Photo and Story by Rick Hiduk
At the Dec. 4 meeting of the Wyalusing Area School Board, temporary president Vincent Amoroso (left) conducted the swearing-in of newly-elected school board members (continuing from left) Gene Anne Woodruff, Matt Muench, and (right) Kent Corson. Successful Incumbent Chad Salsman (second from left) was also sworn in and later elected as the new president of the nine-member board.
A school board that has dealt with a number of contentious issues during the past year, including passage of an unpopular budget, a regrettable reduction in funding and staffing for music and the arts, and the renegotiation of the superintendent’s contract during a late-hour executive session deemed by many to be clandestine, took on new members on Wednesday evening who made a concerted effort to affect immediate change.
Their efforts to propel new board member Matt Muench to presidency during his first meeting fell short by one vote, as did a second attempt to at least bring him in as vice president. Muench also surprised many in attendance with his assertion that he and his father had not abandoned negotiations to purchase the former Laceyville Elementary School as rhetoric at previous school board meetings had implied.
The remainder of the well-attended and lengthy first meeting of the new school board was informative and moved steadily forward, but it was obvious that the newest members had come in with their sleeves rolled up and an eagerness to find answers and solutions to the concerns expressed by their respective constituents.
The meeting actually started with a brief but heartfelt speech by board member Debbie Stethers, who had decided to step down as president of the board after six years in the position.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but I appreciate all of the board members that I’ve worked with through the years,” said Stethers, adding that she looked forward to a continued relationship with the board as a member. “I still think it’s the best school district around.”
Board member Vince Amoroso was subsequently approved as temporary president and charged with administering the Oath of Office to Muench, Gene Anne Woodruff, and Kent Corson and to Chad Salsman, the only board member to run for reelection this past year.
Reductions in the Arts Remains a Sore Subject
Citizens comments on agenda items were limited to Barry Ballard, who, as a representative of Wyalusing Friends of the Arts and the Music Boosters, reminded the new board up front that one of the previous year’s most debated issues was still of great concern to local residents.
He noted that nearly a dozen Wyalusing students recently auditioned for seats in the district orchestra and band and all were successful.
“Will we be able say that in five years?” he asked, in reference to reductions in the number of music teachers at the grade school level. Ballard noted that elementary music teachers were voicing concerns about the fact that they had only had two rehearsals with students so far for this year’s holiday concert. “We feel that this is not only unfair to the students, it will reduce the quality of the program.”
“We want our children to love music and foster an appreciation for it beyond iTunes,” Ballard continued. “My kids both got the ‘bug’ for music in elementary school because of the teachers.”
High school student board member Sophie Poost later named each of the band and orchestra students who earned a seat at the district music festival duirng her monthly report. Considering the large number of student instrumentalists from other schools who auditioned, she stated, “It’s amazing that so many of our students made it, and they should be commended.”
In her monthly report, elementary school student board member Dawcin Jones announced the date of the aforementioned elementary school concert and was interrupted by Superintendent Chester Mummau, who said that the school was considering postponing the show to January.
Leadership Switch
After Ballard’s comments, Amoroso moved on to the election of a new president, and Woodruff immediately nominated Muench. “He will help this board oversee the change that we are all looking for in this school district,” she remarked.
Board member Jean Vande Mark, in turn, nominated former vice president Salsman, asserting that someone with more experience in school-related matters was needed to lead the board.
As board secretary Kathy Trowbridge took roll call, the lead switched back and forth with the three new members voting for Muench and all but Richard Robinson, who has served on the board for the most years, casting their votes for Salsman.
Amoroso cast the deciding vote, first commending Muench for his sincere interest in assuming the post and encouraging his continued enthusiasm. Amoroso stated, however, “I feel that the office of president deserves someone who has experience.”
Once confirmed, Salsman rose from his seat and walked around to the inside of the U-shaped formation of tables and shook the hands of each of the board members. Before proceeding to the election of a new vice president, Salsman’s first order of business was to ask if roll call votes could be rotated, rather than alphabetically as has been routinely been done in the past.
“It’s not fair to Vince (Amoroso) that he always casts the first vote, and it wouldn’t be fair to Gene Ann (Woodruff) that she always has to vote last,” he remarked. Board members agreed after Trowbridge said that she felt comfortable with the change.
When Salsman sought nominations for vice president, Woodruff again nominated Muench, and Amoroso nominated Stethers. The balloting fell along the same lines as the votes for president, with Stethers winning the seat by just one vote.
Cyber School Payouts Continue to Ruffle Feathers
A routine overview of the school district’s previous month’s bills evolved into an impromptu and rigorous debate about payouts to cyber schools, totaling more than $100,000 in November.
Mummau explained to Vande Mark, who questioned the amount, that the actual payments can fluctuate greatly from month to month due to inconsistency in billing by the cyber providers and negotiation over rates.
Muench asked why the district could not operate its own cyber school to keep the money in the district. Mummau replied that there had been previous discussions to that end, but there did not seem to be enough interest among parents of local cyber students. Muench disagreed, saying that he had talked to a number of parents who had indicated otherwise.
Mummau invited Muench to continue the dialogue, as it has become generally known that the district loses a significant amount of revenue to cyber and homeschoolers. In the meantime, he noted, the district is working on a brochure that highlights the successes of students who complete their education within the public system in an effort to draw them back to the school.
Woodruff asked if the district could at least be the home base for standardized testing and recoup some of the lost revenue with testing fees. Mummau related that cyber students and homeschoolers can take the testing anyplace in the state, and most go to the Clarks Summit School District because the tests are offered at no cost there.
Final Two School Buildings Finally Sold
After sitting vacant for more than two years and both being hit by vandals, the former Laceyville and New Albany elementary school buildings will be sold with four or five weeks. Board members accepted the sole bid of $75,000 from Kenneth Scavone for the Laceyville building and the only bid received for the New Albany building of $52,300 from Clifford Dunn.
“This is disappointing,” said Woodruff in reference to the the original listing price of $225,000 each that had twice been factored into the district’s annual budget.
Mummau agreed and noted, “That is an amount that we will have to make up somewhere.” He suggested that, in the end, the New Albany building brought less money because it had been vandalized twice.
Muench spoke up and indicated that he wanted to go on the record as having bid $225,000 for the Laceyville building with his father two years ago. Between the initial agreement and the projected closing date, vandals hit the building the first time.
“We ask them (the district) to drop the price to $175,000, and we were rejected,” he stated, creating a stir among the approximately 80 students, teachers, and parents who attended the meeting.
“There was a progression of events that led to that,” Amoroso countered, suggesting that, after two years, it was the strain on the district’s maintenance staff to look after the two buildings that spurred the literal last-ditch attempt to unload the buildings.
“I just want it to be known that my father and I did not walk away from the deal,” Muench said in reference ambiguous remarks attributed to school board members in the past.
Eventually, the two bids were approved almost unanimously, with Robinson abstaining from the New Albany vote due to being related to Mr. Dunn and Muench abstaining from the Laceyville vote due to his business dealings with Mr. Scavone.
In his department report toward the end of the three-hour meeting, district maintenance supervisor Bob Brigham expressed relief that his staff would no longer have to look after the buildings and suggested that it will give him and his crew the ability to focus on several important issues at hand including problems with the campus’s HVAC and biomass heating systems.