School board reorganize for 2014
School districts in Fayette and parts of Greene counties made the following moves for 2014 during reorganization meetings held last week:
Albert Gallatin Area
Albert Gallatin Area board members welcomed Doug Sholtis and Michael Dunham as newly elected directors and returning members Ken Plisko and Edward Andria, who all successfully won election in November. The directors were sworn into office by Dianne Patterson, board secretary.
Director Jeff Myers was elected president and Sholtis was elected vice president by a unanimous vote of the board.
The directors also elected Andria to serve as treasurer for the next year.
Lee Price of Andrews and Price Attorneys at Law of Pittsburgh was reappointed solicitor at a salary of $95 per hour and a $600 monthly retainer. The directors also reappointed John Kopas to the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA) legislative policy council.
School board planning sessions for 2014 will be held at 6 p.m. the third Monday of the month and 2014 voting sessions will be held at 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month. Locations for both meetings are as follows: January, Friendship Hill Elementary; February, Albert Gallatin High School; March and April, Masontown Elementary; May, Smithfield Elementary; June, Albert Gallatin South Middle School; July, Albert Gallatin North Middle School; August, A.L. Wilson Elementary; September, Albert Gallatin High School; October and November, D. Ferd Swaney Elementary; and December, George J. Plava Elementary.
Brownsville Area
R.W. “Rocky” Brashear and Ron Dellarose Jr. were re-elected to serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the Brownsville Area School Board.
The board elected the district’s business manager, Michael Gigliotti, to serve a one-year term on each the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau executive committee and the Fayette County Tax Collection Committee. The board elected Director Richard Gates to serve a one-year term on the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute’s joint operating committee to fill a vacancy left by former board member Stella Broadwater.
Director Jeff Bayne was appointed to a three-year term on the vo-tech committee.
The board also voted to retain the legal services of Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law of Uniontown for a monthly retainer of $250.
School board planning sessions for 2014 will be held Jan. 14, Feb. 18, March 17, April 14, May 12, June 16, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Oct. 13, and Nov. 17.
Voting sessions will be held Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 20, April 17, May 15, June 19, Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Oct. 16, and Nov. 20. All meetings will be held at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
The reorganization meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 4.
Carmichaels Area
Tom Ricco was elected to serve as president and Melodie Berardi as vice president of the Carmichaels Area School Board during Thursday’s reorganization meeting.
Director Ed McIntire, who was sworn-in as the board’s newest member, was elected treasurer.
The board also voted to retain Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law of Uniontown as solicitor.
Director Pete Shlosky was elected as the board’s representative to serve a three-year term with the Greene County Career and Technical Center.
Director Richard Krause was elected to serve a one-year term with strategic as strategic planning representative. Director Ron Ferek was elected to serve a one-year term as legislature representative.
School board planning sessions will be held as needed. Voting sessions will be held the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the high school library. The board will establish a date for its reorganization meeting during its November meeting.
Connellsville Area
Connellsville Area School Board re-elected Jon Detwiler as president and Dr. Paul Means as vice president.
Means and Gary Wandel were re-elected to the board in the November general election, and political newcomers Jay Fox III and James Duncan, former superintendent, earned seats on the board as well. The returning board members and newly elected directors were sworn in at the reorganization meeting.
The board also appointed Fox and Dan Martucci to the Connellsville Parks and Recreation Board for one-year terms.
Voting meetings for 2014 will be held at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, with work session meetings held at 8 p.m. on the Monday prior, with the exception of the organization meeting, which will be held on Dec. 3.
The board voted to move its meetings from the Connellsville Career and Technical Center to the auxiliary gym of the newly renovated high school.
Frazier
Tom Shetterly will serve another year as Frazier School Board president and Dave Simmons, vice-president.
Director Kevin Brown, who won a four-year seat on the board in the November election was sworn into office along with Shetterly and Simmons by Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino.
Brown replaced former director John Strickler, who opted not to seek re-election.
