NEW WATERFORD - With current economic conditions, having employees voluntarily agree to a one-year pay freeze was an offer Crestview's board of education was happy to accept Wednesday night.
"I don't know where you can find this any other place," Superintendent John Dilling said of both the classified staff members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees and Crestview Education Association members. "OAPSE came to us (with the offer). It speaks volumes about our staff and their commitment to the district."
Both unions agreed to a memorandum of understanding to mostly roll over their current contracts for the school year Sept. 1, 2010, to Aug. 31, 2011. A few changes were made in regard to making their benefits compliant with the Mental Health Parity Act that lifts the cap on days that can be taken for mental health and compliant with Michelle's Law. The latter allows those employees who are parents of a college-aged student who becomes unable to continue with their education because of a health issue to keep them on the health insurance. In the case of the CEA, there were additional changes for instructional tutors, supplemental positions and catastrophic illnesses benefits.
In addition to the two unions, the contracts of administrators up for renewal for next year were rolled over with no increase. The board approved the contracts for Andris Baltputnis, the assistant high school/middle school principal and athletic director; Darlene Peddicord, the cafeteria supervisor; Daniel Hill, the special education coordinator, and Daryl Miller, technology coordinator.
An item on the agenda was to grant a one-year contract to Dilling, also without a pay raise. The board went into executive session after 9:15 p.m. Wednesday to review Dilling's performance and planned to address the agenda item when they came out of the executive session.
The board also accepted the resignation effective June 10 of Wilmer Lower, supervisor of transportation and mechanic. Many good things were said about Lower, who was nominated by his staff of bus drivers as the March Rebel Pride recipient.
Another retirement resignation was accepted for Lisa Rudloff, Title I Reading teacher, effective March 31.
In other matters before the board:
- The contract was awarded for the new boilers to replace the 50-year-old boilers with more energy-efficient models that also will service the newly planned Crestview Performing Arts Center. The bid went to CD Whitfield Company of Cleveland for a price of $170,622. The bid was the lowest of nine received and below the engineer's estimate for the project, which was $172,790.
Terry McCoy, architect from Strollo and Associates, told the board he believed they were right to proceed with the project at this economic time as is evident by the bids received.
The board also voted to begin advertising for bids for the site work for the project. It will mean moving parking and traffic patterns so that the project can begin and be done during next school year. An additional bid will be sought to add surfacing to the football parking lot.
- The board approved the artwork for the sign for the new soccer complex. Board member John Garwood, who led the groups of volunteers who built the fields, said the sign will include CR in black granite with gold leaf inlay, an etched picture of two soccer players with one wearing his son, Zach's, number 3. The fields were built as a tribute to Zach, who enjoyed playing soccer before his death.
Garwood said he chose not to put Zach's picture on the sign because "we didn't want it to be a monument, but a representation of the kids at Crestview.
The cost of the sign and brickwork around it, estimated at $4,470, will be paid for by donations.
- The board accepted several donations, including one from the Columbiana Community Foundation, Inc. of $5,984, which will be used to purchase a new scoreboard for the baseball fields.
