Gateway School District considering hiring company owned partially by solicitor

Gateway school board is considering hiring a company owned partially by its solicitor to provide temperature checks to students and staff every day before entering buildings.

Board President Mary Beth Cirucci said Trafford-based Mobile Health Services approached Gateway administration to provide the services.

The cost to taxpayers would be $88,200 over a nine-week contract, or $9,800 per week.

Cirucci said Bruce Dice, the board’s solicitor, served as a “silent partner” when the company launched several years ago. According to Dice’s statement of financial interests with the district,he owns one-third of the company.

Pennsylvania Department of State records show Dice as Mobile Health’s vice president. His son, Jason Dice, is listed as the company’s treasurer.

A copy of the contract between Gateway and Mobile Health Services was not immediately available. A request to obtain a copy was not answered by Gateway Superintendent Bill Short.

Gateway School Board member Valerie Warning said a deal would appear to be a conflict of interest between Dice and the district. She also suggested Katherine Bishop, a school nurse, be consulted before a decision is made.

Other members of the school board, which is scheduled to vote on the agreement Aug. 18, also expressed concern over the deal’s price tag.

“I’m not against the idea of doing this, or the idea of even hiring this company. I have a serious problem with the process of how this is going on right now,” said board member Rick McIntyre, adding the service should have gone out for a bid to shop for different prices.

Since the dollar amount is already out there, he said, the school board doesn’t have the option to seek other bids.

“So I feel like we’ve been just kind of pinned into a corner here,” McIntyre said.

Penn Hills School Board, which also uses Dice as its solicitor, voted Aug. 12 to hire Mobile Health Services. Board President Erin Vecchio, Vice President Yusef Thompson Sr. and board members Michael Tauro, Jackie Blakey-Tate, Kristopher Wiegand and Evelyn Herbert supported the agreement. Finance committee chairman Rob Marra and board members Meryl Thomas and Elizabeth Rosemeyer dissented.

According to the agreement with Penn Hills, the company would charge $5,095 per week to send 15 technicians spread out over its three schools. It did not specify how long the contract would last.

Mobile Health launched in 2004 and now has a staff of 40. It provides mobile services to businesses in the region, including tests for hearing, vision, lung function, drug and alcohol levels and several others, such as “wellness screenings.”

“All services are handles (sic) in a prompt and professional manner right at your location,” reads the contract with Penn Hills.

Mobile Health is expected to perform infrared temperature checks to Penn Hills staff and students at the high school, middle school and elementary school before they enter the buildings. Mobile Health said it would be able to screen everyone at those buildings within 20 to 30 minutes.

Harold Katofsky, former Monroeville councilman and fire chief, is listed as the company’s founder and president.

Katofsky and Dice were not immediately available to comment.