BY ROBERT L. BAKER

The Mountain View School Board was handed a progress report Monday night on how its students did on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests last year, but deferred any comment until after a public presentation is made, probably in early October.

The public was not privy to the results, although the lone news reporter at the meeting was provided a copy after the meeting.

While the elementary school met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the report provided by curriculum director Karen Vogt showed that the district’s high school students failed to achieve AYP in both math and reading.

With a performance goal of 78 percent in mathematics,Mountain Viewstudents only got 59.9 percent on the PSSA. It was the second year in a row that Mountain View High students did not measure up in mathematics. Last year’s performance goal was 67 percent.

Also, with a performance goal of 81 percent in reading,Mountain Viewstudents got only a 68.6 percent on the PSSA. Last year’s performance goal was 72 percent.

In other business, the school board accepted the resignation of one of its members- Margaret Smith, who did not attent Monday’s meeting.

Smith, 47, a self-described advocate for arts and music, had been appointed to the board in June to fill the position made vacant by the May 10 death of James Zick.

The board voted 7-0 with Smith and Christine Plonski-Sezer absent to accept the resignation and then voted unanimously to advertise the vacancy with a deadline date of Oct. 1 to accept applications.

The position serves Region 2- Harford andLenoxTownships.

The board voted to appoint Mary Lynn Twining and Lori Cobb as full-time secretaries and Pat Tyler as  a part-time secretary, all at a rate of $8.75 an hour.

The board also approved 5-2 a motion to approve a quote of $19,275 from L.J. Bogumil Inc. for heat pipe repairs at the high school.

The board approved a motion to accept an Internet2 Service Agreement from the  Northeast Intermediate Unit at a cost of $128 a month. Board member Tom Stoddard asked what the school district gained by the agreement and if it was cost effective.

Maintenance director Bob Taylor said a microwave signal came fromForestCitywhich allowed for increased capacity.

Board secretary Diane Macosky said  other organizations had entered into contacts with theMountain Viewin the past on internet service, but because of it servicing a number of school districts foun the NEIU, it was able to provide a more competitive rate.

Board president Todd Adams noted that the board had entered a Memorandum of Agreement with the Mountain View Education Association which apparently spelled out the terms of how teachers would handle locker duty as part of their day responsibility.

In their principal reports, both high school principal Robert Presley and elementary principal Andrew Doster reported the first weeks of school as going smoothly.

Doster said his new role as elementary principal “is very exciting for me” and he noted this Thursday the school would have an open house for parents from6to8 p.m.

Superintendent Francine Sheaannounced to the board that she had received notification earlier Monday thatMountain Viewhad been one of 50 schools randomly selected to participate in a Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.

Students in grades 9-12 will paricipate in the survey that assesses health risk behaviors.

In exchange for its participation, the district will receive a stipend of $500.