Oct 22, 2013 5 min read

GREENSBORO – A small group of residents in Southeastern Greene School District spoke to the school board Monday about security issues after hours at Bobtown Elementary School.

Resident Sheila Hoge said she is concerned someone may get hurt or killed if something isn’t done to curb activity at night. Hoge claims there are cars doing spins that throw gravel in the school’s lot. She also says there is drinking and possibly drug activity.

Board members agreed there is a problem and discussed multiple options. One suggestion is to lock the drive-thru gate, currently used for overflow parking for staff, after school hours. There are two walk-thru gates and one drive-thru that provide access to the school’s playground area. Board member Joe Spiker said he was opposed to locking all three gates at the end of the school day.

“I don’t think we want to keep the children out,” he said.

Bobtown Elementary Principal Scott Sinn said the district has made calls to police and noted that all-terrain vehicles have become more of a problem near the school. Board member Rick Barzanti said he has witnessed some of the problems when he has returned home from work late at night and he, too, is concerned.

When it was suggested that providing the district with names of the persons causing problems would help, Hoge said passionately, “I’ll get you names. I’ll get you license plate numbers. I’ll take pictures and get you phone numbers if that’s what it takes. These are adults, people who have graduated from here. There are beer cans and other things (being left behind). No child should be walking onto that playground and seeing what they are seeing.”

When the board approved a motion to coordinate the construction of an $8,500 outdoor classroom at the junior-senior high school, it led to a plea by board member Janet Pennington to build something similar at the elementary school. The outdoor classroom will cost the district $3,000 for concrete work with the remainder of the construction cost being covered from a $5,500 grant received from the Community Foundation of Greene County. District employees will be used to complete the work.

The project’s designs were donated by K2 Engineering and students in the environmental sciences classes contributed to the design process. The district will incur additional costs after it is built for tables, dry erase boards and other essentials.

Pennington said she has been part of discussions to build a similar classroom at Bobtown Elementary for a long time but that is all it has amounted to – discussions. She asked if a motion was necessary to make it happen. Sinn said his only concern was when something like this would be constructed, noting the area suggested previously was right next to windows at the school. Sinn said construction during the school year would be too much of a distraction and noted spring and summer would be a better time to get it done.

“It has been at least four years since I’ve been on this board and nothing has ever been done on it. Let’s get moving,” she said. “Let’s get the funding in place so when the kids leave for the summer (it will be built).”

The board directed Superintendent William Henderson to seek grant funding for the project.

A rental agreement with Ford Business Machines for 11 copiers at a cost of $2,160 per month was called a win-win situation by district business manager Pat Sweeney. Sweeney said Ford was buying out all of the existing machines and donating back those that are still in good operating condition. He said that would give the district another four or five machines in addition to the 11 from Ford. The rate of $2,160 per month is the same rate the district is currently paying for copier services, Sweeney said.

Under technology, the board agreed to purchase 12 HoverCams from Pathways Innovations and Technologies Inc. for classroom use at a total cost not to exceed $3,300. The devices will enable students and teachers to project their work onto classroom Smart Boards.

The board renewed the agreement between the district and Carmichaels Area School District for the joint Ski Club for the 2013-14 school year. Several ski trips were approved for club participants from Southeastern Greene.

The sound system in the junior-senior high school gymnasium will be replaced, per board approval, at a cost not to exceed $9,904. The system from Smart Solutions Technologies will include speakers, microphones and sound board equipment, according to Sweeney.

Regarding the Penn Pitt Elementary School building no longer in use by the district, the board approved an agreement with Coldwell Banker/Baily Real Estate to sell or lease the building and its property at a 7 percent commission rate.

In other matters, the board extended the contract of Henderson for an additional five years. The vote passed by a margin of 7-0-1 with an abstention by board member Ginny Eberhart, who said she meant no disrespect by not voting. Henderson thanked the board for its support.