SMETHPORT — Representatives of local libraries attended Monday’s meeting of the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 to voice their opposition to the education agency’s move to eliminate funding for the IU9 van that provides inter-library loan services between schools and public libraries.

Due to budget constraints and a 20-percent decrease in the amount of IU9 print shop materials delivered, it was deemed “not viable” to continue these services and therefore, funding for the van and print shop was eliminated from the IU’s general operating budget leading to a savings of $126,000.

Mary Grace Collier-Kistler, director of the S. W. Smith Library in Port Allegany, spoke on behalf of the four individuals representing the Bradford Public Library, Seneca Library District, and Port Allegany High School, and on behalf of a total of 16 librarians in the intermediate unit. She noted that library materials are transferred between libraries to supplement the literacy needs of students and citizens of the IU9 area, that includes McKean, Cameron, Potter and Elk counties. “Termination of the Seneca Highlands IU9 van would be detrimental to vital inter-library loan service in an extensive rural area where public literacy requires community support,” she said.

Kistler said the librarians learned about the van’s possible elimination by accident. “It has come to our attention that the superintendents of several schools have voted to terminate van service as of June 30, 2019,” Kistler said. “As public libraries, we are asking you to consider the loss of the ILL service in four counties before making a final decision to terminate the Seneca Highlands IU9 van.

“Additionally, we are requesting that you delay the final decision on the van to allow the public libraries time to research alternate avenues of funding for their inter-library loan service between the four counties if the school districts no longer want to participate in the Seneca Highlands IU9 van service.”

According to Kistler, “It is the joint mission of the school and public libraries to serve the literacy needs of our students and citizens. Public libraries value the partnership we share with our local school districts in fostering the love of reading, providing free access to information and supplying a safe space of education.”

Barb Bockoras, a library aide at Port Allegany High School, said that without the van deliveries, sending one book via the post office could cost as much as $3.10 or more, depending on the book’s weight.

Later in the meeting, the IU9 board adopted the 2019-20 operating budget on a 7-0 vote. IU9 Executive Director Don Wismar explained the need for a budget vote at this time, saying, “The school districts must vote on it in April in order to have it submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by May 1.”

Wismar plans to search for a possible solution. “I’ll talk to the superintendents on Thursday and Friday at the Superintendents Summit in State College,” he said.

IU9 Board President Paul Ridley of the Bradford Area School District, noted the IU9 budget could be reopened at a later time.

In other news, David DiTanna of Buffamante Whipple Butafaro, CPAs, reported on the IU9 and Career and Technical Center’s audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. “This was a clean and unmodified audit with no exceptions,” he said, lauding the administration business staff and board members.

Directors also approved the IU9 group rates for employees from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. These include a three percent increases in the high deductible health plan and Preferred Blue PPO groups, while the United Concordia Dental Insurance premiums remain at the same levels.

At the conclusion of the board’s meeting, the directors, acting as the Seneca Highlands Regional Insurance Trust, met and approved the recommendations of the insurance committee, which state all district approved medical plans show a 1.09 percent decrease with entity specific calculations and a +/- ten percent cap and no rate increase and +/- variance cap for dental coverage.

“Each school district votes on its own insurance rates,” Wismar said.