BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

With nine closings and nine two-hour delays due to winter weather, Mountain View has pushed back the last day of school to June 11 and graduation to Saturday, June 13.

“We made up four of the closings by using scheduled holidays,” acting superintendent Karen Voigt told the district directors at their board meeting on Monday night, Feb. 16. “So at this point we had to add five days to the school year.”

Voigt explained that the challenge of declaring a two-hour delay in a timely manner “has been the most difficult part of this job.”

“I have to make a decision for a two-hour delay no later than 6 o’clock in the morning,” she said, “because some of our drivers have to be out by then to get students to long distances on time, such as the Elk Lake vo-tech. I have to decide on closing by 8 o’clock.”

District business manager Joseph Patchkoski thanked district parents for their patience when buses have been late picking up students because of winter road conditions. He also commended the bus and car drivers for their perseverance through the challenge of driving in poor road conditions.

The board approved 2015-16 school year Program of Studies for grades 7 through 12 as presented by high school principal Robert Presley. Presley also reiterated the need for after school activity buses.

“This would not only be for students in sports,” he explained, “but would also benefit students who stay after school for programs related to improving academic performance. I’m not saying there will be 100 students on a bus, but we may be able to keep a few students from falling through the cracks academically.”

Presley also asked the board to consider new storage trailers for the high school, especially for sports equipment.

“We had to buy new high jump mats,” he said, “and we have no place to store them. The old trailers out back where track equipment is stored are pretty beat up.”

Maintenance director Robert Taylor told the board that the district used up its normal annual supply of ice melt, but was able to purchase an extra eight tons. He also said that the district’s phone system has “made some headway” concerning the ability for receiving voice mail messages on teachers’ classroom phones and some office phones. He said most communications are now working properly.

The board approved a Driver’s Education Agreement for the 2015-16 school year which will allow Mark Beach to administer the on-road driving test to Mountain View students.

Coaching positions approved included: Katie Ross, assistant varsity softball; Megan Clough, junior high softball co-coach; and Allison Butash, intramural volleyball coach.

Rich Visneski, Clifford Twp., spoke to the board about a concern related to his son being prevented from participating in an after-school non-sport activity as a result of missing practices due to his son’s work schedule.

“My son has been in the band, chorus and drama club for years,” Visneski said. “He can’t play sports for health reasons, so these are the activities he enjoys. I don’t think he should be penalized for an unexcused absence when he can’t make it to a practice or has to leave early from a practice just because he is also committed to having a job.”