MILL HALL — Personnel items were one of the hotter topics at the Keystone Central School District Board of Directors’ first 2025 work session.
During a review of a list of personnel items to be addressed at the board’s Jan. 16 voting session, some board members asked for clarification regarding some of the roles.
Board member Chris Scaff asked about considerations of hiring two people to fill roles while staff are on approved leave.
“What happens to these two positions when those on the approved leave come back,” he asked.
Superintendent Dr. Francis Redmon said the individuals are considered long-term substitutes.
“Those people will transition when those two come back. We’re only hiring for the time those (other) people are available,” Redmon said.
Scaff also questioned another item listed under the personnel heading of the agenda – the creation of a maintenance planner. The Board will consider the job description for this position and an MOU during its vote.
According to the board’s agenda, management is recommending that the position be created due to a maintenance supervisor retiring this month.
“In an effort to improve the productivity and efficiency of the property services business, the administration is proposing to repurpose this position into the maintenance planner job description,” the agenda states. “There would be no change in pay/benefits, just job responsibilities.”
Redmon emphasized that the position is not new and that the district would not be adding additional staff, just replacing a retiring employee and adjusting duties.
“It will actually make it more efficient,” noted board chairman Roger Elling.
Scaff said he had received emails from district employees expressing concern about potentially creating more management positions.
“We’re not. We’re moving from one position to another,” Redmon said.
Scaff said he had hoped Property Services Manager Sam Hoy would have been present at Thursday’s meeting to answer questions related to the functions of the Property Services Office.
He questioned the need for a maintenance planner if Hoy’s position, as he saw it, would include such responsibilities.
Later, during the review of the job description, Redmon further explained why the administration chose to adjust the maintenance manager position.
“In an organization the size of ours, you often have someone whose primary role is to find out the individual’s tasks that need to be done, preventive maintenance systems and getting parts ordered, making sure people know how to do the job, what tools are needed, know how long the individual jobs take to complete,” he said. “That person basically oversees the scheduling of all that. It’s because we have nine buildings spread over quite a large area, that person is really focused on that.”
Redmon told Scaff that he would like to facilitate discussions with staff members who were not comfortable taking their concerns directly to administration.
“I would live to facilitate discussions with those members who are afraid to speak. Let’s talk it out with the employees to make sure they understand the transition we’re trying to make,” he said.
Scaff said he would try to arrange a meeting.
“As long as we can work through it and try to calm things down,” he said.
In other personnel-related discussion, board member Elisabeth Lynch questioned the hiring of two temporary tax office secretaries and what they would do.
“They will be doing the tax office work that the previous people who filled those positions were,” Redmon replied.
Lynch further asked how many hours they would work and what that would look like, following the board’s decision to terminate its contract with the Clinton County Tax Collection Committee to collect its earned income taxes.
Chief Business Officer Joni MacIntyre told the board, following the December vote to no longer provide those services “as soon as practicable,” the administration decided to temporarily fill the positions until the contract with TCC is finalized.
“They’re going to work 35 hours a week, they’re just not going to be full-time. When we no longer need those positions, we don’t have to keep them. They fully understand that it’s a temporary position,” MacIntyre said.
MacIntyre said that while the positions are temporary, they would receive benefits while employed by the district, but added that they would not receive bidding rights or other opportunities that full-time employees received.
“They get union benefits, the only difference is they won’t have seniority rights beyond this temporary period,” Redmon added.
MacIntyre told the board that the benefits they receive will not continue after their completion of the job.
The board will consider the following personnel matters at its vote on Thursday, January 16:
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Support
— Leave of absence for Tamara Simmons, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective January 21 through March 18, 2025. Absence is uncompensated.
— Leave of absence for Tawnya Gilberthorp, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, from November 20 to November 22, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.
— Leave of absence for Leann Styers, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective November 25, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.
— Leave of absence for Ashley Meskell, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective November 25, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.
EMPLOYMENT
Support
— Hiring Ashley Kelley, General Cafeteria Worker at Bucktail/Renovo Campus, effective January 6, 2025 at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the general fund under the ESP contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Hiring Michelle Fye, Building Assistant at Central Mountain High School, effective January 6, 2025 at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the general fund under the ESP contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Hiring Jessica Pryde, special education secretary 7 hours/day, 260 days/year, in the administration, effective January 21, 2025 at a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the general fund under the CCESPA contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Hiring of Linzy Carson, Maintenance – Inventory Distribution Clerk in the Property Services Office, effective to be determined at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the General Fund under the ESP contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Employment of Olivia Perryman, personal nursing assistant at Central Mountain Middle School, effective to be determined at a rate of $17.25/hour, paid from the general fund under the ESP contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Hiring Lori Jones, interim tax/tax office secretary, in the administration, effective at a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the general fund under the CCESPA contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Hiring of Tanya Hackenberg, interim fiscal/fiscal office secretary, at the Administration, effective at a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the general fund under the CCESPA contract. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Appointed due to vacancy.
— Approve the following volunteers for the 2024-2025 school year: Lisa Rusczyk, Raven McCloskey, Robert Sparrow, Candace Redis, Kali Schenck, Michael Raudabaugh, Jodie Dutton
— Approve the following drivers and assistants for Susquehanna Transit for the 2024-2025 school year. Employment is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all required background checks meeting the appropriate standard(s) under Pennsylvania law: Stephanie Jolin, Van Driver/Assistant; Holly Eck, driver
— Approve the following SMILES volunteers for the 2024-2025 school year: Wileen Matter
Professional
— Hiring Abbey Dunaway, as a long-term substitute, 4th grade teacher, at Mill Hall Elementary School, for the second semester of the 24-25 school year, placed at BS, Step 1, at a salary of $53,000, prorated, effective January 20 2024. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of all necessary paperwork including, but not limited to, any necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standards required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to approved leave.
— Hiring of Saige Whipple, as a long-term substitute, STEM teacher, at Central Mountain Middle School, for the second semester of the 24-25 school year, placed at BS, Step 1, at a salary of $53,000, prorated, effective Jan. . standard(s) required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to approved leave.
TRANSFERS
Professional
— Transferring Seth Cooper, chemistry teacher at CMHS to biotechnology instructor at the Career and Technical Center effective the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.
TERMINATION/RETIREMENT/TERMINATION
Support
— Termination of Sandra Ransdorf, 210-day custodian, at Renovo Elementary School, effective January 17, 2025.
