Politics

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…