001Welcome to the Wattsburg Area School District where we are student centered and future focused for world-class education. I will now call to order the regular board meeting for today, Monday, November 17th, 2025. Would you please rise for the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> May I have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Blazer, >> present. >> Mr. Brumagen, >> present. >> Mrs. Berlingham, >> here. >> Mrs. Heatherington here. >> Mrs. Lee, >> here. >> Mr. Morve, >> here. >> Dr. Dr. Pushchek >> here. >> Dr. Williams >> here. >> Mr. Young >> present. Thank you, Mrs. Pending. Uh, we'll now entertain a motion to approve the
002agenda as presented or amended. >> Nicole so moved. >> Push check. Second. Any questions? >> Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. >> I. Oppos. Nay. Motion carries. I will now entertain a motion to approve the minutes from the regular board meeting on October 20th, 2025. for >> Nicole second. >> Any questions, comments, corrections? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. I'll now entertain a motion to approve minutes from the work session last week, November 10th, 2025. >> So move push check. >> Second, Blazer. >> Any questions, comments? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. >> I. Oppos. Nay. Motion carries. Thank you. Uh now turn to Dr. Berlin for school reports. >> Thank you, Mr. President. We do not have a school report this
003evening. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Berlin. It's now time for guest and citizen comments. Do we have anyone signed up to speak this evening? >> All right. Thank you. Uh now turn back to Dr. Ken Berlin for superintendent report. I want to uh the only thing I want to do right now is recognize our board members that um are leaving us. Uh so I have a little something for them. So So you have to wait to open these. So um this is for you Britney. Thank you for your service. This is for you, Nicole. Thank you for your service. >> And we have one for you, Mrs. Heatherington. Um, >> ordered when uh we did not know there might be a right in the foot. I'm going to have to give everybody. >> All
004right. So, go ahead and open those if you would like. everywhere. >> All right. So, that's a >> very fancy >> a mountain there because you've helped us climb the mountain of success. Appreciate your your help and things. So, thank you very much. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> That's all I have. You'll just have two. >> Yeah, >> maybe the kids can play with that when you put in a play. >> All right. Next on the agenda, uh chair will recognize Mrs. Vicky Bending for the business administrator's report. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh for tonight, uh the treasures reports as presented last week um and the year-to- date budget versus actual report. So we have completed 33% of the fiscal year um with eight months remaining. Uh we are at 27.33 year-to-ate total
005budgeted expenditures and 39.85% of year-to-ate total budgeted revenues and a 20 million47,562.17 in the net budget remaining. Um, I did want to mention that with the state budget being passed, um, money from the state is starting to flow and between now and the 24th of November, we are scheduled to get just over $2 million from the state. So, um, that is all good news. Um again, the cafeteria profit and loss report um uh there was a loss for the month of October of $2,85326 which brings our year-to-ate loss to $9,86128 and then the student activities balance was given at last meeting. Moving on to the bill lists, checks already written prior to the work session as presented last meeting. And then the checks written uh between the work session and tonight's board meeting for general
006fund $12,298. And then the bill lists for your approval tonight. Uh general fund $581,1948, capital projects $37,75 and the cafeteria $60,76243. That is all I have for this evening. >> Thank you, Mrs. Bending. I'll now entertain a motion to approve the business reports, payments, and the invoices as presented. >> So move, Blazer. Nicole second. >> Any questions or comments, concerns for Mr. Pending? >> I just have a question about the um the state budget passing. So, I guess I wanted to verify the accuracy. The newspaper I think said that we're getting about 300,000 more than more than last year, but I I think from Dr. Berlin's weekly report kind of expected. >> Everything um that we're getting was already budgeted for. Is it is it an increase over what we gave >> $20,000? >> Is
007it an increase over what they gave us this year or I guess last year? Last year >> it is an increase over last year, but I had already accounted for their preliminary projections. So, um we're not really getting a windfall. And then I guess that was maybe answering the other question I had which is is it um if it's not really an addition I guess maybe this doesn't matter but I was wondering if it was in basic education funding versus like for programs like are they giving us other things we have to do with extra money that wash us out versus >> we're getting more in basic ed funding than I thought but we're getting less than in special ed. So it all it's all how the formula works out right. >> Yeah. >> Okay.
