BASD May Still be in the Race to the Top
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
The Bradford Area School District may be racing to the top after all.
Pennsylvania was a finalist in the national Race to the Top initiative, but was not selected in the first round of funding. Because of that, school districts that did not apply the first time, are being given another chance to apply.
The first time, the school board and administration wanted to apply, but the teacher’s union didn’t agree.
School superintendent Sandra Romanowski said she will be “reaching out to the membership with the hope that they will join us in our application.”
In the first round, the school district could have received between $500,000 and $1.5 million for staff development, instructional planning and curriculum improvement. That’s the equivalent of between 1 and 3 mils of taxes.
On March 29, Pennsylvania learned that its application ranked 7th among the 16 finalists competing for the first-round grants announced by the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee and Delaware received the only first-round grant awards.
States that did not receive a first-round award will be eligible to re-apply for round two of the competition in June 2010, which will make available $3.4 billion.
While that funding isn’t a sure thing for the district, the school board learned during its meeting Monday night about money that is a sure thing.
Sarah Dorn and Harriet Wick have established the Miriam Barcroft Blaisdell/Bradford Area School District Fund in honor of their mother.
Dorn and Wick each donated $25,000 to establish the fund, which has a primary focus of helping with the special needs of economically disadvantaged students. About 40 percent of the students in the district are considered economically disadvantaged.
The fund will also establish four $2,500 scholarships for disadvantaged students who eared an advanced or proficient score on their PSSA test, and have been accepted to a post secondary school.
Romanowski said the board and administration are “humbled and grateful for their most generous contribution to the children we serve.”
She said Dorn and Wick were invited to the meeting so they could be recognized for their donation “and they said that’s not their style – that they would like to just make the contribution.”
She said they also invited Blaisdell Foundation Executive Secretary Howard Fesenmyer to attend but he said “if they don’t come, he’s not coming.”
Romanowski also thanked John Petruzzi and Lori Hannon for successfully submitting an Enhancing Education Through Technology grant for $136,000.
The grant will provide a total of180 laptop computers for middle school and high school students.
Also Monday, the board accepted a bid of $242,280 from Blue Bird of Pittsburgh for three 72-passenger 2011 school buses with pre-2010 emissions.
The low bid for the new 2010 emission engines was $254,760 from Wolfington Body Company.
District Business Manager Kathy Kelly told the board the district does use biodiesel emissions additives, which reduces emissions by 20 percent and improves gas mileage.
She did ask Blue Bird if anyone was buying the buses with the 2010 emission engines and she was told “not a single school district has yet to buy them, and it all comes down to price.”
District Transportation Director Barry Bryan said the decision “makes a lot of sense.”
He said the new engines are quite expensive, and no one is sure yet what kind of problems they may run into with them.
Also Monday, the board voted to expel a student who committed a possession of weapons violation on March 18.
On the other end of the spectrum, the board heard from students in the SkillsUSA program, a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.
Bradford SkillsUSA President Jessie Mascho, who went to the state competition last year, said one of the most valuable aspects of the organization is meeting, and competing with, people who are interested in the same occupation.
She said it helps prepare students by showing them who they’ll be competing with in the job market.
Mascho also said she learned that some students in other districts have to travel to other schools for career and technical courses. In Bradford, the courses are offered in the high school.
“They had to sit on a bus for an hour before they got to actually take their classes,” she said.
Bradford students will be in Hershey later this week for the state competition.
Also Monday, scholar athletes were recognized. They are Jeffery Cattoni, Patrick Hollenbeck, Lacey Frownfelter, Alice Chen, Danielle Hollenbeck and Rebecca Newburg for swimming; Dylan Lamberson, Jacob McMurtrie, Gage Bunker, Lucas McMurtrie and Ryan VanGuilder for wrestling; Pug Fuhrman, Ryan Mackey, Matthew White, Michael White, Brittni Wiseman, Megan Barnes, Emily Marshall and Kayla Hayden for basketball; Shelby Runyan, Tate Slaven and Kaitlyn Russell for cheerleading.
