RIMERSBURG — The Union School District has returned from the drawing board after its proposed plan for a new auditorium fell through in January.

Superintendent Larry Bornak said bids for the $6 million project, which would have included a new 500-seat auditorium, an auxiliary gym and classroom for the music department, were more than $1 million over what the district was able to pay.

But the district has forged ahead and will now pursue a scaled-down version of the project, without the auditorium.

He said at this point, even the architect has no idea how much it will cost.

The new auxiliary gym will be built onto the high school.

"It will connect to the main gym," said Bornak, "and be used for all the extra sports practices."

He said the classroom will have to be built in such a way that if the school wants to expand, it won't interfere.

Already, a new all-weather track has been built. The $350,000 rubberized surface replaced the school's previous cinder track, which had poor weather resistance.

"With the old track we had to drag it and roll it," said Bornak. "If it rained, the track got puddles and was soft and muddy."

Additionally, Bornak said the new surface is safer for student athletes because it is "easier on the joints."

Bornak, who is in his third year as superintendent, said the planning for the larger project that included the new auditorium had been around before he became superintendent.

He said the district had hoped to pay for the project through a bond.

Currently, the high school gymnasium serves double duty as a makeshift auditorium for the high school's 400 students.

When a large event occurs, such as a blood drive, all physical education classes must be canceled.

"There are lots of conflicts that cause us to lose substantial gym instructional time," said Bornak.

The new auxiliary gym could help to ease that student overflow, said Bornak.

The district has spent most of its funds on updating its computers throughout the school system, said Bryan Eaton, district technology coordinator.

The computers all have the Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system and are mostly made by Elite.

Since 2003, both elementary schools, Sligo and Rimersburg, have been connected to the Internet through computer labs that have 24 and 29 computers.

Eaton said at this level, the computers are used as tutorials in subjects where students might fall behind. The programs are not used as a substitute for teaching, but as an aid, he said.

"We can get progress reports back and teachers can dive in and help from there," said Eaton.

At the high school, there are three computer labs with 30 computers each and a 12-computer mini-lab in the library.

The computers are used more for research purposes at this level, said Bornak.

"We're working to have all of the information in one place where students can access it throughout the entire district," said Eaton.

These computers must continually be recycled in the district to ensure there are working computers in all the schools.

Bornak said the high school doesn't get first choice on all computers; they are shifted around on an "as-need basis."

The high school has also added interactive whiteboards, the SMARTboard, and computerized projectors in nine classrooms. That is about one-third of all classrooms.

The SMARTboard saves notes written on a white board to a computer so they can later be printed out for review.

Now, "if a student misses a day, it's not like he would miss totally everything," said Eaton.

The computerized projector takes the computer screen and blows it up on the projector screen, making PowerPoint presentations possible.

At the college level, these types of presentations are preferred in the lectures of many professors, said Bornak.

"It's now becoming a mix of chalkboard and PowerPoint," said Eaton.

Overall, all changes are intended to give students the best education possible, said Bornak.

"We're trying to get more of a curriculum that kids need for the college level, or for job sites," he said.

<b>Address:</b> 354 Baker St., Suite 2, Rimersburg, PA 16248<b>Telephone:</b> 814-473-6311<b>Fax:</b> 814-473-8201<b>Superintendent:</b> Larry Bornak<b>Enrollment:</b> 755<b>Municipalities served:</b> Rimersburg and Sligo boroughs; Madison, Piney and Toby townships in Clarion County.