Laurel board approves teachers’ contract
The Laurel Highlands School Board has reached a tentative agreement with the district’s teachers union, with directors approving the terms of the deal during a meeting Tuesday. The three-year deal takes effect Aug. 25 and is subject to a vote by the Laurel Highlands Education Association during a meeting Wednesday evening.
James F. Burns, who served on the negotiating team, said 100 hours of bargaining between both sides took place to reach a new deal. He said the administration will provide details of the contract beginning Thursday morning at the administrative offices.
“This contract was professionally done between the union and the administration,” Burns said.
Board President Edward S. George said the board would provide no comment on the contract until the union has approved it.
Directors Beverly Beal, Mary Conway and Shirley Kefover voted against the contract, but were instructed not to comment until after the union’s meeting. District solicitor Gary Frankhouser said it is the position of the district that the contract is not a public document until the teachers ratified the contract.
“Why shouldn’t I be allowed to say something? It’s the taxpayers’ money,” Beal said.
The board met with attorney Lee Price, who served as negotiator for the district, during an executive session prior to the board’s business meeting.
According to information obtained by the Herald-Standard, teachers that retire in the first year of the contract will continue on the district’s group health insurance coverage, with the district paying the premium, until the retiree turns 65. Teachers have to be at least age 50 to qualify for the incentive.
In the two other years of the contract, teachers wishing to take advantage of the incentive must be at least age 55, and the district will pay health insurance premiums for nine years or until the retiree reaches the age of 65, whichever happens first. Retirees can exchange 150 unused sick days for a 10th year of health care coverage paid by the district.
Retiring teachers will be paid $100 per day for all unused sick days, and those who exchange sick days for an additional year of health care coverage will be paid $50 per unused day that remains.
The district will pay for full coverage for all members, though employees will now be required to make $10 co-pays for doctor’s office visits, and pay $10 for generic prescription drugs and $20 for brand name prescription drugs.
Teachers in their 16th through 21st year of service to the district will receive an annual $300 supplementary payment, $400 annually if teachers are in their 22nd through 31st year of service, and $500 annually beginning in the 32nd year and continuing until retirement.
In another matter, the board awarded $6.3 million worth of contracts for the renovation/construction project at Hutchinson Elementary School.
Lone Pine Construction was awarded the general construction contract for $4,501,000; Whitby Inc. received a $842,600 heating, ventilation and air conditioning contract and the $405,000 plumbing contract; Miller Co. was awarded an $860,000 electrical contract, Commercial Appliance received a $175,240 food service equipment contract, and Canfield Development was awarded a $19,800 contract for asbestos abatement.
Site work at the school got under way this summer, but the bulk of the project should begin within 30 days. William Martin, buildings and grounds director, said the site work is complete at the school.
The $6.5 million renovation project should be complete by the start of the 2006-07 school year, according to district plans.
A required part of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s PlanCon (Planning and Construction) process took three months before it was approved, causing much of the work to be pushed back.
Among other business, the board also hired additional faculty for the 2005-06 school year, hiring Robert Lee Landman and Brenda Zelich as high school business teachers, Gwen Yoney as PSSA math coach at the high school, Kim Arison as high school PSSA reading coach, Kelly Collins as a special education teacher, Brandi Fike to fill a guidance/statistical analysis position, and Douglas Sharp as a year-long substitute English teacher at the high school.
Directors also approved the hiring of eight long-term substitute teachers for elementary schools and will be called if/when jobs are available. Those to be placed are Adrialee Duncan, Carrie Cuppett, Sabrina Dowling, Julie Valentic, Erica Hogan, Robert Walters, Toni Leonelli and Michelle Holland.
The board also approved the retirements of Donald C. Santore, Title I math teacher at Clark Elementary; Brent Watson, fourth grade teacher at Hutchinson Elementary; Martin, itinerant principal and buildings and grounds director; and Barbara Rose, custodian at the high school.