Montrose admin building nearing completion

BY PAT FARNELLI

Montrose Area School Board heard a progress report on the new administration building, considered a new Disaster Recovery Project, and reviewed the district’s PSSA scores and Adequate Yearly Progress Monday night in a work session immediately after a fairly routine regular meeting.

Four baseball coaches were hired to complete the baseball staff at the board’s regular meeting, and a third student worker was hired for the district’s Cooperative Occupational Experience Program.

During the work session, the board discussed the progress on the new administration building, which is “90 percent done” at the factory, according to Superintendent Michael F. Ognosky.

“The ‘boxes’will be finished by the beginning of next week,” he said, referring to the prefabricated building sections, which will be constructed inside and out at a factory.

The only hold-up has been the weather, which has affected the excavation and preparation for the basement and other foundation work.

“We’re about two weeks behind because of the rain, but we should have them on site and in place by the first week of November,” Ognosky said.

He suggested getting quotes for the demolition of the old administration building, hoping to get at least three estimates under $10,000.

Otherwise, the demolition phase will have to be advertised for bids.

 During the regular meeting, a contract was approved for student assistance services for behavioral support services for multiple students with special needs. There was only one contract, and the total cost was not to exceed $20,000, which was the same as in last year’s budget.

Four baseball coaches were hired for the spring 2011 sports season: Dan Cherney as assistant varsity baseball coach at a salary of $2310; Dan Myers as head junior varsity baseball coach, at a salary of $2310; Josh Winn as head junior high baseball coach, at a salary of $1785; and Jim Fluck as assistant junior high baseball coach, at a salary of $1550.

Sarah Reynolds was hired as a student worker in the athletic department as part of the district’s Cooperative Occupational Experience Program for the 2010-2011 school year at the rate of $7.25 per hour for a maximum of 20 hours per week, retroactive to Sept. 13, 2010.

Ognosky said that Reynolds has been working as a  clerical aide to the athletic director.

Caroline Millen and Raymond McDonald were hired as daily substitute teachers with an emergency certificate for this school year only. This provides individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree with a temporary opportunity to work as a sub on a daily basis as needed, without first obtaining a teaching certificate.

Lori Zick was hired as a daily substitute for English, grades 7-12.

At the work session, Dr. Don Golden reported on an inservice day held for support staff on writing defensible IEPs.

A fire prevention day involved the Montrose Fire Department, who participated with the elementary students in a fire drill and ate lunch with the students.

Craig Owens gave a technology department report, and discussed a new program, the Disaster Recovery Project, which would implement a network security and data backup and recovery program in the event of an emergency involving technology.

Owens gave a detailed proposal for a more secure system, and recommended the purchase of hardware to accomplish this. He said that years ago, $17,000 was invested ito a backup data device, but that the sheer quantity of data being processed daily is much greater than that system can handle or hold. “We have to back up server to server or disc to disc,” he said.

The board authorized to advertise for bids for the hardware, and for Owens to come back to the board after the bids are received with price information.

The district’s PSSA scores were discussed in the work session as well. All three district buildings attained their Adequate Yearly Progress, and all made their targets, Ognosky said.

Choconut Elementary School met 13 out of 13 of its targets. Both the Montrose Area Junior/Senior High School and Lathrop Street Elementary School had 17 targets to meet, and both met all 17.

Ognosky said that the areas the district really needs to focus on are the eleventh grade math scores and elementary reading.

“We made the AYP, but we need our scores to go up farther,” he said. “However, math scores at the elementary schools averaged nearly 90 percent, which is excellent.”

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