SOUTHERN COLUMBIA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 800 SOUTHERN DRIVE CATAWISSA, PA 17820

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1 SOUTHERN COLUMBIA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 800 SOUTHERN DRIVE CATAWISSA, PA The, Board Meeting of the Southern Columbia Area School District Board of Directors convened in the High School Library at 7:35 p.m. with President Michael Yeager in charge of the meeting. The Pledge of Allegiance was said by all. President Yeager welcomed everyone, followed by a roll call of Board Members. BOARD MEMBERS Kaye Keller Thomas Reich Michael Yeager Joseph Klebon Timothy Vought John Yocum Charles Porter Gary Wilson Gail Zambor Schuerch OTHERS PRESENT Paul Caputo, Superintendent; Denise Kreisher, Business Office Supervisor; Tresa Britch, Board Secretary; Richard J. Roberts, Solicitor; James Becker, William Callahan, John Fetterman, Brenda Monick and Jennifer Snyder, Administrators; and Clay Fahringer, School Police Officer. AGENDA HEARING PERIOD President Yeager announced that all items on the agenda would be action items. SUPERINTENDENT S REPORT Mr. Caputo s report included the following topics: 1.) Clay Fahringer gave an update on the School Police Officer program. Mr. Fahringer has been involved with security at sporting events and dealing with traffic patterns at the school including busing. He, Mr. Fetterman and Locust Township Police recently went to FEMA s Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland for training on writing emergency operation plans for the school. They have an updated plan for the district almost completed. They are doing some final editing and then will give it to Mr. Caputo to finalize. Mr. Fahringer stated that he has noticed a change in the student body towards his presence. They are more open to interacting with him now that he has been here and gained their trust. He acts as a liaison between the local police department and the school. A lot of things no longer need to go to the police department as he is able to handle them himself. He investigated a residency issue and found that clearly the student was no longer a resident of the district but was still attending Southern Columbia. Another residency issue he investigated turned out be unfounded. He reported that he had 32 incidents that he handled from February 1 st to June 9 th, and from August 31 st to present; he had 33 incidents for a total of 65 issues for the school year. He filed 8 truancies, 4 theft investigations, 8 fight/assault reports, 5 harassment reports, 28 miscellaneous, 5 vandalism reports, 3 incidents involving staff and 4 medical emergencies. Mr. Reich referred to a conversation he and Mr. Fahringer had following a junior high football game and asked if it would be possible to put an exit road behind the football field to access the township road to make an alternate exit. Mr. Fahringer stated that there is an access to the township road and if it had a shale base installed, it would make a great emergency exit in the event of an accident or some type of emergency situation on Route 487, and it would also make an extra exit for football games. Mr. Fahringer reported that Knoebels Amusement Resort would be running a major emergency drill in conjunction with the Counter-Terrorism Task Force from the seven-

2 Page 2 county area at the end of March. Mr. Caputo reported that the district would be participating in the drill. The drill will run for 48 hours. Mr. Fahringer reported that there were schools from all over the country and even Russia involved with the training they attended, and Southern Columbia s emergency plan was one of the best plans there. Mr. Porter stated that about fifteen years ago, the board looked at the lower entrance because the district does have a right of way to the township road. The concern from different administrations over the years was if it would be made an egress, monitoring it would be an issue. Mr. Fahringer stated that normally in a fire drill, students go to their assigned locations for a roll call. During a drill there is no fire, they are given the all clear and the students return to their classrooms. In the event of an actual fire or emergency, fire trucks and emergency vehicles would be coming on campus. Immediately there would need to be a transition plan. In severe weather conditions, the stadium would not be an option, so they worked on provisions between the two schools for evacuation. If the emergency is in the high school, those students would be evacuated to the elementary and vice versa. If neither building would be available, the buses may need to be used. The emergency operation plan has been updated to address what would be done with the students long-term in the event of an actual emergency. Mr. Caputo reported that Mr. Fahringer was instrumental in handling traffic during the incident with the downed power line near Yost s farm at dismissal time and also during dismissal on Thursday and Friday of the Covered Bridge Festival at Knoebels. Mr. Fahringer stated that communication has been a problem between him and the 911 center and the local police. He looked into dual band radios, which would allow the ability to talk to both the district s frequencies and the 911 center and they are $5,000 a piece. Locust Township got a grant and they have two mobiles and two portables coming, which will allow them to switch over and talk to the district. Life Flight now has the district s frequency, as they will not land unless they have communication with someone on the ground. The district now has that capability. Mr. Fahringer stated that he gives a monthly report to Mr. Caputo regarding the incidents and reports that he handles each month. 2.) Mr. Caputo reported that the district received the School Police Officer year two grant. The district also received the equipment grant. The maximum award is $25,000 and the district received $23,500. Some of that grant is to improve communication but it focuses more on cell phone communication. Two boosters will be purchased; one for the lower level of the elementary building and one in the high school in either the gym area or the library. 3.) The CSIU received notification that the Pre-K grant proposal was funded, at least for this coming year. The start-up money will be around $63,000 to cover teacher costs and things needed to start up the program. It is possible that the program could be rolled out for the spring. 4.) Mr. Caputo gave a presentation to the board on the new online facility use management system. COMMITTEE REPORTS Student Representative - Alexis Burd reported that before break, the junior class won the Christmas Hallway Decorating Contest spreading awareness about the dangers of intoxication. The High School Helpers have begun to go to the elementary to help children with their school work during their study halls. The varsity football team made history as the first AA State Champions defeating Aliquippa Student Council hosted a pillow and blanket drive for the Janet Weis Children s Hospital collecting over 100 pillows and blankets to give to the children for Christmas. On January 21 st, Student Council is hosting a Snowball Dance for high school students. Encore will be performing Once Upon a Mattress on March 4 th, 5 th an 6 th. Students who made District Band

