Board votes electronically, names assistant principal

Members of the North Allegheny school board took a technological leap last week, using electronic voting.

As they voted, the votes were displayed on two screens. The program also contains a digital timer for speakers. The switch to BoardDocs “will make agendas and policies more searchable,” board president Kevin Mahler said.

Also at the March 22 meeting, the board named Matthew Buchak, who has been assistant principal of the senior high since 2011, as assistant principal of Marshall Middle School after this school year.

The board awarded a $165,600 contract to R.A. Glancy & Sons to renovate the second-floor restrooms at the senior high but rejected the only bid for plumbing for the project. Rick McClure, chair of the buildings and grounds committee, said the plumbing contract can be rebid while construction goes on.

The contract to R.A. Glancy includes an upgrade for hand dryers, which principals asked for to reduce waste. The $6,600 cost will pay for itself in a few years, he said.

R.A. Glancy also received a $93,000 contract for repairs to the terrazzo tile floor at the entrance to the gym at the senior high. Both projects are in the 2017-18 capital plan.

Parent Katie Rhoten questioned the cost of administering the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and CogAt tests. The Iowa tests, given to second- through seventh-graders, cost between $18.67 and $25 per student.

The CogAt test measures cognitive ability and is given to second- and fourth-graders. It costs about $5 per student and is one measure used for the gifted program.

Neither test is required by the state or federal government. When the required Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test is added, fourth-graders have five weeks of standardized tests, Mrs. Rhoten said.

“It is a waste of students’ and teachers’ times and a waste of funds,” she said.

Another parent, Elizabeth Warner, disagreed. “I like the Iowa tests. It is a national test instead of just for Pennsylvania. I appreciate getting that data on a national scale,” she said.

Mr. Mahler said the district is talking about cutting back on tests. The CogAt is no longer given to seventh-graders.

Resident Allyson Minton thanked board members Libby Blackburn and Scott Russell for visiting McKnight Elementary School after the board defeated an item last month to study conversion of unused space at the school.

At the time, Mrs. Minton and administrators noted that some of the rooms at McKnight are not being used for their intended purposes, such as a supply closet that is being used as a sensory room for special education students.

After the board members visited, changes were made.

“The sensory room is no longer in a closet,” Mrs. Minton said. “On behalf of our students, thank you so very, very much.”