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County school board approves bus driver pay raises, discusses BMS HVAC needs

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 10 p.m.  — With two construction projects under way, the Nelson County Board of Education started looking ahead at its next project — an upgrade for the heating and cooling system at Bloomfield Middle School.

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Tim Hockensmith, the district’s chief operating officer, discusses plans for HVAC upgrades at Bloomfield Middle School.

At the district’s meeting Tuesday evening, Tim Hockensmith, the district’s chief operating officer, explained that Bloomfield Middle is the only district school still heated with propane. The district has saved substantial amounts of money on energy costs at buildings that have undergone energy upgrades to reduce utility expenses, and Hockensmith said similar savings can be achieved by switching from propane to geothermal heating and cooling.

Hockensmith said the energy efficiency upgrades at Cox’s Creek Elementary school cost the district about $172,000 annually; however the improvements saved $300,000 in energy costs the first year after the upgrades were installed.

When Bloomfield Elementary School was built, the building’s geothermal system was built with enough capacity to also serve the middle school. For this reason, the move to geothermal heating will be less expensive.

Because the saving fund the energy efficiency projects, they do not impact the district’s ability to finance other needed construction projects, Hockensmith said.

The discussion also touched on other projects the district will need to eventually address.

Board Chair Diane Berry asked Kevin Mattingly, the district’s maintenance supervisor, to list the most urgent projects that will need to be funded.

The top priority is the HVAC work at Bloomfield Middle, followed by a new roof at Bloomfield Middle, a new roof at Nelson County High School, and then unspecified upgrades at the New Haven School.

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Board member Damon Jackey gestures while discussing bus driver pay at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Superintendent Anthony Orr told the board that there will always be maintenance needs in the district, and projects like HVAC at Bloomfield Middle can be funded while protecting the district’s ability to borrow for other projects.

The board took no action.

Orr also took time to praise the board for its decision to invest in energy efficient. The county school district ranks No. 3 in energy efficiency out of the state’s 173 school districts, he said.

BUS DRIVER PAY RAISE. The board approved a substantial increase in the pay for the new bus drivers in the hopes of recruiting additional drivers in time for the start of school in August.

The starting hourly rate for new bus drivers is $11.68 per hour for drivers with no experience. That rate will increase to $14.01 an hour.

The raises will cost the district approximately $42,000 a year. “Its money well-spent if it helps us get and keep bus drivers, Hockensmith said.

A review of bus driver pay rates in neighboring school districts revealed the district’s starting pay for new drivers was lower, making it more difficult to recruit new drivers.

The district’s current drivers will also see an average pay raise of about 50 cents an hour, he said.

The district needs to hire 10 bus drivers before school resumes in August — five drivers for regular bus routes, and five drivers as substitutes. Safe and dependable bus transportation is important to the district, Hockensmith said. More than 3,000 district students ride a school bus every day.

The new hires would remain at the new pay rate for five years — something that several board members questioned. Orr explained the new drivers would benefit from a substantial starting pay increase, and they would also receive cost of living increases until they qualified for a pay increase.

The board approved the pay increase with the understanding it will be re-examined this summer with the district reviews its salaries.

In other business, the board:

— approved the job description for the College and Career Readiness position, which will move from a part-time into a full-time position.

— approved an offer of assistance from the School Facilities Construction Commission (SFCC) for $29,124. This is the third matching grant the district has received that is to be spent on technology. The district has received about $100,000 in assistance so far this school year.

— approved the district’s updated technology plan. David Coffing, the district’s chief information officer, said the plan focuses on training to improve the digital literacy of the teachers and students.

— approved contracts for behavioral health services with Bardstown Behavioral Health, Communicare, and JP Interventions.

— approved updates to the district’s certified evaluation plan.

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