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Harmony hires two new teachers
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
By Dianne Byers Staff Writer
WESTOVER - Harmony Area School Board began preparing for the 2012-13 school year with the hiring of two instructors during a special meeting held prior to last night's work session.
Armond Walter was hired as the music education teacher for grades kindergarten through 12 at an annual salary of $33,600. His job start date is Aug. 23 but Walter was given an option last night to begin immediately with extra-curricular pay to be determined by terms in the current teacher contract.
Voting to approve his employment were William Boring, Roberta Bradford, Norman Fry, Susan Gallaher, Betty Kunsman, Chris Kurtz, Shawn McGarvey and Brent Weaver, board members. Member Jason Sunderland voted no.
Sean McMullen was hired as a long-term substitute for the district's mathematics support program for the 2012-13 school year. The position's start date is Aug. 23. McMullen will be paid a rate of $85 per day for the first 15 days he works and for the days following a per diem rate of $144.02 per day with no benefits. Members Boring and Weaver voted no.
The two votes to hire the instructors were taken following a 15-minute executive session for personnel matters.
Terry Young, high school principal, reported preliminary results have been received concerning results of the recent Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests and it appears for the seventh consecutive year, Harmony Area School District students have achieved adequate yearly progress. Young said more information about the scores would be presented to the board at a future meeting.
The board also reviewed and discussed the following items expected to be considered at Monday's business meeting: Each category of the agenda was reviewed by a member of the committee the board approved at the December meeting.
Committees are: budget, Boring, Fry, Bradford and Weaver; personnel, Gallaher, Kunsman, Kurtz and Sunderland; curriculum, Sunderland, McGarvey, Boring and Bradford; athletics, Fry, McGarvey, Sunderland and Kurtz; buildings and grounds, Weaver, Sunderland, McGarvey and Bradford; and policy, Kunsman, Boring, Gallaher, Fry and Weaver.
The items for Monday's business meeting agenda include:
• increasing school lunch prices 5 cents each. Elementary lunch prices will increase to $1.80 per meal, high school to $1.85, breakfast to 90 cents for both elementary and high school students, lunch ala carte entrée to $1.50 and breakfast ala cart entrée to 75 cents. Adult lunches will be $3.25 each.
Bradford, when reviewing the new prices for the board, said the costs are comparable to other surrounding school districts.
• adding 1.5 hours to a part-time cafeteria employee's work day bringing the total hours worked each day to six. Donna Breth, cafeteria manager, said the increased hours would mean the elimination of a four-hour per day substitute the cafeteria used last year and result in a savings to the school district.
• contracting with A&G Administrators to provide voluntary student accident insurance for the 2012-13 school year.
• approving interscholastic sports accident insurance for the 2012-13 school year at a cost of $2,400.
• authorizing a $500 annual donation to Clearfield County's Teen Court program.
• awarding bids for coal, bread and milk.
• approving a memorandum of understanding between the district and the Clearfield County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program to allow RSVP members to participate in the elementary school's Granny Reader program.
• approving the list of filled extra-curricular positions and advertising vacant positions for the coming school year.
• tentatively approving a new policy addressing student concussions and revisions to policies directed at acceptable use of the Internet, extracurricular activities, interscholastic athletics, student records, supplemental discipline records, special education, assistive technology devices and services and employment of support personnel.
l endorsing elementary and secondary student handbooks, faculty handbooks and athletics handbooks.
l approving the bus and van rosters, bus contractors and bus and van drivers for the 2012-13 school year.
The board will meet Monday at 7 p.m. at the high school library for its monthly business meeting.
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