008Thank you. >> Sure. >> Any other questions? >> Yeah, if you don't mind. And >> absolutely. >> If I steer this to the wrong person, but uh Dr. Berlin, I know you're like the expert on some of these state budgets. I feel like you spend a lot of time on it, but could you guys explain a little bit about the cyber school passing? I I know that they had reduced it down to a flat rate of eight, but that's not necessarily for every cyber kid. Am I confused on that? or if you could help walk through that with >> there was a last minute change on that, Dr. Williams. It was it was to be 8,000 uh an $8,000 cap. Um but the loss to the cyber schools was more than I guess some of
009the legislators could take. Um so to move the deal forward, they had to compromise and that compromise was done in the form of the budget. uh the budget form I should say that uh we and every other school district fill out every year and that's based so our tuition that we pay for cyber students is based off of a a calculation that's done uh and it takes into account every every expense that we have. and they went back to that particular device rather than doing the flat 8,000 and said, "Well, can we do some more deductions off of uh the uh the um the way we do it, the tuition calculation now?" So, that's what they did. Um there's a little more, I think, for buildings and grounds. There's a deduction. There's a deduction for
010the tuition of cyber students. So, you're not getting penalized twice for them leaving. But that is something that Vicki had um taken advantage. We had been um uh putting that money into fund balance, which was perfectly acceptable, and then just pulling it out when we needed to pay those bills. So, we already realized that savings. Um and then I is there seemed like there was one other thing but you get the lesser of two deductions. Uh basic it does sound like the state tax it it really does you get the lesser of this or that and so there is like a standard type deduction >> right? So the way you calculate regular cyber uh cyber tuition for a regular ed student um you can take into consideration all these deductions and then they took the
011special ed costs and did something to that and then that's how they calculated um the special ed tuition. So, you can do the calculation with the deductions and see what the special ed tuition comes out to, or you can take your regular ed and multiply it by 1.89. And so, whichever one of those is less, you can use. So, it's >> we didn't run the numbers, but I'd be willing to bet it's probably pretty close. The state has not yet released the PTE 363 form that we will need to complete. Now, we've already done it for 2526. So, I'm guessing now that they've passed their budget, they're going to be releasing this new form and we will redo our PTE 363 form based on the new rules, which means the tuition will change. But now
012the cyber charters have already build us for August, September, October, November. And then there'll be this whole reconciliation process where we'll we charged you 15,000, but now it's 165 and so like at the end of the It's probably going to be a little tricky, but um >> Appreciate it. Thank you. >> It's good fun. >> The cap would have been easier. >> I would have loved that. I only asked because, you know, we're 1.2 million or something to that and you look down at the number and it's like, >> you know, it's just not fun when you look down at that number. That's all. >> Nope. All right. Any others? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. I. >> Oppos? Nay. Motion carries. Thank you. Uh we have one under legal advisement this evening.
013Uh these are for parcels that are uh going to be removed from the assessment records um as no value or non-existent. Um so I will entertain a motion from someone to approve the recommendation from the Erie County Tax Claim Bureau for the removal of back taxes uh for the years noted and all future taxes on the parcel numbers attached. >> So move Blazer >> second Heatherington. >> Any other questions, comments or concerns on this one? >> Hearing none. All in favor please say I. I oppose. Okay. Motion carries. Thank you. Uh the chair will now recognize Dr. Andy Pushjack for finance. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh two items under finance this evening. Without objection, I would like to move them together. The first one are the budgetary transfers, the standard budgetary transfers from budget
014to actual as attached. And then we have two additional transfers um identified on the addendum. So those two items. So moved. >> Nicole second. Any questions on those items? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. I. >> Oppos? Nay. Motion carries. Thank you, Dr. Pusher. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, the chair will now recognize Mr. Jeremy Blazer for buildings and grounds. >> Thank you, Mr. President. There's one item under building and grounds this evening. Uh, two facility use requests. Uh, there's a motion to approve facility use requests as outlined. Uh, District 10 utilizing our football field earlier for the soccer playoff game on October 30th, estimated cost of $400. And Miss Lucy's dancing school utilizing our senior high auditorium for dance recital June 12th and 13th, 2026. Estimated cost of $1,825.30. So moved.
