Belle Vernon Area discusses renovations

Belle Vernon Area School District held a buildings and grounds committee meeting last night, but neither the district's architect, N. John Cunzolo Associates Inc., or its project manager, Raintree Consultants, showed up.

The district had previously requested Cunzolo prepare a list of items that would be affected in the event Phase 2 of the renovation project does not go forward. It was then learned little preparation has been put into developing curriculum changes necessary to utilize the new space. At issue are the conversion of classrooms to hands-on science labs.-

Director Harve Anderson asked if the administration has begun to write a new curriculum to address the changes. In the absence of assistant superintendent Robert Nagy, superintendent Gregory Caruso answered said he did not believe that effort has started.

"When you're two years away from finishing a project, I don't think that would pose any serious threat to any academics whatsoever," inserted director Aaron Bialon. "It is a good thing we didn't undertake that because we continue to spin our wheels and go nowhere. The effort would have all been in vain."

Anderson adamantly disagreed, saying the planning and curriculum adjustments would dictate the types of physical planning modifications necessary for the project.

"The plan was to the point that it was close to be submitted for PlanCon and now we find that we don't have a whole lot of analysis to determine whether or not we're going to have a hands-on curriculum," said Anderson.

Hands-on science labs, according to the list compiled by the architect, are in the plans for Rostraver Elementary and Middle schools, as well as Marion Elementary and Bellmar Middle School. Three of the four building principals were present at last night's meeting and all said curriculum meetings have not taken place.

As for the high school, discussion again surfaced about whether it would be wiser to build a new school or renovate the existing 34-year old building.

"You can't add on to a building (that age) and expect the rest of building to function properly with the new $5 million or $6 million wing," said Dr. J. Folmar Jr., principal. "This school district is growing, and I feel we have to have a vision for the future."

Discussion centered around concerns there was not enough input from individual building staff prior to deciding the direction of the project.

"Throughout the project there seems to have been some dissatisfaction as to what we were presented," said chairman Ralph Iacoboni. "Our administration has told us that once we open Rostraver Elementary after the additions, it will be full to capacity. That's what bothers me about all this. If there were all these meetings with the architect prior to preparing the plans, why weren't some of these issues addressed?"

"Why would we even be geared up and approve something that would put us in that situation?" he asked.

Discussion continued about the need to do more investigation into curriculum integration before the development of building plans.

"Curriculum is the main function that's supposed to go on inside of those buildings," said Anderson. "I've gotten the impression that the thinking is we'll build the building and then decide the modifications after. I don't think that's the right way to go about it."

Rostraver Middle School principal James Bush explained that hands-on science labs are the trend in science education. At present, BVA schools are not hands-on.

"Teachers are not trained to teach the hands-on lab approach," explained Bush. "If that's the direction we're going to go, that would have to be addressed.

"Also, the number of students in a class, 30 in a hands-on lab, will just not work. The maximum should be 12 to 15 students."

Bellmar Middle School principal Stephen Russell added, "I think what the architect was trying to say to us was that they've been to other schools and this is the way to go."

Caruso summed up the construction project when he said, "The board has to do what the board thinks is the appropriate thing to do. If we can't afford it, or if it's more practical, then you have to sacrifice somewhere along the line. It's unfortunate that if we do that, the sacrifice has to be in the area of what we are exposing our students."

Caruso said he agreed with Anderson on the need to establish curriculum in order to make the right decisions regarding construction needs.

"These things will cost an awful lot of money," he said. "They will take an awful lot of time because it means revamping our curriculum, but I know when our students leave here we expect them to conform to the highest level we're capable of giving them. If we can't afford it, or we don't have the staff to do it, then if we settle for something less then that's our choice."

Caruso was asked by Anderson how the district was doing in relation to the new state standards, referring to the planning and how they would be incorporated into the renovation project.

"I would rather Mr. Nagy comment on the progress we're making," said Caruso.

He mentioned that in the past the curriculum was planned with input by each building principal.

"I don't know where that is now," said Caruso. "I think we just kind of stopped. We need to make greater effort in that."

"When we started this process a year and a half ago, there was a vision there, and that vision got buried," he said. "It's just my perception of where we are, because I don't think we're much of anywhere. I know it puts the board in an extremely difficult position."

Caruso referred to costs associated with ADA requirements and mechanical repairs or replacement along with adding more space to the buildings.

"These things have to be done, but when you do them and add on six rooms, you just make another conglomeration of things you can't even maintain," he explained. "I think it's foolish. What are we looking at in the future for kids? Somehow we're missing that."

He concluded, "I don't know how the process got where it got. Somehow, we got sidetracked and I don't know how."

Iacoboni said after the meeting that the recommendations by the architect were not adequate in some of the buildings.

"There's a lot more here than just adding space," he said. "It's also how to best utilize the space and these issues must be adequately addressed."