The Bradford Area School Board approved laying off two members
of the districts administration Gale Kellogg and John Matthews at
Mondays board meeting.

The board has been reviewing options regarding cost savings in
the maintenance and transportation departments for some time, said
Dr. August Freda, reading from a prepared motion near the end of
the meeting. In an effort to effect cost savings over time, I wish
to make the following motions:

Motion to eliminate the position of director of maintenance and
place Gale Kellogg on layoff status effective Nov. 14, 2005. The
board wishes to thank Mr. Kellogg for his years of service to the
school district, Freda said.

All board members voted in favor of the motion with the
exception of Rev. Art Cox, who abstained.

Kelloggs salary was $61,980 for the 2005-06 school year. Kellogg
was not at the meeting. Someone who answered the phone at his
residence following the meeting said Kellogg had no comment.

At the meeting, Freda also made a motion that the maintenance
supervisor, Gene Woodmansee, assume the duties of director of
maintenance and custodial services with an annual salary of
$45,000.

Changes will also be coming in the transportation department,
but not as quickly.

Motion to eliminate the position of director of transportation
and place John Matthews on layoff status effective Dec. 31, 2005,
Freda said, also thanking Matthews for his years of service to the
district.

Director Joe Troutman voted no, Tim Bean abstained and the
remaining directors voted yes.

Matthews salary for the 2005-06 school year is $58,881. Matthews
was not at the meeting. There was no answer at his residence
following the meeting and a message was not immediately
returned.

In recognition of the complexity of todays transportation
environment, I believe that the district would be best served by
using a national firm for safety, cost savings, training and access
to a national network of services and buying expertise, Freda said
at the meeting.

I, therefore, make a motion to contract with Laidlaw Inc. for
administration, management, dispatcher, safety training and other
related services effective Dec. 1, 2005, through June 30, 2008, at
a cost of $97,000 for the balance of the 2005-06 school year.

Laidlaw is the largest firm in the country providing student bus
services and comes to us with excellent recommendations, Freda
said.

The board voted unanimously to approve contracting with
Laidlaw.

The directors made no further comments on the changes.

During the public comment section of the meeting, local resident
Clyde Bell gave his opinion.

We had one superintendent who stepped on peoples feet and got
fired, he said, referring to Michael Slavinski. He gestured towards
Superintendent Sandra Romanowski and said, we have another
superintendent … somebody stepped on her feet and got fired.

Matthews and Kellogg were not fired, but were laid off.

Bell did not get a reply from the board.

The district has attempted to make cost-saving changes in the
maintenance and transportation departments before. In 2002, the
board weighed the pros and cons of consolidating the departments to
streamline the administration.

Combining the departments was voted down, as was contracting out
the transportation services at that time.

Also at Mondays meeting, the board approved participating in two
Tax Incremental Financing Programs.

A TIF program is an agreement by the taxing bodies to cooperate
in providing financing for redevelopment of blighted areas which
will generate new development and increase taxes. The taxing bodies
agree to forego tax revenues from a certain project area for a
stipulated time period with the knowledge that future tax revenues
will increase because of development on that land.

With directors Freda, Troutman and President Bob Tingley voting
no, the rest of the board approved participating in the Onofrio
Street Revitalization Project, Phase III, Tax Incremental District,
for a period of 13 years.

The plan by the Bradford Redevelopment Authority is to build 13
new homes on three acres of land neighboring West Washington
Street. The land was purchased from a private owner for
$265,000.

Part of this is in a Keystone Opportunity Zone, Tingley said,
explaining that land would already be tax free until 2013. Why
would we want to tie our money up for (five) more years? There is a
taxpayer liability concerned. If something goes kaput, the
taxpayers are liable.

Director Rich Roupe explained that he, too, had concerns about
the amount of money spent on the development site, but voted in
favor of development.

I agree that our tax base will shrink without new housing, he
said. If private companies could develop without the assistance of
public agencies, then they would, he added.

What would we lose (by participating)? We would lose money we
dont have now anyhow, he said. I think in the long term we will
gain. If the boards unable to look ahead 10 to 20 years in the
future, then who will?

The board also approved participating in a TIF for the City of
Bradford Sixth Ward, where Nick Cummins has proposed building 11
new homes on Chelsea Lane and demolishing the Sixth Ward
School.

Tingley said he had no reservations about participating in this
program, as Cummins had assumed the risk, not the taxpayers.

With Chelsea Lane, theres zero risk to anyone else, Tingley
said. Cummins is covering the cost of the project himself.

The board unanimously approved participating for a period of 13
years.