WESB/WBRR News Director
The Bradford Area School District may be racing to the top after all.
Pennsylvania was a finalist in the national Race to the Top initiative, but was not selected in the first round of funding. Because of that, school districts that did not apply the first time, are being given another chance to apply.
The first time, the school board and administration wanted to apply, but the teacher’s union didn’t agree.
School superintendent Sandra Romanowski said she will be “reaching out to the membership with the hope that they will join us in our application.”
In the first round, the school district could have received between $500,000 and $1.5 million for staff development, instructional planning and curriculum improvement. That’s the equivalent of between 1 and 3 mils of taxes.
On March 29, Pennsylvania learned that its application ranked 7th among the 16 finalists competing for the first-round grants announced by the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee and Delaware received the only first-round grant awards.
States that did not receive a first-round award will be eligible to re-apply for round two of the competition in June 2010, which will make available $3.4 billion.
While that funding isn’t a sure thing for the district, the school board learned during its meeting Monday night about money that is a sure thing.
Sarah Dorn and Harriet Wick have established the Miriam Barcroft Blaisdell/Bradford Area School District Fund in honor of their mother.
Dorn and Wick each donated $25,000 to establish the fund, which has a primary focus of helping with the special needs of economically disadvantaged students. About 40 percent of the students in the district are considered economically disadvantaged.
The fund will also establish four $2,500 scholarships for disadvantaged students who eared an advanced or proficient score on their PSSA test, and have been accepted to a post secondary school.
Romanowski said the board and administration are “humbled and grateful for their most generous contribution to the children we serve.”
She said Dorn and Wick were invited to the meeting so they could be recognized for their donation “and they said that’s not their style – that they would like to just make the contribution.”
She said they also invited Blaisdell Foundation Executive Secretary Howard Fesenmyer to attend but he said “if they don’t come, he’s not coming.”
Romanowski also thanked John Petruzzi and Lori Hannon for successfully submitting an Enhancing Education Through Technology grant for $136,000.
The grant will provide a total of180 laptop computers for middle school and high school students.
Also Monday, the board accepted a bid of $242,280 from Blue Bird of Pittsburgh for three 72-passenger 2011 school buses with pre-2010 emissions.
The low bid for the new 2010 emission engines was $254,760 from Wolfington Body Company.
District Business Manager Kathy Kelly told the board the district does use biodiesel emissions additives, which reduces emissions by 20 percent and improves gas mileage.
She did ask Blue Bird if anyone was buying the buses with the 2010 emission engines and she was told “not a single school district has yet to buy them, and it all comes down to price.”
District Transportation Director Barry Bryan said the decision “makes a lot of sense.”
He said the new engines are quite expensive, and no one is sure yet what kind of problems they may run into with them.
Also Monday, the board voted to expel a student who committed a possession of weapons violation on March 18.
On the other end of the spectrum, the board heard from students in the SkillsUSA program, a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.
Bradford SkillsUSA President Jessie Mascho, who went to the state competition last year, said one of the most valuable aspects of the organization is meeting, and competing with, people who are interested in the same occupation.
She said it helps prepare students by showing them who they’ll be competing with in the job market.
Mascho also said she learned that some students in other districts have to travel to other schools for career and technical courses. In Bradford, the courses are offered in the high school.
“They had to sit on a bus for an hour before they got to actually take their classes,” she said.
Bradford students will be in Hershey later this week for the state competition.
Also Monday, scholar athletes were recognized. They are Jeffery Cattoni, Patrick Hollenbeck, Lacey Frownfelter, Alice Chen, Danielle Hollenbeck and Rebecca Newburg for swimming; Dylan Lamberson, Jacob McMurtrie, Gage Bunker, Lucas McMurtrie and Ryan VanGuilder for wrestling; Pug Fuhrman, Ryan Mackey, Matthew White, Michael White, Brittni Wiseman, Megan Barnes, Emily Marshall and Kayla Hayden for basketball; Shelby Runyan, Tate Slaven and Kaitlyn Russell for cheerleading.
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