Davis Gets A New Playground, District Hires New Administrators

The Centennial School District Board of School Directors resumed its regular meetings Tuesday night; eight out of nine board members present.

The Board welcomed four new members to the district workforce. Ryan Mulford and Joseph Papeika will both serve as assistant principals at William Tennent High School; Allison Cuckler will assume the Special Education Supervisor position for secondary education; and Andrea DiDio is the new Human Resources Supervisor for the district. 

Of the 37 items of new buisness on the board's agenda, only issue was passed without a unanimous vote: the purchase and installation of a playground at Davis Elementary School.

Board Member Mark B. Miller, the lone opposing vote, wishes to delay the playground plans another 30 days to get a more competitive bidder for the project. He said parents will be willing to wait in order to “get it done right.”

“I’m only opposed to the process through which we’re buying the playground,” Miller said. “We have to have a playground.”

He notes that the district has many options from which to choose, however board member Michael Hartline suggested that it would be better to have a playground sooner rather than later.

If delayed another month, Miller says the district could get a better product while saving money.

“…when we’re buying on short notice like we are now, we can go to what’s called state contracting,” he said. “But the price on that is not a competitive price.”

The motion to approve the Snider & Associates, Inc. Rocket Play Structure at $73,994.14 was passed 7-1.

The William Tennent High School 2012-13 Comprehensive School Improvement Planning was also discussed.

Miller was concerned that it was not ready for implementation. He also wanted to be sure the board and Education Committee would make the deadline.

Jane Schrader Lynch assured the board that the deadline had been extended and they will have no problem meeting it. Also, she will request a special Education Committee meeting to go over the plan and make any necessary amendments or changes.

The motion to approve the improvement plan passed 8-0.

The Centennial School District board meeting schedule and agendas are posted on the district website. Meetings are held twice per month throughout the school year. The public is invited to attend the meetings or watch via TV or Internet broadcast.

If you missed a meeting, the respective video will be uploaded to the website soon thereafter.