For the first time as long as anyone can remember, Blue Ridge will start classes next year in September, the day after Labor Day. The state has been pressuring school districts to conform to this policy, traditional where winters are less severe, and now Blue Ridge is going along.
At the Blue Ridge School Board workshop on February 25th, Superintendent Robert McTiernan offered a calendar for the next school year that would have teachers arrive the last week in August for in-service training. The new calendar, so far just a work-in-progress, would also have ended classes for the Fall term on Monday, December 23. Instead, the Board asked Mr. McTiernan to rework the schedule so that the winter hiatus would begin after classes on Friday, December 20, and begin again for the Spring term on Thursday, January 2, 2014.
The workshop, which included meetings of the Activities Committee, the Policy Committee, an informal discussion of preparations for the Fund-Raising Committee’s upcoming golf tournament, and 2 executive sessions, covered a wide range of topics.
The golf tournament, scheduled for mid-April, will raise funds for scholarships and other support activities for students. Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner is soliciting businesses for sponsorships and has found the response “very, very positive.” She would like at least 18 sponsors by the deadline of March 15. She also said that sales of raffle tickets for a gas grill have reaped a total of between $800 and $1,000 so far. A drawing for the grill will be held during the tournament. In the meantime, the committee has drawn names of contributors for gift cards almost every month. This time Shane Rumage drew the name of Lorrie Detwiler from the bag of tickets. Ms. Detwiler is a staff assistant at the school; her husband is a member of the school board. She was encouraged to use the $50 gift card at Rob’s Market to purchase snacks for the next Board meeting, which she regularly attends.
Board policy and the student athletics “code of conduct” were debated at some length by the Activities Committee. While some said that Blue Ridge athletes should be “held to a higher standard” than other students, some like Christina Whitney considered some parts of the disciplinary provisions of the code of conduct to impose “double punishment” on athletes sentenced to detention for such minor infractions as being a few minutes late for homeroom. The code prohibits athletes given detention from participating in practice or games on the same day. In some cases missing a practice can also mean sitting out a game on a following day. Mr. McTiernan said that the administration has also tried to apply the same standard to all extracurricular activities. The committee seemed to decide to amend the code to alleviate the issue.
In a similar fashion, the Board’s policy and student handbooks require athletes to be in school by 9:45am in order to be eligible to practice or participate in an event the same day. Christina Cosmello noted that attendance policy in the handbook appears somewhat confusing, particularly with regard to this eligibility. Others mentioned situations involving students removed from school for such things as illness or physician appointments being denied eligibility because of the attendance rules.
During the full workshop, Mr. McTiernan said he would soon introduce changes to the policy to clarify the meaning of “educational sabbatical.” There is already a policy covering professional leave that covers many of the same points. Teachers applying for such a sabbatical must have served in Pennsylvania schools for at least 10 years, 5 of them at Blue Ridge. They must take a certain number of credits at a recognized institution during the sabbatical and successfully complete the courses. During the sabbatical year they will be paid at 50% of their normal salary, with full benefits. Following the sabbatical they must serve at Blue Ridge for at least 1 year.
Given the enormous size of the Board’s policy manual (over 300 separate sections and attachments), it’s not surprising that confusion arises once in a while. Blue Ridge has contracted with the state school boards’ association to clean up the manual and bring it up to current legislative and regulatory standards.
Harold Empett, chair of the Board’s Facilities & Grounds committee reported that his team will meet again before the business meeting on March 4 at 6:30pm. They will be considering the proposed transition to natural gas for supplementary heating, as well as an agreement with an energy management company that would pay the district to be prepared to curtail electricity consumption during power emergencies in the summer months.
Business Manager Loren Small said that that the wood chips the district now uses as a primary energy source for its boilers cost about $40 per ton. He said that the district uses oil for backup, and the equivalent energy content would consume 60 gallons at a cost of about $200. Leatherstocking, the company planning to supply natural gas in the area, is depending on large consumers like schools to get its business going. Mr. Small estimates burning natural gas for the same amount of heat would cost about $70.
