School board settles with Act 93 staff—minus one / By Martha Knight

After solving a parliamentary riddle, the Port Allegany School Board voted Monday night to approve a new agreement with its administrative and supervisory personnel, providing 2 percent raises to them.

Six employees were on the list of employees to be included in the raises and other contractual provisions, but in a rare action to amend a motion, food services director Judy Howard was removed from the list. Her remuneration will be acted upon separately.

The amended motion, adopted on a roll call vote, sets the following salaries for the current fiscal year, which expires June 30:

Junior-senior high school principal Marc Budd, $98,170; elementary principal Tracy Kio, $84,431; assistant principal Erika Emerick, $70,000 (pro-rated to her start date); business manager Judy Bodamer, $70,972; and technology director Adam Moate, $57,363.

When that item was reached on the agenda, board member Mark Carlson mentioned that in the case of Judy Howard, instead of giving her a raise as such, the measure before the board would provide her an increase of $2,500 for the year while requiring her to work more days to earn it.

Adoption of the new agreement had been moved and seconded when board member Ingrid Lapp asked to have the food services position dropped from the list. After some confusion, and a suggestion by board member Dave Mensch (a former president), Lapp moved to amend the motion, and Carlson seconded the amendment.

The amendment and the amended motion were both adopted, ayes all.

The board has held numerous executive sessions in recent months, many of them related to negotiations with employee groups. The administrative employees are covered by Act 93, state legislation which allows them to bargain with the school district as a group, although they are not included in the professional staff nor the support staff union. Last year the district settled with Act 93 staff for the previous fiscal year, then resumed bargaining for the current year.

Board member Rod Howard abstained from the tabling motion related to Judy Howard, who is his wife. He was able to vote on the motion as amended.

IU9 will no longer administer the school district’s federal Title I and Title II programs, according to a decision the board approved. IU9 has administered those programs for some of its member districts for years, but superintendent Gary Buchsen told the board recently that he would coordinate federal programs if the board decided to have the programs managed in house.

The Title I and II teachers who had been assigned to the district by IU9 are expected to become direct employees of the district.

The board approved a new keyless entry system for the junior-senior high school building, at a cost not to exceed $14,594. Costs will be covered by a Safe Schools grant. Keyless and Camera of Kane will provide key-card entry for staff at five entry points, new tumblers for other doors and software.

Justin Bienkowski was appointed assistant track coach at a supplemental salary of $2,180. Hunter Conway will be assistant track coach, for the same amount. Volunteer track coaches will be Tom Murphy, Matt Lawton, George Riley, Benjamin Osani and Heather Schena.

William Daniels was approved as assistant softball coach, at a supplemental salary of $2,133.

Schena was added to the substitute list as an environmental studies teacher, and Ashley Bernardi was added as a support staff substitute.