Williams-Transco gets award; problems addressed at Austin School Board meeeting

An appreciation plaque was presented to Transco-Williams during the recent meeting of the Austin Area School Board. Jack Bendick accepted the plaque on Williams' behalf. Superintendent Matt Hutcheson presented the award. Board member Sherry Clark and Clark Lerch (also of transco) look on.

Austin Superintendent Matt Hutcheson and School Board Chairperson Sherry Clark presented representatives of Williams-Transco with a plaque of appreciation.

Williams-Transco provided the school with whiteboards, corkboards, a portable projector and laptop and security lighting. Its employees even took a day to serve lunch to the students, Hutcheson said.

"It really did a lot to help this school physically," Hutcheson said.

Jack Bendick, Williams district manager, and Clark Lerch, Williams assistant district manager, were on hand to accept the plaque.

"Hopefully we can do it again next year," Bendick said. "The guys enjoyed it."

Something that wasn't much enjoyed was a list of problems that required immediate attention following a power disruption March 3.

Hutcheson said that a single phase of the power went out for a time. Residential power lines were not affected, but it had a "major" effect on the school.

The network server was "fried," and a temporary "Band- Aid" was made to get the server running for the school. A new server had been ordered at the price of $4,100, Hutcheson said.

The school's generator experienced a load overload and had to have work done, he said. The emergency phone dial-up was also ruined, and a new one was being sent.

Lastly the oven in the cafeteria was experiencing "circuitry issues," Hutcheson said.

"It is a real strange coincidence it all appeared in the same week," he commented.

No total for the repairs and replacements was available yet, but Hutcheson said it was all being claimed under the insurance, to which the school has a $2,500 deductible.

Problems with the boiler may be close to being fixed.

The boiler, which has been experiencing problems since it was first installed in 2000, may not have been installed correctly.

A worker with Johnson Controls of Youngstown, Ohio, recently serviced the boiler which his company installed. The worker said the programs needed for the boiler to operate correctly had not been installed, Hutcheson told the board.

The worker said it looked as though someone who had previously worked for Johnson Controls had kept the company's letterhead and installed the boiler himself, which would explain why he did not have access to the programs, Hutcheson said.

The inspection by the worker cost $1,400, Hutcheson said, pointing out that having the company come back to install the programs would save money in the long run.

A point of concern for PSSA testing this year is that they follow the Easter break.

"It comes at a rather interesting time," said Hutcheson. "Hopefully the students come back and are prepared."

The testing for grades 3 through 8 as well as juniors will be the week of April 7.

A new after-school program will be coming to the school. The program, based off the book "A Course in Miracles," will be offered by Cindy Pavaloski starting April 15.

The teachings won't violate the separation of church and state because they are not religious messages nor are they based off any specific religion. The teachings are what Pavaloski calls "a non-denominational approach to peace."

Select high school students will be asked to participate in the program, which is geared toward helping people find an inner peace. The program is not mandatory, but the hope is that the initial students will bring additional students into the program, Hutcheson said.

A pair of changes will go before the policy committee during its next meeting at 5 p.m. April 4.

The first is a change to the gym use policy, which will include a specific list of guidelines that must be met in order for the $40 deposit to be returned. The guidelines are being added to help reduce damage and unauthorized use of other parts of the school, Hutcheson explained.

The second is a change in the tobacco policy which will add an option of community service rather than just fining students found in possession of tobacco.

Hutcheson said the student will still be suspended. He will also be contacting other schools to review their policies and hear opinions of the proposed community service.

The school will be applying for additional funding through the Pre-K Counts grants. The first grant had been filed, and the second one would be filed shortly, Hutcheson said.

The additional grant would be used to help transition this year's 3 year olds to the 4-yearold level next school year, he said.

The board approved a request for the school to host a volleyball camp August 11 and 12. The volleyball team will be fundraising to offset the cost of the camp.

An agreement with Mansfield University that includes a memorandum of understanding will be created following the request of Michele Rodich. The school does not currently have an agreement with Mansfield University that assists teachers with tuition expenses while achieving a Masters degree, Hutcheson said, although similar agreements are in place with other colleges.

The position of junior high volleyball coach is still up for grabs, as no applications have been turned in.

The board also pointed out that the county commissioners town meeting will be at 7 p.m. April 7 in the school cafeteria.

"We want to make sure we have a good representation," Hutcheson said.

The school board will next meet at 7:30 p.m. April 8 in the school library.