A firm called EnerNOC would pay Blue Ridge over $34,000 per year in monthly installments to join a program which would monitor electricity consumption and, during a summer power emergency, could ask Blue Ridge to cut back to alleviate the load. The school could decline on individual occasions, in which case it would simply receive less in subsequent payments. Mr. Small said that other districts had found the arrangement to their benefit, and Mr. McTiernan said, “We don’t see any downside at all” to the proposal. Would the electrically-powered monitoring equipment be shut down in such cases?
Mr. Detwiler, reported that his Health & Wellness committee is creating an inventory of resources, and fixing up its website. High School/Middle School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski said plans are shaping up for the use of the fitness center. It would be open to staff and community after the last bus leaves the campus Monday through Thursday until about 9:00pm. A monitor (not an instructor) would be assigned to the facility for the hours from 3:00pm to 5:00pm for students wishing to use the room after classes. There would be sign-in sheets, forms to fill out and sign, and perhaps ID cards issued to frequent users. Mr. Nebzydoski said there would be risk involved in allowing outsiders access to the fitness center. He also recommended a stipend to be paid to the monitor.
The Health & Wellness committee is also investigating the possibility of enlisting local practitioners such as chiropractors, to advise the athletics coaching staff.
The workshop decided to schedule general Board meetings to allow the public to comment on the impending switch to the “single-bell” (aka “single-tier”) busing schedule slated for startup with the next school year. Ms. Brown-Bonner had considered meetings in the individual communities comprising the district, but the Board thinks the turnout might be better at a larger event. Mr. McTiernan said that the new schedules will not cost the district any more than the current system. He has scheduled a meeting with the bus contractors for March 12 to lay out the plans and hear their views.
Mr. McTiernan and Mr. Small asked the Board for guidance on how much detail members would like to see when the administration has a need to transfer funds between budget accounts. They were told that the more detail the better, so Mr. McTiernan asked the Board not to be alarmed the “the giant number of budget transfers” that will soon appear on its business agenda. He said that all departments are becoming much more budget conscious so that such transfers should start to diminish. The administration transfers funds between accounts when funds are needed in one place but available only someplace else.
John Ketchur’s Technology Committee will be hearing from Technology Coordinator Mike Stewart on his budget requests for the next year at their meeting on March 4 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
And the annual legislative meeting bringing together school board members from around the area with local legislators will be held at Blue Ridge on March 26, beginning at 7:00pm. The Board’s calendar is filling up fast. All meetings are in the cafeteria in the Elementary School.
The Career and Technology Center meeting was first on February 21st, when the board of the SCCTC and Elk Lake convened.
Recognition was made of achievement early in the meeting.
County Commissioner Alan Hall stood up and gave an introduction, thanking the board for allowing him the time. He stated that acknowledging youth was one of the pleasures of his job. He said that everyone should be truly proud of the youth, and that the school and the parents should be proud of their support of them. Representative Tina Pickett and Representative Sandy Major wanted to be there as well, he continued, but both were in Harrisburg that night. They had, however, sent along their congratulations, and recognition documents. Commissioner Hall read the acknowledgments aloud, beginning with the House of Representatives citation. The students being acknowledged were the Elk Lake High School girls cross country team, who captured the 2012 District 2 Class A PIAA state title. The citation acknowledged the members of the team, and the coaches. There was a copy of the citation for each of the girls. Mr. Hall also read certificates of commendation from the county commissioners. The coaches were invited forward first to receive their certificates; Laura and Will Squire were present and then assisted in handing out the certificates to the students. Coach Mark Weisgold was not present that evening. Finally, a citation for the district was given to Dr. Bush. After one more congratulations, Commissioner Hall left. A visitor spoke up and thanked the board and administration for the support they provided not only to the cross country team but to all athletic teams. Dr. Bush congratulated the team on behalf of the school board. He asked Mr. Squire what year the district had first captured a state title in the sport, and it was responded that it was 2008.
