Safety at the Weatherly Area School District will be enhanced by a contract to extend wireless internet coverage from the school buildings outside to the fields and gathering areas around the district’s two buildings.

The $19,159 contract with Integra Wireless, paid for from the district’s security services budget, will push service out into parking lots and fields, allowing staff’s internet-connected devices to send and receive information as a first priority, and for public device use secondarily.

The six Weatherly school board members in attendance at the March 11 meeting approved the contract unanimously

Also at the caucus meeting, the board, on a split vote, turned down a chance to refinance debt for the upcoming paving project. The proposal was to borrow more money at the new, lower, market rate, and set the extra money aside for the future. The extra borrowing would not cost the taxpayers any additional millage. The vote failed 2-4.

Members were unanimous in approving the $9,500 engineering cost to Brinkash & Associates for their work in preparing the paving project specifications.

A split vote of 5-1, with board member Brian O’Donnell against, approved the change order to buy a set of two divider curtains for the gym, at a cost of $11,258.

A discussion over restricting students who attend the Carbon Career & Technical Institute to half-time, so that they get their academic classes in Weatherly, showed a division on the board.

Board President Gerard Fewins was strong in his disagreement with the idea that there should be such a restriction, pointing out the cost from last year for those Weatherly students in the program was listed at $1,800 for academics provided at CCTI.

Fewins chose to remove the topic from the agenda, and did so backed by a 5-1 vote, O’Donnell opposed. Fewins hopes the topic is settled for the next couple of years.

Representatives of CCTI are to present their budget to the Weatherly board at the April 1 caucus meeting.

Jones & Co. CPA Ed Ebling presented a 66-page report for the district’s audit of the past fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2019.

“You’re in very good shape,” Ebling noted. Revenues were up $1,047,255, while expenditures were up a bit less, $882,936. The food service is sound, running a small profit. Jones & Co., of Pottsville, have audited the district for the past 10 years.

Business Manager Natasha Milazzo recommended the 2020 tax collection periods as July 15 to Sept. 15 to pay at a 2% discount, then until Nov. 17 to pay before the penalty period, which then runs through the end of the year. Taxpayers may pay in three installments of one-third of the base amount, by Aug. 14, Oct. 16 and Dec. 15, and the penalty will only apply to any unpaid balance should the installment payer become delinquent. This was approved 6-0.

In other business, the board approved the Chapter 339 K-12 Counseling Plan; the Special Education plan; a list of parents and alumni associations authorized to use the district or school’s names; and facilities use requests.

Athletic committee Chairman Chad Obert reported that they had agreed to supply game managers with shirts for their identification. Coaches for the winter sports had their exit interviews. Obert led a discussion on buying a solar-powered scoreboard for the soccer field behind the high school. Brett Kelly and Jeremy Witner were approved as volunteer baseball coaches, and Zachary Peiser as a volunteer track and field coach.

The next regular board meeting is April 8 in the Middle School LGI room, at 7 p.m.