The last round of citizen comments from the August 18 Columbia Borough School Board meeting is presented below. At issue is the shared service contract between the Columbia and ELANCO School Districts that includes the hiring of former Columbia School Board President Tom Strickler as director of operations.
Tom Strickler
Vern Detz: "I feel as though this is a disservice to the taxpayers of Columbia, and I think everyone that voted for this without doing the due diligence should resign. I really don't think you have the best interest of Columbia at your forefront. I believe that the intent may have been there. We rushed it. We didn't dot all the I's and cross all the T's. I believe it's going to cost more than 165 [thousand dollars] that's being thrown out there. Some of my questions earlier and the answers I got kind of justifies that statement. We need to have leaders and not followers. I heard a comment and I will not use the name, but I will share the comment, that we must to do what Mr. Strickler and Dr. Klawitter want us to do. A board member made that statement knows who it is. I want it out there that I believe this is a terrible deal for the taxpayers of Columbia."
Frank Doutrich: "I'd like to tell the board and Mr. Hollister why I'm here. I'm here because of the $22 million debt we have. I'm here because a school board member resigns, and the next thing I know a director of operations that comes into play. But I'm really here too, to tell you my tax bill is $13,000, and I'm here to find out or to see where my money is going or what my money is going for. Also, yes I care about the kids. I care about the interest on that $22 million. What could that be doing for the kids? I was concerned enough to attend the meeting of the whole, come there ask questions, got some answers to the questions, and then I was told go to ELANCO, we don't have the other answers to your questions. I was told by Ken Klawitter, told by some members of the board. So, I traveled to ELANCO and when it come comment time, I missed it so I had to stand up next to some other things on since that. The chairman [ELANCO Board President Glenn Yoder] said you can't speak, you're not a resident of ELANCO school district. How he knew that I don't know, he never asked me where I was from, so I had a feeling they knew somebody was coming from Columbia. So then you, Dr. Hollister, said you would meet with us in the back, after the meeting and pass the comments on. We got about a five minute session with you and then you had to go to a meeting. I still had a lot of questions then. I'd like to also tell you is when you come to Columbia don't only stay at the school, walk downtown, go down Locust Street, talk to the people, see what they think about high taxes in the town. The people that has to move out, it's a shame. I - like other people - I tried to get to the bottom of it, but not everybody will speak out as Kathy did here tonight. I respect anyone that would set the record straight. Really, really, I really appreciate that. Thank you very much."
Sharon Lintner: "Is the board seat still vacant?"
Unknown [believed to be Hollister or Knighton]: "Yes."
Lintner: "Ok, if I misunderstood Kathy - I hope I did - during your comment you said there was name calling by the board. Is that what you said or did I misunderstand that?"
Kathleen Hohenadel
Board Vice President Kathleen Hohenadel: "That has happened, but not at public meetings. It's behind the scenes."
Lintner: "That would be bullying, and we ask the students not to do that. We would hope the board would be set to a higher standard. And I think disagreeing with someone else's opinion is part of having a democracy, and I think civilized people need to respect each other. How do you expect to fill a board seat if people find out about that? Who would want to sit there and if they disagree they're going to be called names?"
Lintner: "That would be bullying, and we ask the students not to do that. We would hope the board would be set to a higher standard. And I think disagreeing with someone else's opinion is part of having a democracy, and I think civilized people need to respect each other. How do you expect to fill a board seat if people find out about that? Who would want to sit there and if they disagree they're going to be called names?"
Don Groom: "Mr. Strickler's salary, I know the range was $85,000-99,000 as reported in the paper. I'm just curious why it went to the upper end, when he had no experience running the school. I'm just curious why it wasn't more towards the lower end."
Superintendent Robert Hollister: "That was my decision, based on his resume and experiences. The fact that he had a number of startups that he did in his career, the large number of folks that he supervised at one time. I felt that was justified. That was my decision."
