The Octorara Area School Board and the district’s teachers union, the Octorara Area Education Association, have both chosen representation for teacher contract labor negotiations.
Brian Wallace of the Intelligencer Journal reported Sept. 13 Paul Gottlieb, a negotiator for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, will represent the OAEA. The union’s contract expires at the end of the 2010-11 school year.
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/288701
School board members said in a Sept. 13 work session they plan to hire York attorney Benjamin Pratt to represent the school board. Pratt, a shareholder in the CGA Law Firm, specializes in labor, employment and construction law, according to his Web site, www.benjaminlpratt.com.
In other business during the work session school board members revisited the issue of instituting a dress code for students.
School board member Brian Norris said he thinks many parents would support uniforms to avoid early morning conflicts over fashion.
Middle school Principal Elena Wilson said administrators enforce a dress code but called the issue of dealing with inappropriate clothing “a daily battle.
“I tell students this is your place of employment, it’s your job and you have to come to school looking respectable,” Wilson said.
Assistant Superintendent Nancy Bishop said it is still possible for students to break a dress code with uniforms.
Board president Lisa Bowman said before instituting a dress code there would have to be a big groundswell of support from parents, with clear indicators of the reasons for instituting a code.
According to Nelson Stoltzfus of the school board’s facilities committee, the second phase of the high school renovation project is complete and workers are on phase 3, which includes classrooms. He said the new middle school roof was completed on time prior to the start of the school year.
Citizens interested in touring the high school to see renovations may meet board members at the high school at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11 for a walk-through.
Homecoming activities are scheduled for this weekend and are listed on the school district’s Web site,
http://www.octorara.k12.pa.us/education/district/district.php?sectionid=1
The school board will next meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, to act on Pratt's hiring and other agenda items.
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