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NTSD signs settlement with WTMA
By Henry August
Northern Tioga School District Board of Directors unanimously approved a settlement agreement with the Westfield Township Municipal Authority at their Jan. 14 meeting.
The settlement resolves the year long dispute between the district and the authority over the $300,000 billed contribution that the district paid to the authority.
The details of the agreement that was signed by board president Mike Vayansky are:
1. Ownership of a $225,000 investment instrument that was purchased with the same amount by the authority is turned over to the district.
2. The authority will pay the district $15,000 per year for five years beginning in December of this year to repay the remaining $75,000 of the $300,000 contribution without any interest to the district.
After the meeting, district solicitor John Cowley said that Nationwide Financial Services would issue a check to the district in the amount of $225,000 to redeem the investment instrument without penalties or interest.
The instrument was not one that the district could legally possess.
Auditor Susan Forgett of the firm of Forgett and Kerstetter, Local Auditors reported that an audit of the district's finances and compliance with federal program regulations showed that the district's accounts were in good order and that the district had earned the rating of "Good Risk Auditee."
Forgett stated, "There are no findings or questioned costs. The district has $4.5 million in netassets which reflect a net gain of $838,000 change in the net assets of the district."
The board unanimously accepted the audit and praised the excellent work of Forgett.
Superintendent Jacqueline Bellamy reported a reduction in class size for the third consecutive year.
She noted that a study done in Wisconsin showed that smaller class sizes resulted in improved student achievement.
She noted that the Kindergarten classes now average between 14 and 18 students per class while first grade class size averaged between 14 and 21 students.
Second grade classes range in size from 12-22 students and third grade class size ranged from 19 to 24 students.
Bellamy stated that the Wisconsin study showed that the reduction in class size was most beneficial to first grade students.
The superintendent gave a report on the district's response to the complaints of the grandfather who claimed that his grandson was bullied by high school students on a bus and held down with a broom.
Bellamy said that a letter had been sent to the grandfather and the parents reporting that brooms had been removed from the buses; a camera had been permanently installed on the bus; the secondary students involved have received two days of in-school suspension. A policy was also established to ensure communications between elementary and secondary principals when any similar instances occur; and a bully box has been put in place in each school for reporting incidents of assault or bullying.
She noted that at all future board meeting; she would give an account of responses to speakers from the previous month's board meeting.
Business manager Wanda Erb reported that the district has received $4.7 million dollars from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The money includes the missed subsidy payments that were due to the state's budget stalemate that ended in December, 2003. The amount included $11,800 for interest lostd uring the stalemate.
The board announced that it would discuss the possibility of establishing some sort of sick days bank for all district employees. This action was the result of board secretary Holly Schoonover receiving approval from the board to give some of her sick days to secretary to the superintendent, Kathy Van Schaick at the November meeting of the board.
Bellamy also read a plaque that will be given to recently resigned board president John Abplanalp praising his service to the board and to the district.
Theresa Sasserson of Westfield was appointed by the board to fill the vacancy created by Abplanalp's resignation.
In other actions the board:
n Accepted with regrets the resignation of Bridget Wilczewski who was thebridges teacher at R.B. Walter Elementary School, effective Jan. 4
n Accepted the resignation with regrets of Sharon Clark who was a cafeteria aide at the Westfield Area Elementary School, effective Dec. 23, 2003.
n Granted a leave of absence to January Bizzozero, life skills teacher at Clark Wood Elementary School, under the Family Medical Leave Act, beginning May 10, through the remainder of the 2003/04 school year. She will be on unpaid leave of absence.
n Approved the extension of the leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act to Kimberly Slusser, elementary teacher at Clark Wood Elementary School, for the remainder of the 2003/04 school year. Her original leave was to end Jan. 5, 2004. This is an unpaid leave of absence.
n Approved an additional 6-hour per day special education aide position at Clark Wood Elementary School. Lynn Murdock, who is currently on furlough from the Elkland area, will be offered theposition first.
n Approved the merit pay for Special Education Supervisor Pat Stich. The other eligible administrators received approval for merit pay at the Nov. 12, 2003 board meeting.
n Read for the first time policies entitled, "Standards For Persistently Dangerous Schools" and "Standards For Victims of Violent Crimes" that are required by the Unsafe School Choice Option of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
n Adopted the English as a Second Language Policy.
n Approved the attendance of Martin Heyler, agriculture teacher at Cowanesque Valley High School,to the National Agricultural Education Inservice in Indianapolis, In. at an approximate cost of$386.
n Approved the request of Sonja Ray to have her son Michael Fye attend Elkland Area High School even though they reside in the Cowanesque Valley High School attendance area.
n Approved the request of Deborah Gigee to attend the Elkland Area High School even though she resides in the Williamson High School attendance area.
n Approved the participation of the district in the McKelvey Foundation Pilot Project. The project will teach students in grade 7-11 about college and college life to further the students desire to attend college and successfully complete college. All expenses will be covered by the foundation.
