BOARDS OF EDUCATION

BOARDS OF EDUCATION
BOARDMAN
Donations: Several donations were accepted:
*Center Middle School received $10,000 from Florence George in memory of her husband, Ken George, to renovate the school's locker room and wrestling room.
* $5,000 was given by Douglas George for the Pupil Support Fund.
* West Boulevard Elementary School received $404 from the PTA for playground equipment.
Recognition: The board recognized the following:
* Lee Christman, a fourth-grade teacher at West Boulevard Elementary, who organized a loose coin drive to collect $1,293 for the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts in New York City.
* The speech team and coach Eric Simione for placing in the top 1 percent of National Forensic League chapters and qualifying for the league's Societe' De 300. Simione also earned the league's Diamond Key Award for his work in speech education.
* Stadium Drive Elementary School teacher Shirley Janoski for receiving the WFMJ "Class Act" Award.
* First-grader Jordan Thomson and second-grader Lesley Koch of Market Street Elementary for their third-place awards during Canfield Fair activities.
Graduation requirements: Students must now schedule at least five subjects per year instead of four. They must earn three math credits and two science credits. Required elective credits are reduced by one to seven.
* The Classes of 2004 and after must complete three science credits; required elective credits are reduced to six. Also updated are criteria for standardized testing, criteria for career-technical school students and criteria for earning a diploma with honors.
Other business: The board hired a multihandicapped teacher aide at Stadium Drive Elementary and approved a maximum of 70 hours of proficiency tutoring at a rate of $15.61 per hour for seniors who have not passed one or more if the ninth grade proficiency tests.
* James Guterba, administrative assistant at Boardman High School, said the amount of tutoring approved is based on the number of students who require intervention and the severity of their deficiencies.
YOUNGSTOWN
Position: The board decided to advertise for an equal employment opportunity officer to monitor the planned $163.5 million school construction and renovation project.
* As part of that project, Paul C. Bunn and Mary Haddow elementary schools will be air-conditioned and receive new doors, windows and roofing, and both will grow by more than 60 percent in square footage, said Ray Knight, an engineer with the Ralph Tyler Companies, a Cleveland architectural firm.
Appointments: The following were named to positions:
* Anthony DiRenzo to executive director of school improvement and support services.
* Marla Joliff to special education supervisor.
* Lois Thornton to part-time interim gifted education administrator. Thornton, recently retired principal at Bennett Elementary School, will be paid $26.52 per hour on an as-needed basis.