The district was unable to obtain a certificate of occupancy.
By: Steve Rauscher
MONTGOMERY School district officials are fighting another battle today in their unexpectedly difficult campaign to get township schools in working order.
Fresh from repelling an invasion of mold at the township’s two elementary schools and Middle School last week, the district’s advance ground to a halt when 16 trailers brought in to reinforce Montgomery High School and Middle School against a growing army of students failed to pass muster.
"It’s like a comedy of … frustrations for us," Superintendent Stuart Schnur said.
The trailers installed to keep class sizes small while a new, larger high school is built were intended to be open for the first day of school Thursday. But the district was unable to get a certificate of occupancy from the township because the wiring and software mating the trailers’ fire alarm system to the district’s master system was not properly in place, Dr. Schnur said.
"Unfortunately, between some electricians not doing what they were supposed to do and problems with the fire-alarm software … we’re not comfortable with allowing students and teachers in (the trailers) at this time," he said.
The problem, he said, stems from difficulties the district had coordinating the variety of contractors needed to complete the work.
"The biggest problems were with software programming," he said. "We’ve been trying for two weeks to get (the company to install it), and they just got here (Wednesday) afternoon."
Dr. Schnur said the two science trailers at the High School were expected to be available Monday, as would the Middle School trailers. The eight math trailers at the High School, he said, were unlikely to be available before Sept. 17.
"It’s not a disruption. It’s an inconvenience," Dr. Schnur said. "The kids will still receive their instruction. But we’d obviously be more comfortable using the classrooms."
The trailers at the schools were meant to accommodate about 240 students. Ten trailers at the high school, each holding two classrooms, were scheduled to house the math department, as well as four nonlab science classes. Six one-classroom trailers at the Middle School were designated for one team of eighth-graders.
Once district officials realized the trailers would not be available, administrators scrambled to find any available space to hold the displaced classes, High School Vice Principal Paul Piniero said.
The displaced students were taught Thursday in various cafeterias, auditoriums, libraries and gymnasiums at the two schools.
"It was a logistical nightmare," said Mr. Piniero. "We’d planned a schedule with eight more classes than were available today. We ended up having to put students in places we didn’t really want to."
And some of the students said they didn’t want to be there.
"It was pretty bad," said senior Brian Sensi. "I had my (precalculus) class in the cafeteria, and the room’s so big you can’t hear anything or see anything."
Senior Ama Etse said the students and teachers in her advanced-placement calculus class were confused about where they were supposed to go.
"With all the roaming around, we had only five minutes for class," she said.
Mr. Piniero attributed the confusion to inevitable first-day-of-school mixups, compounded by the last-minute rescheduling.
High School Vice Principal Bill Korson agreed.
"You’re looking at a situation where the first day people are displaced and confused," he said. "But by the second and third day, it will all be old hat."

