Board refuses to extend contract for support staff
Posted: Sunday, May 22, 2011 12:00 am
morrisville schools
Morrisville School District will not extend the contract for its custodial, secretarial and maintenance staff.
The 6-0-1 school board vote came at a special meeting last week. The motion was to extend the current contract of the Morrisville Educational Support Personnel Association's 13 members for one year, until June 30, 2012.
School Director Yvonne Ruthrauff abstained without providing a reason. School Director Marlys Mihok wasn't at the special meeting, which followed a board work session she had attended Wednesday night. And school Director Gloria Heater wasn't at either meeting.
Not voting to extend the contract had nothing to do with a proposal to outsource custodial services, according to Paul DeAngelo, the district's business administrator. Instead, the vote was based on the fact that the contract was not financially neutral because it called for employee health care contributions to remain the same.
"The membership was willing to maintain a pay freeze for 2011-12 if the contract was extended; however, the district's health care cost increased 15 percent for 2011-12 school year," DeAngelo said.
He added that, "The district has performed a (request for a proposal) for possible outsourcing of our custodial services; however, and I stress, we continue to bargain in good faith with this group. Our next negotiation session is scheduled for June 2."
Board President Bill Hellmann has said that the district needs to go out to bid on custodial services in order to determine what the cost would be per the market, allowing the district to be in a better negotiating position.
The board considered outsourcing when preliminary estimates had the district facing a deficit of more than $2 million for the 2011-12 school year. That gap has since been closed and a budget vote will be held June 29 meeting, a day before the deadline.
Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com Follow Gema attwitter.com/deadlineduarte
2 comments:
if the union doesn't think their going to be outsourced they are foolish
If you are angry or you are getting there go to the Weds board meeting at 730pm this week and speak up. The community needs to come together and show it is important to you and there is a face behind the student #
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