Director Deborah Vargo-Alekson who also won a four-year seat in November’s election was absent. She will have 10 days to be sworn into office.
Additionally, the board agreed to have Shetterly continue serving as Frazier’s representative for Southwest Regional Tax Bureau and Fayette County Tax Committee representative with business manager Kevin Mildren as alternate.
The board also retained the law firm Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law of Uniontown at a rate of $500 a month and $6,000 a year with hourly billing at $95 an hour.
The board will continue in 2014 to meet the third Thursday of the month with a work session at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m., with the exception of January and July because of the holiday.
Jefferson-Morgan
Re-elected school directors in the Jefferson Morgan School District, Bob Mitchell, Mark Pochron, John Shaffer, Debbie Phillips and Cindy Jento were sworn into their posts on the board.
The board voted to elect Lisa Mattish as president and re-elect Bob Mitchell as vice president.
Mattish resigned as board treasurer, and Jento was also elected to replace her as treasurer of the board for the remainder of Mattish’s term.
The board also elected Shaffer and John Hildebrand as Greene County Career and Technical Center representatives.
The board will continue in 2014 to meet for its work session at 6:30 p.m. and its regular meeting at 7 p.m. the third Monday of each month, with the following meeting date changes: Jan. 21, Feb. 18, April 28, June 23 and Dec. 2.
Laurel Highlands
In the Laurel Highlands School District, newly elected directors Tom Landman and Angelo Giachetti, re-elected director Bev Beal, and newly appointed director Bill Elias were sworn into office by Judge Nancy Vernon.
Elias is filling the unexpired term of former board member Tom Vernon, who stepped down after being elected tax collector in South Union Township.
The board returned Giachetti, a long-time school director, to the post of president. Giachetti previously served as board president during his 24 years as a school director, but did not seek re-election in 2011 because he was caring for his ailing parents. He ran and was successful in his bid for a board seat in the primary and general elections in May and November.
Directors elected Melvyn Sepic to serve as the board’s vice president and Jamie Miller D’Andrea to serve as treasurer.
Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in Uniontown were again appointed solicitors for the district.
The board appointed Beal (3-year term) and Elias (2-year term) to serve as representatives on the Joint Operating Committee of Fayette County Career and Technical Institute.
Director Lyn Andoloro was appointed to serve as a representative on the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau and Fayette County Tax Collection Committee. D’Andrea was appointed to serve as an alternate on both committees.
Elias will serve as a legislative chairperson and Chrise was appointed to serve as a district representative on the PSBA council.
Board meetings for 2014 will be held at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the Laurel Highlands Middle School auditorium. Work session meetings will be held at 5 p.m. the Tuesday immediately prior to the board meeting in the high school library.
Uniontown Area
Uniontown Area School Directors elected Ken Meadows to serve as president and re-elected Rev. Vincent Winfrey to serve as vice president for 2014.
The board appointed newly elected director Terry Dawson to serve as assistant secretary to the board.
In addition to Dawson, Don Rugola, Bill Gerke and Bill Rittenhouse were all sworn into office. Rugola is new to the board, Gerke and Rittenhouse were re-elected for posts in November.
Winfrey and Dawson were appointed to serve on the Uniontown City Recreation Commission; Gerke (3 year term) and Dorothy Graheck (2 year term) were appointed to serve on the Joint Operating Committee of the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute.
Graheck and Susan Clay were appointed to the PSBA legislative policy council; Clay was appointed to represent the district as chairperson for the PSBA committee.
Rittenhouse was appointed to serve on the executive committee of the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau and on the Fayette County Tax Collection Committee. Gerke was appointed to serve as an alternate on the two committees.
The board also retained Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law of Uniontown to continue to serve as the district’s solicitors.
The district will hold meetings in 2014 the third Monday of each month with the exception of the June meeting which will be held the fifth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the band room of Uniontown Area High School. Work sessions will be held and scheduled by the president, as needed, prior to the regular monthly meeting.