New textbooks approved by SA school board (04/12/06)

BERNE — South Adams school board members approved new textbooks submitted by the textbook committee for several courses Tuesday night.

Scott Litwiller, middle school principal and chair of the textbook committee, presented for board approval a list of new books for courses such as agriculture, music, art, business, family and consumer science, industrial technology and machine trade during the regular school board meeting.

The committee consisted of 25 members, 40 percent of which were parents and community members, said Litwiller.

Litwiller said all but three of the selected books are on the official list put forth by the state department of education, and waivers can be acquired for those texts.

“We feel they do a more than adequate job of addressing the standards we set forth for our students,” Litwiller said of the books. “We feel they fit the needs of our community.”

The board also approved second selections in the event that the books not on the official DOE list do not gain approval by June, though Litwiller said he didn’t expect problems.

In the South Adams school district, new textbooks are picked on a six-year rotation, with the exception of computer applications texts, which are selected every three years.

Next year, the textbook committee will select books for reading and handwriting books for all grade levels.

In other business, the board voted to begin advertising to purchase new buses before the end of 2006.

According to Mark Cook, transportation director for South Adams, new regulations on diesel emissions from school buses take effect on Jan. 1, but buses purchased prior to that date do not have to comply with those regulations.

Cook said model year 2007 buses meeting the regulations will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 more than model year 2006 buses, which translates to a savings of as much as $40,000 if three or four buses are purchased in coming months rather than next year.

Funds have been budgeted to purchase three or possibly four buses.

Also Tuesday, Superintendent Connie Bailey gave an update on the summer maintenance timeline.

She reminded board members that bids for the project will be received April 25 at 2 p.m. and that copies will be available to board members immediately.

A special board meeting will be held on April 28 to award a contract.

Construction, which will include renovation of the high school auditorium and updating lighting and sound systems, will likely begin on June 5 and conclude by mid-October, in time for the fall band and choir concerts.

Bailey also recognized Paula Borders, a teacher at the middle school, for being named a PRISM Teacher-Leader by the PRISM Project, sponsored by the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The PRISM Program is a web-based service that provides free resources for middle school science teachers. Each year, 20-25 teachers are selected statewide through a competitive application process to provide feedback and assessment data for the program.[[In-content Ad]]