Remaining Notes from Sept. 7 Baldwin-Whitehall School Board Meeting

Joseph Urmann Selected to Lead Highlanders Boys Basketball

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Jay West Out, Robin Duff in as B-W's Food Service Director

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Are Hall Passes Sanitary, And Why No Paper Schedules?

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Principals Excused from Action Meetings

Toward the end of the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board’s meeting on Wednesday night, board member Martin Michael Schmotzer motioned to excuse each of the ’s five school principals from future action-item board meetings.

Despite the presence of a few action items, Wednesday’s meeting was one of the board’s agenda meetings, which the board still requires each principal to attend.

Fellow board member John B. Schmotzer seconded his brother’s motion, which passed unanimously.

“I like the interaction,” Martin Schmotzer said in reference to having principals at board meetings. However, he said that principals’ attendance at both monthly board meetings is not necessary and that attending the monthly agenda meeting only, such as Wednesday’s, is sufficient.

“The second (monthly) meeting is very perfunctory,” he said.

Principals are still encouraged to attend both monthly meetings even though that is no longer a requirement.

PMEA Jazz Festival Coming to Baldwin High School

The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board voted unanimously on Wednesday night to waive a $5,000 rental fee for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association to use parts of for its 2011 Honors Jazz Festival on Nov. 14 (auditions) and Jan. 6 and 7 (performances).

Cutting Friends of the Theater Arts a Break?

Mayor James F. Nowalk is expected to make another donation to the Baldwin-Whitehall School District on Sept. 14 as part of the Baldwin-Whitehall Friends of the Theater Arts’ ongoing commitment to come up with the funds necessary to build an orchestra pit at the Baldwin High auditorium.

The orchestra-pit project is part of the Rally for Shalley campaign, organized by the Friends of the Theater Arts, to raise $175,000 for a pit to be built and named after Dr. Regis V. Shalley, who served as choral director at Baldwin from 1954 to 1981.

Martin Schmotzer asked his fellow board members to consider allowing the Friends of the Theater Arts to donate less than its goal while still agreeing to name the orchestra pit after Shalley.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable for laypeople to go out and raise that kind of money,” Martin Schmotzer said.

Martin Schmotzer could not find support from his fellow board members, though. Board member Kevin J. Fischer did not think that the Friends of the Theater Arts’ goal is unattainable.

As of now, there are no plans to lessen expectations from the Theater Arts group.

McAnnulty Adds Kindergarten Section

B-W Superintendent Dr. Lawrence C. Korchnak said that has added a kindergarten section due to increased demand.

9/11

Korchnak said that students in each of the B-W School District’s five schools will experience commemoration/remembrance events in honor of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

School board member Kevin A. Stiffey asked Korchnak to ensure that all five B-W school buildings fly their U.S. flags at half-mast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, also in remembrance of 9/11.

Korchnak said that it will be done.

Big Numbers for Baldwin High School Science Club

John D. Wilkinson, B-W’s assistant superintendent of secondary education, was pleased to announce that 74 students signed up to be part of Baldwin High’s Science Club this school year.

Martin Schmotzer Encourages B-W Residents to Call for Less District Voices

Martin Schmotzer said that two U.S. congresspersons, three state senators and three state representatives represent Baldwin-Whitehall’s population of over 35,000 people.

“That’s a terrible thing,” he said. “What that means is your school district is cut apart … as far as representatives (go) … 

“When you have three people speaking, that means nobody’s speaking on our behalf. And that’s the problem.”

Martin Schmotzer encouraged residents of , and Whitehall, when voting districts are restructured soon, to be adamant at area meetings that the Baldwin-Whitehall School District deserves a consolidation of representatives.

“We should get up and we should fight for a united Baldwin-Whitehall School District that has one state senator, and if not one state representative, then no more than two, and certainly one congressperson.”

E-Newsletter

Korchnak promoted the school district’s new e-newsletter delivery method, which saves the district over $2.50 every year each time someone changes the practice from having a hard-copy newsletter sent to their home to receiving a digital copy through email only.

Click here to change your delivery preference.

The district’s newsletter is known as Highlander Highlights.