Snow days will cut Butler's time off
BUTLER TWP — Students in the Butler School District will sacrifice three planned days off in 2011 to make up for snow days this month.
The school board Monday night agreed students will need to be in school Jan. 14, Feb. 18 and Feb. 21 to meet the state mandated 180-days school year.
The district has four other potential snow make up days on its calendar, but April 22, Good Friday, will be kept a part of Easter vacation, Ed Fink, superintendent, said.
All after-school activities, including sports, are now prohibited whenever school is canceled or closes early. The board approved new language to enforce the new rules, which are for student safety, Fink said.
The board also:
• Did not act on fall sports coaching recommendations.
• Exonerated Butler Township from paying 2010 taxes levied on a property that contains a stormwater retention pond. The board refused to release the land’s previous owner from 2009 tax obligations. A second taxpayer was denied a release from penalties and interest accrued from 2007 earned income tax obligations.
“I think taxpayers need to understand that they owe their taxes and must pay them accordingly,” Ben Holland, board member, said.
• Named the Deloitte auditing firm to do an audit of the student loan fund.
• Approved $8,852 for a 1,000-plus users’ license for the district’s e-mail archiving system mandated by federal law. A computer/server to store and manage the archive is expected to run another $3,000 to $5,000.
“This is another unfunded mandate, but this is federal,” Arthur Haag, board member, said.
• Agreed to buy a third surveillance camera for $1,291 for the senior high school parking lot. Existing cameras cover that lot and the administration building parking lot.