015>> Nicole second. >> Any questions on those two? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. I. >> Oppos. Motion carries. Thank you, Mr. Blazer. >> Chair will now recognize Miss Nicole Lee for personnel. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I have five items for tonight and without objection, I would like to move all in one motion. They include A, resignations as listed, um, as well as our addendum. Um, Dr. Kberlin for purposes of retirement effective July 1st. Uh B, appointments as listed. C ESS substitute list additions as listed. D conference requests as listed. And E service substitute list additions as listed. So moved. >> Second. Berlingham. >> Any comments on these items? Questions? Hearing? None. All in favor, please say I. >> I. Oppos. Motion's carry. Thank you very much, Mrs. Lee. Chair will
016now recognize Mrs. Britney Birmingham for policy. >> Thank you, Mr. President. I currently have um one item underneath policy at this time, which is the second reading of policies to approve the second reading and review of policies as outlined and attached below. So moved. >> More second. Uh any questions on the reading of policies or those 11 policies outlined? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. I. Oppos. Name. Motion carries. Thank you, Mr. Biringham. Chair will now recognize Mr. Steven Warbe for curriculum. >> Mr. President, I have two items uh for the agenda this evening. Uh the first one is the u approve the school calendar for 26 through 27 including the act 80 days as per the attachment. Uh and the second item that if I would move as a total slate would
017be under the addendum which is the Robert Morris University enrollment agreement. Um and that is to approve the agreement between Robert Morris University Watsonburg Area School District for the 2025 2025 26 as attached or should that be 26 through 27? It is current should be read 2627. Do I need to make a motion to amend that a motion as as noted? So I approve the motion to make or excuse me to approve the agreement between Robert Morris University and R and Wford area school district for the high school for the 26 27 school year as attached and I believe the attachment is the correct dates. I just want to look here real quick. >> I think that is Um, yes, that is correct. >> Second, Blazer. >> Yep. >> Any questions, comments, concerns on these
018two >> hearing? None. All in favor, please say I. >> I oppose. Name. >> Motion carries. Thank you, Mr. Morve. >> Thank you, Mr. President. >> Chair will now recognize Dr. Jesse Williams for technology. >> Yes, Mr. President. I have nothing uh for tonight's meeting. >> Thank you, Dr. Williams. Chair now recognizes Mr. Dr. Greg Braumen for transportation. >> Mr. President, I have two items for tonight. Since the second one is contractual, I'd like to do them separately. Uh first item A to approve the transportation request and ratification of field trips since last meeting as attached. So moved. >> Nicole second. >> Any questions on that one? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. >> I post nay. Motion carries. >> Mr. Mr. President, the second item for tonight is the Durham renewal contract
019for our our busing to approve the transportation contract renewal with the Durham School Services as attached. So moved. >> Nicole second. >> Uh any questions on this one? >> Weren't we tableabling this? >> Mr. Pre. >> Yes, Mr. Bremagen. >> I would like to uh ask the board to table this one so that more research can be completed. >> Okay. Excellent. Mr. Now, just to clarify, we are uh currently uh pending full uh legal review on this transportation contract. Um this process has moved much more quickly than we initially anticipated. Um and as such, we're a little behind on getting finished with the review from legal counsel. Uh so in tableabling this motion, uh would you propose this be tabled for the January regular board meeting, Mr. Bremagen? >> Correct. >> Thank you, Mr. Bremagen.
020Uh so in order to table this motion, we will need to uh call for a vote and we will need a twothirds majority in order to table it. So all in favor, please. >> Do we need a second on the motion or no? I don't know. >> Motion to table. You can go ahead and second that motion. >> Okay, I'll do that. Just >> Thank you, sir. >> You're welcome. >> All right. Any other questions, comments, or concerns on tableabling the motion? Hearing none. All in favor of tableabling uh the motion for the Durham renewal contract, please say I. >> I oppose. Nay. >> Motion carries to table. that will be uh re-entered for uh entry onto our regular board meeting for January. So we will see it come up again for our work session
021in January of 2026. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bremagen. Chair will now recognize Miss Leah Heatherington for athletic and extracurricular. >> Thank you, Mr. President. I have five items for today and without objection I would like to move them all at the same time. Um the first one being A volunteer list additions as listed on the agenda. Uh B athletic resignations as listed on the agenda, C athletic appointments as listed. D extracurricular resignations as listed. and e extracurricular appointments as listed. So moved. >> Nicole second. >> Any questions, comments, or concerns on the five items presented by Miss Heatherington? >> Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. >> I. Oppose. Nay. >> And those five motions carry. Thank you, Miss Heatherington. Uh we have no items under miscellaneous on the agenda for this evening.
