KCSD – Board Vote in October on Common Core

MILL HALL – The Keystone Central School Board will vote at its October meeting on approval of the district’s new Common Core curriculum.

The board at its Thursday meeting was part of a 45-minute give-and-take with the district’s curriculum committee. Curriculum director Terry Murty and staff members reviewed the rigorous steps the district has undergone in recent months to implement the federally-mandated program for this school year.

Most of the questions came from board member Roger Elling.

The new standards impose what are described as “rigorous, high quality academic expectations in English Language Arts and Mathematics” that students should master by the end of each year.

The district last month held a public meeting on the new standards, one that draw only a few community members. No one from the public attended the Thursday meeting to comment. School board member/curriculum committee chairman Wayne Koch lauded Murty and his committee for the work they had done to get the new concept in place for the start of the school year.

The board accepted the resignation of recently hired Carl Hampton as the district transportation supervisor; former director Debra Smeltz was hired to temporarily fill in at $25 an hour while a permanent replacement is sought.

Following the public meeting the board convened an executive session to discuss the Hampton departure. While details were not offered, one source told The Record that Hampton had made some allegations against the district in his letter of resignation.

The meeting was held at the Central Mountain Middle School library; the October meeting is scheduled for Bucktail High School.