close

Peters Township School Board discusses student representation

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 5 min read
article image -

Plans for a new Peters Township High School have piqued students’ interest in some type of participatory role as the project moves forward.

At their Feb. 20 meeting, school board members discussed creating a student representative position in a nonvoting, liaison-type role that would revive a practice from the past.

“At one time, the fellow who was the head of student council came to each monthly board meeting and made a presentation about what was going on in the school, and he was open to any questions board members might have,” Thomas McMurray, board president, recalled. “It was very useful. It was kind of a different way to do it. The lack of interest kind of went after that.”

New high school start time

Peters Township High School students will have a new start time next academic year.

The school board on Feb. 20 approved ninth- through 12th-graders beginning the day at 7:45 a.m., 15 minutes later than at present. The school day will end at 2:35 p.m.

In conjunction with the later start time, additional bus runs will be added to the high school routes. With the later start time and additional runs, the earliest pickup will move from 6:30 a.m. to near 7.

Additional benefits of the change for 2018-19 include later lunch start times at the high school and a shorter overall school day for Peters Township Middle School students attending high school classes, with no loss in class time.

This change is being made after several months of study by the administrative team. Members of the transportation staff adjusted bus runs to achieve a later high school start time without negatively affecting afterschool activities or the schedules of other schools, which remain unchanged.

For more information, contact the transportation office at 724-941-6251, extension 6012, or Shelly Belcher at extension 7205.

District policy allows for the board to “authorize student representation on the board in order to facilitate effective communication and to provide an opportunity for students to participate in school governance.”

Solicitor Jocelyn Kramer said that implementing the policy would require a board vote to create the position, which is expected next month, and then directing Superintendent Jeannine French “to develop a process for selecting an appropriate student.”

The concept, which school board member Minna Allison brought forward after speaking with interested students, was greeted with enthusiasm by some of her board colleagues.

“I really like the idea, because I think it creates a way where you get information from the students and what is on their radar, their concerns, directly from them,” Lisa Anderson said. “It also gives great experience for the students to be involved in how our school works and how a board environment works.”

Jamison Hardy also expressed support, but he stressed the importance of setting parameters for students.

“I just would ask, if we go back to doing it, that we’re very clear as to what we’re asking them to do, what we will expect from them and that they understand the limitations of their advisory role,” he said.

Student representatives, for example, would not be able to participate in executive sessions or other discussions pertaining to matters such as personnel.

In other business at the meeting:

  • The board voted to establish an ad hoc fundraising committee, to be led by Allison and board member Daniel Taylor.

“The responsibilities of the committee will be to explore ways that the district can generate monetary donations, in-kind donations or other fundraising opportunities during the construction of the new high school,” McMurray explained, as the district explores various means of helping to finance the $90 million project.

The committee, he said, will “make regular monthly reports and recommendations to the board on the subject until the new high school is substantially completed, or the committee termination date of June 30, 2021.”

Membership on the panel is extended to school personnel and members of the community.

“There will be a lot of work involved with it, and we wouldn’t expect just this committee to do it,” McMurray said.

  • Hardy, who chairs the board’s finance committee, noted that the bidding process on construction of the new high school, anticipated for May, is approaching rapidly.

“I still am optimistic that we’re going to get bids for this project that will put us where we need to be, so that we won’t have to make tough decisions. I still believe that’s going to be the market conditions, and I’m hopeful that it will put us in a position where we will have very minimal decisions we have to make about what actually is and/or is not in this project,” he said. “But please remember, that day is very quickly coming, when we will have to actually face what these numbers say and what our numbers allow us to do.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today