Thursday, March 14, 2013
'We sink thousands and thousands of dollars into these buildings and into the grounds, and if they're not maintained, in 10 years, you're going to be sinking thousands again and again and again.' - board President Nancy Sciulli DiNardo
Baldwin-Whitehall's school board members were split almost exactly down the middle over whether or not to bring a new groundskeeper into the B-W School District. Ultimately, the position was approved by a 5-4 vote; though, no one has yet been hired to fill that position. Dissenting were Martin Michael Schmotzer, Ray Rosing, Nancy Lee Crowder and Diana Kazour. "We already have two maintenance men," Schmotzer said during Wednesday night's school board meeting, "and if you add the salaries and the benefits, it's around $170,000. If you add this position with benefits, you're looking at a first-year $76,000 job. I just cannot justify that. "I think the work should be subbed out to the two maintenance men and/or some custodians around the …
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Principal Kevin O'Toole is on a leave of absence.
The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board accepted a recommendation made by B-W School District administration on Wednesday night to approve John L. Wolicki as the interim principal of Baldwin High School. Wolicki, who lives in the Latrobe area, will be paid $350 per day—not to exceed 45 days—starting on Thursday to fill in for Kevin O'Toole, the Baldwin High principal who was granted a leave of absence in January. The school board approved Wolicki and his pay rate with a 7-1 vote at its meeting on Wednesday. Board member Martin Michael Schmotzer cast the lone "no" vote. Fellow board member Ray Rosing was absent. The Wolicki vote was combined with payment for services rendered by two other people: Ann Bisignani of School House Consultants will be…
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
School board chooses Wagner by a 6-3 vote after rejecting Seton-La Salle Coach Greg Perry, 5-4.
Peter Wagner Jr. is the newest head coach of the Baldwin High School football program, the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board decided by a 6-3 vote on Wednesday night. Wagner, the dean of students at Baldwin High, has served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the high school's varsity team for the past two seasons. He has been an overall assistant in the program for the past four seasons. School board member Tracy Macek motioned for Wagner to be the new head coach after board member George L. Pry's motion to hire Greg Perry failed by a 5-4 vote. (Pry was acting on a recommendation made by B-W School District administration.) Voting for Perry were Nancy Lee Crowder, Nancy Sciulli DiNardo, Pry and Martin Michael Schmotzer…
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Thursday, January 10, 2013
Is there a need for armed guards at local schools?
In Case of Emergency ... The topic of school safety dominated discussions on Wednesday night at the first Baldwin-Whitehall School Board meeting since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, CT, in mid-December. Multiple school board members, the district superintendent, a student board representative and a vocal member of the public each spoke on the issue, and the theme was constant: Baldwin-Whitehall, like all school districts, is vulnerable to attack. "I don't know how anybody can fight against a military assault rifle," school board President Nancy Sciulli DiNardo said toward the end of Wednesday's meeting before also saying that school district officials "need to do everything we can within the…
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
School board members are concerned over students possibly taking study halls instead of physical education classes.
A motion to cut Baldwin High School's physical education requirements in half was shot down by the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board on Wednesday night by a 6-3 vote. B-W School District administration had argued that reducing the high school graduation requirement for physical education, or "gym class," from four semesters to two would give students the opportunity to take other classes that interest them or that could help their careers. They could elect to spend more time at Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School, for example. Also, students could still choose to take physical education classes as electives after fulfilling their two-semester gym requirement. But board members Nancy Sciulli DiNardo, Diana Kazour, Larry Pantuso, …
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
... but not before a brief shouting match.
Schmotzer Back on Board The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board chose a familiar face on Wednesday night as its newest member—Martin Michael Schmotzer of Whitehall Borough. Schmotzer, whose term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives ended on Nov. 30, replaces his brother, John B. Schmotzer, who resigned from the school board in November for personal reasons. The board voted, 5-3, to select Martin Schmotzer after board Second Vice President Diana Kazour motioned to appoint him. First Vice President Kevin J. Fischer seconded that motion. Board members Larry Pantuso, Nancy Lee Crowder and Tracy Macek cast the "no" votes, but they weren't enough to offset "yes" votes from board President Nancy Sciulli DiNardo and fellow board members Ray …
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
College in the high school, ambulances at football games, parting words from John Schmotzer, and more.
College in the High School The cost for students to take "college in the high school", or CHS, courses at Baldwin High School may fall onto the students themselves if the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board approves a recommendation in December made by school district administration. Andrea Huffman, the B-W School District's director of curriculum, made that recommendation to the school board at its meeting on Wednesday night while, at the same time, recommending that Baldwin High's CHS courses be weighted at 5.0 on the school's GPA scale, rather than their current 4.5 weight. The school's Advanced Placement, or AP, courses are currently the only ones weighted at 5.0. "Students can receive college credits for both a CHS course and an AP course…
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The B-W School Board can't agree on revisions to a school facilities use policy.
Are Baldwin-Whitehall's PTA and PTO "booster groups"? The question of whether or not those parent-teacher groups qualify as such has contributed to a disagreement among B-W School Board members regarding how much certain groups should be charged to use district facilities and services. School board member Nancy Lee Crowder, with substantial PTA/PTO experience, doesn't see those parent-teacher groups as "boosters," and at Wednesday night's board meeting, she struck down a motion that would classify them that way, arguing that it would do harm to those groups. The school board has been debating revisions to the B-W School District's Policy 707, which details what kinds of groups can use district facilities and what costs those groups will …
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The former Baldwin-Whitehall School Board member will soon be replaced in the state Legislature by Erin Molchany.
State Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer gave a farewell speech in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday as his term representing the 22nd Legislative District comes to a close on Nov. 30. "I want to thank my dedicated staff back in Pittsburgh: former chief of staff Janine Palmer, current chief of staff Ryan Buzzelli, legislative assistants Ray Rosing and Melvin Pollard and former intern Elliot Rambo," said Schmotzer, a Democrat from Whitehall Borough whose district includes part of Whitehall and all of Baldwin Township. "Their efforts in constituent service made a difference in people's lives." "I want to thank Speaker (Sam) Smith, Majority Leader (Mike) Turzai and the Republican members for their service and spirited debates. "…
Thursday, November 8, 2012
William McNamee, current business manager, is retiring in December.
The Baldwin-Whitehall School District will replace a retiring employee in December and make way for a new position at the same time, the B-W School Board decided on Wednesday night. The board voted, 8-1, to hire Mark R. Cherpak as its new business manager, effective Dec. 3, at an annual salary of $98,000. Cherpak will eventually replace current Business Manager William McNamee, who will retire on Dec. 21. The board also approved the hire, by a 7-2 vote, of Christopher Constantine for the district's newly created director of human resources position. Constantine's hire also takes effect on Dec. 3, and he will receive an annual salary of $90,000. District Superintendent Dr. Randal A. Lutz said that Baldwin-Whitehall currently splits up its …
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Grim Reaper
1:39 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013
Depends on who gets the job and their relationship to any board member. I.m not sure but by hiring a person under a particular title allows management to circumvent union rule and people already on the job with seniority. Just food for thought. more ›