SEBRING Board focuses on contract talks

There are still many issues to be worked out in the ongoing negotiations with teachers.
SEBRING -- Nearly 50 people attended Wednesday's board of education meeting, at which the main topic was the status of contract negotiations with the district's teachers.
Micki Egli, president of the teachers union, said that bargaining began in May and the teachers contract expired in August. Negotiations have continued through a federal mediator, but there are still many major issues to be resolved, she said. The teachers do not want to go on strike, she said.
Board member Jim Cannell asked, "What can we do to solve this? Can we ... just sit down and hammer this out?"
Egli said she would check to see if that could be permitted since the federal mediator had been brought in.
Questions were raised about Pepple and Waggoner of Cleveland, the law firm hired by the board, and its presence since the beginning of bargaining.
Superintendent Howard Friend said the administration felt it was in the best interest of the district to have the attorneys present from the beginning. Cannell noted the firm has been retained by the board for at least 12 years.
About energy use: In other matters, the board was told energy saving efforts have had some effect, but the district still is not where it should be according to Ohio School Facilities Commission standards. The district is upgrading the elementary and high school buildings under the OSFC.
According to school Treasurer Pete Hill, the commission contends electric usage by the district should be in the range of 40 to 60 cents per square foot per year, but the district presently averages $1.40 per square foot per year.
Hill said the biggest energy usage comes from lighting, followed by cooling, heating and motorized items.
Hill also said according to OSFC standards, the elementary building's electric bill should be about $3,000 per month and the high school building should be about $5,000 per month.
However, at the elementary, the bill ranges from $5,000 to $8,000, and at the high school, it is from $10,500 to $12,000.
Hill noted the usage is being studied by the subcontractor, Johnson Controls, to determine whether all standards set by OSFC are being met during the construction process.