Schools

Schools in the Central Fulton, Southern Fulton and Forbes Road school districts in Fulton County, Pa., are on two-hour delay today, school officials announced. Fulton County Community Christian School is also on two-hour delay.

pepperb@herald-mail.com As school officials face decisions about when to heat or cool schools each season, they also face flak. Since temperatures were expected to be low last Friday, school officials last Wednesday decided to start turning on heat, said Dennis McGee, the school system's director of facilities management. Friday's low temperature was recorded at 32 degrees and its high was recorded at 57 degrees, according to weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Students at more than 70 percent of Eastern Panhandle schools scored higher in math or reading on West Virginia's revamped standardized achievement tests than statewide averages this spring. But the WESTEST 2 results released last week by the West Virginia Department of Education also show only 19 of 44 schools exceeded state averages of proficiency in both subject areas. C.W. Shipley Elementary School near Harpers Ferry, W.Va., not only scored higher, but the 221 students tested there in grades three through five notched a pair of the highest proficient percentages statewide, according to the results.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Even if a proposed subdivision threatens to overcrowd schools, Jefferson County land planners say they can't legally turn it down on that basis. The issue arose two weeks ago after a Tysons Corner, Va., developer announced plans for a 3,300-home subdivision south of Charles Town that would bring in an estimated 8,800 people and require the construction of two new county schools for the 1,650 additional students. Last week the county Board of Education endorsed a building moratorium, stating it didn't know how it could afford the new schools.

Nearly $10,000 in gifts was approved Tuesday by the Washington County Board of Education for two schools. The board approved the gifts by a vote of 7-0. The board approved a $5,000 gift for Boonsboro Elementary School from Lowe's Toolbox for Education. The funds will be used to replace and refurbish old and broken playground equipment. The board also approved a $4,984.44 gift to North Hagerstown High School from Martin's (Giant Food) A+ School Rewards Program. The donation will be used to offset expenses in the extracurricular athletic program.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The future of Coldbrook and Marion elementary schools rests in the hands of Chambersburg Area School Board members, who are expected to decide Nov. 18 whether to close the schools. Superintendent Joseph Padasak and the board discussed the possibility of closing the schools at Wednesday's board meeting. For months, outspoken parents and former students have peppered the board with questions about the plan, but Padasak said closing both remains his recommendation.

scottb@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Washington County Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan said Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele earned her respect Wednesday by going to the "front lines," visiting and talking with students and employees in two schools. Steele spent about an hour each at South Hagerstown High School and Antietam Academy, previously known as the Alternative Learning Center. "I am impressed you came to the front lines. I am a convert," Morgan said.

Under staff changes approved Tuesday by the Washington County Board of Education, some schools will have new administrators in the fall. The staff changes, effective July 1: Barbara J. Rice, assistant principal of Springfield Middle School, will become principal of Northern Middle School. Lana L. Moore, principal of Northern Middle School, is resigning. Cheryl G. Lannon, managing assistant principal of Cascade Elementary School, will become principal of Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - For the fifth year in a row, Shepherd University has been named one of the best colleges and universities in the Southeast, according to the Princeton Review's Web site. The New York City-based education services company selected Shepherd as one of 141 institutions it recommends in its "Best in the Southeast" section on its Web site feature "2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region. "

karenh@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - A consultant hired by the Washington County Board of Education told an audience of about 20 people Thursday night that the school system faces huge growth in the next few years rather than the flat rates forecast by the state. According to Deanna Newman, president of Public Pathways Inc., of Minnesota, new housing starts in the county indicate a trend toward growing enrollments and crowded schools. Newman told members of the board's Facility Advisory Committee and county residents that she and other officials have discussed the numbers with the state, which projects stagnant growth.