Greencastle School Board briefs

August 03, 2007|By ASHLEY HARTMAN

G-A science teacher to work at NASA

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Tara Clopper, a science teacher at Greencastle-Antrim High School, will not be returning to school next year.

Instead, she will take a one-year leave of absence to work in the education office of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Greencastle-Antrim School Board members voted to approve Clopper's one-year leave of absence, but not without some reservations.

"Who is going to take over the women in science (program)?" asked school board treasurer Pamela Ott.

"That's one we are still looking into," said Edward Rife, the high school principal.

Board President Daniel Fisher asked if this would be a good thing for the school district.

"The education and knowledge she'll get from that connection (is good for the school district)," said Acting Superintendent Greg Hoover.

"I hope that hole can be filled," Ott added.

Clopper has been teaching the class "Women in Science" and received a grant two years ago from NASA to help with the course and do other things in the school district.

"NASA wanted to bring an educator into the flight center," Hoover said. "Tara has some connections (through the grant) ... we thought it was a great opportunity for her."

Installment tax plan OK'd for taxpayers

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - An installment payment plan for real estate taxes has been extended to all residents of the school district thanks to a vote at Thursday's Greencastle-Antrim School Board meeting.

Previously the installment plan, which allowed eligible property owners to pay their school taxes in three installments, was only available to property owners who had an approved homestead/farmstead exclusion on file in their county assessor's office.

In addition to passing this resolution, the board also amended the Tax Collector's Compensation Resolution, adopted in 2005, to include compensation for the school district's real estate tax installment payments.

This amendment would give tax collections $1 for all second and third tax installment payments.

"Do you have any idea what it will cost?" asked board member Howard Ritchey.

"To be honest, I don't think it will be more than $400 to $500 per year," said School District Business Manager Richard Lipella. "We'll probably have a couple hundred" who take the installment plan.

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