Pine Richland

PR Directors Look Forward to New Year As Board Reorganizes & Welcomes New Director

Pine-Richland School Board Members are looking forward to a new year as they reorganize and welcome a new member to the team.

At the board’s meeting on Dec. 5, 2006, the board re-appointed both Gary Deschamps as president and Steven Hawbaker as vice president. Several board members were appointed to special committees. They include:

Marilyn Reed was re-appointed as the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s (PSBA’s) legislative representative.
Dennis Sundo was re-appointed to the Pine Township Park & Recreation Board.
Reed, who finished a two-year term on Northern Area Special Purpose Schools – Beattie (NASPS) Joint Committee, was appointed as an alternate on that committee, while Richard Herko was appointed to a two-year term and Hawbaker to a one-year term on the joint committee. Herko previously served as an alternate.

In addition, the Pine-Richland School Board introduced Michael Hinson as its newly appointed board member. Solicitor Donald Palmer swore in Hinson. Hinson is taking Judith Brant’s vacated seat.

Brant resigned Nov. 7 to relocate to another state. She served Pine Twp. Region 1. Brant was serving as treasurer, which now will be handled by Sundo.

Hinson, who lives in Pine Township with his wife Lori and their three children Abby, Alyssa and Ashley, is a corporate controller for MEDRAD, Inc., which is a global medical equipment and disposables manufacturer. Hinson says his number priority is with the children.

“I am really interested in getting involved and wanted to join the team,” Hinson said. “Improving education of our children is important to me.”

In addition, the board: Approved a meeting schedule for 2007. Planning meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month and regular meetings will be held on the third Tuesday of each month. In July, there will be only one meeting on July 17, 2007. All meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the DeWitt B. Blank Conference Room.

The board also:

· Appointed the firm of Goehring, Rutter and Boehm as solicitor of the Pine-Richland School District to a one-year term. · The board acknowledged the receipt of the recommendation from the Act 1 Tax Commission. The Pine-Richland Act 1 Tax Commission recommends that the board consider posing a ballot question that imposes an earned income tax (EIT) to fund the minimum homestead exemption required by Act 1. Based on a 100% application rate of qualified properties for the homestead exclusion, this would require an additional .8% be added to the current earned income tax collected by the townships.

The actual question would be: “Do you favor imposing an additional .8% earned income tax? The revenue generated from the increased tax rate will be used to reduce taxes on qualified residential properties by $839. The current earned income tax rate is .5%.” You click here for the latest information.

As you know, school board members devote countless, unpaid hours to education each month. The Pine-Richland School Board is no exception. That’s why administrators, teachers, parents, students and community members will show their appreciation of the Pine-Richland School Board on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 in the DeWitt Blank Conference Room at the District Administration Offices at 7:30 p.m. Please call Schools & Community Relations Coordinator Rachel Hathhorn at (724) 625-7773, ext. 6202 if you would like to participate.

The Pine-Richland School Board includes: President Gary Deschamps, Vice President Stephen Hawbaker, Treasurer Dennis Sundo, Richard Herko, Michael Hinson, Marilyn Reed, Dr. Joseph Merhaut, A. Robert Necciai and Dr. James Werkmeister and nonvoting board secretary Carolyn Boice.