Brownsville reinstates in-school suspensions
BROWNSVILLE – The Browns-ville Area School Board has reinstated its in-school suspension program that it had terminated earlier this month. Director Andy Dorsey asked the board to reinstate the in-school suspension (ISS) program and take on the remaining costs, estimated at $6,000.
The board terminated the program earlier this month due to lack of funding.
Superintendent Dr. Gerry Grant told the board at its last regular meeting that the program was funded through a $12,500 Safe and Drug Free Schools grant, but the grant administrator said the money is meant to fund preventative programs, which ISS is not. That grant funded the program from the beginning of the school year until mid-January.
The board decided to cut the program instead of using district money for something not included on the budget.
But when Director John Evans suggested during a special meeting Wednesday that the board donate $100 instead of $50 to the high school musical “Man of LaMancha,” he mentioned that the district had a surplus of $100,000 and could afford to increase the donation. “Evans brought up a $100,000 surplus that can even be close to $200,000. I think $6,000 is a minimal amount of money to provide for a valuable program,” Dorsey said.
Debra Suba, director of curriculum, had told the board earlier in the month that she would come up with an alternative program or another grant to fund the program.
But Dorsey said he believed the district could afford to fund the program itself, and if a grant was received, the board could just reimburse the money with the grant funds.
Former board member Nena Kaminsky said she thinks if the board could make a decision knowing it could lead to litigation, they should be willing to pay $6,000 for a program that will benefit the students.
Kaminsky was speaking of the board’s decision to hire a teacher’s aide as a full-time clerk, despite the fact that a part-time clerk had also applied for the job and could just have been moved up a step.
Director Stella Broadwater said she thought the decision put the board at odds with the SEIU contract and could lead to possible litigation.
The entire board voted yes to reinstate the ISS program.