The consolidation of the Center and Monaca school districts is on line for state approval on Sept. 18.

The official consolidation date, however, is still uncertain. The June 12 resolution approved by both school boards set July 1, 2009, but pushing it six months earlier to Jan. 1 would simplify the budgeting process and eliminate questions about how to handle primary and general elections.

That possibility will be one of several questions district officials will pose to Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak and other Department of Education officials in Harrisburg July 10.

Others include options on the mercantile tax, which exists in Center but not Monaca, the availability of funding and how to handle planning deadlines.

Finalizing those questions and reviewing the state board's timeline were two focal points at a meeting Tuesday of the two school boards' merger committees.

Superintendents Dan Matsook of Center and Mike Thomas of Monaca shared an e-mail from Jim Buckheit, executive director of the state board, announcing that a board committee would take written comments from the public until Aug. 8 and would hold public hearings at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at Penn State Beaver Campus.

The committee will review its findings Sept. 17, and will make a recommendation to the state board Sept. 18, Mr. Buckheit's e-mail said.

As for the July 10 meeting, the Center and Monaca board members had questions to add to the superintendents' lists, but made it clear that they want to see state officials step up their efforts on a couple of long-standing questions.

Center's Ben Fratangeli focused on $500,000 Gov. Ed Rendell promised the districts last fall, when they first approved consolidation. The superintendents intend to request that they get it Sept. 18.

Mr. Fratangeli also wanted more information about money from a line item placed in the state budget this year, which is intended to help school districts with mergers and consolidations.

"Are there stipulations, criteria we need to meet? How do we get some of that?" The other focus of the meeting was on the huge list of decisions to be made, and the need to set up processes to make them.

Dr. Thomas presented a list of 24 issues -- 15 of which were identified as top priority. It included much-discussed items such as dealing with the mercantile tax, creating a plan for future elections of board members, selecting a new name, colors and mascot and hiring a consultant to study the use of school buildings.

It also included challenges such as revising school calendars, blending curricula, setting graduation requirements, standardizing contracts, standardizing schedules and creating both a staffing plan and a plan for handling staff reductions.

Many of the issues are ones the two districts' administrations began working on late last year, before the Center School slammed the brakes on the process and ordered a halt to planning.

"We're hoping tonight, after this meeting, to get authorization to go ahead with the process," Dr. Thomas said.

Mr. Fratangeli said he thought that such authorization was implied at the June 12 meeting, when the Center board passed a compromise resolution which allowed the consolidation process to move forward.

Of the five Center board members who had enforced the slowdown, he was the only one attending Tuesday's meeting. Board president Richard Nicastro, who authored the Jan. 17 order that brought the process to a halt, was scheduled to be there, but did not attend.

Dr. Matsook said it was important to organize committees of board members and administrators to start tackling the questions, but noted that he didn't want to go "against the grain" of his board's wishes.

Center board member Rob Gradisek, a supporter of consolidation throughout, noted that with the support of Mr. Fratangeli, merger committee member John McCracken and supportive board members Charlene Kosmal and Verna Sisk, Mr. Nicastro's support was a moot point.

Monaca board member Dennis Bloom agreed. "A board president's just one of nine, and soon will be one of 18," he said.

Mr. Fratangeli said he thought Mr. Nicastro should be in the loop, but agreed that the work needed to be done, and quickly.

The committees will meet again at 7 p.m. July 15, and will open the meeting to all members of both boards. The intent is to review the July 10 meeting in Harrisburg and to start setting up the committees needed to address the many tasks at hand.

Dr. Matsook said the meeting would be advertised.