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CANFIELD – The South Range School Board this week approved a pay increase for substitute babysitters, helpers and bus drivers.
Council approved a pay increase for caretakers and substitute helpers to $ 11 an hour and bus drivers to $ 16 an hour.
Superintendent of Schools Bethany Carlson said the increases are in response to surrounding districts who are also increasing their salaries.
“To at least not lose who we have here, we felt it was time we needed to make sure we honor our employees,” she said.
The board of directors also approved a memorandum of understanding with the South Range Education Association and the South Range Classified Education Association to continue the days off regarding the Covid pandemic. The MOU provides for the continuation of an agreement that allows 10 days of leave not counted in employee sick leave in quarantine cases for Covid. Carlson said action was needed last year during the pandemic and will continue this year.
Additionally, the board of trustees approved the high school robotics club for the 2021-2022 school year with Erin Burns, Jeffrey Burns, and Nikki Cardinal as unpaid volunteer counselors.
Under staff, the board approved Christine Horton and Sue Kennedy as part-time teaching assistants, Kaden Shehan for technology support at $ 11 per hour as needed, Chris Kondas as daily substitute teacher $ 100 per day until December 2021, Kara Cullar as a student assisting in the cafeteria of the K-12 complex for the 2021-2022 school year at the rate of $ 8.76 per hour not to exceed three hours per day , Dan Pappalardo and Brenda Petit as English teachers, Tammy Witmer as OBI (on board instructor) for the 2021-2022 school year at the rate of $ 20 per hour, Cade Frank and Anne Marie Naples as volunteer speech and debate coaches, and Dr Jonathan Pulido as volunteer team doctor for the seventh and eighth grade football program.
The board of directors also approved the resignation of Lisa Blythe as part-time teaching assistant, and Michelle Colettis as part-time teaching assistant.
Also at the meeting, Summer Zickefoose, a parent of two elementary students, read an open letter published by the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association urging school districts to enforce the wearing of masks. The letter she read urged to use all available tools to fight the Covid virus, including wearing masks at school. She said she and her husband had already sent a letter to Carlson and the school board encouraging the mask’s mandate even before school started.
Carlson claimed after the meeting that the district was making masks optional at school, but required on the bus in accordance with requirements issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Governor Mike DeWine has left the decision on mask warrants in the hands of local school boards.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for October 18 at 7 p.m. at the K-12 campus auditorium.
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