Pittston Area School Board approves new fire alarms

YATESVILLE — The Pittston Area School Board approved contracts to replace the fire alarm systems at the high school and at Martin F. Quinn Primary center at Tuesday’s regular monthly meeting. Both contracts went to Computer Visionaries, Inc.

The cost at the high school is $86,978, while the cost at the primary center is $85,577. Both were awarded through the state COSTARS system, a cooperative arrangement that lets districts piggy-back onto contracts and purchase arrangements already made by the state, thus avoiding the usual legal requirement to seek bids from interested companies.

The board passed a resolution that has been appearing on agendas through Luzerne County’s 11 school districts, calling for the state to enact charter school funding reform. Like other public school boards in Luzerne County, Pittston Area board members have periodically complained about the state funding system for charter schools, a type of public school not bound by all the rules districts must follow.

For any student who lives in the district but attends a charter school, the state requires that district to pay the charter school the average per-pupil amount spent on students attending the district. Critics contend this results in different district paying different amounts for charter students — sometimes paying different amounts to the same charter school. They also point out that online cyber charter schools usually have lower expenses than the districts while getting the full amount the district spends on its own students.

And the board received a brief report regarding the state-mandated annual district single audit, done by Brian T. Kelly, CPA, & Associates LLC. The audit found no problems with district finances, and the board voted to accept the audit.

Other action

The board also:

• Agreed to seek Requests For Proposals for a health insurance consultant.

• Authorized advertising for door lock replacements for all district buildings, and to advertise for door alarms for all buildings.

• Added Jordan Ralston and Erin Donato to the substitute teacher list, appointed Tara Walters as Least Restrictive Environment educational assistant, and appointed Kevin Macaluso as maintenance mechanic.

Mom raises epi-pen concerns

During public comment at the end of the meeting one mother relayed a scare she experienced where her daughter had a severe reaction to a bee sting during athletic practice. She noted there was no epi-pen available from the district and no one on scene trained to administer it, though another person did provide a pen.

She urged the board to make sure there are epi-pens and people with proper training available in the future.