Arena expansion project to be put out for bid

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Ralphie Report: Nickelback and Lifehouse team up for ‘No Fixed Address’ tour in Hershey this summer

DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Things heated up between district residents and school board members over an increase in administrative compensation and the amount of time the public has to view the agenda at the Dallas School Board meeting on Monday.In particular, the Administrator Compensation Plan (Act 93) left members of the public wondering how such a plan was on the agenda without ever hearing of it prior to the meeting.Act 93 allows district administrators&#8217; salaries to increase annually under the Act 1 Index guidelines, but not to exceed 3.5 percent. District administrators eligible for this plan must be in their position for at least six months prior to to July 1 of that school year.Under the act, administrators are eligible for certain benefits, including a graduate tuition reimbursement program, vacation time, sick days and health insurance.For the first time in district history, school administrators must pay a 10 percent deduction (up to $1,200) for health benefits, according to board President Colleen Slocum.&#8220;The original plan was not due until next year, so we&#8217;re actually doing this a year early,&#8221; Slocum said. &#8220;Administrators are actually giving up two ERI benefits in this plan.&#8221;District resident Tom Dombroski of Trucksville disagreed with the approved act and the amount of time residents had to view it before the vote took place.&#8220;I don&#8217;t know where this came from,&#8221; Dombroski said. &#8220;My son and I have been going to all these meetings, and all of a sudden we see District Administration Compensation Plan, Act 93. This is the first time this was put in here with no notice to the public. We&#8217;re paying all the salaries here. Don&#8217;t you think it would have been a good idea to post this, and anything like this from now on? We&#8217;re not stupid, and we&#8217;re not ignorant.&#8221;Board Solicitor Vito DeLuca explained that is normal for government entities to not have an agenda readily available for the public to view until shortly before meetings begin.&#8220;I&#8217;ve been involved in government for over 23 years,&#8221; DeLuca said. &#8220;There is not a government entity that I&#8217;m aware of that would be able to provide you with an agenda for a public meeting a month, two weeks or a week before a meeting. That&#8217;s just not the way it works.&#8221;The board approved the plan on a 7-1 vote with Charles Preece against and Larry Schuler absent.A resolution approved the settlement between the Dallas School District and Northeast Pennsylvania School District Health Trust in the amount of $228,410.91, to be paid to the district in three installments.Multiple positions within the district were filled during the meeting, including the following:&#8226; Jason Rushmer will become the high school principal, with a salary of $85,000. His duties as principal begin July 1.&#8226; Greg Riley was appointed as assistant principal at the high school, also effective July 1, with a $70,000 yearly salary.&#8226; Dan Nestorick was appointed as the Student Information Management System Administrator, an Act 93 position, at a $70,000 yearly salary, effective July 1.&#8226; Mark Belenski was appointed as the boys varsity basketball coach for the 2015-16 school year.The Dallas Foundation announced a date for its annual golf tournament.The event will take place on Friday, July 31 at the Mill Race Golf Club. Golfers may sign up in groups or individually and will be placed in a group at random. There is a $100 entry fee per golfer that covers a gift, cart and green fees, lunch and beverages and a buffet dinner.Sponsorship opportunities are also available, ranging from $100 to $5,000.Four students were recognized as students of the quarter during the meeting. They were Michael Shutlock, Catherine Dillon, Aleksey Gitelson and Luke Matusiak. Students of the quarter are determined based on their academic performance, community involvement, extracurricular activities and interactions with fellow students.Members of the LifeSmarts team received certificates for their outstanding placement in the National LifeSmarts competition in Seattle this past April. The program teaches and tests students on their knowledge of consumer information to help prepare them for the future. Questions are grouped into five categories, and the team must win at various levels before getting to the national competition.The Dallas LifeSmarts team placed fourth overall nationally, with members placing in the top five individually. The team included Chris Bieseckee, placing first; Madalyn Bozinski, placing third; Troy Reinert, placing fourth; Lauren Hudack; and C.J. Good.

Administrator pay draws residents’ ire at Dallas School Board meeting