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JERSEY SHORE -- The school calendar for next year will look a little different, according to Dr. Brian Ulmer, Jersey Shore Area School District superintendent, as days will be set aside in 2023 to accommodate the use of district school buildings as polling places.
"It will affect all three buildings -- in town in Jersey Shore, the high school, the middle school and Jersey Shore Elementary," Ulmer said.
The request to use district facilities came from the Lycoming County Commissioners.
"I have made it clear to the board and the commissioners that I do not intend to have school on those days," Ulmer said.
"So, I'm saying publicly, because I want the public to understand that this board and I don't have any control over that. There is clear language in the state code that says elections can be placed into public buildings, and we are public buildings," he said.
The first election to take place using the facilities will be in November 2023.
"I intend to create a school calendar that uses a combination of professional development and flexible instructional remote learning days so that we don't have staff and students in the buildings on election days going forward," he said.
In another action, the application for a facility dog, which was discussed at an earlier meeting this month, was approved by the Jersey Shore Area School Board at their meeting this week.
The acquisition of the dog will be funded through Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency mental health grant funding.
Reasons for acquiring the dog were the social-emotional issues and mental health of students as well as specific crisis intervention and school attendance. Multiple studies were cited as showing that canine intervention can benefit students in these situations.
The dog would also work with school counselors during counseling sessions.
In other business, the board approved the following:
• An agreement between the district and Community Services Group for mental health psychiatric school-based outpatient services.
• A donation to Avis Elementary of an ornamental tree from Allison Landscape and Lawn Service in honor/memory of Symphony Wilson.
• Amended Pre-K Counts agreements with Your Guardian Angel Preschool and Childcare and All Things Bright and Beautiful Day Care Center for the 2022-23 school year.
• A letter of agreement between the district and Children's Center for Treatment and Education doing business as Beacon Light Behavioral Health System.
• A letter of agreement between the district and New Story, State College, for a student educational placement.
• The donation of 400 backpacks filled with school supplies from Kids in Need Foundation, to the Jersey Shore Elementary School.
Under personnel items, the following positions were filled at the pay rate listed, if applicable: Tricia Richardson, full-time special education paraprofessional at Jersey Shore Elementary, $19,200per year; Erik Scott, boys assistant varsity basketball coach, $3,587 stipend; Adam Kline, girls 8th grade basketball coach, $2,990 stipend; Kline, boys 9th grade basketball coach, $4,111 stipend; Rober Dittmar, volunteer soccer coach and as game staff for the Athletic Department; Megan Allison, family and consumer science teacher at the Middle/High school, $47,409 per year; Sheena Armbruster as Allison's mentor, $500 stipend; John Beveridge as game staff for the Athletic Department; and Lori Welk as a bus aide for Windecker Enterprises doing business as Marden's, Inc.
The resignations of Jesus Ramos, technology intern, and Shawnta Fladd, middle/high school family and consumer science teacher, were accepted.
Prior to the business portion of the meeting, high school principal and director of career and technical education, Steven Keen, highlighted the various pathways that students now have in order to graduate from high school since the passage of Act 158. He noted that school counselors will be discussing with students the ways in which they can achieve the goal of graduating.
The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at the District Administration Building, 175 A&P Drive.