Buckeye OKs administrator contracts

YORKVILLE - Following an hour-long executive session, members of the Buckeye Local School District Board of Education on Monday voted to approve individual multi-year contracts for six administrators.

Approved for new four-year contracts were Angela Hicks, administrative assistant; Scott Celestin, Buckeye Local High School principal; Don Donahue, the district's business manager, and Vince Pastre, district technology coordinator.

Approved for three-year contracts were Dana Garrison, school district treasurer, and Superintendent Mark Miller.

After returning from executive session and prior to a vote being taken, board member Rich DeLuca noted an objection to voting on the contracts as one action as opposed to handling each individually, noting he has been supportive of the administrative team.

In other matters, Miller reported dates for public meetings concerning possibly placing a levy before voters are being scheduled during January. He noted levy proposals have to be submitted to the county board of elections by mid-February to be placed on the May ballot.

"We're looking for feedback and real, legitimate ideas," said Miller, referring to the meetings that are open to the public.

"The public needs to get involved," said school board member Dan Signorini, noting his frustration at the fact that few area residents, outside of those employed by the district, regularly attend board meetings.

"They have got to hear it firsthand, and I don't know how to get people there," said Signorini.

The board in August voted to eliminate two schools in June, eliminate three non-teaching positions and reduce weekly work hours for 13 non-teaching employees almost immediately.

That decision came on the heels of the defeat of a 5.2-mill bond levy and an additional 1.5-mill tax levy put before voters in a special election held Aug. 4. The bond levy proposed was for a continuing period of time for construction of school facilities and acquisition, construction and enlargement of buildings and for financing of permanent improvements.

School buildings set to close in June include North Middle School in Brilliant and West Elementary School in Adena.

At the opening of the 2010-11 school year students who would have attended North Middle School will be reassigned to Buckeye SouthWest Middle School in Tiltonsville, officials had said in August. And students who would have attended classes at West Elementary in Adena will be reassigned to one of the district's three remaining elementary schools: Northwest Elementary in Smithfield, Buckeye North Elementary in Brilliant, and Buckeye South Elementary in Yorkville.

The next regular meeting of the school board is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 21 at the district offices in Dillonvale.