UASB may increase teachers’ leadership role
The Uniontown Area School Board is considering an initiative that would give teachers more of a leadership role in the district to improve student achievement. Dr. Sue Goodwin presented to the board a University of Pittsburgh project called Educational Leadership Initiative (ELI) at the regular business meeting Monday.
The initiative would attempt to tap into “teacher leaders,” which Goodwin said are highly underutilized since a shift has occurred in some districts where principals are leaving their posts instead of staying for 30 years as was the situation in the past.
“There’s a tremendous pool of teacher leadership that we are not tapping into, and we like to think ELI is on the vanguard of that,” said Goodwin.
With the aim of “world-class student achievement” in public schools, the initiative would assess the district’s culture and leadership styles and would have administration, principals and teachers set goals together, Goodwin added.
It would begin with an orientation in August and five to six months of intervention that would include working alongside teachers in the classroom, Goodwin said.
Goodwin said the initiative will begin in the Central Greene School District in August. ELI leaders hope to work with 40 school districts in western Pennsylvania to accomplish a vision for the region to be a recognized and documented standard of excellence.
Goodwin said after a lengthy discussion with Superintendent Dr. Charles Machesky, she is eager to work in Lafayette School as well as all buildings in the district.
Board members plan to review new initiatives recently proposed for the upcoming school year to make sure none are overlapping before agreeing to pay ELI $10,000 to begin work this summer. A meeting will be held later this month to review new initiatives, said board President Susan Clay.
In a related matter, Machesky promised a renewed focus on Lafayette School, and two items on the agenda were related to that promise.
The board approved for the administration to create and post an intervention math and reading position and a full-time in-school suspension supervisor at Lafayette School for the upcoming school year.
The board also accepted 12 resignations from teachers and a librarian and hired eight teachers.
Those who resigned were: Debra J. Deems, retiring elementary school art teacher; Shelly Dolan, high school special education teacher; Tricia L. Furajter, Lafayette School librarian; Amy Gergely, special education teacher at A.J. McMullen School; Michael Guthrie, Lafayette School teacher; Jason E. Johns, special education teacher at A.J. McMullen School; Madelyn Jean Moore, speech teacher; Mark Santore, Lafayette School music teacher; Amity M. Sanzone, high school language arts teacher; Jayme L. Sucevic, Lafayette School special education teacher; Sondra Williamson, Lafayette School teacher; and Earl J. Wingrove, high school technology education teacher.
Hired were: Rachel Fritts, as a mid-level mathematics teacher at Lafayette School; Sarah Yonash, Jill Partridge and Penn Davis as elementary teachers to be assigned; and Shanna Chiado, Nicole Mullen, Deborah Garrett and John Mattey as special education teachers to be assigned.
The board also:
– Approved a settlement agreement for delinquent amusement taxes with the Duck Hollow Golf Club. The district will receive $56,000 in back taxes for 1996-2005.
– Authorized the collection and payment of school real estate taxes in three installment payments due Sept. 30, Oct. 31 and Nov. 30.
– Hired the following for athletic positions for the upcoming school year at the following pay: Christopher Edenfield, high school assistant football coach at $3,151; Gerald R. Pegg, high school assistant football coach at $3,151; Patrick Tressler, high school trainer and equipment manager at $1,691 and $2,820, respectively; Karlton Dennis, assistant boys basketball coach for Lafayette School grades seven and eight at $1,838; Clayton Krysak, high school assistant boys soccer coach at $1,434; John Patek, high school first assistant baseball coach at $1,838; Katie Marie Burke, high school head cheerleading coach at $1,891; and Lisa A. Genovese, high school assistant cheerleading coach at $1,365.
– Approved switching the custodian and maintenance staff from a Point of Service to a PPO health-care plan in the midst of negotiating a new contract with the service employees. Their contract expired June 30, and the board is scheduled to meet with the employees concerning negotiations later this month.
Solicitor Michael Brungo said the service employees approved switching health-care plans, which will lead to a cost savings for the district. The amount of money the district will save through the switch was not immediately known.
– Added Barry J. Balchak, Sara Holaren, Christina D. Kearns, Aaron Legarsky, Kristen D. Mack, Dana Pawlikowsky and Tammy R. VanSickle to the substitute list at $70 per day, effective Aug. 23, and Dorothy Adams and Melissa A. Jones to the substitute list for secretaries, clerk typists and teachers’ aides.