Towanda School Board votes to contract with PSBA to create job descriptions

BY JAMES LOEWENSTEIN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: August 18, 2010

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Review Photo/JAMES LOEWENSTEIN Aaron Lamphere, Towanda High School Class of 2010, was honored this week for having attended kindergarten through 12th grade without missing a day of school.

TOWANDA - In an effort to avoid costly lawsuits, the Towanda School Board has voted to spend $2,900 to have the Pennsylvania School Boards Association train Towanda School District staff to write job descriptions for the school district that will be legally compliant.

Following the 6-1 vote, which took place Monday, the Towanda Area School District will now go forward with the training, said Diane M. Place, superintendent of schools for school district.

In addition, at the meeting, Towanda School District Business Manager Doreen Secor presented information about a proposed refinancing of $2.9 million in bonds that had been issued by the school district in 2006, which, based on the interest rates on Monday, would save the school district over $84,000.

Job descriptions

Without legally compliant job descriptions, "there is liability there (for the school district) for certain kinds of lawsuits," Place told the school board.

Historically, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association has offered a service where it writes job descriptions for school districts, and that service would cost the Towanda School District $4,000, Britta Bjorkedal, the association's director of school personnel services, told the school board.

However, a vote to use the $4,000 service, which would provide 40 job descriptions for the school district, failed to pass, with four "yes" votes and three "nay" votes. Five votes were needed for the motion to pass.

Those voting "yes" were Bob Hettich, Peggi Munkittrick, Susan Portnoff, and Evelyn Sherburne. Those voting "nay" were Pete Alesky, Robert Fetterman, and Keith Lamphere.

After the school board voted down using the $4,000 service, it passed a motion to use a new $2,900 service provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, where the association trains staff of school districts to write the job descriptions themselves. Lamphere cast the sole "nay" vote on using the new service.

The training is provided "so that all the job descriptions are legally compliant with state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act," Place said.

The association, in addition to providing the training, will provide a project manager to provide support to the Towanda School District staff as they write the job descriptions, to make sure they are done properly, Place said.

Moreover, as part of the $2,900 fee, the school district will be able to submit 25 percent of the job descriptions to the association to have them audited by the association, she said.

The Towanda School District has never had a formal program to create job descriptions, and those that were created were done on an as-needed basis, Place has said.

Place has said that she does not have the expertise to write job descriptions in a legally compliant manner.

Refinance

If interest rates remain favorable, the school board will vote in September on whether to refinance the $2.9 million in bonds, Secor said.

Les Bear of Robert W. Baird & Co. of Exton will be meeting with the school board in September to discuss the refinancing. Robert W. Baird & Co. handles the bond issues and refinancings that are done by school district.

Lamphere

Place congratulated Brian Lamphere on his son Aaron's achievement of attending kindergarten through 12th grade without missing a day of school.

Aaron Lamphere, who was a member of the Towanda High School Class of 2010, was class president during his senior year and was on the varsity wrestling, track and field and football teams.

He also appeared in the senior play, Place said.

"He is a great role model to other students," Place said. "He is a highly accomplished young man."

Place said she could not recall another Towanda School District student who had never missed a day of school in 13 years.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

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