was among the topics raised at a school board buildings and grounds committee meeting last month, when board members talked about replacing the building at the present site or next to A.J. McMullen School.
Among items the school board is expected to consider at the regular business meeting next Monday is the resignation of Barry Noel as chief of school police.