During Dr. Davis' director's report, she spoke of the Student of the Month luncheon, the Serve Safe Certification and the Nurse Aide Training, and a 40 hour welding course which was to be held in the evenings. Also, cosmetology planned to offer programs in the summer time, offered in the evening with hours open to the public. A summer hair camp was scheduled, an exploratory program for younger students. Cosmetology also planned to offer birthday parties. The SCCTC was featured in the Northeastern Well Driller's magazine.
The following Tuesday, school representatives were to go to Harrisburg with the purpose of acquiring their final approval for the LPN program. Mr. Tewksbury asked what the enrollment in the SCCTC was, and it was responded that 402 were enrolled at the center and 150 students were signed up for the LPN program, without advertisement. There were only 40 slots, she confirmed in response to a question by Mrs. Teel, thus there would have to be a screening. A class was planned to begin in the summer and another in the winter, which would allow 80 to complete the one-year course.
Dr. Bush then broached the topic of bimonthly meetings. The subject had been raised the month prior, with a suggestion to split the meetings to separate evenings. The first Thursday of the month would be the Career Center meeting, as a general rule. The Elk Lake meeting would remain the Third Thursday. The meetings would be advertised as board meetings for both entities, such that while the emphasis would be on the meeting scheduled for that night, if something came up with the other school they could address it without advertisement.
Mr. Curley asked if a point would be made of opening both meetings at each date. Mr. Curley said that by and large it was not Career Center stuff which they became bogged down in. He was concerned that it might not be as effective as proposed. To him, it was an 80/20 split at best, thus having a night dedicated to the career center wouldn't give them the freedom to dig into some of the meatier things they needed to deal with. Dr. Bush pointed out that it gave the board more flexibility, and provided the board more time to deliberate and discuss, such that the second meeting could be treated more as a business meeting.
The authority of the board lay within the board, and not the individual. Dr. Bush brought this to the attention of those present, explaining that he knew that board members were sometimes approached by the public when not connected with the board with problems which someone expected them to fix. Board members as individuals did not hold the power of the board.
Dr. Bush shared that there was pending litigation in the area of safe schools. It looked as if discussions of safety plans would be added to the list of items which could be discussed at executive sessions.
In keeping with the times, school districts were able to hold meetings electronically, which was addressed in one policy discussed that evening. Mr. Emmerich asked how this would be realized. Dr. Bush responded that a board member could perhaps attend by telephone conference. There was some discussion about how this might be set up, with a few board members expressing interest in the option. This would be in rare circumstances, as Mr. Tewksbury pointed out that the policy stated that a majority of the board members still needed to be physically present. Mr. Curley asked if they would be judged if they chose not to do this, for instance if they wanted to be on vacation. It was agreed that if someone was going to be on vacation, they should be allowed to be on vacation. Mr. Emmerich asked about advanced notice, and it was pointed out that the policy dictated three days notice. It was determined that telephone was the easiest to start with.
Dr. Bush also wished to generate discussion regarding job related expenses. He had asked PSBA to send documents regarding the subject. He said that expenses for meals were likely set in 1959, and it hadn't changed. The issue which came up, he continued, was that the policy was $5 for breakfast, $10 for lunch, and $15 for supper. He didn't know if that really expressed the prices as they were now. One suggestion that had been made to him was to either increase the prices to be representative of the current prices, or allow the money to be allotted for the entire day such that someone could use the entire amount on one meal if they chose. Mrs. Teel said that the government had a guide which stated what a per diem should be by city. Mr. Tewksbury pointed out that he didn't feel that the organization should pay for a meal what a person wouldn't spend for themselves on a meal. There was some discussion on the topic. Mr. Emmerich agreed with the suggestion of totaling the amount rather than raising each individual meal amount. He felt that Mrs. Teel was right as well that there were varying prices by location, but he felt that this could be difficult to keep track of. Dr. Bush said that there was nothing in the policy which stipulated the amounts, and suggested that the policy be approved but an individual motion be made for amounts. Mrs. Hollister pointed out that if a lump amount was used, depending on the time of the conference this could lead to use of the entire amount when it might not be necessary given the time of the meeting. That was why the existing system had been created. No motion was made that evening.
