Montrose board gets new prez

BY PAT FARNELLI

Chris Caterson was elected president of the Montrose Area School Board Monday night at its reorganization meeting and replaces Doug Wilcox who is now board vice president.

Six persons were sworn in for new terms as a result of the Nov. 8 election: Pamela Staats, Kristen Follert, Mary Homan, Kathleen Mordovancy, Caterson, and Wilcox with no new faces on the board.

Superintendent Michael Ognosky was appointed as the district’s Federal Emergency Management Agency agent as part of a “Designation of Agent Resolution” adopted at the meeting.

The resolution set up an official working relationship between the district and FEMA in regard to work required on Choconut Creek. Ognosky will be able to process paperwork and sign forms on behalf of the district.

During Tropical Storm Lee, the “mighty Choconut Creek overflowed its banks,” Ognosky said. “Right now, we are paying for all of this.”

Ognosky added that district employees have been obtaining permits and shoring up the banks of the creek.

Board member George Gow said, “Whatever money we get (from FEMA) is money that we didn’t have to spend. But it didn’t only destroy our properties, it affected neighbor’s properties upstream and down.”

A long list of policies, most of which regarded district employees and reporting of criminal and child abuse records, were approved after being posted last month for public review.

Ognosky said that the updated forms were distributed to all district employees, and between 60-70 percent of the forms have already been returned.

A resolution was passed stating that the district will not raise taxes above the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved index, which for Montrose is approximately 1.9 percent. “We can raise our millage a little less than a mill if needed,” Ognosky explained.

He said that this resolution will gain some time for the budget process, until the end of May, by which time the administration will have a better idea of the revenue part of the budget, especially in terms of state revenue.

Three coaches were appointed for the winter sports season: Jeffrey Oleniacz as junior varsity wrestling coach at a salary of $3,150; Dominick Lucenti as head junior high wrestling coach at a salary of $2,450; and Justin Wagner as asst. junir high wrestling coach at a salary of $2,352.

Two resignations were accepted with regret: Brady Goldsmith, as head junior high girl’s basketball coach, effective Nov. 26; and Mary Gesford, as assistant softball coach, effective Nov. 30.

Three emergency substitute teachers were hired: Jacqueline Waldron, Jeffrey Fanucci, and Sean Madden.

At the work session, auditor Paul Murphy, a partner of the Murphy Dougherty Co. of Moscow, presented the local audit report for the 2010-2011 school year. He said that revenues received  did show a negative variance from the amounts budgeted, but that the district was reasonably healthy financially. He also noted that the 22 and 30 capital reserve funds will now be combined into one fund for capital projects. He said that the food service program does break even, not generating a profit, but not needing to be subsidized by the general fund. About $988,000 of the 22 fund and $474,000 of the 30 fund were spent on capital projects, including the new administration building.

There remained a fund balance of $1.776 million, but some of that is committed for GASB funds for employee retirement programs.

Business Manager Michelle Lusk thanked Murphy and the auditors, and said that the process went well.

Ognosky said that 13 boys from theElkLakeSchool Districthave been coming to Montrose high school to lift weights as part of training for next year’s joint football team.

Ognosky said that he had previously stated that joiing forces withElkLakewould not affect Montrose’s classification.

However, the football team’s classification has changed, and Montrose is now officially the smallest AAA school in the state. He said that the reclassification was not so much due toElkLakeparticipation, as it is to an anomaly inMontroseAreaSchool Districtcomposition: “In grades 10-12, our district is comprised of 65 percent boys,” he said.

The next school board meeting will be on Monday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. at Choconut Valley Elementary School