Spring Cove School District to Apply for State Safety Grants

The Spring Cove School Board’s Monday, Sept. 9, Committee of the Whole Meeting was focused primarily on school grants and safety measures for the district.

The administration received the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Part A&B Grant applications on Sept. 9 and will begin working on the applications due Nov. 4.

The district must complete a First Energy Grant to potentially secure funds for Spheros for the Spring Cove Middle School in order to enhance computer science/robotics programming. Recently, Spheros was purchased for Central High School through the PASmart Grant.

Maintenance projects continue in order to the make the schools in the district safer and more attractive. New cameras are being installed and other safety and security improvements are being implemented in preparation for the annual school safety and security drills. They will be completed by September or October.

Spring Cove School District school boardmembers now have new requirements in training. For members who are re-elected in November, they will need to complete three hours of instruction within one year of re-election focused on: 1) Relevant changes to federal and state public school law and regulations; 2) Fiscal management; 3) Trauma informed approaches; and 4) other information deemed necessary by the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Audrey Bear, managing director of Piper Jaffray & Co. – bond underwriter, gave boardmembers a presentation on the refinancing of bonds. Bear told the board it was a good time to look at refinancing with bond rates currently going down. Bear informed the board that the district could save $350,000 by refinancing now. This will be brought up as a motion in next week’s monthly school board meeting.

The district is also participating in the Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCP), which means that the district does not need to use a bidding process for everything purchased.

At next week’s board meeting, the board will vote on the resignation of the soccer coach and hiring of a replacement coach. The board will also be hiring a junior high boys’ head soccer coach and a junior high cheerleading coach.

The Pre-K Counts class was approved and is set to begin at Spring Cove Elementary later in September. There was an addendum to the agreement with Child Advocates of Blair County to provide meals for the Pre-K Counts Program for the 2019-20 school year.

The Building and Grounds Committee announced lead testing by Fairway Labs at a cost of $15 per sample, tile installation at the middle school is complete and advertised bids will go out for the interior vestibule project at Spring Cove Middle School, electrical work at Bean Hill, paving and asphalt sealing at Central High School, Spring Cove Drive from Cove Mountain Road, and playgrounds at Spring Cove Elementary.

The regular board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, at the administration office board room.