MIFFLINTOWN – Mark Wagner will serve as the Juniata County School District School Board’s president for 2021.

Wagner was elected by his peers during the board’s reorganizational meeting, held Thursday at the administration office and broadcasted via Zoom.

Joseph Shearer was elected vice president.

Also during the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Gary Dawson briefed the board about how virtual learning is continuing throughout the district. He said teachers are still at work, providing education to students via Zoom. They are communicating through live video and require students to log on by a certain time in the day. He said some days include new material and some days are review. What happens in each classroom is different, just like in-person learning.

“It’s extremely varied depending on the teacher,” he said.

Parents and students do have some flexibility around work schedules and child care to get school work done. Dawson encouraged parents to be in communication with students’ teachers about their needs.

Board member Malinda Carvell asked what the district needs to do to get back to in-person school in the new year.

Dawson said it comes down to staffing. Right now, the district is about 33 individuals short, per day, due to quarantine and other reasons. With that number of staff unavailable, he said, “we can’t guarantee that we can supervise all our students in the district.”

“We just don’t have the teaching staff,” he said.

Dawson encouraged the community to do the best they can by limiting interactions and keeping group numbers small – measures the district is taking to ensure it doesn’t create outbreaks within the schools.

The same problem is being realized across the region.

“It’s not just us, it’s our neighbors,” Dawson said.

During the meeting, the board also approved:

– Appointment of Angela Varner to the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 Board of Directors and Mark Wagner to the position of Pennsylvania School Boards Association liaison.

– Retainment of Scott C. Etter, esquire, as solicitor, at an hourly rate of $140, for 2021, exclusive of bond issues or other financing matters, which will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

– Minutes of the Nov. 19 board meeting.

– Excusal of a student from school attendance, subject to final approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The excusal is for a temporary period of time and will be periodically reevaluated to determine if the student’s condition has sufficiently changed to warrant a return to school.

– Rachel Shepler and Tasha Geibel as mentors for Lacie Solt.

– JCSD Administrative ACT 93 Compensation and Benefit Agreement, effective July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.

– Transfer of Wendy L. Jerrehian from the position of East Juniata High School principal to a social studies teaching position at Tuscarora Junior High School, at a salary determined by the provisions of the JCEA-JCSD Collective Bargaining Agreement, effective Jan. 4, 2021. Jerrehian is replacing Lori Boyd, who has retired.