Schools
Plum School District Notebook: October Meeting
Here is a summary of items discussed at the October voting meeting.
Plum softball field costs increase
The school board unanimously approved change order for the Plum softball field costing $8,925 to relocate the storm detention system and add one inlet as mandated by the engineer.
“We’re not doing a good job of doing a more diligent assessment up front,” said board member Andrew Drake.
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Drake said that the new softball field project was originally scaled to cost between $190,000 and $210,000. Now, the costs are adding to around $310,000.
“This is very disappointing to me that we’ve got another ‘Oh, by the way…,’” he said.
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Board members also said there will be more costs added to the project to relocate the bleachers and add handicapped accessibility.
Plum hires Director of Educational Technology and Speech Language Pathologist
hired Christopher Davis as the director of educational technology at a $78,000 salary, effective Jan. 2, 2012.
The district hired Tara Hogan-Polons as a speech language pathologist at a $47,000 salary, effective Jan. 24, 2012.
Sixth grade field trip approval
The board approved the sixth grade field trips to Washington, D.C., during April and May, 2012.
will travel April 26-29, and will travel April 27-29, and will travel May 17-20.
Board member Loretta White said the trips will not conflict with the PSSA tests.
Wireless internet access at Plum Stadium
The board accepted an agreement with XO Communications for wireless Internet access in the senior high school stadium at no cost to the district.
The company is waiving a $50,000 cost for the Internet access, athletic chair Tom McGough said.
Purchases
The board approved the purchase of a new Genie Single Man Platform Lift from Allegheny High Lift, Inc for $5,921, which includes trade-in of an existing single man lift.
Saturday Detention
The school board hired Jeff Wolfe, Joe Ruggieri and Ryan Kociela as Saturday detention monitors at $27 an hour.
The board agreed to hold semi-monthly, two-and-a-half hour Saturday detention sessions this school year at last month’s meeting.
Nurses
The district hired Margarita Wachholder as the floater nurse aide, effective Oct. 26, $13 per hour.
Bus drivers
The school board hired Gail Lynch and Ronald Comanici as bus drivers and Paul Randour as a substitute bus driver, effective Oct. 26.
The board hired Samantha Yurkew as a school bus aide, also effective Oct. 26.
Board accepts the following leaves
Carol Watterson, a Regency Park administrative assistant, an intermittent leave from Sept. 28 through the end of the 2011-12 school year.
Renae Ritchie, special education aide at Adlai Stevenson Elementary, an FMLA leave from Oct. 3 through Nov. 11.
