HUNTINGTON – At the end of last night’s Gateway School Committee meeting, School Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson spoke about school safety.
Hopson said he was looking for a vote to hire an after hours security person. Currently, Gateway has a security person from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other suggestions to improve school safety at Gateway included adding a video camera to monitor the parking lot, which currently cannot be seen from inside the building, and installation of a buzzer system to admit visitors to the Wellness Center.
“We’re in good shape,” Hopson said. “But we’re looking to be in better shape.”
Ron Damon, school committee member from Huntington, moved to engage a security person for up to $20,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Next year, the 3 to 11 p.m. position will be included in the budget.
Gretchen Eliason, representative from Worthington, thanked Dr. Hopson for his email to parents following the Newtown shooting, which she said was well stated.
The budget discussion also began in earnest yesterday with reports from Megan Coburn, the Elementary and Middle School Principal, and Jason Finnie, Gateway Junior High and High School principal, on the most pressing needs for Gateway students.
Coburn said that mathematics and problem-solving have been identified as an area of weakness for grades K-6. The school is currently piloting the “Go Math” program, a multi-media math program designed to meet the Common Core academic goals of the school district.
Coburn said the Go Math program, an above level services budget item which would cost an additional $15,000 to $17,000 per year, has been enthusiastically received by students and teachers alike, and the district would like to purchase it for all the students.
Additional funds are also being requested for the fourth grade guidance program, and the middle school band program, which currently has more than 50 participants.
Jason Finnie, new principal of the junior high and high school, said major needs include new seventh grade math texts to replace outdated text books. Also needed are supplemental non-fiction and fiction selections for the seventh and eighth grade.
Finnie said major high school needs include an advanced placement chemistry textbook, as well as pre-calculus texts. He said there is a need to balance online resources and texts, as there is still a challenge for some students in the district to access high-speed internet.
He said other needs include musical instruments, contemporary band and choir selections, supplies for science and art, and an increase to offset higher costs for athletic programs.
