FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 board of directors member Craig Stickney, of Chesterville, challenged the board Tuesday about the accuracy of the Nov. 13 meeting minutes on an executive session.
Stickney did not attend the session, which was called to discuss the employment of officials, appointees or employees. No action was taken after the session.
“Obviously there was action,” Stickney said to Chairwoman Cherieann Harrison. “Who made the decision to have the board member you discussed to meet with you and vice chair Irving Faunce?”
Harrison said she invited Stickney to meet with her. “As the chair, I can choose to meet with board members,” she said.
“For action to be taken, there has to be a vote by the board,” said board member Scott Erb, of Farmington. “There was no vote. If the superintendent or chair talks about things they may do, that is not an action.”
A motion by Stickney to have the minutes show action was taken during executive session failed by a weighted vote of 124-762. Stickney and Jesse Silanpaa, of Industry, voted for the motion; Ryan Morgan, of Farmington, abstained.
In other matters, directors learned the district has faced a serious challenge in hiring and retaining employees to fill custodian and bus driver positions.
Board member Jeff Harris, of New Sharon, chairman of the Operations Committee, said, “We are struggling to fill the positions for custodians. Some days the transportation department is struggling with how to get kids to school.”
The three-year contract, which was negotiated over the summer, requires custodians also to be able to drive a bus, Superintendent Tina Meserve said.
“Custodial services positions are not being filled because applicants do not want to be bus drivers, so they apply elsewhere,” she added.
The wage scale is out of sync with neighboring districts, which adds to the challenge of filling positions, Harris said.
Newly hired RSU 9 bus drivers earn about $13 an hour, and neighboring districts pay $17 an hour, Meserve said.
“If they can get better pay elsewhere, they are not going to apply here,” she said.
“Since the pay scale falls well below what bus drivers in other districts are getting, perhaps we should address this in the upcoming budget,” Harris said.
The first workshop for the 2019-20 budget is scheduled for Jan. 29, Harrison said.
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