SMETHPORT — The directors of the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 reelected their top officials Monday during the annual reorganization meeting.
President Paul Ridley of the Bradford Area School District and Vice-President Bill Funk, representing the Smethport Area School District, were returned to office of the educational agency that provides various services to the public and non-public schools in Cameron, McKean, Elk and Potter counties.
Matt Windsor, the IU9 representative from the Otto-Eldred School District, acted as temporary president during the elections.
The other two officers, Melissa Shields, secretary, and Kim DeGolier, treasurer, are not required to be board members.
With exception of December, the board of directors will continue to meet on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the agency’s administrative offices in Smethport. No meetings are scheduled in July and November 2019 and January and April 2020.
A makeup day is slated for Feb. 20, 2020.
Through a contract with Discovery Education Inc., all IU9 school districts and some non-public schools will be licensed to receive high-quality video content streaming and resources to improve instruction at a cost of $1.38 per student during July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. The cost of this agreement is based on the student enrollment of 12,130.
In a report to the directors, Anita Danielson, assistant to the executive director, spoke about the 2018-19 enrollment for the IU9 Virtual Academy that provides virtual learning opportunities through online courses in which students can participate in on a part-time or full-time basis.
According to the report, there were 59 full-time and 127 part-time students from seven school districts. The full-time students studied in 428 courses, while the 193 part-time students received instruction via 193 courses. “Of the 621 courses, 188 were unique,” Danielson noted.
Fourteen full-time and two part-time special education students also were enrolled for academy services.
IU 9 director Thomas Kerek from the Kane Area School District and a director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, stressed to his colleagues about the importance of their respective school boards having a PSBA liaison.
Kerek also spoke about the negative financial impact the cyber charter schools are having on the public school system, especially in their advertising that states this instruction is free. “This is untrue because it’s an expense to the taxpayers.
“As school directors, we have a lot of power, and we have to get out our message about the cyber charter schools, many of which have low performance histories.”