During the second visitors section, a visitor stated that she was really happy to hear about the LPN program's advancement and the numbers interested. She also asked about the logistics of the birthday parties. It was responded that this would be advertised. Each student would receive a manicure, a pedicure, an up-do, glitter, cake, and a drink for $10 a child. It was clarified that it would also be open to adults.
A visitor asked how many types of business classes were available, and what they were called. Dr. Davis listed a number of classes, including business law, entrepreneurship, computer accounting, and desktop publishing. The visitor also asked a question about the available technology and spoke highly of the benefits of business education. The student also asked what business classes might be offered on the Elk Lake side. It was responded that Elk Lake students could choose a specific elective in either the business or food management programs. Thus a student could take just one class in those two fields.
The Elk Lake meeting then opened.
An invitation to the board was read aloud, regarding the planned Church compression station. The notification read that increased traffic may be experienced in the future. An invitation was given to a neighborhood meeting on February 22nd at 6 pm. Attendees would be encouraged to move from station to station to meet with Williams representatives one on one. The meeting was by invitation only.
The idea of a one to one technology committee, to look into seeing if one to one technology could be realized at the district and how it might be enacted, was revisited. Mrs. Teel reiterated her opinion, stated the month before, that this is the direction education was going, where each student had access to an electronic device. Dr. Bush stated that a number of staff members had asked to be added to the committee list. Mr. Pirone had attended sessions on one to one technology, which there was a cost to. Other districts, he related, were going to BYOD, or bring your own device. He said that some districts similar to Elk Lake in geography had success with the byod methodology. Many students would likely already have devices, and the district would then only have to purchase enough to cover the students without access. The books were on the smart devices as well. However, people at the sessions had run into a bandwidth problem. He gave out the name of schools to contact, were the committee interested in speaking with those utilizing the programs. The committee would have public, advertised meetings and would involve the board as a whole (if they chose to attend) as well as the outsiders. Mrs. Teel clarified that the committee was investigative, they were not to make decisions.
Mrs. Teel then brought up the board's use of technology. She asked the board what, since the kids were going to be using technology, the board thought about using technology. She wished to consider it moving forward. Mr. Curley pointed out that it would facilitate e-attendance. Mrs. Ives thought it was a good idea. Mr. Emmerich agreed with Mr. Curley he said, but he expressed the concern that it could be difficult to look at a computer and then go back to a discussion. He felt logistically that they were going to end up having as much paper as they currently did. Mrs. Teel said that she liked that it retained all of the documents for the future. It could also allow the archives to be run through a keyword search. She asked someone to look into what software was available. Mrs. McGee felt that it should span different devices. This raised the question of whether or not board members would bring their own devices. Mr. Emmerich felt that they should be consistent in devices. When prompted by Mrs. Teel, Dr. Bush said that it might be simplest to have the school provide laptops for board member use.
Mr. Curley said that he would like first to see what the cost difference would be between all of the paper, versus staff time, etc. If it was going to make them slower, he didn't want to pay more to become slower. Mr. Tewksbury thanked him for saying this.
It was suggested that perhaps the materials could be sent electronically to board members in advance, with a single piece of paper given at the meeting, an agenda. Mrs. McGee pointed out then that if the materials were on the overhead, as had been suggested, the board could just reference that.
It was stated that at this point the district had not been contacted by Williams, so Dr. Bush didn't have anything to report back on.
A board member had asked to have athletic conduct put on the agenda. Board members had been given a page of the athletic policy. At a recent basketball game an official had called a technical on the coach and a player. The policy under scrutiny had been developed in 1979 or 1980, and had been looked at again some years later. Dr. Bush said that since the policy was created there hadn't really been a problem with it. In the current situation, he continued, he had been given the understanding that the calls had not been warranted. He, as a superintendent, did not want to give the impression that poor conduct was alright, however he didn't want to unfairly punish someone for an unwarranted call. He read through the steps of the policy to address misconduct aloud. He felt that the policy warranted some discussion as it had not been addressed in 14 or 15 years.
