MILL HALL — Personnel items were one of the hotter topics at the Keystone Central School District Board of Directors’ first work session of 2025.

During a review of a list of personnel items to be considered at the board’s voting session on Jan. 16, a few board members asked for clarifications regarding some of the roles.

Board member Chris Scaff asked about the consideration of hiring two individuals to fill roles while staff are on approved leave.

“What happens to these two positions when the people that are on the approved leave come back,” he asked.

Superintendent Dr. Francis Redmon said the individuals are considered long-term substitutes.

“These people will transition out when those two come back. We’re only hiring for the time these (other) people are on leave,” Redmon said.

Scaff also questioned another item listed under the personnel header in the agenda — the creation of a maintenance planner. The board will consider the job description for this position and an MOU during its voting session.

According to the board’s agenda, administration is recommending the creation of the position due to the retirement of a maintenance leader this month.

“In an effort to improve the productivity and efficiency of property services operations, administration proposes to repurpose this position into the maintenance planner job description,” the agenda reads. “There would not be any change in salary/benefits, only job responsibilities.”

Redmon emphasized the position isn’t new and the district wouldn’t be adding additional staff, just replacing a staff member who is retiring and tweaking the job duties.

“It’ll make it actually more efficient,” Board President Roger Elling noted.

Scaff said he’d received emails from employees at the district who expressed concerns over potentially creating more management positions.

“We’re not. We’re transitioning one position into another,” Redmon said.

Scaff said he’d hoped Property Service Supervisor, Sam Hoy, would have been in attendance at Thursday’s meeting to answer questions related to the functions of the property services office.

He questioned the need for a maintenance planner if, as he saw it, Hoy’s position would include responsibilities such as that.

Later, during the review of the job description, Redmon further explained why the administration was choosing to adjust the maintenance leader position.

“In an organization that’s the size of ours you’ll often have someone whose primary role is to figure out the individuals tasks that need to be done, preventative maintenance system and get parts ordered, make sure people know how to do the work, what tools are needed, knows how long the individual jobs take to do,” he said. “That person basically oversees the scheduling of all that stuff. It’s because we have nine buildings spread out over a pretty wide area, that person is really focused on that.”

Redmon told Scaff he would like to facilitate discussion with the staff members who weren’t comfortable bringing their concerns directly to the administration.

“I’d live to facilitate discussion with those members who are scared to talk. Let’s talk it out with those employees to make sure they understand the transition we’re trying to make,” he said.

Scaff said he would try to make a meeting happen.

“As long as we can work through it and try to get things calmed down,” he said.

In other personnel related discussion, Board member Elisabeth Lynch questioned the hiring of two temporary fiscal tax office secretaries and what they’d be doing.

“They’ll be doing the tax office work that the previous people who filled those positions were,” Redmon answered.

Lynch further asked how many hours they would work and what that would look like, following the board’s decision to dissolve its contract with the Clinton County Tax Collection Committee to collect its Earned Incom Taxes.

Business Manager Joni MacIntyre told the board, after the vote in December to no longer provide those services “as soon as practical” administration decided to temporarily fill the positions until the contract with the TCC is finished.

“They’re going to work 35 hours a week, they just won’t be full time employees. When we no longer need those services, then we don’t have to keep them. They completely understand it’s a temporary position,” MacIntyre said.

MacIntyre said, though the positions are temporary, while employed for the district they’d receive benefits but added they wouldn’t receive bidding rights or other opportunities that full-time employees received.

“They do get union benefits, the only difference is they won’t have seniority rights for more than this temporary period,” Redmon added.

MacIntyre told the board the benefits they receive will not continue following their completion of the job.

The board will consider the following personnel items at its voting session on Thursday, Jan. 16:

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Support

— Leave of absence for Tamara Simmons, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective Jan. 21 through March 18, 2025. Absence is uncompensated.

— Leave of absence for Tawnya Gilberthorp, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective Nov. 20 through Nov. 22, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.

— Leave of absence for Leann Styers, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective Nov. 25, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.

— Leave of absence for Ashley Meskell, General Cafeteria Worker, at Central Mountain Middle School, effective Nov. 25, 2024. Absence is uncompensated.

EMPLOYMENT

Support

— Employment of Ashley Kelley, General Cafeteria Worker at Bucktail/Renovo Campus, effective Jan. 6, 2025 at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the General Fund per the ESP Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Michelle Fye, Building Assistant at Central Mountain High School, effective Jan. 6, 2025 at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the General Fund per the ESP Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Jessica Pryde, Special Education Secretary 7 hrs/day, 260 days/year, at Administration, effective Jan. 21, 2025 with a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the General Fund per the CCESPA Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Linzy Carson, Maintenance – Warehouse Distribution Clerk at Property Services Office, effective to be determined at a rate of $14.25/hour, paid from the General Fund per the ESP Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Olivia Perryman, Personal Care Assistant at Central Mountain Middle School, effective to be determined at a rate of $17.25/hour, paid from the General Fund per the ESP Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Lori Jones, Temporary Fiscal/Tax Office Secretary, at Administration, effective to be determined with a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the General Fund per the CCESPA Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Employment of Tanya Hackenberg, Temporary Fiscal/Tax Office Secretary, at Administration, effective to be determined with a salary of $38,749, prorated, paid from the General Fund per the CCESPA Contract. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to vacancy.

— Approve the following Volunteers for the 2024-2025 school year: Lisa Rusczyk, Raven McCloskey, Robert Sparrow, Candace Redis, Kali Schenck, Michael Raudabaugh, Jodie Dutton

— Approve the following drivers and aides for Susquehanna Transit for the 2024-2025 school year. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law: Stephanie Jolin, van driver/aide; Holly Eck, driver

— Approve the following SMILES Volunteers for the 2024-2025 school year: Wileen Matter

Professional

— Employment of Abbey Dunaway, as long-term substitute, 4th Grade Teacher, at Mill Hall Elementary School, for the second semester of the 24-25 school year, placed at BS, step 1, with a salary of $53,000, prorated, effective January 20, 2024. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due approved leave.

— Employment of Saige Whipple, as long-term substitute, STEM Teacher, at Central Mountain Middle School, for the second semester of the 24-25 school year, placed at BS, step 1, with a salary of $53,000, prorated, effective Jan. 20, 2024. Hiring is contingent upon receipt of all required paperwork including, but not limited to, all necessary background checks that meet the appropriate standard(s) as required by Pennsylvania law. Filled due to approved leave.

TRANSFERS

Professional

— Transfer Seth Cooper, Chemistry Teacher at CMHS to Biotechnology Instructor at Career and Technical Center effective the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.

RESIGNATIONS/RETIREMENTS/TERMINATIONS

Support

— Resignation of Sandra Ransdorf, 210 Day Custodian, at Renovo Elementary School, effective January 17, 2025.