Assembly member discusses summer-school issue

Spectrum

Last Tuesday (Feb. 6) I voted for the appropriation of lapsed funds to fund the Mat-Su Borough School District's summer school.

Assembly member Larry DeVilbiss attempted to amend the ordinance to give the district the flexibility to address other needs in the district. Assemblyman DeVilbiss' proposed amendment had technical problems and, subsequently, was not acted upon.

Immediately after the meeting, and in my presence, a school board member expressed support for the amendment, but I've decided not to name this person.

Those of us on the borough assembly and on the school board need to work together in the best interest of the borough's students and parents, and pointing fingers at one another will not help accomplish this.

The day immediately after the Feb. 6 assembly meeting, I considered assemblyman DeVilbiss' amendment and came up with a way to eliminate the technical objections, thus making it possible for the borough assembly to be able to consider the amendment.

After consulting with a member of the school board, I filed a notice of reconsideration on the ordinance as passed by the assembly at its Feb. 5 meeting. The intent of my notice to reconsider was simply to allow the assembly members, if they desired, to amend the original ordinance to give the school district flexibility in using the funds approved by that ordinance, including funding the district's summer school program.

Then the moose nuggets hit the fan, so to speak. Recent press reports included assertions that the school district cannot plan for the summer school programs until the assembly again takes up the notice of reconsideration that I filed.

Today, Feb. 13, I spoke with school district officials and discovered that the district is continuing its plans for the summer school program, which is fine with me.

In its news article and in an editorial the Frontiersman basically stated that:

• My action appeared to have jeopardized the summer school program designed to help tutor students in math so they may be able to pass the Benchmark exit exam required for graduation.

In truth: According to assistant school district superintendent Don Chicarell, whom I spoke with today concerning planning for the summer school: "We are in motion. No matter what anyone says, your reconsideration hasn't stopped anything." Also according to Mr. Chicarell, the planning currently under way includes recruiting a coordinator to manage the tutoring program, preparing a flowchart of activities, project description, communication, etc. In other words, my notice of reconsideration did not bring the program planning to halt. It is, as I wished, moving forward.

• The Frontiersman wrote that the school board can't act on the summer school funding until March 7 at the earliest.

In truth: There is a regular school board meeting on Feb. 21, following the borough assembly meeting on Feb. 20. Meaning the school board's acceptance of the appropriation in the ordinance can be calendared on the 21st, following final action by the assembly which, by all accounts, will occur the 20th.

I, and the majority of my colleagues on the assembly, support a math summer school. It is my strong desire that the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and the school board cooperate for the benefit of all the children of the borough, and this is what was on my mind when I filed the notice of reconsideration following the Feb. 6 meeting.

At no time did I wish to see the summer-school program planning delayed or the math tutoring program abolished.

Jim Colver is a Mat-Su Borough Assembly member.