By Heidi Zemach

Special to The Ridgway Record

JOHNSONBURG – The Johnsonburg Area School Board voted unanimously to support a just-negotiated agreement between the support staff representatives and school district union negotiators last night.
Under the terms of the three-year agreement, the 11 local cafeteria workers will remain employed by the district and the prospect of outsourcing their jobs with a private food service company will no longer happen.
Further details of the negotiated agreement were not available.
Since May, the outsourcing issue has brought concerned cafeteria workers and concerned citizens to most of the monthly board meetings, all of whom came to show, or to voice opinions against the outsourcing, which Robert Paladino, the board’s president, and Superintendent Walter Fitch had said would save the school district between $30-35,000 per year. 

 Following the meeting, School Board Solicitor Mark Jacobs said that the outpouring of public sentiment had not influenced the negotiations. Jacobs said the negotiators on behalf of the school district had believed that the public did not have all the facts, or even the correct facts. For instance, he said, people kept wrongly claiming that the district was hoping to hire a Pittsburg-based food service company, when in fact, they weren’t.
Jacobs acknowledged however that the closed-door nature of contract negotiations prevented the actual facts from being discussed with the public or media. The show of community support for retaining the local cafeteria staff didn’t sway Paladino either, he said. Paladino was one of three negotiators for the district.
“I was going to do what was right for the district,” Paladino said. “That included leaving the cafeteria workers in the picture.”
Fitch announced that there will be training during the Feb. 6 for cafeteria workers on food safety. That training will review the “Hazard Analysis Control Point,” record keeping, and how to avoid salmonella among other things.
The board also:
n Voted to rejected the low bid from Johnson Motors for the purchase of a 2009 four-wheel drive Chevrolet Suburban that could transport nine passengers. The Suburban would have cost $34,400 including the trade-in for the district’s 1999 two-wheel drive vehicle. The board will re-advertise new specs for a 9-passenger vehicle — possibly even a used one.
– Voted to put playground equipment for the elementary school out for bid, to replace all the aging, unsafe equipment currently at the school.
– Gave final approval for the bullying/cyberbullying policy No. 249.
– Granted permission to advertise for summer maintenance workers.
– Added Emily Parana to the teacher substitute list.
– Added Kelli Lowe to the cafeteria substitute list.
– Approved payment of $800 to the Johnsonburg Knothole Association.
– Approved Kurt Pile, high school principal, and Mathew Walter, athletic director, as signers to the JAHS athletic account.
– Approved James Grumley and Curt Breakey as interim 7th grade boys’ basketball coaches at a pro–rated salary.
– Approved maternity leave for Gina Schreiber.
– Added Tara Lindgren to the teacher’s substitute list.
– Approved Barbara Thorwart for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.
– Approved Jesse Schreiber to work with Principal Crotzer as an intern.