CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield school board voted to approve its collective bargaining agreement with the Clearfield Education Association, the teacher’s union, at a special meeting Monday night.
It was approved retroactively to July 1, 2015, as negotiations have been ongoing for 18 months. It’s a four-year agreement that will expire June 30, 2019, according to Superintendent Terry Struble.
There were regular meetings on an at least monthly basis. A fact finder’s report was previously approved by both the board and the CEA, which settled the remaining differences, he said.
The agreement, he said, covers 186 teachers, school nurses and guidance counselors. It includes salary increases at an average of slightly less than 3 percent, or $1,500 per employee per year.
Additionally, Struble said teachers will increase their contributions on a monthly basis to the health care plan format that they currently have or switch their plan to a high-deductible format.
He also noted that compensatory time has been eliminated to keep teachers in the classroom. A multitude of changes, he said, were made due to the grade level reconfigurations and consolidation.
“[We would like to say] thanks to the teachers for working the 2015-16 school year without interruption to any of our student needs or activities,” Struble said.
He also thanked the board’s negotiation committee of Larry Putt, Mary Anne Jackson, Gail Ralston and Tim Morgan for their time, effort and dedication for the district’s students.
Maintenance Garage
The board also voted to authorize the administration to put out for bid the specifications for the proposed construction of a new maintenance garage at the Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School campus.
Wilson Fisher of Hess & Fisher Engineers of Clearfield briefly reviewed the plans for the maintenance garage with the school board last month. The Lawrence Township Supervisors have approved the land development plans for the building.
Proposed plans are to construct a 60 feet wide by 120 feet long maintenance garage. It will be located in the area of the multi-sport stadium at the CAJSHS campus, according to previously published GANT News reports.
The total construction time will be around 90 days and will wrap up in early fall after school starts. The total cost is being estimated between $250,000 and $300,000, Fisher told the board last month.
Prior to the board’s vote, Ralston sought to table putting specifications out to bid for the proposed maintenance garage. She wanted the board to fulfill its due diligence to the public and take additional time to study the project specifications, especially when it will be asking for a tax increase for the upcoming year.
Ralston felt the board had only heard “bits and pieces” about the proposed maintenance garage; hadn’t studied the specifications; and should engage in further discussion rather than briefly on occasion.
Rick Bunning, director of buildings and grounds, said they were trying to get the new maintenance garage constructed in order to get the district’s vehicles and equipment out of the weather.
Struble said he felt the board had engaged in a lot of discussion since the maintenance garage was first proposed during the district’s feasibility study. He also called attention to the dilapidated conditions of the district’s current maintenance facility on River Road.
Board member Dr. Michael Spencer said he didn’t support tabling it and was willing to let the district bid out the specifications for the proposed maintenance garage. Putt asked if Ralston wanted to make a formal motion to table the matter, which she did; however, it died for lack of second.
Jackson then made a motion for the board to authorize the administration to put out for bid the specifications for the proposed construction of a maintenance garage. Spencer seconded the motion, which was approved, 6-1, with Ralston being the nay vote.
Board members Jennifer Hughes and Susan Mikesell were absent from the board meeting.
Energy Savings Project
The district is currently considering an Energy Service Companies (ESCO) project at the Clearfield Area Elementary School campus. If approved by the board, it would consist of upgrades to increase the efficiency of the elementary school’s boiler, HVAC systems, etc., in the old section of the building.
Struble said three companies had shown interest in completing the project, and administrators had narrowed it down to two – the McClure Co. and Johnson Controls.
Representatives from both detailed how, if chosen, they would work closely with the district’s administrators to develop, design, install, measure, verify, operate and maintain an energy-efficiency project that would pay for itself through a guaranteed savings over the lifetime of the contract.
After hearing their presentations Monday night, Struble said both were very good and capable and it would ultimately depend upon which company the board members felt most comfortable with. “The administration couldn’t make the decision that’s why we invited both here,” he said.
He added that McClure Co. and Johnson Controls are like twins, and they often work together on projects. Struble said administrators could confer further, narrow it down to one and bring a recommendation to board members for consideration at the June 20 meeting.