022So the chair will now recognize Mr. Steven Morve for the Erie County Technical School Joint Operating Committee report. >> Mr. President, this is the uh report of the committee uh that we held in October on the 23rd. Uh a few things I always like to uh point out and and highlight for our district here is that we had some uh students of the month that were um recognized by what by the tech school and those include uh Jack Cortu. I hope I'm saying that right. C O R T A E AU. He's in facility maintenance. uh Nathan Gregory is in auto tech and uh Paul Spires is in metal fabrication and those are part of their B attitude uh recognition program that the tech school has. So I wanted to highlight those uh students in
023our district for the good job that they're doing. Um in addition a couple of the items that were coming up uh or that has had has happened. Um uh they were doing ninth grade tours and I know Watsburg Area School District left or did our tour back on Friday. Um, so that's uh past tense, but it was uh something that was showing up. There is an open house yet that is still planned for the 20th, which is this Thursday. Um, that's for the 9th grade openhouse as well. So that's coming up. Uh, and then there's also the priority enrollment. Uh, that is occurring on the 15th of December. So that will happen, I guess, after our uh, next board meeting. So I just wanted but I wanted to highlight that. um which I know our
024guidance counselors and whatnot are certainly um interested students are giving them those dates to be uh to be part of that. Um and then a couple of other items that I just always like to give some statistics are uh within the tech school there's 976 students enrolled out of a group out of an allocation of 1,144. Um and our district we have 74 students going with our um out of our 96 slots that are available to us. So, um, still some slots available, still open spaces. So, I know coming up, um, obviously for 10th graders next year, as well as anybody that's coming up for this second semester, I think there's, you know, there's there's opportunity there for tech school students to, uh, still partake um, in the programs. Um, and then lastly, the the
025majority of the board meeting or the joint operating committee was uh, discussing the uh, uh, solar system or solar system. How about that? >> Um, pretty bad. astrology lab. >> Yeah, we we have that that's coming up. That's maybe in 2028. >> Um Miss Lee has the solar system has a project for that solar system if you like solar system. >> So the uh however so we we did some uh we had some this was the second round of of all of those discussions and and whatnot. Basically, there was boiled down to um the um programs that I think I mentioned in the past, which was the um uh ownership of the first solar field and then the leasing of the other two solar fields with the uh power uh payment agreement coming back to
026them as well as then a little bit of the upgrades that needed to be done in order to connect into the system. So, those are the that's basically what it boiled down to. We had some uh discussion about some of the contract language and uh Attorney Kennedy is is in our uh she's our solicitor there as well. And so that was one of those things that was uh pending any review. Uh but that legal review has gone through the process and those contracts will be signed on the 20th of this month. So that's actually happening on Thursday. There will also be a little bit of a press conference and some uh you know some discussion of that media presence etc. that's happening at 11:00 on Thursday. So, uh if you see that happen to uh
027come across in the news, that's what's going down. Um there is a you know an opportunity if anybody wanted to go to that, it's it's open. Um so it could be u you know viewed in person if that's something that you'd like to do. So um those contracts you know as they sign if you recall kind of the timeline then going forward there'll be some design work there'll be some uh additional engineering procurement materials etc. Bottom line is ground won't be broken until probably April of 26 when that field will start to get uh take some shape to it. Um and then the uh the process will roll. I think it's essentially fully operational and online. I'll say probably by the fall. I think we figured like a six-month construction time and connection time period
028uh to move forward. But um this front end is all going to be permitting, design, procurement, etc. All those things. And so the uh you know the uh the discussion at the at the joint operating committee was you know appreciative to all the various districts that all approved this and and gave the green light to this. This allows us uh and the tech school to capture all of those credits and all of those um rebates and whatnot that are expiring at the end of the year of the calendar year, not the school year. So those are all things that are uh you know are beneficial to the project which helped basically make the project viable to move forward. So um that's that's my report. Um and our next meeting we have no meeting in uh
029November. So we do have a next meeting is in uh middle of December. So we'll be able to report this will be after our board meeting in December, our reorganization meeting. So our next board meeting or the joint operating committee is the 16th. >> Okay. >> 8:30 >> at 8:30 in the morning. So I believe our board meeting is prior to that. And so uh my next report will be in January. >> January. >> Thank you, Mr. Morve. Any questions for Mr. Morve? >> I have one. Um yes. >> So like expansion and you may not know the answer to this. You know we did some expansion like the cosmetology. So they had two lab spaces. Yes. >> And they were space. Did did were they able to to fill up most of that space
