Uniontown Area approves assistant superintendent contract
UNIONTOWN — The Uniontown Area School Board approved a five-year contract for its assistant to the superintendent.
Under the new contract, Daniel Bosnic, who has served in the position for 3½ years, will receive a salary of $110,000, with a 3 percent raise in year two of the contract, 4 percent in years three and four, and 5 percent in year five.
While Bosnic is covered under the Act 93 administrative compensation plan that encompasses most district administrators, Superintendent Dr. Charles Machesky said he suggested the board offer Bosnic an individual contract to reward him for his service to the district and to not risk losing him to another school district in search of a superintendent.
“For the past three years, (Bosnic) has been replicating the duties of a superintendent, and he’s ready to step up to next level,” said Machesky, who himself performs superintendent duties pro bono.
“Dan is familiar with the district, the staff, the culture. He deserves to be compensated for the role he plays in this district from both an education and leadership standpoint. He has earned the respect of the board,” Machesky said.
The current Act 93 contract expires June 30, Machesky said.
Bosnic formerly served as principal at the district’s Benjamin Franklin School. He was appointed to his current position in September 2014 at a salary of $85,000.
At the time, Machesky had recommended that the position be filled by a person within the administrative staff who either possessed a doctorate in education or was enrolled in a doctorate program.
Bosnic will graduate this spring from a doctoral program at Duquesne University, Machesky said.
Uniontown Area School District has not paid a superintendent salary since Machesky’s official retirement in 2012. Since that time, Machesky has worked without a salary and will continue to serve as superintendent at no cost to the district through April 2020.
In other personnel matters, the board appointed Jennifer George principal of grades K-5 at Lafayette School at a salary of $70,000.
George, who started the school year as the school’s assistant principal under Tracey Kuchar, has served as acting principal at the building since Kuchar’s departure in September.
George will be joined in tandem by Lauren Clemmer, who was hired Monday as principal of grades 6-8 at the school.
Machesky said the demanding K-8 school has historically required two principals.
Clemmer, who is currently employed as a teacher in the Albert Gallatin Area School District, is expected to join Lafayette later this month at the end of the second nine-month grading period, said Machesky.
Clemmer is a former Uniontown Area teacher. She will receive a salary of $70,000 without healthcare benefits.
Machesky announced Monday that the district received a letter from the state Department of Education’s federal programs division indicating that one of its elementary schools is a top performing Title 1 school in Pennsylvania.
Wharton School will be recognized as a Distinguished Title 1 School during a ceremony at the 2018 Pennsylvania Title 1 Improving School Performance Conference.
Also Monday, the board:
n Hired Paul Edward Frey as a custodial/maintenance employee at A.J. McMullen, Jamie Cervone as a part-time cleaning person at the high school and Corey Peton as a part-time cleaning person at Ben Franklin School.
n Approved the 2017 preliminary delinquent real estate tax totals.
n Approved the Franklin Playground Committee to order recreational equipment for Franklin School in the amount of $17,295. To date, the committee has raised $17,830 for the project.
n Accepted the retirements of special/alternative education department secretaries Krista Thompson and Pamela Work, effective June 30. Machesky said at least one of the positions will be filled.
n Accepted the resignation of Beth Guty as a paraprofessional assigned to Menallen School and approved her request to return to the substitute list for secretaries, clerks and aides.
n Added Rikki Brown, Sarah Helms, Erik Kost, George Ross and Kathryn Ann Super to the professional substitute list.
n Accepted the resignation of Janelle Cooper as assistant junior high volleyball coach.