CATAWISSA RR - Southern Columbia Area Superintendent Charlie Reh said he and other administrators met with three local police chiefs recently to discuss current policies and security measures at district buildings in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14.
The goal, Reh said in discussing the matter at Monday night's school board meeting, in addition to fine-tuning security, is to make police officers more visible in the school district so students are more comfortable around law enforcement.
The 90-minute meeting, held during an Act 80 day Friday, involved chiefs from Ralpho, Catawissa and Locust townships.
One outcome is that the district will provide each first responder in the region with blueprints for district buildings in order to know the layout of each place and best access points, Reh said.
In a related motion, the school board approved the purchase of new intercoms from NRG Controls North Inc., Selinsgrove, for the district/elementary building office, the high school office and the middle school office. Total cost is $7,920.
The intercoms include video monitors that allow office workers to see who is requesting access, Reh said.
Realigning board reps
The board also approved realignment of how the nine school board members are elected from each of the district's three regions.
The new format, approved by Columbia County Court last month, will allow two members to be elected from each region, and three members to be elected "at-large" from any region.
The board has been functioning with eight board members for a year, ever since Region II Director Ronald Brobst, of Catawissa, resigned due to work constraints in January 2012. He won election in November 2011.
Region I consists of Ralpho Township, Region II consists of Catawissa and Catawissa Township and Region III consists of Cleveland, Franklin, Locust and Roaring Creek townships.
For the 2013 election, two of the at-large positions will be for four years and the third will be a two-year term. The intent is to stagger the positions so not every one is up for re-election at the same time. Anyone from Ralpho Township - the only Northumberland County municipality in the district - hoping to be elected at-large must file paperwork in Columbia County Court.
There will be four other board positions up for re-election this year, including a four-year term from Region II, a two-year term from Region II, a four-year term from Region III and a four-year term from Region I.
In other business, the board approved:
- Accepting a donation of $3,280 from NRG Controls North for the purchase of a scorer's table for the new high school gymnasium.
- Awarding a base bid for the replacement of a rooftop HVAC unit at G.C. Hartman Elementary Center to Bognet Inc., Hazleton, for $84,778. It will be paid from the capital reserve fund.