Board OKs creating job of business services director
The board will consider buying land for a new bus center.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- With one member dissenting, the school board voted to hire a director of business services.
At a special meeting Monday, the board told Superintendent Doug Heuer to advertise the new post. Heuer said he hopes to have a candidate for the board to consider by October.
The board has been debating whether to create the position for the past two months.
The director will take over some duties from the superintendent and the district treasurer, who took on extra jobs after the board eliminated the assistant superintendent's post three years ago to save money.
The new post also will eliminate some extra-duty stipends for administrators.
Board president Michael Creatore said those savings and money the district saved by subcontracting its new director of instruction job instead of hiring someone pays the $50,000 to $55,000 salary for the position of director of business services.
Creatore also said the new director will centralize purchasing. He said it will be good for the district to have someone with a business background.
Board member Dr. David Ritchie cast the dissenting vote. He said he would rather see an assistant superintendent in the district because that administrator would have more qualifications and would be able to fill in for Heuer.
Creatore said there are other administrators who are qualified to fill in for Heuer.
Land buy considered
The board also directed the superintendent to draw up two proposals for buying land for a transportation center.
The district uses part of the Austintown Middle School on Mahoning Avenue for its transportation center now, but it has sold that school and is moving out of it in 2007 to the new middle school under construction on Raccoon Road. Part of the $2.6 million from the sale of the old school is going toward building the new center.
The board had considered using land the district owns on state Route 46, but Heuer said it turns out that 15 of the 21 acres there are wetlands.
The board also decided against building the new bus center at the Fitch High School campus because grassy areas needed for activities would be lost.
The board also talked about how an influx of new pupils might mean the hiring of more teachers. Heuer said there are between 120 and 130 new pupils this year. Creatore said the district will get more state money for the new enrollments, and that would compensate for the new teachers.
The board canceled a special meeting for Aug. 29. Its next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Fitch High School.