FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Despite five snow days used so far this year, the North Schuylkill School District is still on track for graduation and the last day of school being on June 2.
During its March 19 meeting, the school board approved revisions in the 2013-14 school calendar caused by weather cancellations on Jan. 21 and Feb. 3, 5, 13 and 14.
"Our last student day will be June 2 and our graduation is not going to change," district Superintendent Andrew D. Smarkanic said.
Due to six snow days resulting in no classes, the Shenandoah Valley School District has moved its last day of school and graduation from June 2 to June 5. In addition to the three extra days at the end of the school year, Shenandoah Valley will also have school on three other days that had been planned as days off: Holy Thursday and Tuesday and Wednesday after Easter.
Smarkanic said the way classes are structured in the district allows for no additional days at this point.
"We have enough instructional hours in our school year," Smarkanic said. "The elementary school is required to have 900 instructional hours, while the high school is required to have 990 instructional hours. Our school day is a long day and we have more instructional hours in the school year. We have lost some days and we'll be making up four days over Easter."
Smarkanic said students will have Good Friday off, but will be in school on Holy Thursday and Monday through Wednesday after Easter.
The school board acted on the following agenda items:
- Approved a request from the Spartan Fire and Rescue organization to use the junior-senior high school lower parking lot and locker rooms from 6 a.m. to noon for a firefighter organization competition on April 26. The new organization to promote the volunteer fire service in the region, provide smoke detectors to homes and other activities was formed after approval by the school board in December.
- Approved the hiring of James Meadows as a school psychologist at a starting salary of $65,000, pro-rated, retroactive to March 3 for the remainder of the current school year.
- Approved advertising for the following anticipated new positions for the 2014-15 school year: special education in secondary English, multiple secondary certification and emotional support; and a reading specialist.
"We're restructuring a program and therefore, we need additional teaching staff," Smarkanic said.
- Approved the establishment of an Emotional Support Classroom at the junior-senior high school in the 2014-15 school year.
"We're bringing those students back from the intermediate unit back into our high school," Smarkanic said. "That was the reason for some of the hirings (for special education)."
- Approved the employment of MaryAnn Nahodil as a part-time special education aide at $9 per hour, pending a written satisfactory evaluation after a 60-day probationary period, retroactive to March 10.
- Approved the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 program budget as presented. North Schuylkill's share of the IU program budget for 2014-15 is $0. The school district's share for the current school year was $8,392.
- Approved the Schuylkill Technology Center budget as presented. North Schuylkill's share of the secondary budget for 2014-15 is $552,921. The school district's share for the current school year is $540,281, a difference of $12,640.
Meeting dates have changed in April. Committee meetings will be held at 7 p.m. April 2. The school board will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. April 9, preceded by the Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:30 p.m.