Mr. Emmerich wished to say that he had been to two games where the same ref had called multiple technicals. He said that he understood that there was a movement in the league to tighten up behavior. He felt that the movement by the officials to call a technical quickly was their attempt to calm a situation down. The problem was, he continued, if they called the technical quickly their athlete had to sit out the rest of the game. However the other athlete might only have to abide by PIAA rules, which allowed the athlete to come out and go back in. He felt in the existing climate, this policy merited further discussion. Mrs. Teel said that she was at the game where this occurred, and in her opinion the ref was really cracking down on both sides. Mrs. McGee added that she thought there had been five technicals called that night. Mr. Tewksbury said that he liked the policy, and it had worked. Dr. Bush noted that their basketball coach had received a technical, and it was the first one he had received in his career. Mrs. McGee thought there was a pretty simple solution, that they start implementing at the third. Mr. Tewksbury said that if they had to call three technical fouls on a player, something was wrong. Mr. Curley asked if they were trying to win basketball games or to instruct kids. Sometimes a kid was going to get a bad break, he opined, and they might learn a tough life lesson on the basketball court.
It was clarified that the discussion was regarding attitudinal technical fouls, not other technical fouls. Mr. Mallery said that there was a provision in the policy that a committee would get together and decide if it was truly unsportsmanlike conduct, which allowed for a penalty to be overturned. The only thing to really consider was then the first step, whether the student should be allowed to finish that game or not. There was some debate about this. Mrs. Teel said that she agreed that life wasn't fair, but she personally would like to defer to the coaches to sit the player out if it was a warranted technical. Mrs. McGee then suggested leaving the first technical up to the coach. Mr. Curley said that he didn't have a problem with it, so long as if a student did misbehave the coach benched them. Mr. Tewksbury said that he had reffed for thirty years, and had called only two technicals on coaches in that time. Mr. Emmerich said that he had always supported the policy, but he felt that in this climate it might be too much. He didn't know how to fix it however.
Dr. Cuomo was asked his opinion and he said that there was a discrepancy among sports. There were students who received a yellow card in soccer which was akin to a technical in basketball, but they could return to play unless they received a red card (or two yellow cards). He felt that how a coach dealt with it came down to coaching and leadership from the bench. He said that he felt the kids had stepped up to the plate in this, both the athletes and the spectators. He commended the behavior of the district's students, and felt it came down to expectations. Dr. Bush said that based on their history with coaches they had met and exceeded the district's standards, and suggested that the first violation the coach be given the discretion to have the athlete benched throughout the game or not. There was a committee which met, and would continue to meet, which could look into the matter were someone to question a problem with a coach. Mrs. Ives suggested incorporating a cool down period as well to allow the student to think about it. Mr. Mallery asked when the change would take effect. Mr. Curley said that there was only one good day to change a bad policy, and that was today.
During the administrators' reports, Mr. Pirone spoke of another grandparent's day. He said that he had figured it out, and over the last few years the district had received over 3,000 visitors. An interactive theater event was scheduled, and approximately 500 conferences had been held. McDonald's had been at the school the Monday prior to award the students for having straight A's.
Mrs. Staats spoke of the transition open house. Mr. Mallery spoke of receiving a certificate of appreciation from NTIEC for hosting a Careers in Energy Day. Also, two students had placed high in wrestling. He then reviewed a list of district and regular competitions looming. The Elk Lake Boys' Basketball Program had received a sportsmanship award form the Scranton PIAA officials. This had been won eleven or twelve years prior as well. He said that this showed that the student athletes took the message of sportsmanship to heart. Dr. Cuomo announced graduation project presentations and that the district was hosting the Student Council District Conference.
The administrative compensation plans were tabled.
The medical self funded rates were discussed. Mrs. Hollister reviewed particulars of this with the board.
