SMETHPORT — Paul Ridley of the Bradford Area School District on Monday was elected president of the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 board of directors.
A 16-year member of the Bradford School Board, Ridley has served as president for eight years, six of which have been consecutive.
He succeeds David Mensch of the Port Allegany School District, who became president in December 2006 after filling out the unexpired term of Jeanne Lowe of the Otto-Eldred School District. The directors thanked Mensch for his service.
Bill Funk of the Smethport Area School District was reelected vice-president.
Thomas Kerek, who represents the Kane Area School District, was named Pennsylvania School Boards Association legislative chairman.
Melissa Shields and Kim DeGolier were reappointed secretary and treasurer, respectively. Both are IU9 employees, but are not board members.
One of the state’s 29 intermediate units, which replace the former county offices of education, IU9 serves school districts and non-public schools in McKean, Cameron, Potter and Elk counties, offering personnel training, curriculum development, technology, instructional materials, educational planning, pupil instruction, personnel services, special education, cooperative administration projects and statewide programs and services, in addition to administering the Career and Technical Center in Port Allegany.
Each of the school districts has one representative on the IU9 board.
Since this was the IU9 board’s reorganization meeting, many budgets were approved. Among them was the spending plan for the CTC, which amounts to $2,084,933.
In a related matter, Kim Mooney was approved as a full-time teacher in the CTC’s new curriculum offering, early childhood education.
In other news, the board approved the Otto-Eldred School District’s decision to assume responsibility for their emotional support program, which is currently included in the IU9 special Education Plan. This change will affect one full-time teacher, Nicole Smith, who has requested voluntary suspension, which will allow her to transfer to the O-E district.
Since it was not possible to attain a quorum in May, there was no meeting. A “For Information Only” item on Monday’s agenda noted that the IU9 directors had approved the contract agreement with the Seneca Highlands Educational Association, which represents approximately 80 teachers.
According to Anita Danielson, assistant to the executive director, the average annual salary increase over the five-year contract amounts to 1.9 percent.
