It was a night that people will (hopefully) remember for a long time. A night in which everyone came together and publicly welcomed Bryan McGraw, of Moosic, to his first North Pocono School Board meeting as Superintendent.
McGraw has been on the job since Monday, June 12, giving him just over a full month to get his feet wet in his new surroundings.
There were warm words of welcome from both board members and the audience alike. McGraw was congratulated for implementing a wall in which accomplishments of North Pocono students will be publicly acknowledged.
It was explained that the wall will grow in time as more and more achievements are recognized and displayed as a permanent part of the school landscape.
North Pocono resident Arlene Taprika welcomed Mr. McGraw and added, “I am so pleased to hear things are finally being done about education. I think we need to talk about education even more.”
As part of the business before the board that evening, Bochicchio Boulevard, the entrance road to the high school, was dedicated to Covington Twp. Attorney James Gilotti said, “the reason for the dedication is to establish Bochicchio Boulevard as a public street.”
Covington Twp. will be responsible for the plowing and maintenance of the roadway, including drainage. The school will be responsible for the lighting as part of or all of the street lighting is wired into the school’s system and cannot be easily separated out.
During the meeting, North Pocono Director Bill Burke read aloud an Aug. 2 letter from the Abington Heights School District to the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit (NEIU) expressing concern for and questioning the eligibility of the retirement incentive of former Executive Director of NEIU, Fred Rosetti.
Under Rosetti’s contract, he will receive as much as $623,000 paid over five years AFTER he’s retired. Joseph Cummings, School Board member and NEIU representative said, “I believe they will adjust that.”
It should be noted that part of NEIU’s mission statement posted on their website (www.neiu.org) states: Provide cost effective services and reduce costs where possible without compromising quality.
There will be a NEIU board meeting on Aug. 24, and this issue is expected to be discussed at that time.
