Politics

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…