Dr. Bush provided a 2013-2014 budget review. Staff had been working on this, and had calculated the salaries and benefits in each category. The district was tentatively projecting an increase in instructional salary of $197,000, and an increase of $320,000 in instructional benefits, for an increase of $518,000 total. This represented an almost 13% increase in benefits (largely retirement) and a 3% increase in salary. Dr. Bush reiterated that this was a projection, but it should be close. He said that it would be a difficult budget year, and he wouldn't rule out furloughs, an increase in taxes, or using existing savings. The district was set to receive about $70,000 from the governor's budget, though this was also a figure contingent on other factors. Mr. Tewksbury asked about the logistics of a tax increase. Dr. Bush responded that at that time the maximum increase allowable by law would be less than a mill in both counties.
Dr. Bush spoke about three energy groups which had offered to come in and do audits and lighting rebates. One wanted to charge 15% of the rebates, another was offering no charge. Dr. Bush suggested allowing the three groups to come in and walk around the school and come before the board with proposals. The board decided to pursue this course.
Dr. Cuomo related that the district had used a bus route mapping system for the last two years. The company the district was currently using could not meet their needs as a rural district. They had difficulty finding where the students actually lived on a map, even with the 911 addresses. He had then contacted Transfinder, which was used by another local school district. He said that they had done in a week and a half what the other company had been unable to do in two and a half years. The cost of Transfinder was less than the other company, and he had asked them to break the initial charges over two contract years, resulting in a 17 month contract. The purpose of partnering with the original company, Dr. Bush said, was to have them map out the bus routes. He said that company had made a good faith effort, but been unable to do it. The new company utilized a gps system.
Dr. Cuomo reviewed a state sent electronic device policy. With the Keystone exams, students had apparently been using electronic devices during the exams, which they were not allowed to do. The policy stipulated that staff collect electronic devices prior to the start of the exam. If a cell phone were found to be out during the test, the phone would be confiscated, the parents brought in, and the phone reviewed to see if any testing material had been captured. If test material had been captured, that family could be found liable for the cost of replacing that test item.
Dr. Bush had volunteered the school for the NEIU scholar of the year banquet. It was to be catered by the SCCTC. The winners of Scholastic Bowl competitions were also recognized. Dr. Cuomo spoke highly of the event.
A common feature of Hallstead Borough Council meetings is their brevity. In the case of February 2013, one could say that it lasted 2 weeks, but that wouldn’t be totally accurate. The regularly scheduled meeting for the 3rd Thursday of the month, on the 20th, lasted only about 10 minutes, waiting for a quorum that didn’t happen.
A quorum was established when Council reassembled the following week, on the 28th, so in their characteristically efficient fashion, members disposed of pending business in a mere 20 minutes more. Feeling flush with expected continuing money from natural gas exploration, Council took up the suggestion of its President, Michele Giangrieco, to consider more renovation of the Borough offices on the second floor of the Borough building at the corner of Franklin and Lackawanna Streets. Nobody could remember if anything much had been done to the place since it housed the Hallstead Fire Company.
When a hairdresser business moved into some of the space recently, the building got a new ramp to the door on the 2nd floor, and the space occupied by the business was refurbished.
Now Council will look into replacing the building’s furnace, which some thought might be original equipment, as well as the rest of the windows. These renovations should help to save some money. They also figure that refinishing the hardwood floor shouldn’t cost too much.
Council also voted to purchase a shed for $3,850 from A & A Sheds for the ballfield. The shed may come in handy for the “Community Fun Day” scheduled for Saturday, June 22 beginning at 1:00pm at the Hallstead ball park. Reminiscent of the fairs that were held annually at the park until a few years ago, the event will be sponsored by employees of Peoples Neighborhood Bank and Friends of Susquehanna County, according to April Mroz, who announced the project at the February 20th Council session that didn’t happen. The day is expected to feature a parade and fireworks, among other activities for everyone.
