Taman Siswa

The Pinckneyville Community High School board of education heard from parents at their Monday meeting who questioned objectivity in the awarding of a scholarship provided by the Southern Illinois Coaches Association and the Egyptian Officials Association.

Wade Graskewicz and Casey Hawkins told the board that awarding the scholarship during the past school year to Bryant Hale, son of PCHS athletic director Greg Hale, raised questions of favoritism over the award.

“I have a real hard time with someone in that position giving it (the scholarship) to their son,” Graskewicz told the board.

Hawkins said she had heard conflicting reports on who determined the recipient of the award.

Greg Hale responded by saying the award’s criteria looked at how much scholarship money candidates had received at the time they applied for the award and that his son–a valedictorian in the graduating class and a multi-sport athlete–qualified for the scholarship.

“It’s not financial need–it’s how much scholarship money you have,” that determines eligibility for the award, Hale said.

Superintendent Brent Kreid said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that in the future, committees will select scholarship winners and the award will be split between two candidates. Hale and the school’s guidance counselors selected the winner of this past year’s award, Kreid said.

“We have taken steps for future scholarships to insure that we eliminate any perception of subjectivity or of a conflict of interest,” said Kreid.

At the beginning of Monday’s meeting, board member Wayne Hawkins also raised questions of favoritism in the school’s athletic department over the purchase of a new uniform for one member of the track team. Hawkins said the board and administrators need to more carefully track spending.

“If we don’t start taking control of some of this money that’s being distributed, we’re going to get in trouble,” Hawkins said. “We need to start distributing equally.

Hawkins’ wife, Casey, agreed. “We have got to start treating all of our students on an equal basis,” she said.

Wayne Hawkins also questioned whether or not the band parents’ organization–which raised funds last year toward the purchase of new uniforms for the Marching Panthers–could influence how the district used that money.

“They can give us that money but can’t direct us on what it’s going to be used for,” Hawkins said.

“We don’t want to bite the hand that feeds us,” Kreid replied.

In other business, the board:

€ Approved the transfer of $15,000 in interest from the working cash fund to the education fund; $89,000 from the working cash fund to the operations and maintenance fund and $18,000 from the working cash fund to the transportation fund.

€ Hired Bob Waggoner as dean of students, Eric Kirkpatrick as part-time guidance counselor, Art Ashbrook as P.E. and driver’s education teacher and Katie Shaneyfelt as head volleyball coach.

€ Approved an addendum to Kreid’s superintendent’s contract, setting his salary at $74,600 for 2007-08 and at $77,300 for 2008-09. Each raise represents a 3.61 percent increase from the prior year.

€ Heard from Alan Hastings of the Panther Den, who said he felt the district was inconsistent with its policy on the sales of sportswear and other items with the district logo. Kreid said teacher-sponsored student groups are not limited on how often they can hold fundraisers under a tax-exempt status and that the district is in compliance with state law on that issue.

€ Discussed the distribution of basketball tickets for post-season tournaments. Tickets will be awarded to team members, cheerleaders, managers, coaches and their immediate households. Administrators and school board members will also receive tickets, while students who are paid members of the school’s Pep Club can purchase one ticket each. Full-time PCHS employees can purchase two tickets, while season ticket holders can buy up to four tickets. Board member Dawn Kellerman-Smith said she felt it was unfair to limit the student body’s access to tickets. The board approved the distribution policy.

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