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DCSC considers weighty subjects at first meeting of the year





The Delphi Community School Board worked for more than two hours Monday night to address several matters of significant importance. The Board met in a work session Jan. 9 before new officers were established and learned about the needs of the corporation. They addressed the needs presented at the work session Monday night.

Preventative Maintenance Contract

Superintendent Greg Briles advised the Board had two preventative maintenance proposals from which to choose. Briles said his recommendation was to contract with AH Mechanical, owned by Shane Chapman of Camden.

However, some Board members were not comfortable there was no written contract, updated from an earlier version, to refer to and ask questions about. Neal Anderson wondered about how Siemens fit into the preventative maintenance mix and if Chapman was certified to work on the current HVAC equipment. Briles advised Anderson he should ask Chapman, who was present in the meeting room, about his certifications.

Kirk Schwarzkopf said in the original contract proposed for Chapman, the school corporation would be responsible for carrying liability insurance for the contractor. He said he was not in favor of that component in the contract. Steve Myer read a message from his cell phone that indicated some of the original contract had been amended per the board’s wishes, however there was no hard copy of the document for review.

Anderson said another issue was the number of hours stated in the original contract. The corporation would pay Chapman for eight hours, at $70 or $80 per hour, for every day he was in the corporation. There was a general discussion how to word the contract so Chapman would only be paid for the time spent working, with the thinking he may not spend an entire eight-hour day if there is no work to do but would most likely spend more than eight hours if there is a sizeable emergency, such as the loss of a boiler.

Chris Nipple made a motion to hire AH Mechanical. Although Schwarzkopf provided the second for the motion, he put a condition on it that the Board must see the final contract before approval. Myer indicated he wanted to approve the hire due to the information contained in emails he referred to on his cell phone.

Schwarzkopf then made a motion to table the matter until the February meeting. Mike Priest provided the second and the motion passed in a four-to-three vote. Nipple, Bill Trueblood and Myer voted against tabling the matter and Gil Smith, Anderson, Schwarzkopf and Priest voted in favor of the motion.

Nipple said Chapman has attended meetings and said the group should retain his services. He demanded to know how long the process to hire AH Mechanical was going to last. Anderson replied it will last as long as it takes to develop a contract that reflects the corporation’s wishes.

Pay balancing

Board members heard a plan from Briles and Treasurer Allison Everett at a Jan. 9 work session to balance the amount non-certified employees are paid. It was noted the result would be some employees would see a steep increase in their pay and others, sometimes on the same level, would see little more in their paychecks. In addition, Everett advocated for a pay longevity schedule, in which non-certified staff would be rewarded for maintaining their positions for a certain number of years.

There was a question about the amount of money the change would cost. Everett said at the work session the cost would be roughly $87,000, however Schwarzkopf said he determined it would be closer to $133,000.

Smith said he believes the Board should spend more time considering the proposal. He said he is concerned about the amount of money truly involved and wants to make sure the “big picture” is taken into consideration.

“I want to re-think this,” Smith said. “We really don’t know what we are giving right now.”

He suggested a committee of board and community members be formed to fully discover the ramifications and positives of the concept. He said the Board should go about this “in a fair way.”

Schwarzkopf made a motion to table the matter until the February meeting to allow a committee to be formed to discuss the issue. Priest provided the second. The motion passed in a fourto three vote with Nipple, Trueblood and Myer voting against it.

Other business

The next Board meeting will be Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Although the Board normally meets in the corporation office, the location may be changed to accommodate the Indiana State Board of Accounts auditors.



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