EC school board

Revision: Students on free or reduced lunch plans always receive a lunch. This was known by the Ellwoodcity.org staff but overlooked when the article was written. Following a lengthy discussion Monday, the Ellwood City Area School Board decided not to change the food service policy which had been questioned in February by members of the Kitchen Cabinet, an Ellwood City volunteer group. As is, the cafeteria staff takes lunch from students whose meal account is $6.75 overdrawn. Excepting packaged items, the food is then thrown out for health and safety reasons. In grades K-12, students subsequently receive a meal of…

At the Ellwood City area school board agenda meeting on Monday, board members mentioned a potential merger suitor, sort of. Board President Renee Pitrelli mentioned that an official from another school district said that representatives from the district might be interested in a merger. Pitrelli would only say that the district is close, is not Riverside and that Ellwood is not currently engaged in any official merger discussions. However, Pitrelli said that drastic action may need to be taken due to the uncertainty in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania legislature still has not yet passed a budget for 2016. Meanwhile, the school…

The following is a brief summary of the Ellwood City Area school board meeting held on Feb. 11: Revenue/Finance A tax refund request was denied. The request was based on an erroneous millage calculation, as the property owner insisted a mil is 1/100,000, not 1/1,000. A motion to approve the audit report performed by the Philip Weiner Company for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 was tabled until a special meeting on Feb. 23. Vice President Matt Morella asked if the budget committee could meet with a representative to fully explain the audit report, as Morella didn’t want to…

The article “Marketing Consulting Company Presents Proposition to Skeptical EC School Board,” incorrectly presented Image Consultant’s preliminary proposal. Image Consultants’ initial quote was for $50 per hour for 32 hours, totaling $1,600. Specified services included consultation with school representatives, development of sponsorship funding levels, creation of handout materials and solicitation of potential sponsors. These rates didn’t include gas mileage, which would be charged at 57.5 cents per miles. The proposal recommended an initial 90 or 120-day contract. The quote was preliminary and open to revision. Specifically, Marshall mentioned that the rate could be dropped to $40. The previous description of…

On Monday’s agenda meeting, most members of the Ellwood City Area School Board accepted a fifth grade schedule proposal as the best possible option. However, board president Renee Pitrelli didn’t accept the change, resulting in an extended circular conversation. Currently, the fifth-graders are divided into two classroom “pods” each rotating between three teachers. Frank Keally, the principal at Hartman Intermediate, felt this was a fine model and several school board members agreed, including Pitrelli, Jeniffer Tomon, Danielle Woodhead and Erica Gray. Unfortunately, this year’s fourth grade class is smaller than normal and as a result, Keally will have to move…

The Ellwood City Area School Board listened to a business proposition by Image Consultants, an Ellwood-based company, during their agenda meeting on Feb. 8. Earla Marshall offered her professional services via Image Consultants to organize a fundraising campaign for two STEAM labs in Hartman Intermediate and Lincoln Jr/Sr High School. Marshall had previously visited the board representing the Kitchen Cabinet, a volunteer community activist organization. Marshall had said that Cabinet members would volunteer their services to raise money for the STEAM labs. In January, the board passed a motion to give the administration $150,000, which was the minimum estimated cost…

The Lincoln High School administration reported that senior privilege, a scheduling policy for the 2016-17 school year, has been working fantastically. At the Ellwood City Area school board agenda meeting on Tuesday, Lincoln assistant principal John Sovich presented the board with statistics and feedback on the policy. Following the feedback, the board, which was skeptical of the policy last year, overwhelmingly approved of senior privilege. Senior privilege is a scheduling policy in which seniors may opt to come in at 10 a.m. or leave two hours early rather than taking electives. This is not due to a lack of elective…

In a unanimous vote on Jan. 14, the Ellwood City School Board decided to replace a broken boiler at Perry Lower Intermediate at a cost of $90,000. Perry has two boilers but only one is needed to properly heat the building. Both are over 50 years old and are well past their expected years of service, according to Business Manager Richard Zarone. “It could last five years, it could last five minutes,” Zarone said regarding the functional old boiler. Zarone presented the board with an option to replace both boilers at a cost of $150,000. Replacing both this year would…

Although they were shut down by a majority vote on Jan. 14, three Ellwood City school board members wanted to change the district’s relationship with the Ellwood City Festival Committee. Erica Gray, Jennifer Tomon and Danielle Woodhead, all new members as of December, voted no on a routine annual motion to approve the Festival Committee’s request to use district property. “It’s our property. We should negotiate directly with the organizations that will be using it,” Tomon had said at Monday’s agenda meeting. The property specified in the motion includes the old Ewing Park School ground and the parking lot on…