Jan 25, 2018 3 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi Area School Board Tuesday authorized a spending freeze for the remainder of the 2017-18 school year due to a $200,000 deficit in the $23.5 million budget.

Superintendent Edward Zelich said many factors are at play. “We have had a huge increase in special education costs, health care, salaries and other yearly costs,” he explained.

He added the board and administration have agreed to meet monthly to discuss the situation. “We are looking at everything,” he said, adding that some positions that have opened due to retirement may not be filled.

Zelich said the spending freeze will be up to his discretion. “It there is something a child needs, of course we will supply it,” he said.

The board accepted the resignation of head football coach Don Militzer, effective immediately. Militzer, who lives and works in the Keystone Oaks School District, sent a letter dated Jan. 17 stating his intention to resign as head high school football coach. In the letter, Militzer stated that he was pursuing other opportunities closer to home.

His resignation came on the same day that he was informed by administrators that his position was going to be opened by the board. Militzer has been head coach since 2014 and this year’s team finished 9-2 and made the WPIAL playoffs.

“He did a great job here and brought respectability to the district,” Zelich said. “He did a fantastic job with the program.”

School board student representative Patrick Kovach, a senior and high school football player, asked the board to consider promoting from within. “As football players, and with the coach’s resignation, we don’t want to see somebody wipe out the entire coaching program. We would like to see most of them stay and not have everyone new with a new coach. We like to win and this is working.”

The board advertised the position and plans to approve a new high school football coach at the next regular board meeting on Feb. 27. Zelich said that the quick hiring is needed so that there is not too much interruption in the program.

In other news, the $14,000 tank and vegetable beds that were secured from a grant from the Intermediate Unit I and Charleroi Education Foundation have been installed for the aquaponics STEM program.

One large tank and vegetable beds were installed at the middle school for grades six through eight and a smaller tank and vegetable bed have been installed at the elementary school.

The aquaponics program will use tilapia fish, which will fertilize the vegetables. The mature vegetables will be used in the school. Zelich said the hands-on program will allow students to program a computer, which will automatically feed the fish, water the plants and provide lighting for the vegetables. The fish are expected to be delivered within the next week or so and they project will be up and running soon.