School board OKs school space for Head Start / By Martha Knight

The Port Allegany School Board voted Monday night to house a Head Start classroom in the Port Allegany Elementary School.

All school directors voted in favor of the plan, to begin this fall. It had been described in detail last month.

Board member Mark Carlson asked for assurance that “we feel we have the room.” With kindergarten registrations coming up, he wondered, would the current space now seen as surplus still be available?

Superintendent Gary Buchsen said that if at any point it turned out that regular school enrollment increased to the point of needing the space, the arrangement would be discontinued. Current indicators are that a former Kindergarten room is not needed for elementary school students.

The current Head Start quarters at Benton Place, a North Main Street plaza, will still house a class. There is a waiting list indicating that a second Head Start class is needed.

During the public comments period Kristi Barber asked whether the school district plans to provide a pre-Kindergarten program for families who do not qualify financially for  Head Start. Buchsen replied that this would be a budget question to be considered by the board as time goes on.

The board was given a “snapshot” of the district’s budget preparation at this point of development of its 2014-15 fiscal plan. Buchsen and business manager Judy Bodamer reviewed a one-page document that shows a funding gap of $382,901. Both noted that calculations are preliminary at this stage, with much still unknown concerning what will be available in state reimbursements.

Buchsen said input has been gleaned from school staff, and that “needs vs. wants” have been scrutinized.

Spending categories added up to $14,362,645 in the rough analysis, with revenues coming to $13,979,744.

The board voted its unanimous support of the IU9 operating budget for 2014-15. It totals $1,275,350. The district’s share will be $31,069, which is $3,197 more than the local share of this year’s IU9 budget.

Board president Dave Mensch, who also heads the IU9 board, encouraged fellow board members to vote in favor of the budget. He said that the IU9 board had “pared back until it hurt and hurt badly.” He also recommended that board members vote for the IU9 board candidates listed on their ballots, because each had been chosen by his or her fellow school district trustees.

Buchsen said the proposed IU9 budget had been discussed thoroughly at two monthly meetings of the superintendents’ group.

Eight supplementary salary positions were filled in a single board action. The appointees are Justin Bienkowski, head football coach, $5,618; Brad Stewart, band director, $3,677; Robert Raudenbush, boys’ golf coach, $1,832; George Riley, magazine campaign advisor, $718;

also, Aaron Clark, head boys’ soccer coach, $3,381; Matthew Lawton, assistant boys’ soccer coach, $2,184; Sharon Daniels, head volleyball coach, $3,387; and Ronald Daniels, junior high volleyball coach, $1,747.

Board member Scott Moses said he had checked on supplemental salaries in other districts of comparable size, and the average salary for head football coach is $5,135. Bodamer responded that supplemental salaries are set in the district’s professional staff contract.

Saralyn Keck was added to the support staff and school nurse substitute lists and Chelsey Trostle was added to the substitute teacher list, contingent on necessary clearances.

Mensch announced that there had been an executive session on February 24 for “legal matters,” and called for another, following the public meeting, to discuss “negotiations.”