Borough Secretary Cindy Gillespie, who is also a member of the Blue Ridge School Board, has been communicating with the school district’s business manager about a lease for use of the ballfield at the park. For some years the school district has maintained the field through the entire season. As a cost-cutting measure, the school board would like to negotiate a lease that would cut the maintenance back to the 3 months that the district’s teams actually use the field. There is yet some question about paying for lighting the field. But Ms. Gillespie noted that not many games are scheduled after dark anyway.
And finally, Council looked over a permit application for a new business, the Railway Restaurant, being planned for the corner of Franklin and Pine Streets. Members wished the operators a better future than the upscale eatery at the old railroad station that came and went some years back.
When enough of them can get together, members of the Hallstead Borough Council gather on the third Thursday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the soon-to-be-renovated meeting room on the second floor of the Borough Building.
The County Commissioners gathered at 9:01 am on Wednesday, February 27th with a heavy agenda of items. As usual disbursements weighed heavy on the agenda. Over 1 million dollars would cover the general expenses, payroll pulled $165,079.73 from the public tax funds. Nearly $68,000 covered the various state and federal taxes. Nearly $15,000 would fund the employee retirement fund and $171.58 went to jury expenses.
The commissioners proclaimed March to be “American Red Cross Month” for Susquehanna County. They chose to remind all the citizens that the red cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters a year. Additionally the Red Cross is always seeking people to lend their skills in time of need. They also resolved to produce a feasibility study to address housing needs as well as investigate the needs of individuals who may be encouraged to move industrial parks to the I-81 corridor. $44,000 would be committed as a fund match for this project.
DUI funds would allow the task force to purchase a new ford interceptor. As the previous vehicle was reaching its end of term usage, the commissioners were pleased to point out that the funds for this were completely contained within the DUI task force and the public would make no contribution.
The assembled constituents rose to voice concern over an independent contractor being paid $23.05 per hour to train the new deputy chief clerk, while full time deputies for the sheriff department are paid only $11 an hour, and expected to put themselves in the line of danger on a daily basis. Additionally the commissioners amended the 1-23 salary meeting minutes to reflect the assistant director of elections would be paid $11.59 per hour.
As the meeting came to a close commissioner Michael Giangrieco put forth a motion which he explained was simply symbolic and would carry no weight within the realm of law enforcement. His motion was a response to the numerous requests from, and level of concern from constituents who fear any infringement of their right to procure, store, manufacture, or handle firearms. Comissioner Giangrieco put forth a motion that the members of the county sheriff should ignore and not enforce any directive, law, or communication from the federal government limiting the rights of any resident of Susquehanna County in regards to their constitutional rights to bear arms. He did express that he knew this would carry no weight but felt expressing the commissioners desire to be stalwart defenders of citizens rights made it necessary.
The salary board opened at 9:35.
Public safety took up a majority of the meeting as Director Stoud redefined dynamics and terms for his staff, and requested adjustments to pay rates to maintain the atmosphere of “the best and brightest” which his office is striving for.
As the meeting drew to a close a member of the public refused to yield the floor and two representatives of the sheriffs office were called to the chamber. After the closure she was removed from the chamber for a failure to terminate her recording of the board members. The commissioners have imposed time limits on topics but in this case chose to enforce the time limit to the speaker, who had multiple concerns.
The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 11:14 a.m. on March 1, 2013: Elbert G. Allen, Sharon Baker, Christopher R. Brenner, John R. Bush, William J. Casey, Chad C. Chauncey, Thomas D. Earley, David J. Fischer, Keith R. Hurd, John J. Jenisky, Jr, Kay L. Knolles, Whade A. Koch, Lee Labor, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Robert Lewis, Ricahrd D Morrison Jr, Richard A. Murphy III, Robert A. Muzzy, Heather L. Nystrand, Mary Perschau, Sunshine X. Quick, Lacy M. Quick, Anthony Reed, Tanya M. Ross, Bruce A. Schurr, Neil D. Shaffer, David J. Shiner, Jerome W. Slick, Eric J. Snell, Stephen Sorensen, Christian E. Sorensen, Tessa E. Thomas, Justin S. Thompson, Earl H. Thompson, Jr, Steven G. Warner, Roger Daniel Williams, Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.
