Mt. View plans ‘fact finding’ webpage

BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

A report offering recommendations for a contract between Mt. View and its teachers was not made available for public view a week after Mt. View directors rejected the fact finder’s conclusions.

Mt. View directors unanimously voted against accepting the report at a special board meeting on Monday, Oct. 6. At that time, board president Thomas Stoddard said the report would be posted on the district’s website within a few days.

The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board released its fact-finding report to the public on Thursday, Oct. 9. (See related article, MV contract recommendations released)

At the board’s regular meeting on Monday night, Oct. 13, Stoddard again promised another few days of waiting.

“We’re in the process of creating a webpage on our website,” he explained. “It will include the fact finding report as well as the district’s position on what the report says. There will also be an analysis of such things as the benefits and retirement package, and a link to view past contracts.”

He added that the Mt. View Education Association, which represents the teachers, also voted down the report’s results, and it is required that the report be available to the public for a period of time before further actions are taken.

Stoddard said a ‘hard copy’ of the report will also be available in the district office, but he did not indicate when.

“We hope the information we put out will clarify for everyone what’s going on,” he concluded. “Our hope is that all faculty will look at it so they can make their own judgments.”

High school principal Robert Presley asked the board to consider whether to retain the requirement that students complete a senior project to graduate.

“A senior project is no longer required by the state,” Presley told the board. “Passing the Keystone tests is now a graduation requirement. If a student doesn’t pass the Keystones, they need to successfully complete Keystone course modules on the computer.”

Presley added that making up those courses to pass the Keystones would require classroom time during a student’s daily school schedule.

“Because the Keystones are required for graduation,” director Sondra Stine commented, “it seems students should be spending more time on preparing for the Keystones than on a senior project.”

Presley pointed out that it is up to the board to decide on whether to retain the senior project, because the district offers a course credit for the project. He said current juniors and seniors have either completed or are near completion of their senior projects, so whatever the board decides this school year will not affect them. However, current sophomores are just beginning to meet with their mentors to plan their senior projects.

When asked his opinion of the senior project, Presley stated, “I don’t like that we have to spend so much time on the Keystones, but that’s the game we have to play. A senior project, however, can often bring out other talents a student might have.”

Director Roy Twining agreed, to an extent. “A senior project might be worth it for the students who are going to put the time into it, but not all students will.”

All board members seemed to agree that the senior project should not be made optional, and that a decision should be made soon on whether to retain it as a graduation requirement by the district.

Maintenance director Robert Taylor reported recurring problems with the scoreboard on the athletic field, and offered the board two options.

“It can be updated with LED lights for $3,015,” Taylor said, “or it can be replaced with a new LED scoreboard for $5,270.”

He said the current scoreboard is 10 years old, and the magnetic mechanism often fails to ‘flip’ the numbers on cue. He added that funds are available in the maintenance budget for a new scoreboard.

“If we can get a new one for only $2,000 more than repairing the old one,” Stine offered, “we should get the new one.”

Several board members voiced approval for purchasing a new scoreboard, and encouraged Taylor to pursue installation by the end of month in time for soccer playoffs.