By 8-0 vote, the Conneaut School Board decided to return to an 8-period day beginning with the fall 2011 school term for its high school students at Conneaut Lake, Conneaut Valley and Linesville High Schools.

Discussions were held at board meetings in October and November with a final vote set for December meetings that were cancelled due to weather.

The vote came at the board's January 12 meeting with board members Dr. Carol Bocan, Dr. Walter Thomas, Jody Sperry, Don Ellis Jr., Gina McCauley, Rick Kelly, Cheryl Krachkowski, and David Schaef present and voting. Lorri Drumm was absent.

Schaef said he voted with some reluctance on the item being recommended by the school administration and doing away with the block schedule which featured longer periods during the day and having the class for one half of the year.

School administrators, recommending the change back to the 8-period day, cited concerns over on-going low test scores especially in the math portions where a student could go a year to a year and a half between math classes.

Meeting the test score standards is a must in this day and age of testing being required by the state and federal rules now in place.

In the talks at previous meetings, Schaef noted the drop in discipline issues when the block schedule was put in place and the longer periods allowing for more student interaction, team work, the shifts in teaching - not just a full period of teacher lectures.

He expressed a hope the students weren't going to go from one computer screen to another with the 8-period day coming back.

It was noted that even Hatsboro-Horsham, a school district out east in the state who led a push to the block schedule, has gone to what is called an A-B schedule, an 8-period day in which the 8 periods are split over two days.

Numerous retirements were approved for end of school this June including at Conneaut Lake Elementary School - Bill Agnew, James Barco, Mark Ruttenberg, and principal Marcia deKramer; at Conneaut Valley Elementary - Jacquelin Wilmarth; Linesville Schafer Elementary School - Kathy Allison, Christine Seybert; and Conneaut Valley High School German teacher Larry Scarpino and Donna Baker, English teacher.

A health sabbatical starting second semester for CLE teacher Debbie Whitehead was also given board approval.

A family leave was approved for teacher Jacquelyn Geer beginning April 4 to the end of the school year and teacher Misha Taylor was approved for a childbearing leave from Dec. 6 - April 1.

Schafer Elementary, Conneaut Lake Elementary, Conneaut Valley Elementary, Conneaut Lake High School and Linesville High School principals were presented plaques from the Department of Education indicating the schools earned Yearly progress [AYP] awards for a second year in a row.

Board member Dr. Walter Thomas was presented a plaque from the state school board' denoting his 8 years of school board service. January is School Board Recognition Month.

The school directors voted to approve an exoneration of real estate taxes for the Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department/Sadsbury Township, who had been billed for some $29,000 when, after renovation work was done at their building, they overlooked having to seek tax exempt status from the county. Ellis abstained in the 7-0-1 vote as he is involved with the fire department.

County officials say they sent the proper notice; fire department people say they did not see the paperwork request.

Kara Onorato was approved to assume the duties of Business Manager effective Dec. 16, 2010, as business manager Joe Yeager is on vacation until later this month in advance of his retirement. Onorato has been serving as assistant business manager since September.