Sewickley Herald

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Sewickley Herald
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3rth. Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Osborne, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights. SewicyeyJJills,
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IX)RINMAAZEL, cimdUctor tof	Symphony,	and	his	wife,	Dietlinde,	arrive for
‘‘1%e Col(^	held-at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rich^jrd Simmons
of iSewickieiy Heij^ts. Por ttiore on the evenbg, see page 6.
(Photo by James Addison)
Hafer to Heights: AfViend pension plan
State auditor general issues either/or to council
ByXldiBaUlMjr.
Ms. Hafer’s office is recom- the
Staff writtr
Pcnntylviiniii Auditor G«niil Btrbaitt I^er wants SewitM HMgWs Bonwgh to amend its pcuM im^idti-plan ordiniuice, ae stti|> paying ad-miniltt«tive expenses with planmoiiiM.
bythestate,Mk.Hafer's NMrted that ^,14t df ad-muiistrative expenses were “improplsr^ paid (nnn th6 pemidb plim for trustees fe^ during 19M and 1989.”^
Hms borough’s prasion plan ordiiiaiice, enacted in 1975, statit: “The members the conmittie shall serve without (jMtqmisation for services as siidi, but all enMnses of the committee shall be paid by the borough.’^
mending that the borough amciid the (N'dinance to permit the paying of administrative eaqpenses with fdan mdiiey, dr rdmburse the plan with the $4,141.
Exci^t f(Mr the Actual pen-si<m payments, the |4,l4l represented the largest disbursement of funds from the peiisiwi plan for the period of Jan. 1,1968 to Dec. 31,1989.
The total disbursements reported by Sewickley Heights for the period in ^piestion was broken down as follows: $23,347 iar pension-payments; $4,141 fw administrative expenses; $3,142 for accrued interest purchased; and $358 for actuarial otp^nMs.
The offiee also reported that the borough’s pension-i^n dr-dinance mee not jnrovide for
payment related dl
of a service-disability benefit, which is required by state law through Act 600.
At Sewickley Heights Council’s last meeting, Solicitor Laura Williams Stone said boardmembers could either amend the pension ordinance to comply with the auditor’s recommendations, or she cmdd contact the auditor’s office tp fuid another way to “wipe the slate clean.”
Council unanimously agreed that the borough’s pension ordinances numbered 140 and 141 should be amended in order to cut down on further legal fees.
In related business, councU unanimously decided to hire Br^te Blosser as a full-time police officer at the start of the new year. Blosser has been serving as a police dispatcher.
QV parent hopes to pick up PACE for gifted pupils
Oct. 16 public meeting to discuss issue
By Rich Bottles Jr.
staff writer
A local effort is afoot to make sure gifted students get the attention they’re entitled to under federal and state law.
An informational meeting on the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) organization will be held Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m., in Quaker Valley Junior High School auditorium, Sewickley.
QV parent Chris Walter, who hopes to form a local chapter of PAGE, invites the public to the meeting, which wiU future keynote speaker Noretta Bingaman, the state’s special-education advisor for gifted programs.
Ms. fiingaman will discuss recent .changes in state law that strengthen the ability of
parents to become influential in formulating instructional programs to meet tfeeir xiWldrens’ individual needs.
“The myth has been promulgated — and still is — that (gifted .students) are the cream of the crop and will rise to the top,” explained Mrs. Walter. “This is false.” -Mrs. Walter, who has a second-grader m Edgeworth Elementary School, said that formulating special programs does not have to be costly to the district, especially since only about 5 to 6 percent of the student population would be classified as “gifted.”
Such instructional programs, which would include enriched educational opportunities and advanced iCoursework, could be as sim-
ple as moving a student to another classroom for a specific course, she added.
Speaking at the Quaker Valley School Board meeting, Mrs. Walter urged board members to attend next week’s PACE meetmg.
Mother complains to school board
Edgeworth resident Jacqueline Hershey also jddress;., ^ the board, asKi^ wiiy iiW son’s first day of school involved students being instructed to “do nothing” but sit in a room and not, talk.
Boardmember David Hennessey quickly interrupted Mrs. Hershey, saying that such problems are not appropriate for the school board to hear and should be “handled by administration.”
He concluded that the “complaints should be addressed to the superintendent and principal.”
Mrs. Hei^ihey attempted to explain that she had not received satisfactory responses from the superintendent and principal on the matter, but board President Michael Zahorchak banged his gavel and brought the opening visitor participation period to an end.
Before leaving, Mrs. Hershey said administration members such as Superintendent Leroy Kite should have a specific time set aside to answer parents’ phone calls. She said she had tried calling 10 times, but was always told Kite was unavailable.
State Senate: QV assigned to North Side Democrat's district
By Nicole Peffer
staff writer
Sen. Melissa Hart (R-40th District) says she’s disappointed at losing all of Quaker Valley as part of a reapportionment plan.
However, she will not file an appeal to wrest them back from Sen. Eugene F. Scanlon, a Democrat whose 42nd District includes Pittsburgh’s North Side.
“She does not plan to appeal anything in the preliminary plan,” explained Phil English, Ms. Hart’s chief of staff. “K there is any effort to adjust the plan, it will have to come from the communities. I am aware
that a number of residents do not want to be in the city district.”
Residents opposing the plan can contact the State Reapportionment Commission in Harrisburg, submitting a statement of their disapproval.
The party split for Ms. Hart’s district, previously 56 percent Democrat and 38 percent Republican, will change to 53 percent Democrat and 42 percent Republican under the new redistricting plan.
Redistricting was found necessary in order for city districts to increase population as a result of losses reirar ted in the 1990 census, English explained.
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