BOARD NOTES A Summary of the Hampton Township School Board Meetings

Hampton Township School District November 2015 4591 School Drive 412-486-6000, Option 8

BOARD NOTES --2-- NOVEMBER 2015

Personnel Report

During the Personnel Report at the Nov. 9 meeting, the Board took the following action: • Accepted the resignation of Mr. Jeffrey Boles, who is resigning after two years with the District, effective October 30, 2015. Mr.

Boles was a Class 1-B Paraprofessional at Hampton Middle School.• Accepted the resignation of Mrs. Colleen Drzemiecki, who is retiring after over 25 years with the District, effective January 15,

2016. Mrs. Drzemiecki is a Class V – Elementary Principal’s Secretary at Poff Elementary School.• Approved Ms. Tamara Ammon, as an Elementary Building Substitute (Floater based at Central Elementary) from October 15,

2015 to approximately December 23, 2015. Salary is $19,500, pro-rated. Ms. Ammon is replacing Ms. Bailey Elbin). • Approved the additions to the List of Club Sponsors for the High School for the 2015-2016 SY as listed on the agenda.• Approved Mrs. Carianne Contento as a Health Office Nurse for the District, effective October 19, 2015. Salary is $17.71 per

hour. Mrs. Contento is replacing Mrs. Susanne Osche.• Approved Ms. Tina Camus, as a Custodian Substitute, effective November 9, 2015.• Approved the following Coach/Building Supplemental positions for the 2015-2016 School Year:

NAME POSITION BUILDING RANGE TOTAL STIPENDChristin Hudock Girls’ Basketball – Asst./JV Coach HS $4,092Elizabeth Piekut Girls’ Basketball Volunteer Coach HS Joe Lafko Boys’ Basketball Head Coach HS $7,812Rich Mathieu Boys’ Basketball – Asst./JV Coach HS $5,084Scott Breen Boys’ Basketball – Freshman Head Coach HS $4,216Kellan Wheeler Boys’ Basketball – Freshman Asst. Coach HS $3,348Nick Panza Boys’ Basketball – 8th Grade Coach MS $4,216Joe Cangilla Boys’ Basketball – 7th Grade Coach MS $3,844Todd Wertz Boys’ Basketball – Volunteer Coach Michael Seiferth Swimming – Head Coach HS HS $4,092Keith Hart Swimming – Diving Coach HS $4,464Chris Ruggeri Wrestling – Asst. MS Coach MS $4,216Heather Dietz Winter Track – Head Coach HS $3,472Allison Dockter Winter Track – Asst. Coach HS $2,480Rebecca Stein Assistant Swim Coach HS $3,348Greg Shumaker Middle School Musical Co-Producer MS $1,240Melissa Survinski Middle School Musical Co-Producer MS $620Kelsey Young Middle School Musical Co-Producer MS $620Kelsey Young Middle School Musical – Art Director MS $992Nicholas Bigatel Auditorium Manager HS $1,736

Golf Team Recognized for Outstanding SeasonUnder the direction of Coaches Bruce Steckel and Dan Friedeman, the Boys’ Golf Team was recognized for an outstanding season. They were the WPIAL AAA Section 8 Champions and qualified for the WPIAL Team Champi-onships, where they finished with a fifth place win.

Additionally, Marissa Balish qualified for the WPIAL AAA Individual Golf Championships and competed against other girls. She was the Girls’ WPIAL Champion and went on to compete at the PIAA, finishing in third place with a bronze medal.

BOARD NOTES --3-- NOVEMBER 2015

Comprehensive Plan Updated, Committee Members Appointed

School Board members approved the appointment of six Comprehensive Plan Committee members at the Nov. 9 meeting. Com-munity representatives are Mary Alice Hennessey and Pam Lamagna; Parent Representatives are Leslie Kozler and Mary Ellen Meehan; and Business Representatives are John Madia and Larry Mauro. The new members are replacing previous members who were unable to serve again on the committee for the review/update process.

