BY STACI WILSON

The Blue Ridge School District is looking to hire a new business manager.

During a special board meeting, held Monday prior to the scheduled “work session,” the board accepted, with regret, business manager Penny Greene’s letter of intent to retire, effective Oct. 16.

During the scheduled “workshop” – a non-voting meeting – the board discussed criteria the board would be looking for in a business manager candidate. Tops on the list for candidates to possess are school experience with a CPA preferred.

The board gave its approval for District Superintendent Robert McTiernan to advertise the position in the Binghamton and Scranton areas, as well as through the school board association and the district website.
The superintendent asked members if he should include a salary for the position in the advertisement.

In the past, McTiernan said the position paid $125,000 per year, including wages and benefits; and then about $80,000, including wages and benefits.

Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner asked the other school directors in attendance for their thoughts on a salary for the position. After some back and forth, with ranges of $65,000-$75,000 and $75,000-$85,000.

Board member Michael Detwiler offered the salary on the higher range of the numbers bandied about by the board would more likely bring in the type of candidate the district was looking for. “That resume is what we’re looking for,” he said.

Other board members countered that the district should attempt to find someone at a lower end salary in order to give the district more room in negotiations.

“It depends on how long you want to drag things out,” Detwiler offered.

McTiernan said the $60,000 salary advocated by some members fell well below other business manager salaries in the region.

“I can’t see offering $80,000 to anyone,” Board member Chris Whitney said.

The salary range for the position – determined by the tacit approval of the board at the non-voting workshop – was set at a range of $65,000-$80,000.

Bonner said the board did not require a vote to give the superintendent permission to advertise the position. The superintendent said he planned to advertise the position this week -prior to the board’s Oct. 6 business meeting.

Also in the workshop, the board gave its nod to the superintendent to up the pay rate and hours for an after-school nursing position the district is looking to fill. Without a vote, the board gave its approval for an increase in the pay offered (from $20 per hour to $25 per hour) and hours per week were increased to 20 hours per week. The district is seeking someone that holds a minimum of a LPN certification, or paramedic. A registered nurse is preferred.

In other business, the board reviewed agenda items for the Monday, Oct. 8 business meeting, including some IT upgrades to network storage and the infrastructure of the school camera system servers.

Board member Shane Rumage said issues with the school’s roof need to be addressed. Work – estimated to cost $250,000-$300,000 – next summer would repair seams in danger of failing and get the roof ready to be resurfaced. The work, if completed next year, would extend the current warranty by five years, according to Rumage. He said the roof would need to be resurfaced in about six to eight years. If the roof fail, Rumage warned, the cost of total replacement would be $2-3 million.

Bonner reported the fundraising committee has abandoned its efforts to put together an alumni event for February. Instead, she said, the committee is considering soliciting donations to continue with the board scholarships. She also said the committee would like to consider raffling off an item and asked if the high school woodshop would consider creating a large item that could be raffled by the committee.

Several policies will come before the board for review, including a state mandated change to the graduation requirements.

The district and the teachers union has still not arrived at a contract agreement. Bonner said there has no movement on negotiations and the board is “awaiting a complete counter-proposal from BREA (Blue Ridge Education Association).”

In addition to accepting Greene’s retirement in the business meeting portion, the board also approve hiring Lisa Carpenetti as a long-term substitute for the Pre-K. The position is expected to be in place only for this school year.

Other hires included the addition of four non-instructional substitutes and one instructional substitute.
The board of education will hold its business meeting on Oct.6, 7 p.m., in the school cafeteria.