Lew-Port OKs transportation contracts, high school policy changes

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, September 1, 2007

Lewiston-Porter School Board members continued preparations for the upcoming school year by approving both transportation contracts and high school attendance policy changes for 2007-08 at the recent session.

Interim Superintendent Don Rappold reported the district reached agreement with Ransomville Bus Lines on 19 separate contract extensions to cover Lew-Port student transportation needs, and one new contact with the Niagara Charter School. On why the need for so many contacts, he said the district does not have its own bus service per se, but is nonetheless charged with providing transportation for Lew-Port students plus special needs students in the district. “We don’t administer our own program, as a result the contracts are extended out to bid,” Rappold said, adding the main contract with Ransomville dates back to the 1970s.

Rappold told the board the district is responsible for student transportation needs out to 15 miles from the district campus, and it is also responsible for special needs students up to 50 miles from Lew-Port – “basically anywhere in Western New York,” he said. Board members passed the measure on 5-0 vote with little discussion.

On the high school changes, Assistant Principal John F. Diodate told the board he and Principal Paul Casseri felt they were needed to further improve student attendance at the school, which made major gains last year. “The proposed changes are necessary to keep the high school moving in a positive direction,” he said. “We feel the few proposed changes will help us continue to improve student attendance, grades and behavior.”

The changes range from those covering ineligibility to attend events due to failing grades, to requirements for attending classes, to fulfilling course requirements for credit.

Diodate said one calls for students to be present for all assigned classes. “If a student misses more than 20 minutes, for example, they’ll now be considered as absent,” he said. Further, he said that students who miss classes for a day will not be able to attend or participate in any school-sponsored activity on that day, whether it’s extra-curricular activities or athletic events, and that it extends to weekend or even holiday functions when the district is not open, if the student misses the day prior to the weekend or holiday event.

He told the board the high school has also worked to improve the student appeal process on attendance policy issues. “We’ll work with the student and their families on these” as needed, he said.

Full details on the policy are online at www.lew-port.com.

In other news:

•The board accepted a $3,305 donation from parents and sponsors of the Lew-Port boys and girls swim teams for the purchase of new scoreboard lines in the high school pool. Donations ranged from a number of parent contributions to $1,500 presented by Tim Swift of Niagara’s Lazy Lakes Resort, who was the corporate sponsor. “This is very important in keeping the teams in sync,” said Swift, who organized the donation effort.

•The board approved the following instructional appointments: elementary teacher Kristen LaDucca at an annual salary of $41,850; Elizabeth Cardwell as a long-term substitute speech teacher at an annual salary of $51,809, and Carreen Schroeder as a long-term substitute foreign language teacher at an annual salary of $42,045, pro rata.