Board juggles students
CONNELLSVILLE – An administrative recommendation to transfer certain students from Dunbar Township Elementary School to Dunbar Borough Elementary School to trim the district budget, received approval Wednesday from the Connellsville Area School Board. However, a similar proposal that would downsize the student population at Bullskin Township Elementary School while increasing the numbers at C.N. Pritts failed to garner similar support.
According to the board action, approximately 30 students in kindergarten through grade five and living in the community of Monarch and along Eighty Acres Road will be transferred from the township to borough school beginning in the fall.
The changes are being made in conjunction with nine elementary teachers submitting retirement letters to the district, said Superintendent Dr. David R. Goodin, along with the affected students living nearer to the Dunbar Borough school.
Goodin said that the restructuring would decrease the 2010-2011 budget if the district did not have to replace the departing teaching staff at the current time.
“If we don’t start making some serious inroads in reducing the budget, we are going to be in serious trouble,” said Goodin. “This (realignment) is an easy way to do it.”
The Bullskin and C.N. Pritts proposal would not have aided the district in its attempt to reduce the staff, said Goodin. However, the transfer of students would have reduced class sizes at Bullskin and increased overall student population at the mountain area school. The students targeted for the move live in the Bear Rocks area.
Several Bear Rocks area residents questioned the board’s wisdom in making the change with little notice that such a move was being considered.
“It doesn’t make sense,” said Mike Pritts.
The motion to approve the transfer of Bullskin students did not receive a second. Therefore, the motioned failed.
Board member Francis Mongell criticized his fellow board members when they opted to approve the realignment at the Dunbar area schools.
“What is the difference?” he said, pointing to the previous no vote in the Bullskin matter. “You can’t separate kids like this.”
No parent was in attendance to address the board in the matter.
Board members John Detwiler, Dr. P.J. Carte, Gary Wandel, Dr. Paul Means, Tom Dolde and Denise Martin voted in favor of the Dunbar student transfer with Mongell casting the lone no vote. Board President Kevin Lape and member Jim Fabian was absent from the meeting.
In a related issue, Mongell presented a motion to transfer freshman students to the high school at the start of the 2010-2011 school year and consolidate the two junior high schools into one building as earlier recommended by former board member Ed Zadylak during the public comment period.
Mongell, also a proponent of district-wide consolidation, estimated a $2 million savings to the district.
The motion failed when no other board member seconded the action.
Turning to other matters, a board majority did approve a request to increase lunch prices for the upcoming school year.
The proposal would add 10 cents to the cost of the lunches, moving the elementary price for students from $1.85 to $1.95; secondary lunch costs from $2.15 to $2.25 and adult lunches from $3.25 to $3.35.
Board members voting in favor of the price increase included Wandel, Means, Dolde and Martin with Detwiler, Carte and Mongell casting dissenting votes.
The board tabled action to eliminate the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center agricultural program after hearing from parent Robin Mowry about the importance of the curriculum and interest of the students in the class.
The proposed course elimination coincides with the retirement of teacher Dan Komarinski.
While the board agreed to revisit the issue, Wandel challenged Mowry to “sell” the course to new students as the current numbers do not support the need for the class.
According to Wandel, 24 students in grades 9 through 12 are enrolled in the half-day course.
“If the students aren’t there, it is tough to sustain the program,” he said.
In other action, the board also conducted the following business:
n Hired Kyle Martin as a senior high school assistant football coach at a salary of $4,357; Leo Lowney, senior high boys basketball coach at a salary of $3,813 and Kevin Bell, senior high girls basketball head coach at a salary of $5,738.
n Agreed to replace the name of the Connellsville Pony League Inc. with Dunbar Area Little League Junior Division on the lease with the school district and to extend the agreement to May 31, 2020.
n Approved the attendance of CACTC instructor Donna Benzio and two students to take part in the June 21-26 Skills USA National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri at an approximate cost of $4,200 for registration, lodging, travel and meals.
n Adopted the proposed CACTC 2010-2011 spending plan in the amount of $3.46 million.
n Approved the 2010-2011 school calendar with a start date of Aug. 30 for students.
n Added Ryan Washabaugh, Justin Larson, Tiffany Ritenour, Rachel Jacquillard, Katherine Hunt, Katie Grimm, Jaison Moon, Ashley Ferraro, Bobbie Jo DeMott, Jessica Weimer, Brian Strickler, Stacey Domer, Rachel Means and Lynn Wagner to the professional substitute list.