The State College Area School Board on Monday approved a contract for its custodial, maintenance and food service workers.
The board also appointed a new principal for Mount Nittany Elementary, authorized the purchase of property next to the the Panorama Village Administrative Center and heard an update on the District-Wide Facilities Master Plan.
AFSCME Contract
The board unanimously approved a new five year contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFL-CIO Council 83. The union had previously approved the contract on Saturday.
The agreement begins July 1 and lasts through June 30 2021. The terms of the new contract include salary increases and a new health care program that increases employee cost-sharing.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, the new health insurance plan includes a PPO higher employee contributions and 10 percent co-insurance requirement; a qualified high-deductible health plan (QHDHP) with no co-insurance requirement; a health savings account for employees enrolled in the QHDHP; and no spousal coverage if the employee’s spouse has access to comparable coverage through his or her own employer.
“The contract is the result of several months of collaborative and constructive discussions between the board and the union leadership on a number of issues,” Board President Amber Concepcion said in a release. “We would like to thank the union leadership for approaching contract negotiations as a joint effort with the Board, and for all of their time and work toward developing a contract that meets the needs of both parties.”
Administration Changes
The hiring of Mark Feldman as principal of Mount Nittany Elementary School was unanimously approved by the board. Feldman had been assistant principal of Mount Nittany Middle School since 2012, and previously was a math teacher at several area schools. He will replace Debra Latta, who is retiring
Kathy Pechtold was approved as associate principal at State College Area High School, replacing Curits Johnson, who was named principal last month. Pechtold has been in the role in an interim capacity since Johnson’s appointment as principal.
Sharon Salter was named director of special education. She was previously assistant director of special education.
Panorama Village
The district will purchase 3.98 acres of land to expand the Panorama Village Administrative Center site. The property will be purchased for $235,000 from John and Sandra Lieb and according to the administrative recommendation “will enhance the district’s current holding and add flexibility to the property.”
Facilities Master Plan
District Business Administrator Randy Brown said that three additional public forums have been scheduled to discuss the ongoing District-Wide Facilities Master Plan review, which is focused on several of the district’s oldest elementary schools. Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on July 18 at Ferguson Township Elementary, Aug. 15 at Mount Nittany Elementary and Sept. 19 at a location to be determined.
Three meetings have already been held and another is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 16 at Mount Nittany Middle School.
Brown added that the board’s Facilities and Grounds Committee recommended asking the Citizens Advisory Committees (CAC) for Finance and Facilities to provide input to the board during the DWFMP. The CACs will be asked consider several criteria to help evaluate options, including: improving educational experience and student outcomes, safety, flexibility and adaptability, long-term solutions, reasonable taxpayer costs, balanced needs, one-campus or building solutions, operations cost evaluations, minimized impact on students during construction, minimized building footprint and aesthetics.
