CV School Board Approves Contract with Bus Drivers

The Chartiers Valley School Board unanimously approved a four-year contract with its bus drivers and custodians.

The Chartiers Valley School Board unanimously approved a four-year contract with its bus drivers and custodians. The board voted 8-0 to accept the contract that was overwhelmingly approved this weekend by the Chartiers Valley Education Support Professionals union. School Director Debbie Rice did not attend the Tuesday night board meeting. The union had been without a contract since 2011. Superintendent Brian White Jr. said one of the biggest parts of the new contract will give pay raises to part-time and new drivers. “This was a tough negotiation,” White Jr. said. “I want to thank both parties for staying at the table. I’m very happy we’re settling this contract.” Beth Eckenrode, who was speaking on behalf of the Chartiers Valley Task …

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CV School Bus Drivers Accept Contract

Chartiers Valley’s school bus driver and custodial union overwhelmingly approved the agreement and are awaiting the school board to ratify the contract.

Chartiers Valley’s school bus driver and custodial union overwhelmingly approved a contract agreement over the weekend. The Chartiers Valley Education Support Professionals union now must wait for the school board to formally ratify the contract, which could happen during tonight’s 7:30 p.m. workshop meeting. Butch Santicola, a spokesman for the union, said the school bus drivers and custodians voted Sunday by a “substantial margin” to accept the 4-year agreement. The two sides met Friday to finalize details of the contract after tough negotiations last school year that continued through the summer. Terms of the agreement were not available since the school board has not ratified the contract. “The members accepted it. That says enough …

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Workers Praised for 'Quick Action' During CV Bus Fire

The three workers helped move other school buses to make sure there wasn't more damage.

Bob Gold was making his nightly rounds on Jan. 16 when he saw something that stunned him. The Chartiers Valley School District’s facilities director found one of the school buses on fire while sandwiched between several other buses at the Thoms Run Road storage depot. “I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Gold said. “I won’t repeat what I said, but it was a few choice words.” He called 911 and summoned other workers, John Wagner and Nate Backner, and they worked feverishly to snuff out the fire with extinguishers. But they couldn’t extinguish the blaze even as firefighters arrived, so they hopped in the adjacent buses and quickly backed them away from danger. “It was intense,” Gold said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.” Gold, …

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Play Shows the Importance of Education

Two education activists play roles illustrating how teachers can impact young students.

Rather than just telling Chartiers Valley school administrators about the need to take an active role in molding young students, two women from the Education Trust in Washington D.C. decided to show them. Brooke Haycock and Natasha Ushomirsky turned Chartiers Valley’s board room into a miniature theater with a red curtain that was used as a small backdrop during their 20-minute performance. Haycock played numerous roles showing the lives of two young, minority studetns who felt that school had nothing to offer them. But she also acted out the parts of school administrators to show how different outlooks on their role as educators molded the two boys in starkly different ways. As Haycock flowed from character to character—wearing hooded …

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School Board Approves $240,000 Entryway

The project's costs rose by 25 percent from estimates given in January.

The Chartiers Valley School Board approved construction of a new $240,000 entryway for the district administration building despite the cost of the project increasing by more than 25 percent. The project increased by $50,000 from original estimates in January because of an added security system and rising construction costs. Superintendent Brian White Jr. said the added security features increased the price by more than $25,000. Those features include specialized door locks and security cameras at the entrance. He said the board could redesign the project and put it out for bid again, but that would cost an additional $5,000 and the project still might cost the same because of increasing prices. “It’s a toss-up,” White said. The funds are …

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2011 Election

School Board Candidate: Herb Ohliger

Candidate profile for the upcoming primary election on May 17.

Herb Ohliger is a first-term member of the school board who thinks the district has made progress over the past four years but still needs work to become more competitive. “The fiscal house is definitely in order,” Ohliger said “Right now, we’re addressing test scores and academic achievement. Time will tell.” Ohliger pointed to last year's hiring of Brian White Jr., the new district superintendent, as evidence that the school board is serious about making changes to improve the curriculum. He also said the board is doing a good job to weather a difficult financial situation with state budget cuts that have adversely affected other school districts. “We were able to take care of those problems before they came to the forefront,” he said. …

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