Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Votes Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Octorara board approves budget items, personnel motions, Job Corps agreement, substitute pay increase and wellness contract
Summary
At its February meeting the Octorara Area School District board approved the general fund list of bills, supplemental coaching contracts, personnel hires and resignations, a Job Corps agreement to avoid classifying participants as dropouts, a corporate wellness agreement with the YMCA, and an addendum raising substitute pay rates.
The Octorara Area School District Board of School Directors approved a slate of routine and recommended items at its meeting. Key outcomes listed below reflect motions taken and recorded votes when provided.
- General fund bills and treasurer's report: The board approved the general fund bills for the period ending Jan. 31, 2025. The packet listed general fund disbursements of $3,661,011.39 and related fund amounts; the board moved and approved the report.
- Supplemental contracts and coaching appointments: The board approved multiple supplemental contracts for the 2024-25 school year, including assistant and head coaching positions and teacher-leader stipends. Notable approvals included assistant varsity baseball/softball and track coaching stipends at stated point and dollar amounts as presented in the packet. The board later amended winter cheer coach contracts to prorate salaries to reflect a January 13 start date; that amendment passed and the motion to approve the contracts then passed.
- Job Corps agreement: Administration said a separate agreement with Job Corps prevents students who enroll in Job Corps from being coded as dropouts by the state; under the arrangement Job Corps assumes educational responsibility and the district will award a diploma if Job Corps requirements are completed. The board approved entering that agreement to avoid loss of district credit for participating students.
- YMCA corporate wellness: The board approved a corporate wellness program agreement with the YMCA of Greater Brandywine effective 04/01/2025 through 03/31/2026 at a stated cost to the district of $3,500, offset in part by $2,000 in wellness credits from IBX.
- ESS Northeast LLC addendum (substitute pay): The board approved an addendum with ESS Northeast LLC to increase substitute teacher rates effective 02/18/2025. During discussion administration said the district raised the day-to-day substitute rate and building-substitute rate by about $20; a speaker recalled figures moving from about $145/day to $170/day and $20 increases in building/substitute daily rates. The board approved the addendum.
- Resignations, hires, hours and personnel motions: The board accepted resignations (for example, a nurse and an assistant varsity softball coach effective dates listed in the packet), approved various hires and appointments (instructional assistants, student co-op participants, mentors, and other support staff) pending completion of required employee documents, approved a voluntary reduction in hours for an instructional assistant, and approved changes to salaries based on graduate credits earned for named teachers. All motions were approved as presented.
- Diploma issuance and guidance plan: The board approved issuance of a diploma for "Student A" and approved the K-12 school guidance plan for 2024-25.
Votes on routine agenda blocks were recorded as "all those in favor say aye" for many items; specific roll-call tallies were given for some contested items (for example, the Devopar Consulting interim principal contract passed 7-2 and is reported separately). Where the packet listed point and stipend amounts, those amounts were read into the record and approved as presented.
The meeting included committee reports from education, policy and finance committees and several administrator comments and recognitions; no other contested ordinance or resolution votes occurred during the session.
