ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION School district seeks funds to implement new program

The junior-senior high school may soon have its own school store again.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- The Sharon City School District will spend up to $66,000 this year for an alternative-education program for elementary students, although it doesn't have all the funds in place just yet.
The school board approved the plan Monday.
The Academic, Behavioral and Cultural (ABC) Success program, as it has been dubbed, will be for disruptive students and students who have trouble performing in a regular classroom.
The district will have to hire a teacher and an aide to run the program, said Donna DeBonis, superintendent.
Sharon ran a pilot alternative-education program for elementary students two years ago but opted to place its disruptive students in an outside program last year, DeBonis said.
That program is no longer in operation, and Sharon had to restart its own, she said, estimating that about 10 students are expected to be assigned to the program at any given time.
The program, not to exceed $66,000 this year, wasn't included in this year's budget. The district is scrambling to find the money to pay for it.
School Director Daniel Gill made it clear at Monday's meeting that the funds must come from within the budget. He said he doesn't want the program to require any tax increase.
DeBonis said administrators have been able to shift around grant funds to cover about $30,000 of the cost so far.
School store
In other matters, Ray Davis, a student council representative to the school board, announced that plans are under way to open the Tiger Shack, a school store. Sharon hasn't had a school store for the last several years.
School Director Rick Mancino said last month that the high school should have a store again so students can buy school-related merchandise during the daytime.
Davis said at the time that student council tried to get the store reopened as a fund-raising venture a couple of years ago but was told there was no room for it.
He told the board that student council is moving forward on the project and is looking at products, storage and other factors to get the store open.