BROCKWAY, Pa. (EYT) – The Brockway Area School District School Board approved a $15,790,532 general fund budget during its June meeting Thursday.
The general fund budget approval also came with an update to the security system, but that update will not impact the bottom line. Thanks to the PCCD School Safety and Security Grant, the district is adding 26 security cameras at a cost of $23.472.
The audit for the lunch sales for the district is still being tabulated, but at the meeting, it was said that the preliminary operating profit was $16,600. Any additional operating costs will be counted against that number.
The school is also adding 28 Hewlett Packard workstations for its computer lab and 81 Chromebooks for three classrooms at a cost of nearly $29,000.
The district accepted the resignation of longtime history teacher Rachel Chamberlain. Chamberlain found a job at another district closer to her home. Board-member Jacqueline Manno said that she was sorry to see Chamberlain go.
“Both of my daughters had Mrs. Chamberlain in class, and she was one of their favorites,” Manno said. “She challenges kids to think in a different way. Not just outside of the box, but in a way that’s different from the way they currently think. She doesn’t force them to adopt that thinking, but to understand things from different perspectives. That’s a very important thing for our students to do as they find their place in the world. Her contributions to our school, as far as the Artisan Market and the Model UN, really help our students find that place and how what they do impacts others around them.”
After accepting that resignation, the board hired three new teachers. Carly Walloch will come to Brockway as a mathematics teacher, Robert Bateman will be the new industrial arts teacher, and Bret Zimmerman will take over a social studies position.
The staffing during the 2018-2019 school year prompted Superintendent Jeff Vizza to thank the board for putting in the extra time.
“The board members put in a lot of effort and time,” Vizza said. “We had 11 retirements or resignations this past year. It takes a lot to find their replacements. We have many young educators coming in to take their positions, and that wouldn’t be possible without the board’s efforts.”
Board-member Ray Reckner delivered a motion he called the best motion of the school year. The board canceled its July 9 meeting and will reconvene August 13 at 7 p.m.
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