The settlement resolves the year long dispute between the district and the authority over the $300,000 billed contribution that the district paid to the authority.
The details of the agreement that was signed by board president Mike Vayansky are:
1. Ownership of a $225,000 investment instrument that was purchased with the same amount by the authority is turned over to the district.
2. The authority will pay the district $15,000 per year for five years beginning in December of this year to repay the remaining $75,000 of the $300,000 contribution without any interest to the district.
After the meeting, district solicitor John Cowley said that Nationwide Financial Services would issue a check to the district in the amount of $225,000 to redeem the investment instrument without penalties or interest.
The instrument was not one that the district could legally possess.
Auditor Susan Forgett of the firm of Forgett and Kerstetter, Local Auditors reported that an audit of the district's finances and compliance with federal program regulations showed that the district's accounts were in good order and that the district had earned the rating of "Good Risk Auditee."
Forgett stated, "There are no findings or questioned costs. The district has $4.5 million in netassets which reflect a net gain of $838,000 change in the net assets of the district."
The board unanimously accepted the audit and praised the excellent work of Forgett.
Superintendent Jacqueline Bellamy reported a reduction in class size for the third consecutive year.
She noted that a study done in Wisconsin showed that smaller class sizes resulted in improved student achievement.
She noted that the Kindergarten classes now average between 14 and 18 students per class while first grade class size averaged between 14 and 21 students.
Second grade classes range in size from 12-22 students and third grade class size ranged from 19 to 24 students.
Bellamy stated that the Wisconsin study showed that the reduction in class size was most beneficial to first grade students.
The superintendent gave a report on the district's response to the complaints of the grandfather who claimed that his grandson was bullied by high school students on a bus and held down with a broom.
Bellamy said that a letter had been sent to the grandfather and the parents reporting that brooms had been removed from the buses; a camera had been permanently installed on the bus; the secondary students involved have received two days of in-school suspension. A policy was also established to ensure communications between elementary and secondary principals when any similar instances occur; and a bully box has been put in place in each school for reporting incidents of assault or bullying.
She noted that at all future board meeting; she would give an account of responses to speakers from the previous month's board meeting.
Business manager Wanda Erb reported that the district has received $4.7 million dollars from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The money includes the missed subsidy payments that were due to the state's budget stalemate that ended in December, 2003. The amount included $11,800 for interest lostd uring the stalemate.
The board announced that it would discuss the possibility of establishing some sort of sick days bank for all district employees. This action was the result of board secretary Holly Schoonover receiving approval from the board to give some of her sick days to secretary to the superintendent, Kathy Van Schaick at the November meeting of the board.
Bellamy also read a plaque that will be given to recently resigned board president John Abplanalp praising his service to the board and to the district.
Theresa Sasserson of Westfield was appointed by the board to fill the vacancy created by Abplanalp's resignation.
In other actions the board:
n Accepted with regrets the resignation of Bridget Wilczewski who was thebridges teacher at R.B. Walter Elementary School, effective Jan. 4
n Accepted the resignation with regrets of Sharon Clark who was a cafeteria aide at the Westfield Area Elementary School, effective Dec. 23, 2003.
n Granted a leave of absence to January Bizzozero, life skills teacher at Clark Wood Elementary School, under the Family Medical Leave Act, beginning May 10, through the remainder of the 2003/04 school year. She will be on unpaid leave of absence.
n Approved the extension of the leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act to Kimberly Slusser, elementary teacher at Clark Wood Elementary School, for the remainder of the 2003/04 school year. Her original leave was to end Jan. 5, 2004. This is an unpaid leave of absence.
n Approved an additional 6-hour per day special education aide position at Clark Wood Elementary School. Lynn Murdock, who is currently on furlough from the Elkland area, will be offered theposition first.
n Approved the merit pay for Special Education Supervisor Pat Stich. The other eligible administrators received approval for merit pay at the Nov. 12, 2003 board meeting.
n Read for the first time policies entitled, "Standards For Persistently Dangerous Schools" and "Standards For Victims of Violent Crimes" that are required by the Unsafe School Choice Option of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
n Adopted the English as a Second Language Policy.
n Approved the attendance of Martin Heyler, agriculture teacher at Cowanesque Valley High School,to the National Agricultural Education Inservice in Indianapolis, In. at an approximate cost of$386.
n Approved the request of Sonja Ray to have her son Michael Fye attend Elkland Area High School even though they reside in the Cowanesque Valley High School attendance area.
n Approved the request of Deborah Gigee to attend the Elkland Area High School even though she resides in the Williamson High School attendance area.
n Approved the participation of the district in the McKelvey Foundation Pilot Project. The project will teach students in grade 7-11 about college and college life to further the students desire to attend college and successfully complete college. All expenses will be covered by the foundation.
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