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MCSD, Academy present updates

LEWISTOWN — It was a decent year for the Mifflin County School District and the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology.

MCSD Superintendent James Estep and Academy Administrator Daniel Potutschnig gave updates to the Mifflin County Planning Commission during a meeting Thursday afternoon.

Estep spoke first, saying he is continuing to emphasize the goals he laid out for the district for the 2016-17 academic year.

“I have more detail on my superintendents page,” he said. “I will give you a brief overview of some of the things.”

Some of his goals included pushing staff to customize learning and integrate various subjects of studies across all grade levels.

He said integrating different subjects can help reinforce them, allowing students to learn better.

He also said, at the elementary level, students are learning math with a new learning platform, which was implemented at the beginning of the school year.

Students in kindergarten through third grade are being sent home with standard space report cards, with the goal of implementing them next year for grades four and five.

Estep also said he is continuing to improve the consistency of the advanced placement courses.

“We have always been proficient in some of those subjects,” he said. “Now we want to become more consistent.”

He said they are looking at adding more advance placement courses for students, such as an art course.

Also during his update, Estep explained how the district could be affected by both state and federal budget cuts.

“I have not asked for a tax increase from the board, in at least two years,” he said. “However, we stand to lose nearly $1 million in funding, if all the proposed budget cuts are made.”

These cuts affect both class sizes and students who receive special medical attention. If the cuts occur, Estep said he would need to find money from the general fund to pay for those types of programs.

Pennsylvania budget cuts could remove nearly $270,000 that the district gets reimbursed for transportation funding.

“That money is money we get back, for busing our students,” he said. “That is more money I would have to find to continue to help our students.”

Overall, Estep said the district is in a better place than when he was first brought on as superintendent, but he said he is lobbying politicians for them to maintain funding.

Potutschnig spoke next to give an update on the different programs available at the academy.

He said the academy is constantly looking at programs that can be updated or implemented within one or two years.

In the last year the academy has:

¯ Implemented the mechatronics program.

¯ Improved the numbers of the practical nursing program.

¯ Brought on an adult education coordinator and started that program.

“We really have accomplished a lot this past year,” he said. “Now we are looking toward improving those programs and implement new ones.”

New programs they are looking at include:

¯ CDL licensing program

¯ Heavy equipment training program

¯ Welding and networking programs

Potutschnig also said during the 2015-16 academic year, students in the programs at the academy earned 167 certification credits, which allows their school training to be recognized in their field of work.

“We will know in the next several weeks how our students have fared this school year,” he said.

Both Estep and Potutschnig said they hoped their updates next year would bring similar or better news.

The Mifflin County Planning Commission meets at 3:30 p.m. the fourth Thursday every month at the Mifflin County Courthouse.

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