Clarksburg PTG Donates Money For Laptops By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
01:37AM / Friday, June 03, 2016 | |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Parent-Teacher Group has raised $8,000 to purchase new laptops for the elementary school.
Cindy Brule, a PTG member, told the School Committee on Thursday that through many fundraising efforts, has raised enough to buy Chromebook laptops this school year.
Superintendent Jonathan Lev thanked the PTG for its donation and said the school was able to appropriate money last year for 34 laptops, however the recently passed budget could not afford such a purchase.
"This is a huge help, and this will make a major impact," Lev said. "This is wonderful. I knew this was the goal but I never expected this, and I'm blow away by it."
Brule said the community really came together to support the school and they will try to continue to help the school meet their technological goals.
"We wish that we could have done all of it, but I just think it is just going to take more time," Brule said. "If we can get people on board and commit for another year that would be great, but if we can't we can continue chipping away at it."
Lev said the laptops can be purchased in bulk this summer so the school can get the best price.
In other business, the School Committee passed a policy that would allow the children of nonresident teachers of the school to enroll. If some students are not able to get in with school choice, they can apply to the School Committee for enrollment.
"I think it is important for us to make it very friendly for teachers here that have families here," Principal Tara Barnes said. "It is a win-win situation when we can do something like this because we have teachers that can spend more time here."
She said teachers would not have to run to other communities to be part of their student's PTG group and can serve right at Clarksburg and be more involved where they work.
Barnes said this policy would be used as soon as next year with older teachers planning on retiring. She added that this policy would also make the school more attractive to incoming teachers.
"I think it is a real attraction that will make people want to work at Clarksburg versus another school in the area," Barnes said. "It is important to think forward in that way because we want to be a top choice."
Originally the policy stated the school could take on three students a year, however, School Committee member John Solari said he would rather have more control for the first year.
"I am just leery we are entering into something we don't know for sure what we are going to get, and I don't want to open up to large right away," he said. "I would like to see at least one year how it works so we can get a grasp on it."
Lev said the school has stopped accepting applications for the school renovation project manager. The five applicants will be narrowed down to finalists, and the committee's choice submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority on June 22.
"Things are starting to move and this was an important first step to get to," Lev said. "We are getting close and that feels really good."
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