CLEARFIELD – Following an executive session for personnel purposes Monday night, board President Dave Glass advised that the abolished agricultural education teaching position would not be reinstated by the Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors at this time. He indicated they would revisit the possibility of doing so toward the conclusion of the first semester.
Further, Glass explained they would leave the staffing as is with one teacher for the first semester. He said they would collect additional data and evaluate the department’s needs for discussion to be held later. He said it would be their last deliberation about the issue until November or December.
After hearing the board’s present decision, Bill Ogden, who has confronted them twice, said he still believes two faculty members are necessary based on the developed teaching schedule. He also feared the program would lose its accreditation and funding.
High School Principal Kevin Wallace indicated they had 119 students enrolled in the agricultural education program for the first semester. He said 99 students were enrolled for the second semester, which resulted in a total of 218 students for the 2010-11 school year.
Wallace explained that every agriculture student was able to get into their respective courses. He said 11 students who sought enrollment only to fulfill electives didn’t get in. He noted they will have those students on a wait list for if and when spots become available.
For the upcoming year, he said they will average approximately 18 students per class under the direction of one teacher. If they had two teachers in the department, he said they would’ve had an average of about eight or nine students per class.
“It’s hard to justify that to the taxpayers,” he said. Wallace pointed out that most teachers have an average of anywhere from 120 to 140 students per semester at the high school. He assured that the department would neither lose its accreditation nor its funding.
Prior to their decision, Ogden addressed the board about its previous decision to abolish an agricultural education position. He told the board he’s spent the last 60 days or so “chasing down” the factors that came into play and also led to the decision.
Ogden said three possibilities could have resulted in the position’s abolishment, including a student enrollment decline, class size and financials. He claimed the board reached its final decision while looking for a route to balance its budget.
“This decision was about saving money,” Ogden said, pointing toward “the real meat and potatoes” or the district’s budget issues in May. He said they initially faced a $650,000 deficit, which they defrayed with a 3-mill tax hike. He said even then they still needed to overcome a $300,000 deficit.
According to him, if former teacher Laura Sankey hadn’t vacated her position, the agricultural education department wouldn’t have been “on the block.” But since she left and it was unfilled, he said it became a part of a method by which to balance a budget.
Ogden said the board was under the presumption that it’d be saving $60,000. However, he pointed out that every student who comes from outside the district pays in the area of $8,600. But he said they may not now.
In addition, he said if the program would lose its accreditation, Clearfield students could opt to attend at the next closet location. He advised their nearest options were agricultural education programs at Brockway and State College.
Ogden had previously met with both Wallace and interim Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Frantz and questioned them about how many students would be impacted by the board’s decision. He said Frantz expressed that they couldn’t be sure at the present time.
If that was the case, Ogden posed that the board didn’t have sufficient information, when they voted and approved for the position’s abolishment. He said that everyone – students, teachers, parents, administrators, etc. – wanted the agricultural education position back.
“I think everyone is waiting for someone to make the first move. Let’s make the first move here tonight,” Ogden said.
Student Chris Leonard of Frenchville addressed the board on behalf of a number of students who were in attendance. He said they attended school in order to learn and prepare for their future careers.
Leonard said they’re able to attain the necessary education and experience from both their coursework and the Future Farmers of America program. For the past two years, he said they’ve had two teachers and an assistant.
“And, they’re always doing something,” he said, noting the department’s faculty also helped out with the FFA program.
Now, with only one teacher to serve the entire department, Leonard pictures the future as a whirlwind of disorganization, as seen in television cartoons. He believed all the daily responsibilities would be too overwhelming for one person.
A letter was then presented to the board from Michael Kunsman, president of the Clearfield County Farm Bureau. In his letter, he expressed deep concern about their decision to eliminate the teaching position.
Kunsman said it aroused concern from their end, as Clearfield is the only district county-wide to offer agriculture as part of the student curriculum. In the past, he said many have sent their children to Clearfield, when they chose a career in agriculture.
Jana Davidson of the Penn State Cooperative Extension addressed the board for her second time about the decision. Looking back on the students present, she said, “I’m as passionate about this as they are.”
Davidson said she hears information inquiries and questions on a daily basis about educational opportunities in the agricultural arena. She said these youth are looking to take the next step toward a career in agriculture.
As part of her position, she has worked alongside the former and current faculty in the school’s agricultural education program. Like any teacher, she said they really care and go out of their way for the students.
“It’s going to be really crazy for one person, and it’s going to cut relationships with students. Please keep agriculture the number one priority in Clearfield County,” Davidson said.