The Bethlehem Area School District board voted to take the contract with Substitute Teacher Services (STS) off the table and voted on whether to approve it during the Feb. 24 meeting at East Hills MS.

The initial vote on the contract was tabled for further discussion during the Jan. 24 meeting and the concerns expressed during that meeting where addressed by Russell Giordano at the Feb. 10 human resources committee meeting.

In a 5-4 vote the contract was approved by the board and the districts substitutes will now be employed and managed by STS.

Under the contract STS will maintain an appropriate pool of substitutes with proper certifications as well as handle all advertising, recruiting, training, and payroll. They will also assume exposure under the Affordable Care Act and the district would not have to pay into PSERS for this labor force. STS will open a Bethlehem office to recruit substitutes to fill open positions.

Teachers whose clearances are over a year old will be responsible for re-doing them and then would be eligible to fill a position anywhere STS has a client in need.

Substitutes currently working in the districts schools will be able to continue to work in the district in the coming year as long as they become employees of STS. Building principals will also retain the ability to fill positions at their schools. The district will maintain control over setting the pay rate to the substitute teachers.

Outsourcing with STS was discussed as a way to avoid the 30-hour mandate for part-time workers necessitated by the ACA. Limiting the amount of hours substitutes could work a week was also discussed prior to deciding to pursue outsourcing as the better option.

Dining services workers also filled the back of the East Hills MS auditorium to protest the potential outsourcing of the dining services contract. The women held up round cardboard signs with statements such as "I love my job, loyalty = nothing," "Lunch ladies rule, and we want our contract to stay the same."

During the second public comment session of the meeting Christine Miller representing food service workers of BASD gathered at the meeting issued a statement about the possible outsourcing of the food service contract with the district.

Miller urged the board not to outsource the food service workers contract.

Facinetto said the district continues to negotiate in good faith.