Nov 27, 2002 By Jenny Susa 6 min read

BELLE VERNON – The Belle Vernon Area School Board wants the district’s administration to pick up the pace in developing a syllabus for each class taught in the district. Director Harve Anderson brought up his previous requests that the administration prepare an outline regarding what will be going into the syllabus for each class and asked if the administration had anything ready to show the board.

Superintendent Charles Chandler said that while they are making some progress, what they are working on is not yet ready to present.

Anderson said he would like to have the design complete and ready to present at the regular meeting in January, but not all board members were certain that it would be possible.

Chandler said they could have an outline for some subjects completed, including math, language arts and high school science.

“We were hoping to integrate curricula mapping with state requirements,” said Chandler. “We have found some very nice examples from other districts, and we would like to emulate them. To complete some projects and have a skeleton for most of the other projects would be feasible, but to have the entire thing complete by January is very ambitious.”

Chandler and some members of the board cited Quaker Valley as having the type of syllabus they would like to strive for, complete with a display of one for each class on the Internet. But some board members were uncertain if the same could be done for the Belle Vernon Area District at this time.

“I share Mr. Anderson’s concern for the orientation of students changing from elementary school to middle school,” said Director Dale Patterson. “It is a difficult time in a child’s life. But I am concerned with students in every grade. I know we have the software for mapping curricula, but I don’t know if what Quaker Valley has done is realistic for the taxpayers of the Belle Vernon Area. We have not yet had any in-service days when we could work on curricula mapping, and we need some days to work this out. I just think we should make sure that this is a realistic goal.”

Director Deborah Puglia pointed out that students at schools with higher budgets were all given laptop computers, which was an advantage that Belle Vernon students do not have.

“We still have a lot of students who don’t have computer hookups at home,” said Puglia.

Anderson said he understood these concerns, however, he had first brought up the issue at a meeting in June and he did not think they should go forward into the next school year without a syllabus that would keep parents from struggling to find information about the requirements and grading systems for each class.

“We do not need to invest any more money into technology because we already have it,” said Anderson.

“The parents could all be provided with a hard copy to take home, and with the information on the Web site, a lot of students who don’t have computer hookups at home have friends who do.”

Chandler said he believed that they could have a syllabus in place before the next school year.

“I think we can do it, although there has turned out to be a lot more involved than we thought. I hope we can have it completed by the end of this school year.”

In an unrelated matter, the board voted to authorize Miller Corp. Electrical Contractor to install aluminum poles and light fixtures on Crest Avenue and provide and install new underground wiring for roadway lighting.

The board was about to vote on authorizing the same contractor to install 1,700 feet of conduit provided by the school district, with the trenching also done by the school district, when the board decided to retract their earlier vote of approval.

Anderson pointed out that they still did not know the total cost of the project.

Anderson said that since they were to pay for the trenching, they should have that cost of that in front of them before making a decision, since the company was going to charge $3,679 for installing the pipe that the district was providing.

“It is my understanding that they are charging that amount to take our pipe and install it into a ditch that we put in,” said Anderson. “I think that is outrageous.”

He brought it to the board’s attention that without knowing what the cost of digging the trench will be and approving all of the work to be done at the prices presented could bring the final cost of the project over their budget.

With that in mind, Puglia suggested that the board table the vote and “put the whole project on hold until the next meeting.” The board agreed to discuss it then.

The board also discussed a previous agreement made with an architect who was to work on the school’s football field. The agreement said that the district would be reimbursed for money not used if they decided not to continue with the project. Assistant Secretary Edward Naylor asked the board to approve that they put the architect on notice if they did in fact decide not to continue.

“I would ask that we put them on notice and get our money back to the fullest extent,” said Naylor.

President Aaron Bialon said he regrets that the project did not develop and would like to move forward with it.

“I wish we could move forward for the children and would ask you all to do that,” said Bialon. “I blame myself and other board members who did not step forward. I hear comments all the time about how the field looks good, but you can’t hear the announcers. I think we should move forward on this.”

Director Joseph Stringhill agreed, saying the field does not have a concession stand or a room on the field for players to get dressed.

Solicitor Mary Lynch Friedline explained that notifying the architect did not necessarily mean that no further work could be done.

“In the agreement, if the district undertook projects put on hold, the district would be reimbursed,” said Friedline.

“If nothing has been done by March 2003, the money would be due at that time. Notifying them of that does not mean you are locked into anything. It certainly leaves your options open.”

With that understood, the board approved notification to the architect.

In less controversial matters, the board authorized Chad Himmler, high school director of bands, to accompany junior student Steven Spang to participation in the Music Educators National Conference All-East Band March 6-9.

The district will pay $1,705 for the trip, unless Himmler is accepted as a chaperone for the event, in which case the cost will be reduced.

The board has also scheduled a reorganization meeting for Wednesday Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.