Agenda - 10-17-2017 - 8-a - Minutes

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4 1 Commissioner Price asked if the number of employees in the contracted services could 2 be identified. 3 Todd LoFrese said he does not know this number, but he said there are district custodial 4 staff that are in the buildings during the day. He said each elementary school has a full time 5 and a part-time employee; each middle and high school has three full-time employees. 6 Commissioner Price asked if all these employees receive the living wage. 7 Todd LoFrese said yes, and all full-time employees receive medical and retirement 8 benefits. 9 Commissioner Price asked if the difference between district and contracted custodial 10 staff could be clarified. 11 Todd LoFrese said there are custodians in the schools during the day, who are district 12 employees. He said the contracted employees clean the schools in the evenings. 13 James Barrett asked if OCS could explain how it handled school bus drivers in its 14 budget this year. 15 Pam Jones said the State's FY2018 budget included funding ear-marked for increasing 16 bus driver pay statewide. She said OCS received approximately $112,862 for its drivers. On 17 September 11, the Board of Education approved a salary schedule for bus drivers that 18 increased driver pay by an average of surrounding districts. With this change, all drivers exceed 19 the current living wage level and approximately 27% of drivers exceed $15 per hour. 20 Todd LoFrese said CHCCS also received those funds, but in a much smaller amount, 21 and CHCCS is in discussions with the State about this discrepancy. 22 Commissioner Rich asked if bus drivers are full-time employees with benefits. 23 Pam Jones said it depends on the number of hours, and some are eligible for benefits 24 and some are not. 25 CHCCS said this is the same in their district. 26 27 4. Status of School Bond Projects and Update on the Lincoln Center 28 Groundbreaking 29 Both School Systems have provided updates on the Bond Projects, approved as part of 30 the successful November 2016 Bond Referendum in their agenda packets. 31 32 CHCCS 33 Todd LoFrese said projected schedules for the Lincoln Center and Chapel Hill High 34 School projects are included in this evening's packet. He said bids opened today for the 35 Lincoln Center, which came in significantly over budget. He said the CHCCS Board will discuss 36 this in the coming weeks. He said the Chapel Hill High School project will go out to bid in late 37 spring, and go to construction shortly thereafter. He said there have been some questions 38 regarding a phasing plan for construction, given that students will still be at the school. He said 39 the plan is multi-phased, and specific details are forthcoming. He said the new addition will be 40 built first, and students will move into that addition so that the old building can be 41 deconstructed. 42 James Barrett said there had been some concerns from the teachers at Chapel Hill High 43 School about how the traditional lay out of the building will meet the needs of modern 44 education, and he said the School Board had a good discussion with these teachers. He said a 45 public ground breaking ceremony will be scheduled once contracts and schedules are finalized. 46 Commissioner Rich asked if CHCCS has a plan to keep the parents informed about the 47 building project at CHCCS. 48 Todd LoFrese said information will be shared once the process is further along, likely 49 starting in January or February 2018. He said the district will use multiple methods of 50 communication: using social media, newsletters, Connect Ed, meeting with the PTA, etc.