JAY — RSU 73 directors voted Thursday to authorize Superintendent Robert Wall to negotiate a contract with Bailey Bros. of Livermore Falls for maintenance and repairs of the district’ s bus fleet, vehicles and equipment.

Wall told the board a multiyear agreement has been discussed. He will bring a draft of the contract to the board for approval. That way there won’t be a break in services, he said.

The district contracted with the local dealership for 2011-12 to provide the services after a move to set up a district bus garage to take care of the fleet in-house was rejected.

The intent is that light repairs and maintenance such as changing light bulbs, fluids and wiper blades be handled by district staff. The dealership would handle the more complicated repairs and maintenance for the district that require a licensed mechanic. Any bus under warranty of a dealership would have to go to the dealer for certain work, Wall said.

The agreement for July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012, was $56 per hour for labor, plus parts at dealership cost.

Some items that Bailey Bros. wouldn’t cover in the existing contract are factory warranty work, major bodywork, towing and some diagnostic work on emissions and driveability on new buses.

The school board also authorized the concept to develop a districtwide Facilities and Program Task Force.

The intent would be to establish a steering committee of nine members, including a chairperson to review educational programs, facilities, demographics and evaluation plan of each school, Wall said.

There would be eight subcommittees established to do the work.  

Wall said he would present a PowerPoint on the proposal at the board’s 6 p.m. meeting Thursday, July 12, at Spruce Mountain Middle School.

In other business Thursday, the board approved Wall’s recommendations of transfers and appointments of employees.

Among those was the transfer of Kathie Bilodeau, a high school secretary, to the Livermore Elementary School and Kelly Gilbert, an elementary teacher from Livermore Elementary School, to Jay Elementary School in Jay.

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