The workshop of the Blue Ridge School Board on January 27th covered a lot of ground, giving all members ‒ and especially the 3 new ones ‒ an opportunity to examine some of the nitty-gritty of public school administration up close. Board president Laurie Brown-Bonner started off a bit late, explaining that an executive session was held covering negotiations (on a contract with the teachers), and personnel with respect to the upcoming audit presentation.
She then asked Middle/High School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski to present his outstanding seniors for December. Mark Oakley said he expects to study agriculture at Penn State beginning next Fall. And Kelly Gordon wants to study communications, with a goal of a career in public relations.
Mark Oakley
Kelly Gordon
The Board was also expecting to hear from 3 staff members selected for recognition. They will be Kristen Hinkley for consistently outstanding public service, in part through the school’s Leo Club; Jenna Kogut for expertly performing the Heimlich maneuver to remove a cough drop; and Cara Goff, for properly preventing an improperly credentialed staffer from entering the school. Administrators said the presentations would be made at the next business meeting, in February.
Superintendent Robert McTiernan uses these workshops to present items that are expected to be on the next business agenda. The board can expect to hear the annual report of the district’s external auditors. They will learn of a staff retirement decision; the board will be curious to know if the position will be refilled. They will consider petitions for reimbursement for course credits; some classes of personnel must get board approval and Mr. McTiernan will want to know if that requirement should be policy for all.
Mr. McTiernan asked the board to consider district policy with regard to “1302 residency affidavits.” Section 1302 of the Pennsylvania school code covers students applying to attend a public school outside of the district in which they live. Under some circumstances, tuition-free attendance can be permitted. The question arises as to how to verify the legitimacy of a claim to free admittance.
Mr. McTiernan said that Blue Ridge now has about 12 such cases. He wants guidance on how to go about investigating these situations, in particular, in such a way that does not violate anyone’s rights, nor puts the district in any legal jeopardy.
A lively discussion ensued, with all board members agreeing that the superintendent should be charged with verifying these claims with discretion. Questioned on some details, Mr. McTiernan said that regular tuition at Blue Ridge would be about $12,000. Students with special needs, however, could be more costly to educate. Children of Blue Ridge staff are exempt from such requirements.
On the other hand, Mr. McTiernan noted that the fact that the issue comes up at all “tells us that people want to be here.”
The Board then heard from Technology Coordinator Mike Stewart about the new phone system being planned for the district to make use of the recently installed fast network backbone. The Board budgeted $51,000 for the project, and Mr. Stewart has found a vendor who will install the system for that price. He has also talked with Bronson Stone at Susquehanna, which district is planning a similar installation except that theirs will be “hosted,” and also cheaper.
Such a “voice-over-IP” (VOIP) digital phone system requires the support of special switching and server systems. With a “hosted” system, the vendor provides the support services at their own data center. Mr. McTiernan voiced a concern that, with a configuration like that, should the district’s network service become unavailable, so would the phones; he said they have experienced several network outages in recent months. Mr. Stewart said that for another $60 per month or so, a backup cable system could be installed.
On the other hand, since Blue Ridge is in the service area of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Telephone Company, a VOIP service outside the area would mean that the district would have to give up its 465 exchange.
Asked about 911 emergency service using a VOIP system (hosted or local), Mr. Stewart said that there would probably remain at least one analog telephone connection to the campus. He will continue to study the options and report back later.
Mr. McTiernan said that a new contract with the Red Cross will be presented to the board for approval, covering use of the campus as an emergency shelter. The district would like to ensure that the educational purpose of the campus be preserved if at all possible while buildings are serving as shelter during a disaster. There is also the question of the authority of the Red Cross or the county emergency management agency to declare the need for shelter at the school. He said that the district’s suitability as a shelter is not in question, as amply demonstrated a couple times in the past. The district even has a barn which can be used to house displaced pets temporarily.
Ms. Brown-Bonner called on committee chairs to report, and Harold Empett led off with some consternation about the attitude of the Leatherstocking Gas Company, which has apparently taken the position that Blue Ridge is blocking their effort to bring domestic natural gas to the community. Nothing could be further from the truth, said Mr. Empett. He said the district fully supports the project, but may not be able to serve as an “anchor” site in the New Milford area unless the delivered price of natural gas becomes competitive with the wood chips that Blue Ridge now uses as a primary heating fuel. Since natural gas now sells for about 5 times what Blue Ridge pays for equivalent heating with wood chips, that’s not likely to happen.
It appears that Leatherstocking would like Blue Ridge to convert to use natural gas exclusively. Aside from a primary heating fuel, the district has said conversion of its secondary oil burners, as well as its kitchen equipment, is a possibility. But that may not be enough for Leatherstocking, whose attitude some characterized as that of a bully. And Mr. McTiernan said that very little fuel oil has been used this year, even with the unusually cold weather we’ve had. Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Price and Mr. Empett’s Facilities & Grounds Committee have estimated that conversion to an all-natural-gas heating plant would involve an upfront cost well upwards of $150,000.
Dr. Patrick MacConnell, one of the new members of the Board, was given the chair of the Wellness Committee and confessed that he was overwhelmed with the agenda he inherited. So for the time being he deferred to Mr. Nebzydoski, who described the committee’s special focus on nutrition. He said that the vast majority of students buy their lunches at school ‒ spinach notwithstanding. The Elementary School offers free breakfasts, and many others also purchase breakfast at school.
Ms. Brown-Bonner and Mr. McTiernan reported that the Finance Committee will begin to consider a new budget beginning in February and March.
Christina Whitney announced that her Career Development Committee will develop a grant application for as much as $500,000 from a pool of some $2 million that is expected to be available to 45 districts nationwide. The grants are targeted at cooperative/collaborative efforts between communities and businesses and Ms. Whitney and Mr. McTiernan think that significant Blue Ridge initiatives in that direction should be helpful.
Ms. Brown-Bonner reported that her Fundraising Committee has already met to begin planning for the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament, scheduled this year for May 10 at the Conklin Players Club.
Mr. McTiernan reported that several policy changes are in the pipeline. One of them would grant the district’s tax collectors another 5 days to submit their monthly reports. The tax collectors have requested the extension in part because of some shifts in the organization of the U. S. Postal Service in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Superintendent said that some have suggested a new policy covering closing and early dismissal for extremely cold weather. Most of the Board members seemed to think that responsibility for dealing with cold weather belongs with the parents, understanding that hats, coats, gloves and boots are available and often supplied at the school in extreme cases, sometimes at a teacher’s own expense. They agreed to leave decisions in such cases in the hands of the Superintendent.
The Board has 2 new committees. The “Intergovernmental/Community Relations” Committee to be chaired by Chris Lewis, will try to maintain cooperative relationships with the communities in the Blue Ridge area.
And a liaison will be appointed at the next meeting to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), the primary lobbying organization for public schools in the state. Ms. Brown-Bonner noted that there will be a national conference of public school boards in April in New Orleans. She said that, while the budget does allow for one or two delegates to the national convention, she has found that the state conferences are much more relevant and useful.
The evening finished up with a cake celebrating PSBA’s School Board Directors Recognition Month.
The next public meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board will take place on February 10, 2014, beginning at 7:00pm. A business meeting, it will gather in the cafeteria in the Elementary School.