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Work Progresses on S.C. Middle School Vestibule Project

District similar to others in the state regarding COVID-19 schedule adjustments

At the Feb. 8 Spring Cove School District Board of Directors Committee of the Whole Meeting, Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker reviewed the state of COVID-19 cases in the various schools in the district.

Dr. Baker told the board, "COVID cases continue, but we are managing to keep our schools open and quarantines limited. Excluding the 16-day closure in December, which impacted almost every school in Pennsylvania, our total number of days of school-wide remote learning due to COVID cases has been limited."

Central High School has had 10 days of COVID-19 related schedule adjustments, Spring Cove Middle School has had three days, Martinsburg Elementary has had two days, and Spring Cove Elementary has had none, Supt. Baker reported. Currently there is one COVID-19 case at Spring Cove Middle School, but none at the other three schools, she said.

Boardmember Amy Acker-Knisely asked about the timetable and availability of the vaccine for staff. Dr. Baker told the board that Blair County EMA will contact the school district when vaccine becomes available to them. Currently "1A" workers are still undergoing vaccination. There has been no tentative date given as to when there may be vaccines provided to Spring Cove School District staff. Currently, the state is in Phase 1A of Pennsylvania's vaccine rollout. This phase vaccinates those most at-risk of illness, such as health care workers and Pennsylvanians living in long-term care facilities, persons age 65 and older, and those age 16-64 with high-risk conditions.

Grants news

With the arrival of materials for the Spring Cove vestibule middle school project, the contractors are now working to complete the project. The building now has a secure interior vestibule which allows visitors to be screened through the "LobbyGuard" system before being granted access to the office area. The project was funded through the the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) School Safety Grant. In other grants, Lucas Runk and Denise Lamson submitted a food service equipment grant application in an effort to secure new kitchen equipment for all schools. Recently, Spring Cove was informed that it was awarded $31,805 for an electric "combination oven" for for Spring Cove Middle School. Fifty-nine of 300 applications across the state were funded. District Business Manager Kathy Hazenstab and her team have enabled the district to secure new equipment valued at $72,418 at no cost to the district.

Tom Ritchey, Central High School ag teacher, has secured a check for $1,000 through the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation. The grant will pay for the 2020-21 updates to the American Heart Association CPR and first aid training materials.

Other business

The renewal of the district contract with Inshore was discussed by company representative Mike Stohon, who stated that the company has 45 full-time employees available to work with tech issues for the school district. He spoke about upgrading tech planning on an ongoing basis and sharing technical innovations from and with other schools.

Appointment of spring sports coaches along with stipends for game workers and officials for the 2021-22 school year will be voted on at the next school board meeting.

Under Building and Grounds Committee reports, long-term facility/maintenance plans were discussed. One of the largest expenses was a $400,000 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit. The possibility of using available grant money to offset this cost was discussed. Boardmembers discussed the necessity of some of the more costly facility maintenance projects and when they really needed to be done.

The board will vote on the resignation of a professional and support staff employee at the next board meeting along with the employment of a school police officer and the related contract.

There will also be changes to the Central High School course list, including the addition of a new course called "CDC Baking and Pastry Arts" and revision of the course name from CTC Multi Media and Web Design to CTC Digital Communications.

Due to social distancing requirements, meetings of the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors will be held virtually until further notice. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting should contact Supt. Dr. Betsy Baker at bbaker@springcovesd.org or (814) 224-3060 by noon on the day of the meeting to receive access information. The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.

 

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