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JERSEY SHORE -- Over $6 million -- possibly up to $9 million -- was the estimated cost for needed repairs and maintenance on some district buildings, the Jersey Shore Area School board heard last month. This month, they want that amount scaled back considerably to fit into available capital projects funds, which are about $1 million.
Board member Wayne Kinley asked Superintendent Dr. Brian Ulmer to meet with Mark Wall, director of maintenance, buildings and grounds, to decide the most critical needs.
"We will take the list we have prioritized and whittle it down to that $1 million amount and come back with our recommendation for the whole board to look at and make decisions of where we go from there," said Ulmer.
The pushback at last month's meeting on the possibility of the board floating a bond to finance the estimated cost of all the maintenance and repairs came from board members and the public.
A few members of the public referred to the cost of keeping the buildings open in addressing the board.
"Here we go again. We kept inefficient buildings open and now you need to decide how to pay for their upkeep," said district resident Bob Pryor.
"We've been warning you for years about that, but nobody listened because you had an agenda," he said.
Pryor asked the board if anyone had contacted other school districts where classes had been reconfigured to determine if that was a positive or negative experience in terms of budgeting.
The idea of reconfiguration had been floated when the board considered whether to close any schools.
"Did anyone from this administration or school board call any other district that reconfigured classes, closed inefficient buildings to hear what their reactions were to what they did," he added.
Pryor, who is a past board member, accused the board of not listening.
"When you're not on the board anymore, you feel like a dog turd because you don't listen to past board members at all," Pryor said.
A frequent commenter at board meetings on what he sees as the failure of the board to address the financial burden placed on senior citizens in the district, Pryor said that the board and particularly the board president had "failed the property taxpayers who, by law, pay salaries, benefits and all other costs to operate this district."
"But we are being ignored. You have failed our entire community except those who gain," Pryor said, before calling for board President Mary Thomas to resign.
"Thanks for your opinion," Thomas replied to Pryor's statement.
In other business under personnel, the board approved the following appointments at the rates of pay listed, if applicable: Efrain Guzman, assistant girls' soccer coach, $2,509; Michelle Hensler, athletic staff position; Amos McClain and Brent Terry, volunteer golf coaches; Brenda Lorson, elementary learning support mentor, $500; Isak Turner, CTE Instructor at the senior high school, $53,680; Misti Herr and Crystal Haines, volunteer cross country and track and field coaches; Renee Yarborough, volunteer track and field coach.
The board accepted the following resignations: Dixie Brandt, event staff; Susan Ely, retirement as high school secretary after 21 years of service; and Autymn Cantrall, special education paraprofessional.
Several positions and stipends for the high school musical production, high school and middle school drama productions, band production, advisers, positive behavior leaders, energy champ leaders, SAP team leaders, QBS internal trainers, mentors, department coordinators, grade level leaders K-8, yearbook advisors and culinary arts event advisor were approved at the meeting.
There are still open positions available.
Other actions taken by the board include approving: the disposal of high school automotive books; the purchase of equipment to update the senior high auditorium sound system inclusive of a future budgetary transfer; authorizing the business manager/district purchasing officer to participate in a cooperative bidding process for various supplies for the 2024-25 school year; and to solicit bids for an athletic trainer and general athletic supplies for the 2024-25 school year.
The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the District Administration Building, 175 A&P Drive.