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Aug 25, 2023

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By Mark Guydish [email protected] PLAINS TWP — Monday’s regular meeting of the Joint Operating Committee that runs the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center was the first since Chairman John

By Mark Guydish [email protected]

PLAINS TWP — Monday’s regular meeting of the Joint Operating Committee that runs the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center was the first since Chairman John Mahle died last week. Vice-Chairwoman Megan Tennessen opened the meeting with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence for Mahle. When the board sat down Committee Member John Adonizio quietly said “It’s hard to believe he’s not here.

The JOC is comprised of representatives from the school boards of five member districts. Mahle was also president of Hanover Area School Board, and it will be up to that board to fill his seat on the JOC. But the Committee’s first action was to name a new chairman, and Tennesen, from the Greater Nanticoke Area School Board, got a unanimous vote. Adonizio is from the Pittston Area School Board.

The agenda included reports of the votes by the five member school boards on the 2023-24 CTC budget. It must be approved by all five boards, and it was, with no dissenting votes on any board.

During the “informational” report by Administrative Director Anthony Guariglia, Guariglia announced the CTC has received a $63,000 grant on behalf of Coterra Energy, Commonwealth Charitable Management, and said the money will purchase a shearing machine for the welding and machine programs.

The board also:

• Ratified the approval of the lone bid for boiler tube replacements from Mechanical Service Company of Pittston at a cost of $65,525.

• Approved a request to advance $38,459 to Nutrition Group, the company contracted to run food services at the school, for start up of the cafeteria for the coming school year, and approved a small wares purchase for the cafeteria at a cost of $1,166.

• Approved cafeteria prices for 2023-24 with student breakfast and lunch free, adult breakfast at $2.50, adult lunch at $4.75, and ala cart price increases ranging from $.10 to $.25 depending on the item.

• Renewed the contract for Veeam software and data backup services at a total cost of $19,460 for one year.

• Renewed the contract with C K Alarm, Inc., of Mountain Top at $66 per month.

• Renewed Principal Frank Majikes’ subscription to the Pennsylvania Principals Association from Aug. 1 this year through July, 2024 at $595, and renewed the dues for the Pennsylvania Association of Career and Technical Administrators for Majikes and Guariglia for $858.

• Renewed a contract with Bayada Home Health Care for substitute school Nurses as needed at a cost of $52 per hour, and a contract with Maxim Healthcare Services for substitute school nurse as needed at $65-$80 per hour.

• Approved spending $8,113 for a cafeteria bar code laser scanner ID badge software and equipment for point of service meal counts.

• Approved the addition to the substitute employee list for 2023-24 of Paulette Dougal and Cari Machulsky as teachers; Frank Gattuso, Jordan Miller and Nicholas Cortes as custodians; and Maribel Torres, Justus Simpson, Lisbeth Ruiz and Christiana Torres for childcare.

• Approved the request by IT Coordinator Bill Christian and IT worker Joe Oliveri to attend the A/CAPA (Attendance/Child Accounting Professional Association) conference at the Hotel Hershey Nov. 8-10 at a total cost of $2,742 plus mileage.

• Increased the daily substitute teacher pay from $110 to $130 per day.

• Renewed the annual subscription to Survey Monkey for the practical nursing program at $2,700.

• Approved a request by JOC member Ned Evans, a Wilkes-Barre Area School Board representative, to attend the 2022 School Leadership Conference Oct. 15-17 at a total estimated cost of $875.

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish