Third in a series
CATAWISSA RR - Southern Columbia Area School District's 1,450 students will begin the new school year Thursday despite an ongoing construction project that has affected parking lots and other parts of campus.
"Paving will be completed before school begins," as will the interior construction, Superintendent Charlie Reh said Thursday. "Once it's done, it will look a lot better."
Reh provided a tour for The News-Item to show how construction and renovations are coming along.
Outside, crews were applying fresh blacktop in the front parking lot and driveway. Construction for a middle school addition, built as an attachment to the back of the high school, and for a new gymnasium, located on the left side of the high school, remained in the early stages, evident by heavy machinery and vehicles moving about.
Inside, renovations to the existing buildings were in full swing to meet the deadline in seven days. Fresh paint coated the walls, paint cans sat nearby, workers balanced on ladders, toiling under missing ceiling tiles, and tools were found on temporary tables throughout the hallways.
Completion of the district's $18 million building project is still more than a year away. When finished, the district's middle-school students will be together in one building and a new gym will be available for high-school students. Middle-school students will use the old gym, which will have space for three teaching stations.
Construction will continue through the school year, but will not affect students in classrooms or hallways since it will take place outside, Reh said.
Entrance security upgrade
All construction inside the existing buildings has been - or will be - completed before Thursday, Reh said.
Already completed is a remodeled nursing station and office suite in the elementary school and office suite and cafeteria in the high school.
"The offices were remodeled to upgrade entrance security," Reh said.
While the elementary school offices are complete, the security doors for the high school office are not yet installed, but Reh said they will be by the first school day.
The nursing station has an extra room for examination, three cots separated by curtains and a handicap-accessible bathroom.
It's a renovation that Reh calls "a big change."
Additionally, a middle school art room was converted to an emotional-support classroom and a high-school courtyard was converted into a band and choral storage area. An all-weather track and fence was also completed.
Drop-off changes
To accommodate exterior construction, parents are instructed to drop off their kindergarten through sixth-grade students at the elementary school gym; students in grades seven through 12 should be dropped off at the weight-room entrance.
School buses and vehicles operated by students authorized to park in the student lot behind the elementary school are the only vehicles permitted to travel to the back of the buildings, Reh said.
To avoid confusion, the district plans to post signs and have extra staff and Locust Township Police officers on the grounds on the first day of school, he said.
Reh said the construction project, which began when he became superintendent in July 2007, is a positive step for Southern Columbia.
"We evaluated the needs of the district and felt this was the direction we needed to pursue," he said.
8 take early out
Earlier this year, in an effort to save money, the district offered a retirement incentive to employees with 20 years of employment or more.
Reh reported that eight people took advantage of the offer, and all employees had either not been replaced or been replaced at a lower salary.
A new principal
This school year will also see a new middle school principal in Angela Farronato, who was hired last month at a salary of $72,000 after Roger M. Numkester resigned. She was most recently Mount Carmel Area (MCA) Elementary School principal and was employed at MCA for 21 years.
Reh said she was one of 25 applicants.
"She'll do a great job working with the faculty and implementing our curriculum. She came highly recommended," he said.
When the district's building project is complete, fifth through eighth grades will be joined in their own section of the high school building. Reh said he felt Farronato would be able "to meet the needs of our middle school when we combine."
Another key change in faculty will be the departure of Daniel C. Rodgers as business manager, who will leave his position Oct. 22 after nearly six years in the district. Rodgers accepted a position as business manager with the Pennsbury School District.
The interview process to replace Rodgers has not yet begun; the district is accepting applications until Thursday.
Needs met
As far as budget strains put on by state education funding cuts, Reh said students shouldn't notice any differences.
"We are meeting our curriculum needs and the schedules haven't been affected," he said.
While there was a reduction in staff, Reh said, "We didn't lose any programs. We just altered teaching methods."