DASD superintendent Dr. Luke Lansberry retires; graduation set for June 7
In an issue that was not discussed at the prior week’s work session and was not on the regular agenda, the DuBois Area School Board voted on March 28 to accept the retirement of superintendent Dr. Luke Lansberry. Lansberry had not been in his office at the Administrative Center on Liberty Boulevard. since he left and removed his furniture in late December of 2018 and has been on paid leave since that time. In his absence, the Board named Assistant Superintendent Wendy Benton as acting substitute superintendent and she has filled that role ever since. Lansberry’s retirement will be effective at the end of May. The motion to accept the retirement was made by Board president Larry Salone and passed by a vote of 7-1, since Board member Sam Armagost was absent from the meeting.
Another late agenda item concerned the position of naming an IT Director. The position had been filled at a meeting earlier this year but became open when the person hired took a similar job in another district. The Board will now seek another applicant to fill the position.
Field House Dedicated
In other actions the Board voted to approve the dedication of the field house behind the High School in honor and in the memory of Randy Curley. Mr. Curley passed away last year and had been a member of the Board and an active supporter of many athletic activities both in the school and in the community.
Summer workers to be hired
Following the recommendation of Maintenance/Custodial Supervisor Steve Dunlap, the District will hire up to six temporary employees in his department for the summer. Applicants will earn $10 per hour and need to be at least fifteen years old and have approved working papers. Teenagers interested in applying may do so at the Administrative Center on Liberty Boulevard.
Interact Club paints restrooms
Prior to the regular agenda, the Board watched a program presented by the high school Interact Club. Taylor Smith and members of the club had taken on a project to brighten the school’s restrooms and Smith then showed a short video of how those restrooms look now after the painting was done. Benton congratulated the club and its advisors for taking the lead in this project which was also supported by many businesses and individuals in the community. She said she knew the students and their advisors had spent over sixty hours on the project, which is still in progress.
Changes to school calendar
The revised 2018-19 calendar was also approved. In comments before the agenda, a high school senior who will be attending West Point spoke to the Board and thanked it for accepting the three day waiver offered by the state as a way to reduce the number of days the school needs to make up. Both the high school and middle school were impacted by days closed due to mold issues, and all schools were closed for a number of snow says. It had been pointed out at the work session that both the high school and middle school, although they may not meet the 180 day requirement, exceed the number of instruction hours required by the state.
The revised calendar will move the last student day at the high school to Monday, June 10, which will be a flex day. Graduation for seniors will be held on Friday, June 7. The last student day at the middle school will now be a full day on Thursday, June 6 with graduation at that school the next day, Friday, June 7. The school year for elementary students will end on Friday June 7 which will also be a flex day. The reason for the difference in end dates is that the high school, middle school and elementary schools missed different numbers of days due to air quality issues with the elementary schools not being affected by those issues.
By Glenn Schuckers