3 Page 3 will be practicing and performing at Berwick High School from January 27 th to 29 th. Ms. Burd reported that more students are getting involved in Student Council and bringing ideas. They have begun discussing how the next Student Representative could be elected. Curriculum & Instructional Technology - John Yocum, Chairperson, reported that Mrs. Monick spent most of the time talking about the Middle School literature being challenged. The district plans to provide more notice to parents prior to grade levels reading any controversial young adult book, as well as an opportunity to read the book before the students read it. The district will mail a copy home if desired. The district also plans to post all literature selections on the website. They plan to seek out other professionals in the area, such as trained guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, medical professionals or others to assist with classroom discussions. Mr. Porter stated that the board approves curriculum and asked if they should be approving the books as well. Mrs. Monick stated that the literature is a vehicle to accomplish what is in the curriculum and it could change from year to year, as there could be something that might serve the purpose better at a particular grade level. She stated that some of those selections have changed, and because they ve had changes, the district needs to be more transparent about what is being read at every grade level and share how some of the literature selections are vetted by professional organizations or recommended by the state. Solicitor Roberts stated that he would check school code to see if the literature needs to be board approved. Mr. Callahan reported that he asked two individuals outside the district to read the book. He stated that it is a very informative book. He is re-reading the book to make sure he has a full understanding of the topics that the parents are concerned about. Negotiations & Personnel - Charlie Porter, Chairperson, reported that an executive session would be held following the regular meeting to look at the Supervisory and Non-union Support Staff Handbooks. Mr. Porter asked if the Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds position is being advertised. Mr. Caputo stated that it would be advertised. Mr. Porter asked Mr. Caputo to review the job description to see if any changes are needed. Wellness - Gail Zambor Schuerch reported that the committee met the past Thursday. The food of the month for January will be baked potatoes with toppings. In February, they plan to do something with homemade breads from a local bread maker. Mrs. Holleran noticed that the students are selecting more fresh fruits during lunch. Mrs. Zambor Schuerch reported that the iceberg lettuce on the taco bar has been replaced with more nutritious romaine lettuce. The cafeteria is trying some new dishes such as meatloaf and chicken alfredo to make the menu a little more interesting. They will be discussing plans for the wellness fair. PSBA Liaison - Joe Klebon reported that it is day 201 without a state budget. Since his last report, PSBA filed suit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to release funds to schools. The lawsuit also asked the courts to award damages to school districts to compensate them for all the interest and expenses incurred as a result of school districts borrowing nearly $1 billion since the start of the budget impasse. The Governor accepted the first six months of the basic education funding appropriation. Distribution assumes the restoration of the veto amount. He reported on the loss of education funding over the past few years. The district has received what is owed to it so far based on Governor Wolf s proposed education budget. If the Governor gets his way, the district will receive more money. If he does not get his way, the district will receive less at the end of the year than it received at the beginning of the year. At this point the district does not need to borrow but a line of credit is available and approved in the event it is needed.

