WASD students to return to classrooms; budget to be within Act 1 index
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Although students in the Williamsport Area School District remain in a remote platform this week, plans are to return to in-person instruction Monday, Superintendent Dr. Timothy S. Bowers revently told members of the school board. The board also confirmed the district's 2021-22 budget will remain within the state mandated Act 1 index, meaning any possible tax increase cannot be larger than a set percentage.
"Our plan is to bring the kids back to in-person instruction…we feel comfortable doing that," he said. "Hopefully the numbers continue to look better. They're still higher than we like, obviously, but they are looking better."
The numbers that Bowers referred to are county-wide cases reported on the state's Department of Health Dashboard.
The district will follow rubrics about the number of cases which would signal a return to the remote platform, he said.
"Hopefully we can stay under that cap, but if we do hit the number the rubric shows us to hit per building…there will be really no option. We follow the rubric to a T and we'll shut back down if we have to," he stated.
In other business, the board confirmed the tax rate for the 2021-22 school year will remain within the state-determined inflation index.
According to the resolution the district is stating that various tax levies and other revenue sources "will be sufficient to balance the school district's final budget for the next fiscal year based on maintaining current tax rates or increasing tax rates by an amount less than or equal to the Act 1 index."
The Act I index for the district as calculated by the state's Department of Education is 4.2 percent. By passing a resolution, the district has agreed to not go above that rate if it decides to increase taxes.
Wanda M. Erb, the district's business administrator, emphasized that passing the resolution not to raise taxes above the index does not mean that the district intends to raise taxes.
Under personnel items, the board accepted the resignations of part-time aides, Miranda R. Bower and Ashytynne A. Harden and part-time custodian, Mary Jane Spangler.
They approved hiring the following staff, their positions and salaries:
• Jacob T. Anderson, temporary professional employee, to teach mathematics at the middle school, $51,500.
• Elizabeth L. Moores, to teach special education at Curtin Intermediate School, $54,500.
• Brooke E. Rowles, to teach English/language arts at the middle school, $54,500.
• Kimberly A. Felix, full-time administrative support I in the Special Education Department at the District Service Center, base wage rate of $25,844.
• Michelle M. Wheeler and Madeline E. Wilk, substitute teachers, $120 per day for the first 45 days and $130 per day beyond that.
• Amanda D. Funk, LPN, substitute health room technician, $20 per hour (LPN rate).
• Grace A. Kenny, long-term substitute teacher, through the end of the second semester of 2020-21 school year, unless terminated sooner, to be assigned to teach instrumental music at Lycoming Valley Intermediate school, $51,500.
• Paige S. Trottier Instructional support Aide, sign language interpreter at the High School, $39,485.
The board also approved the following position changes:
• Terrill A. Seward, part-time aide at the middle school to full-time paraprofessional/intervention specialist at the middle school, base wage rate, $23,323.
• Robert P. Rook, full-time mathematics teacher at the middle school assigned to full-time Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Lab instructor at the middle school at the 2020-21 school year contract salary rate.
• Nyric L. Gosley, 7th grade basketball head coach at the middle school, $2,240. Payment of stipends for this position may be modified or withheld in the event that the activities for which the stipends are being paid are curtailed or do not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other conditions beyond the district's control.
The board retroactively approved the purchase of 754 Dell Chromebooks and 754 Google Chrome management console licenses from Dell Computers for $176,956. The purchase is made using the National Competitive Purchase Agreement and will be paid using the County Commissioners CARES grant.
They also approved the purchase of equipment to replace legacy network equipment currently installed in the District Service Center at a cost of $64,582. The purchase is made using the COSTARS contract and will be paid for with the Technology Department budget.
A lease agreement between the district and Old Lycoming Township to lease the township premises at 2029, 2031 and 2035 Green Avenue for the purposes of junior varsity baseball.
The next board meeting will be at 6 p.m., Jan. 19.