FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The North Schuylkill school board approved a new employment contract with Business Manager Robert Amos for a five-year term.
Amos has been the business manager since October 2009, having worked for the accounting firm of Jones & Co., Pottsville, for 15 years before coming to North Schuylkill.
Since Amos had one year left on his contract that would end on June 30, 2017, the school board first voted to terminate his existing contract, then unanimously approved the new contract from July 1, 2016, to June 20, 2021. The former contract had his salary at $93,132, with the new one increasing the annual salary to $97,500.
After the meeting, board President Charles “Chaz” Hepler said the consideration of a new contract a year before the end of the existing contract at the time was what led to the new one.
“His contract was up for renewal, so we decided to sit down early with him and get that squared away,” Hepler said. “With everything that he has done for the district financially, we believed it was better to work through that now. It’s nothing different from any of the other contracts throughout the district. We like to work a little early to get them extended and keep them on board.”
Hepler spoke about district Superintendent Robert Ackell’s desire to keep building momentum in moving the school district forward and said that Amos is involved with that momentum.
“Bob is a big part of that,” Hepler said. “For us to be able to gut two classrooms (home economics and life skills classrooms) and get them completely refurbished this year, or to be able to buy new computers, we can do that because of what he does.”
Hepler added that the recent construction project that upgraded and refurbished the school facilities relied on Amos for the financial aspects of the project.
“Our tax increase (in 2016-2017) is to continue upkeep on this building,” Hepler said. “When we had the construction project this past year, 34 years of neglect had to be corrected. A lot of the millage that is coming on is directed so we can continue to keep the buildings in top shape based on a five-year list. It’s all because of him. He works well with Dr. Ackell and Frank (Brennan, building and grounds director), and they all have us moving forward. He has us in a great financial situation.”
The Committee of the Whole met before the regular meeting, with Ackell and Hepler recognizing four employees who retired during this school year: Cindy Brill, elementary physical education teacher, 21 years; Kathleen Rogers, secondary health and physical education teacher, 14 years; Richard Schultz, custodian, 11 years; and Audrey Reese, special education aide, 11 years.
Brill and Rogers attended the meeting, and Ackell called both to the front of the room.
“Both young ladies said earlier this year that they were going to leave the North Schuylkill family,” Ackell said. “However, both ladies live in our community and have been part of the North Schuylkill community. I knew them as I was growing up. When they did step down from teaching this year — Kathy left in October and Cindy in January — North Schuylkill did lose two special ladies. We lost a large portion of our phys ed department.”
Ackell thanked them for their years of service, and he and Hepler presented each with a gift.
During the committee meeting, the following students were recognized as students of the month for May: Megan Alansky and Aidan Lazor, first grade; Jacob Olivieri and Brandy Speer, seventh grade; and Raquele Amato and Besnik Sylaj, 12th grade.