4 Page 4 MINUTES AND INVOICES On a motion by Vought and second by Keller, the following items were presented for approval: A. Minutes of November 9 and 16, 2015, and December 1, 2015 (Reorganization meeting) December 1, 2015 (Special meeting). B. General Fund invoices in the amount of $1,473, and, Athletic Fund invoices in the amount of $26,600.19, Capital Reserve Fund invoices in the amount of $9, and 2011 Capital Project Fund Invoices in the amount of $23,679. By roll call vote, the motion carried; 8-Yes, 0-No, 1-Abstainsion (Wilson Abstained). ITEMS FISCAL On a motion by Yocum and second by Zambor Schuerch, the following items were presented for approval: A. Lease Agreement with Fullington School Bus, LLC pertaining to the lease of the Bus Garage (per Exhibit A). B. (Item B was pulled from the block vote.) C Southern Columbia Area School District Preliminary Budget in the amount of $21,319, (per Exhibit C). D. To accept the proposal from McKissick Associates PC to provide architectural services for the Secure Vestibules and Entrances Replacement project at the G. C. Hartman Elementary School, at a cost of $22,500 (per Exhibit C-1). The motion carried by unanimous affirmative voice vote. On a motion Zambor Schuerch and second by Vought, the Addendum to the contract with Fullington Bus, LLC, for transportation services (per Exhibit B), was presented for approval. Prior to voting, Mr. Porter expressed concern over spending $10,000 when they are still waiting to see the status of the budget. By roll call vote, the motion carried: 7-Yes, 2-No (Klebon and Porter voted No). ITEMS PERSONNEL On a motion by Vought and second by Yocum, the following items were presented for approval. A. (Item A was pulled from the block vote.) B. To accept the resignation of Timothy George from the position of Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds effective May 20, Mr. George has been employed with the district since March 2009.

5 Page 5 C. To add the following individuals to the Substitute List effective January 19, 2016 (pending completion of all employment requirements): JoAnn F. Stine (Transportation Aide) Noelle Humprhies (Music K-12)) D. Motion to approve employment of Clay Fahringer as a Seasonal Maintenance Worker effective January 19, 2016, at a rate of $9.00 per hour. The motion carried by unanimous affirmative voice vote. On a motion by Reich and second by Vought, to elect Paul R. Caputo to the position of District Superintendent for a three (3) year term beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2019, at an initial annual salary of $118, and to approve a contract with him for said position was presented for approval. By roll call vote, the motion carried; 8-Yes, 0-No, 1-Abstainsion (Wilson Abstained). ITEMS POLICY AND PROGRAMS On a motion by Zambor Schuerch and second by Keller, the following items were presented for approval: A. Classification of Groups for Rental Purposes pertaining to Use of District Facilities (per Exhibit D). B. Community Use of School Facilities Fee Schedule (per Exhibit E). C. Community Use of District Facilities Guidelines (per Exhibit F). D. Motion to approve the first reading of Policy 824 Maintaining Professional Adult/Student Boundaries (per Exhibit G). The motion carried by unanimous affirmative voice vote. BOARD COMMENTS Mr. Klebon stated that he received some s regarding a junior high boys soccer program. He stated that he is totally in support of it and would like to see it on the agenda for the next meeting because they are running out of time to start a program if there are enough votes to approve it. He stated that the girls have a junior high program and every other team in the league has a junior high program. Mr. Vought stated that they took bowling and golf away from the students and maybe they should take a look at bringing those things back first before they add something new. Mr. Klebon stated that he agrees that the needs for programs should be evaluated every year. Mr. Becker stated that the district is cooping with other districts for bowling and golf so the students have opportunities for those sports. Mr. Porter stated that they asked that a survey be done to see how much interest there is. Mr. Becker stated that he would put up a sign-up list the following day so they would have the results for the Finance Committee meeting. Mr. Porter stated that he is requesting to put the naming of the football field in honor of Jim Roth on the next agenda if there are three people in favor of it, as that is what is required. At least two other board members agreed, so it would be included on the February 8 th agenda.

6 Page 6 RECOGNITION OF THE PUBLIC There was not public comment but President Yeager announced that there would be an executive session following adjournment to discuss the Supervisory Staff Handbook and the Nonunion Support Staff Handbook. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Yocum and second by Keller, the meeting was adjourned at 8:49 p.m. The motion carried by unanimous affirmative voice vote. Respectfully Submitted, Tresa J. Britch Board Secretary