Mr. Jeff Finch, Assistant Superintendent, also explained the update process for the Comprehensive Plan as required by the Penn-sylvania Department of Education. An administrative sub-committee worked to update the plan template, which has been shared with all members of the committee. The plan also is available on the District website for public review.

Mr. Finch recognized and commended Dr. Jacquelyn Removcik, Curriculum Director, for her leadership in the process. Dr. Mo-nique Mawhinney, Pupil Services Director, and Chris Grossman, Mr. Finch’s secretary, also played key roles in the completion of the comprehensive plan. The final plan will be provided to the School Board for consideration at the Dec. 7 Reorganization meet-ing.

New Policy Adopted, Budget Update Provided

Mr. Robert Shages, Policy and Legislative Committee Chairman, updated the Board on a movement that is being backed by several legislators that would require school districts to seek taxpayer approval via voter referendum for any tax increase proposed in the annual budget process.

Currently, school districts in Pennsylvania must follow the Act 1 Index, a law passed in 2006 that requires school districts to seek taxpayer approval if a proposed tax increase is expected to exceed the limit determined for that year by the index. The index allows the state to determine property tax increases based on wage inflation. Districts are able to request an exception from the require-ment if rate increases are needed to cover specific costs.

Mrs. Gail Litwiler suggested the Board draft a letter expressing its opposition to the proposed change and that they each sign their names to it, rather than using the group signature “Hampton Township School Board.” Dr. Hoover said he would work with the District solicitor to draft a letter on behalf of the Board.

In other business, Mr. Shages also introduced Draft Policy 824: Maintaining Professional Adult/Student Boundaries. The policy was drafted by the PSBA. The draft policy currently is being reviewed by District Solicitor Pat Clair.

Bus Accident Notification Procedure Clarified

At the Nov. 2 Board meeting, a parent asked about a minor bus accident that had occurred on Oct. 8 that delayed her child’s ride home from school. The parent said she was never notified the bus would be late.

Mr. Jeff Kline, Director of Administrative Services, said he was unaware the ac-cident had occurred until the following day because the bus company had not reported it to him until then. Mr. Kline followed up with the bus company and provided an update to the Board at the Nov. 9 meeting.

Working with the bus company, Mr. Kline clarified the procedure he wants them to use when an accident occurs. The process includes three steps: call 911 to report the accident; contact Mr. Kline (via cell phone if he is out of the office) to notify him of the accident; and provide a written notice to the District of the accident and all steps taken following the accident within 48 hours of its occurrence.

BOARD NOTES --4-- NOVEMBER 2015

November 26-27: Thanksgiving Holiday – No SchoolNovember 23: Board Special Meeting (if necessary), 7:00 p.m., Dr. Harold Sarver Memorial Library at HMS

December 7: Board Reorganization Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Dr. Harold Sarver Memorial Library at HMSDecember 23: Professional Education Day - No School for Students

December 24-January 1: Holiday BreakJanuary 4: Board Work Session Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Dr. Harold Sarver Memorial Library at HMS

January 11: Board Voting Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Dr. Harold Sarver Memorial Library at HMSJanuary 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School for Students

January 25: Board Special Meeting (if necessary), 7:00 p.m., Dr. Harold Sarver Memorial Library at HMS

**All other items on the agenda were approved as listed.

HAEE Approves Funding for Student Invention

The HAEE has agreed to partially fund a Kickstarter campaign for two Hampton High School freshmen who have created a new product for market called the Smile Stand.

During the 2014-2015 School Year, classmates Chris Ference and Joey Cafaro III teamed up to write code as part of the Pennsylvania Computer Fair. The teens worked so well together, they decided to take their relationship to the next level by launching their own company, Omnicode. The Smile Stand is the company’s first product.

The duo launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funding necessary to get the company off the ground, and managed to raise half of their set goal of $5,000. At

the end of October, the Hampton Alliance for Educational Excellence (HAEE) agreed to fund the remaining portion of the startup costs. Ms. Denise Balason, Board Liaison to the HAEE, announced the grant to the students at the Nov.

9 Board meeting.

Board Notes is compiled by Shari L. Berg, Public Relations Consultant, The Communication Solutions Group.