Brownsville school directors suspend teacher, require psychological evaluation
Brownsville Area School District board of directors suspended a teacher and are requiring that the teacher undergo a psychological evaluation. Director Francine Pavone, the newly appointed personnel committee chairman, made the motion at the board’s regular meeting to suspend a “professional” employee.
Pavone would not comment on the issue any further.
Director Stella Broadwater, former personnel committee chairman, said the person suspended was a teacher.
She said she could not release the name of the teacher or at which grade level the teacher teaches.
She said the length of suspension will be determined after an investigation by Superintendent Dr. Gerry Grant and the building principal.
Broadwater would not comment as to why the teacher was suspended or if any students were injured as a result of the teacher’s actions.
She did, however say that the teacher has been with the district for “several years.”
In other business the board accepted with regret the resignation of Bart Verbanic the director of buildings and grounds.
Grant said Verbanic has been great help to the district, especially during its plans to demolish parts of Redstone Middle School.
“When we met with the engineers for the demolition of the old section of Redstone and the installation of a new heating system, if (Verbanic) hadn’t been there, we would have had a difficult time,” Grant said.
Broadwater said that Verbanic has “always been there for the district” when needed.
“We appreciate him and have been very pleased (with his work) over the years,” Broadwater said.
Other board members also expressed their appreciation for Verbanic’s service to the district.
In other business, the board also approved an agreement with California University of Pennsylvania for the use of the track facilities for the Brownsville High School and Redstone Middle School track teams for the 2003/2004 school year at a cost of $2,140.
Director John Evans said he’d like the district to have its own track field and thinks the board should ask the architect to look into that possibility as part of the district’s renovation plans.
“I think it would be nice to have our own (track) and it would save us money,” Evans said.
Director Jim Brown, the newly appointed athletics committee chairman, agreed. He said, in the past the district has tried to build a track, but ran into some difficulties with a gas line that was in the area where the track was to be built.
“We’re still not done (with our efforts), but we got to find a place,” Brown said.
The board also approved an agreement with Cal U for the services of one graduate athletic training intern to serve as an athletic trainer for the 2003/2004 school year at a rate of $9,000.
The board approved the following coaches positions for 2003: Jane Bock, girl’s softball head coach ($3,700); David Bojtos, assistant girl’s softball ($2,000); Scott Roebuck, varsity baseball coach ($3,500); Ralph Rice, assistant varsity baseball coach ($2,400); Kenny Musko, assistant baseball varsity coach, ($1,300); Dave Zimcosky, middle school baseball coach ($1,600); Larry Cash, boys varsity track coach ($2,900); Robert Rhodes, cross country head coach ($2,300).
Contracts with Cash and Rhodes were approved as two-year contracts to end 2004.