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Engineering firm approved for possible Montoursville school expansion

The Montoursville Area School Board at its recent meeting approved an amendment to an agreement with the architectural firm involved in the planning of a possible expansion of Lyter Elementary School.

It calls for LIVIC Civil, Northumberland, to be part of the project at an additional cost of $211,200.

District Superintendent Dan Taormina stated, “This agreement adds LIVIC Civil as our civil engineering consultant. The agreement has a menu of items at different costs based on the needs of a project.”

The district had perviously signed off on an agreement with the architectural firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, Mechanicsburg, for design planning services.

An expansion of Lyter is being considered to accommodate additional students should Loyalsock Valley Elementary School be closed.

So far, no decision has been made by the board to shut down the school.

The issue has been under consideration for several years.

Most recently, a series of town hall meetings were held for the public to provide feedback.

“In moving forward, we have to make sure our classroom sizes are maintained,” board member Daniel Albert said.

A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the high school to consider the issue.

On a related matter, the board approved a proposal from Saxton & Stump, Lancaster, for legal services regarding construction matters.

During the public information period, several students spoke out against the district’s restriction on personal cell phone use.

The board in 2024 approved a policy requiring phones be stored in pouches and not used by students during the school day.

The policy, which went into effect this school year, has not been “easy to implement,” according to Taormina.

“The goal is a cell phone-free school,” he said. “The pouch gets us there.”

A middle school student told the board she experienced anxiety after being the victim of bullying. She claimed the administration failed to deal with the problem.

In personnel matters, the board approved the resignations of Tara Foster, elementary teacher, and Katie Hummel, assistant junior high cheerleading coach, and the retirement of Denise Schoch, secretary.

The board approved the hiring of Brad Deacon as a long-term physics teacher.

The board approved on first reading next year’s school calendar.

An agreement with Lycoming County Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross of North Central Pennsylvania was approved. The agreement allows use of district facilities for

“mass care in the event of public evacuation due to disaster emergencies of all kinds.”

The next board meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.

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