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Boardman schools get $350,000 technology boost
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
The Boardman Township school district will use $350,000 left over from a federal program toward technology and curriculum.
The money is from 2014-15 Title I funds, a federal program that provides funding to school districts to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.
The purchases represent “a big-time dedication to technology,” said Jared Cardillo, who was appointed director of instruction last month, at a special board of education meeting Sunday.
Included are televisions to be used for instructional delivery, Chromebook computers, a SMART Board, literacy intervention kits, reading workshop kits and more.
The items purchased were based on things principals recently indicated were needed, Cardillo said.
The money used is not part of the Title I money allocated for the 2015-16 school year.
The meeting also included discussion of a long-term plan for the school district.
A three-day workshop that included township officials, business leaders, teachers, Parent Teacher Association members and others took place in June to discuss a vision for the school district. Last summer, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission evaluated the district’s seven buildings. The district will continue to work with the commission as well as seek community input.
In the meantime, the district will look at converting Center Middle School to a fifth- and sixth-grade building and Glenwood Middle School to a seventh- and eighth-grade building. This will not impact the 2015-16 school year.
“Now, more than ever, I believe the two middle schools are on the same page except for enrollment,” said Frank Lazzeri, superintendent.
Glenwood has about 200 more students than Center, resulting in larger class sizes at Glenwood.
The district will look at the short-term conversion plan to see if it can help correct this inequity, Lazzeri said.
Also at the meeting, Timothy Saxton, director of operations, updated board members on construction of the new stadium on the high school campus.
“Right now, the stadium is 90 percent finished,” Saxton said.
The bulk of the remaining work is on the visitors’ side of the stadium, with a small amount still to be completed on the home side. Saxton expects work to be complete by Friday.
School starts next Monday.