Published: June 03, 2009 11:53 pm      

NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD: Seats filled to bridge gap

Members of the Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education played a little musical chairs of sorts.

Board members Sam Monin and Denny Klidonas both formally resigned from their seats Wednesday just to turn around and be sworn in for different seats.

Klidonas had stepped in to fill the seat vacated following the death of Donald B. Moyer Jr. Klidonas indicated he will not run for the seat once the term was up on June 30.

Board members Lori Pittman and Monin were re-elected to their board positions and newcomer Kristen MacKenzie was also elected to replace Klidonas at the May 19 election.

“According to election law, one person has to take office within 30 days of the election,” District Director of Human Resources Paul Sikora said.

According to Sikora, Pittman and MacKenzie’s terms begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2012.

“Mr. Monin’s term will run from today (June 3) to June 30, 2011,” Sikora said. “ Since he has the shortest term to fill, he had to take office within the 30-day time period. He can’t overlap board seats so he had to resign and Mr. Klidonas agreed to stay on another month to fill his remaining term.”

Klidonas will step down when MacKenzie takes her seat July 1.

Members also discussed moving the location for future school board elections from the Errick Road Elementary to Niagara-Wheatfield High School.

“I still want the board to consider bringing the budget vote and school board elections back to the high school,” board member William Conrad said. “The high school is more central to the district. It is more recognizable and readily identifiable along with having more handicap accessibility.”

Klidonas agreed.

“It just makes sense,” he said. “You’re going to blow right by the Errick Road site without seeing it.”

Board Vice President Maureen Kaus believes it is easier for people to get into the Errick Road building from the parking lot that is closer than at the high school.

“The parking lot is not close to the building at the high school,” Kaus said.

Monin said the elections were initially moved from the high school to the Errick Road school to draw more people from Wheatfield to vote and because there was a lot of capital construction projects going on at the high school at the time.

Board members voted to create an ad hoc committee made up of representatives from the district’s transportation department, building and grounds department, a board of education member, the high school principal, the district business administrator, superintendent and a parent to look into changing the location for next year.

In other business: Superintendent Carl Militello and Niagara-Wheatfield Teacher’s Association President Kevin Rustowicz announced that the teacher’s union have ratified and the board of education has approved a tentative collective bargaining agreement for three years beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2012.

The new agreement calls for wage increases that total 3.89 percent in each year. The new money added to the salary schedule for the first year is 1.36 percent, 1.53 percent for the second year and 1.25 percent for the third year.