BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

Mountain View school directors appointed Karen Voigt to a four-year term as superintendent at their meeting Monday night, June 8. Voigt is also the district’s Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and administers its federal grant programs.

Voigt, a resident of South Abington Twp., has been serving as acting superintendent since June 2014 after the contract of former superintendent Francine Shea was terminated.

Voigt’s contract runs from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019, at an annual salary of $110,000.

As those in the room applauded the appointement, Voigt commented, “It’s a little overwhelming to think of the task ahead of me, and I thank everyone for their support.”

Amid complaints from the public present at the meeting (which included several faculty members) about the district’s cafeteria food, especially in the elementary school, district maintenance director Robert Taylor proposed the purchase of six new ovens for the high school cafeteria.

“Two and a half ovens in the kitchen have died,” Taylor pronounced to the board. “Two are out and the third is tempermental. Repairs are turning the ovens into money pits.”

Taylor offered the board a quote from a state bid of $68,900 for six new Rational brand self-cooking ovens. “Through a steam process,” Taylor explained, “these ovens can even cook spaghetti.”

He added that the current ovens are 15 years old, and if a total of six new ovens are purchased, there is a discount of $1,000 on each oven. The board approved the purchase, using funds remaining in the 2014-15 maintenance budget.

Taylor also told the board that the district’s van used to transport small groups of students and faculty to special events “no longer works.” He quoted a state bid of $29,000 to purchase a 2016 Ford Transit van for which funds could also come out of the maintenance budget.

“The cost of a van like this would normally be about $35,000,” Taylor said. He added that the van could carry eight passengers plus equipment, and 10 passengers if the driver has a commercial bus license.

The board approved the purchase of the van.

An overestimate of the number of lockers needing replacement on the first floor of the high school will result in a savings of around $30,000. Taylor said the company providing the lockers based the original price of $85,000 on the need for 334 lockers. He said after recounting them, he found there are only 218 lockers, and the company will make the price adjustment accordingly.

Faculty members present complained about continuing problems with new classroom phones, especially the lack of a flashing light indicating they have messages, and the inability of parents to call through to their phones without being diverted to voice mail. The board requested that Taylor arrange for a representative to attend a board meeting to discuss a solution to the problems.

District business manager Joseph Patchcoski told the board that as the school year ends the district has funds of $800,000, but with a “$1 million payroll coming up, we’ll be $200,000 in the hole.”

“We didn’t take in as much income this year as expected,” Patchcoski explained.

In her report, Voigt said the district is looking into improvements to the elementary school playground. “We want to see what the conditions are and what needs to be replaced,” she said, “so we can have a safe and fun place to play not only for our students but also for the community that uses the playground after hours.”

High school 10th-grader Abagail Mecca led four other students to speak to the board regarding the ongoing impasse in the faculty contract negotiations with the district.

After reciting a list of extracurricular activities students enjoy, Mecca pleaded with the board to expedite a contract. “The teachers do a lot for us,” she stated, “and without them as advisors and coaches, students wouldn’t have these activities.”