Pre-school considered after closure at Penn-Pitt

MAPLETOWN - A Southeastern Greene School Board committee agreed Tuesday to investigate starting a preschool program to replace one being closed at the end of the school year by Community Action Southwest.

Parent Travis Barkley spoke of how Community Action's pre-kindergarten program, operated at the Penn Pitt school, had benefited his six-year-old son. He cited studies that emphasized the importance of preschool education on a child's later success in school.

Heather Franks, another parent, also urged the board to consider the program, saying having to drive her child to the nearest pre-kindergarten programs in Waynesburg or Jefferson would be too costly. "This program is important to me and to my son," she told the board.

Community Action is ending the pre-kindergarten program at Penn Pitt because of state budget cuts and low enrollment. The program was supposed to serve 17 children but only 13 are enrolled. Barkley noted, however, in two of the last three years the program had started late.

Board member Janet Pennington said her education committee would discuss the program, including whether the district can afford it, at its meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday at the high school.

She said that though state money is not available, after the first year students in the program can be included in the district's enrollment for its basic state subsidy, which could help make the program self-sufficient.

In other business, the board failed to approve a motion to extend the contracts of the district's five teaching coaches, after administrators spoke of their importance in analyzing test scores and helping teachers develop strategies to address deficiencies.

The motion to extend the contracts failed with four members voting for it and three against. The motion needed five votes to pass. Voting for it were Tom Howard, Gary Yoskovich, Dave Richter and Ed Kamenos; voting against were Pennington, Richard Barzanti and Joe Spiker. Leonard Novak and Sam Cossick were absent.

The coaches have been used in the district the past three years and are paid through federal funds, which are available for another year. Former board member Ginny Eberhart, who attended the meeting, said she believes the coaches have been an "integral part" of the district's success.

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