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McDonald board mulls required policy
McDONALD
The McDonald board of education Monday gave the first of two readings to a state-required policy on early entry into kindergarten or first grade.
The policy permits students who will not be 5 or 6 years old, respectively, prior to Jan. 1 of the school year when they are seeking to be admitted, to attend school if they are evaluated for early admittance.
The child must be evaluated according to district policy, after referral by the child’s parent or guardian, an educator employed by the district, a preschool educator who knows the child or a pediatrician or psychologist who knows the child.
Following an evaluation, the board decides whether to admit the child.
The board approved an age-based change for admission to kindergarten earlier this year. Previously, students had to reach the age of 5 by Aug. 1 to enroll. The new policy, approved in March, was changed to Sept. 30 for eligibility to apply for entrance.
In other business, the board approved hiring Nick Botorff for psychology services for the 2014 to 2015 school year. The district pays 40 percent of his salary and benefits while using him two days a week as a psychologist. His salary remains the same at $55,080 a year and his total package, with benefits, comes to $79,808.
McDonald’s estimated total of 40 percent of his cost is $31,923 a year. Weathersfield pays the rest. He works there three days a week.
In other action, the board accepted a donation of $2,029 for the math department at the high school from Robert and Jennifer Wimberly.
Schools superintendent Ken Halbert said he is preparing to continue work on the district’s facilities projects, and he hopes to have bids prepared to hire companies to do four projects at a special meeting of the board at 7 p.m. June 30.
The district’s architects, BSHM, of Youngstown, the former Riccuiti-Balog Co., which was architect for the high school renovation in 2001, is serving as architects to the planned projects and taking bids for the work.
Projects he hopes are ready for board approval will include: repairing bricks and the cap on a 150-foot chimney on the high school building, which will have cracks repaired and the body of the chimney reinforced; hiring a company to re-do the gymnasium floor at the high school at an expected cost of $19,000; repairing the stage in the Gamertsfelder auditorium, at an expected cost of $10,000; and repairing the visitors bleachers at the football field.