Groom: "I was in the meeting of the whole last Thursday, and I asked the question about how much this is saving the school district. Dr. Klawitter said $8,000, I think was the figure that was thrown out. The paper said $6,300. I don't know if its $8,000 or $6,300, but the paper also said then that $30,000 is going into ELANCO's general fund. Now, can somebody explain to me why we have to pay ELANCO $30,000 to save $6,300 or $8,000?
Hohenadel: "ELANCO's contract that's been approved by the board - the number that is listed there represents several costs, since we do have Dr. Hollister 20% of the time, that number that you just quoted represents about 20% of his salary. We're also paying the costs of the director of operations, and we're paying some of those other costs that were listed earlier by Mr. Detz. But the total cost that Mrs. Anspach and I both believe we agreed to is not to exceed $165,000 in total - was our understanding, so that is what we had presented to the board. That's what we believe the agreement to say, and I hope it sticks to that this year, not to exceed the $165,000 in total. But the portion you said represents since we have Dr. Hollister 20% of the time, we pay the equivalent of 20% of his salary. He, however, cannot collect that, because that would be an ethics violation - on the advice of his attorney - so that number pays for his salary, but goes into their fund."
Hollister: "You've hired, for a reasonable price, a very experienced superintendent. You folks don't know a lot about Eastern Lancaster County, I'm assuming, but our financial house is in order. In six years we're debt-free. Talk about 22 million, Frank, we're debt-free in six. We'll have a two million dollar surplus in six years, the year I retire. So, my hope is that we can bring some of that financial prudence to the school district here. You wouldn't find that in a superintendent who had no experience, because it takes years to understand where to find all those savings. How to re-negotiate contracts, everything from trash disposal, snow removal all those contracts, you get better at negotiating that with experience. So, I understand what you're saying about the $8,000 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but when you start bringing some of that experience in, in a year's time, we'll know what other money we found for you."
Groom: "With the shared superintendent, I was hoping it would be a 50/50. I understand you're only going to be here one day a week, which is kind of disappointing."
Hollister: "My parents in ELANCO are saying why should we share him at all? I cannot take a dime for this position. I've got two communities I've got to keep happy."
Groom: "I understand when Mr. Strickler resigned from the board, there was a motion to make Mr. Knighton president and I'm just curious was anyone else nominated? Was Ms. Hohenadel nominated since she is vice president?"
Superintendent Robert Hollister: "That was my decision, based on his resume and experiences. The fact that he had a number of startups that he did in his career, the large number of folks that he supervised at one time. I felt that was justified. That was my decision."
Groom: "I was in the meeting of the whole last Thursday, and I asked the question about how much this is saving the school district. Dr. Klawitter said $8,000, I think was the figure that was thrown out. The paper said $6,300. I don't know if its $8,000 or $6,300, but the paper also said then that $30,000 is going into ELANCO's general fund. Now, can somebody explain to me why we have to pay ELANCO $30,000 to save $6,300 or $8,000?
Hohenadel: "ELANCO's contract that's been approved by the board - the number that is listed there represents several costs, since we do have Dr. Hollister 20% of the time, that number that you just quoted represents about 20% of his salary. We're also paying the costs of the director of operations, and we're paying some of those other costs that were listed earlier by Mr. Detz. But the total cost that Mrs. Anspach and I both believe we agreed to is not to exceed $165,000 in total - was our understanding, so that is what we had presented to the board. That's what we believe the agreement to say, and I hope it sticks to that this year, not to exceed the $165,000 in total. But the portion you said represents since we have Dr. Hollister 20% of the time, we pay the equivalent of 20% of his salary. He, however, cannot collect that, because that would be an ethics violation - on the advice of his attorney - so that number pays for his salary, but goes into their fund."
