Octorara Area School Board hears finance update, approves multiple contracts, leaves and policy first readings

The Octorara Area School District Board of School Directors received a finance update and approved a series of contracts, personnel leaves and policy first readings at its recent meeting.

The board’s finance committee reported that the district is expected to be owed approximately $4,000,000 by the state at the end of the month. The committee also said a conversion to new finance software produced technical difficulties that delayed the full monthly report; the committee said the district expects to provide a corrected report in September after the software issues are resolved.

The board then approved a series of routine agenda items and contracts. The board approved the recommended actions from items a through q, including a reported salary change listed for Melissa Friedman. The transcript lists the change as: “from bachelor’s, $60,729 to bachelor’s plus $1,563,564 dollars step 15 to max.” The board record as presented at the meeting was unclear on the exact numeric intent for the salary change; the transcript text is included in the meeting minutes as read aloud.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes and recommended action items (items a–q), including the salary item for Melissa Friedman (amounts as read aloud in the meeting transcript; numeric wording in the transcript was unclear). Outcome: approved. - Approval of a proposal from Chester County Fencing for a playground fence at the intermediate school, $23,124.13, and a field hockey fence at the (recorded as “primary learning center”) $9,074.60. During discussion a board member noted the agenda wording should refer to…