030with with new students this year? Was there any mention? I'm I'm just curious. >> Uh yeah the breakdown I should have had the breakdown but I believe it's it's yeah it was fairly fairly well full. >> Fairly substantial. Yeah correct. I figured as much, but you know, when you when you add space, you definitely want to see it utilized, right? >> I did have a chart that had all of the programs in it, and I just didn't bring that up. >> No, that's fine. >> But yeah. >> Oh, excellent. Thank you very much. >> Mhm. >> Any others? All right. Well, thank you, Mr. Morvy, for your report. And the chair will now recognize Dr. Andy Pushchack for the Northwest Tri County Intermediate Unit Board Report. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I have nothing
031to report beyond the board report that was sent out to the board after our October meeting. And similar to the Joocc, we will not meet in November and we will have our next meeting on December 17th and I will report to the board in January. And that's all I have, Mr. President. >> Thank you, Dr. Pushjack. Uh, it's now time for board correspondence and dialogue. Does anyone have anything for the good of the order this evening? Miss Heatherington. I don't know if I was asleep last week on the agenda, but I am so sad to see Miss Kofsky leaving. Missy Wanik, my girls loved her, so I wish her well. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Yes, Dr. Pushch. >> Um, I would just like to publicly thank Mrs. Burlingham and Mrs. Lee uh for their
032distinguished service on our board. Um, they have been excellent board members. They came in with um backgrounds that uh really contributed to the dialogue and the continuation of moving our district forward. Um Mrs. Lee in particular was appointed for a time and then was elected. Uh she came in in a little bit of uh interesting times and she persevered and was an excellent board member. So thanks to Mrs. Berlingham, Mrs. Lee. Also, welcome back Mr. Morv uh who was reelected and Mrs. Heatherington pending uh certification of of her writings. Uh we really want you back. So I'm glad you made the choice to do that. And then we'll welcome Mr. Snipper to who previously served on the board and then Mrs. Will who will be a new member. So um I think our December meeting
033will be will be good. That's all I have, Mr. President. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Pushchack. Dr. Williams. >> Yep. I would just like to, you know, and kind of scammed over it, but I want to recognize um Dr. Berlin. He put in his letter for intent of retired. So, the board uh pitched some money together and got you a gift. Um thank you for all the time that you spend here. So, >> here's my pocket knife. You can >> just expect this on your carry a pocket. But I again I want to say though I I feel like every time I come here I I learn something from you. So it it's been a honor to to have you uh on this uh in this district. I I learned quite a bit while
034I've been here for the last uh four years. So I appreciate it and wanted to recognize that uh you Thank you. >> Yeah. And and expanding that on that one. Um yeah, obviously he has some influence in the way the agenda gets laid out here and just sneaks himself in on an addendum under existing personnel items, but uh definitely not something that we are, you know, glassing over from a governance perspective. Um, and from a personal perspective, uh, the fact that our district has been under your leadership, uh, for the amount of time that it has been, um, and with the type of fortitude that you've brought to the battles that we have in this district every day, um, is greatly appreciated. Um, and I don't think we can thank you enough for that. uh
035because we all know that in our professions and in our environments that we give of ourselves. We give the time that we may otherwise have for family members, our own children. Um and we do that um without pause and and that's what you have done for this district. So we thank you greatly for that. Um and and for the public um this is now a task for this board of governance um to help work through this transition uh and and a selection process uh to move forward uh as a district and as a community. Um and we take that that responsibility very seriously. Um so coming into the new year uh that will be some some action on the part of this board. Uh and we are honored to have that challenge. Um and we
036will bring our best uh moving forward for our students and for our district. >> I am sorry. Did you mention that we had executive session before the >> Oh, my apologies. >> That's why you're coming back. >> Excellent notation, Mrs. Heatherington. Uh also, uh for the public, uh we did meet in executive session prior to this evening's board meeting to discuss a personnel issue. you can guess what it was based on the timing of this uh denotion. So, Mr. Brumagen >> uh wanted to just bring it back to the um school reports we've been having recently. Uh there were, you know, we just had elementary school teacher announced resignation today. The elementary school, we were told maybe more data was being released. Can we get a followup on school reports and specifically the elementary school
037on the uh agenda here in the near future so we can follow up on that? Seemed pretty uh pretty important that we keep our finger on what's going on in our elementary school. Thank you. >> Absolutely. We'll take it under direction. Any others? >> Um just one last thing. Um sorry. And then >> Mrs. William go. >> Um my last night. