PORT ALLEGANY — Federal grant funding will be used to pay for a number of programs at Port Allegany High School, after school board members voted on motions to approve them Monday night.
Up to $150,000 was approved from the federally funded Keystone to Opportunity (KtO) initiative to install a Smart Lab at the elementary school. A similar lab was installed at the high school last year. The lab is designed to teach STEM programs in a state-of-the-art facility.
A separate motion was passed for up to $22,000 in KtO funding for the computers set to be used in the Smart Lab.
Superintendent Gary Buchsen explained that the school could purchase the computers cheaper if they purchased them separate from the lab package itself.
Board member David Mensch, a retired science teacher, expressed his excitement about the lab, but also urged the school board to take into account the training needed to keep educators equipped to use the facility.
“With the high school lab, we’ve been very fortunate to have teachers that are very qualified to make sure this happens,” said Mensch. “We need to make that whatever teachers are responsible for the elementary lab have the proper training, and stay current on that science training to be able to get the most out of this.”
Buchsen told the board that while there would be a position posted internally for the science lab, he does feel confident there is at least one candidate very qualified for the position. He also explained the Colorado-based company that assembles the Smart Labs offers training to keep their educators up to speed.
In other news, the board approved motions for a couple of summer kindergarten programs.
The first for a 15-day Kindergarten Readiness Program in the month of July at a cost of $4,986.97, funded by the KtO program.
This program is designed, according to Buchsen, to help the “neediest students into the building sooner.”
Daniel Kysor offered concerns that the program in July might not be effective.
“I’m concerned that programs like this that are optional don’t get the same bang for the buck that we put into this,” he said, inquiring if there is a way to make attendance mandatory.
Buchsen said the program can’t be made mandatory, and when it was discussed last year, the board inquired about the possibility of providing transportation. So the board then voted on a separate motion to approve transportation, at a cost up to $4,200, again funded by the same grant. Buchsen explained that now that the programs have the approval of the board, they will be offered to the parents of incoming kindergarten students who need the program, and they would see whether or not it would be cost efficient to offer transportation or not.
The board also approved a three-day kindergarten camp in August at a maximum cost of $2,330.52.
“We will see a lot of participation from this program, for sure,” explained Buchsen.