Hollister: "You've hired, for a reasonable price, a very experienced superintendent. You folks don't know a lot about Eastern Lancaster County, I'm assuming, but our financial house is in order. In six years we're debt-free. Talk about 22 million, Frank, we're debt-free in six. We'll have a two million dollar surplus in six years, the year I retire. So, my hope is that we can bring some of that financial prudence to the school district here. You wouldn't find that in a superintendent who had no experience, because it takes years to understand where to find all those savings. How to re-negotiate contracts, everything from trash disposal, snow removal all those contracts, you get better at negotiating that with experience. So, I understand what you're saying about the $8,000 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but when you start bringing some of that experience in, in a year's time, we'll know what other money we found for you."
Groom: "With the shared superintendent, I was hoping it would be a 50/50. I understand you're only going to be here one day a week, which is kind of disappointing."
Hollister: "My parents in ELANCO are saying why should we share him at all? I cannot take a dime for this position. I've got two communities I've got to keep happy."
Groom: "I understand when Mr. Strickler resigned from the board, there was a motion to make Mr. Knighton president and I'm just curious was anyone else nominated? Was Ms. Hohenadel nominated since she is vice president?"
Cole Knighton
Board President Cole Knighton: "Nope, there was the opportunity for that, certainly. You can have more than one nomination.
Groom: "Isn't that kind of a slap in the face to Ms. Hohenadel? I mean, she's vice president, she's good enough to cover the meeting when the president isn't there, but nobody wanted to promote her up to the president. It just seems, it just doesn't seem right."
Board member Charles Leader: "I was out of the country at that time. I wasn't here to make any vote. I asked this the other night at a meeting, and no one could tell me if they follow Robert's Rules on this board. No one seemed to know. In Kathy's defense and anybody's defense, the first person goes down, the person number two goes into that spot, so I think that's a gross oversight."
Knighton: "I believe it's in our policy - board policy that that's not the case, it doesn't have to be that way. I know that would be the perception, but it doesn't have to be that way."
Leader: "I think ethically it should be that way."
Fran Resch: "I was at a meeting of the whole last week, and it just surprised me that Kathy Hohenadel was not given any consideration at all to move into the position of the president. Everybody seems to have good answers, but it almost seemed contrived that going into that meeting somebody was told to make a motion and that was it. I questioned at that meeting why that happened and nobody could give me an answer. I'm a former board member, I resigned because [according to the newspaper] it was all because of health reasons, but as you can see I don't look too unhealthy, I don't think. I think I look pretty good for 70 years old. I questioned that because I wanted my letter to be put in its entirety and read before the board, and I don't think it was. I just pray that the board continues on the right path. I congratulate Kathy for the nice letter that she read tonight. I think she was put under a lot of pressure and she seems to take the brunt of it."
Groom: "Isn't that kind of a slap in the face to Ms. Hohenadel? I mean, she's vice president, she's good enough to cover the meeting when the president isn't there, but nobody wanted to promote her up to the president. It just seems, it just doesn't seem right."
Board member Charles Leader: "I was out of the country at that time. I wasn't here to make any vote. I asked this the other night at a meeting, and no one could tell me if they follow Robert's Rules on this board. No one seemed to know. In Kathy's defense and anybody's defense, the first person goes down, the person number two goes into that spot, so I think that's a gross oversight."
Knighton: "I believe it's in our policy - board policy that that's not the case, it doesn't have to be that way. I know that would be the perception, but it doesn't have to be that way."
Leader: "I think ethically it should be that way."
Fran Resch: "I was at a meeting of the whole last week, and it just surprised me that Kathy Hohenadel was not given any consideration at all to move into the position of the president. Everybody seems to have good answers, but it almost seemed contrived that going into that meeting somebody was told to make a motion and that was it. I questioned at that meeting why that happened and nobody could give me an answer. I'm a former board member, I resigned because [according to the newspaper] it was all because of health reasons, but as you can see I don't look too unhealthy, I don't think. I think I look pretty good for 70 years old. I questioned that because I wanted my letter to be put in its entirety and read before the board, and I don't think it was. I just pray that the board continues on the right path. I congratulate Kathy for the nice letter that she read tonight. I think she was put under a lot of pressure and she seems to take the brunt of it."
[NOTE: Hohenadel's letter can be found HERE.]
