DASD board holds work session; member receives state recognition. An article by Glenn Schuckers.

At the beginning of the DuBois Area School Board work session, Superintendent Wendy Benton read a citation from the Pennsylvania School Board Association honoring a board member who has served on a Board for eight years. 

The award was presented to board member Mark Gilga who has been on the board for those eight years. Benton then presented Gilga with a certificate marking his service for that time.

Since this was a work session no votes were taken, but a number of items were discussed that will be voted on at the upcoming regular session October 27.

Member Bob Wachob asked for clarification of a proposal to purchase computing server equipment that includes a five year license and support package. IT Director Dan Brocious said it was not a new system but rather an extension of a current agreement. Board member Charlie Watt also asked if this was a budgeted expense and asked what the approximate budget figure is for the Information Technology department. Benton and Brocious answered that the current budget for that area is around $800,000, and that all the expenses represent substantial discounts ranging from 20% to 90%.

Later in the meeting board member Dave Schwab questioned four items on the agenda that deal with sending instructors and students to various music festivals. Schwab said he thought some inequality exists in the funding of those trips when science or math students attend events in their fields they use money generated from fundraising events while it appears the District pays for musical ones.  Two of the musical festivals are for chorus festivals, one is for the County Band Festival, and one is to attend a musical performance.  Benton said she will look into how those events are funded. 

The Board also had numerous requests to use school facilities ranging from athletic practices to a Family Fall Night for the Oklahoma PTA. 

Before the meeting adjourned, Benton said there had been numerous events connected with National School Bus Safety Week, which included cooperative occasions with the Pennsylvania State Police. Benton recognized the head of the school police, Janice Bart, a retired State Police Officer, for coordinating those events. Benton also thanked a local citizen for calling the school after seeing a police cruiser following a bus. She said it was a good example of the phrase,”If You See Something, Say Something”  and she thanked the caller for the alert.

Benton also recognized the High School and Middle School  “Hope Squads,” a peer to peer activity that enlists students to be there to help with mental and emotional problems students may have. She said that there are some 35 students at the High School and 25 students at the Middle School who take part and she thanked them all for what they do.