Aug 14, 2008 By Patty Yauger 4 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Elementary and secondary Connellsville Area School District students will get an extra day of summer vacation, following Wednesday board action. Although parents, students and teachers were planning for an Aug. 22 start date, the board opted to change the school calendar and delay the beginning of school until Aug. 25. The change, said district Superintendent James Duncan, was due to parents questioning why the school year was beginning on a Friday.

“The questions were legitimate and we made the requested change and now school will start on a Monday,” he said.

Another amendment to the 2008-09 school calendar is the addition of April 13 as a regular school day. The date previously was listed as a snow day, but to keep the end of the school year from going into another week, Duncan said the date was added to the school schedule.

Other preparations for the upcoming school year were also finalized Wednesday by the board with the hiring of teachers and substitute personnel along with members taking measures to move forward with two construction projects.

The panel hired Kolby Wagner as a technology education teacher and Frank Dean as a science teacher at a salary of $34,088.

Both are to fill vacancies created at the end of the 2007-08 school year due to retirements.

The board also hired Geri Karinchak as a long-term elementary substitute teacher for the first semester of the school year and appointed Bridget Camp as technology integration coach.

By a 5-3 vote, the directors approved the purchase of construction insurance through the Pennsylvania School Board Association Owner-Controlled Insurance Program at an approximate cost of $423,00 for contractors that will be renovating the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC).

By a similar vote, the board also authorized the purchase of builders risk insurance through Selective Insurance Co. at a cost of $19,600.

Business manager Eugene Cunningham said that the purchases would translate into an overall savings to the school district.

A similar insurance purchase was made when the district constructed the Springfield Township Elementary School with a savings of $40,000, said Cunningham. He speculated that the district would save a minimum of $29,000 with the current construction project.

The $15.6 million CACTC project will include the upgrading of the current site and construction of two wings, along with the replacement of major building systems, windows, certain roof areas, fire alarm system, security system, interior lighting systems, and will address the needs of the various shops, such as exhaust systems and water and air distribution systems.

Last month the board approved the hiring of a general contractor and mechanical, plumbing and electrical firms and an asbestos abatement company for the project.

Board President Francis Mongell, along with directors Karen Blocker, Jeffrey Harvey, Denise Martin and James Fabian, voted in favor of the insurance purchases, with directors Kevin Lape, Jon Detwiler and Ed Zadylak opposing the measures. Board member Loretta Lint was absent from the meeting.

In a second project, board members voted to award a contract to W.G. Land Co. LLC of Champion for the construction of a weightlifting equipment building at Falcon Stadium at a cost of $43,748.

The construction cost is being defrayed through public contributions, according to senior high football coach Lou DeSimone, who proposed the project to the board in June.

In addition to local donors, John Lujack, former Connellsville football player, Heisman Trophy winner and starting quarterback for Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears, also contributed during the fund drive.

Turning to other business, by a 5-3 vote, the board approved the hiring of MGT of America to conduct a master facilities plan for the district at a cost of $74,796.

The board was given an overview of the Tallahassee, Fla.,-headquartered firm and the process it takes to prepare long-range plans during its Monday non-voting meeting.

The district is required by the state Department of Education to conduct a feasibility study every two years.

Mongell, along with Blocker, Harvey, Martin and Fabian, supported the measure, while Detwiler, Lape and Zadylak cast no votes to the action.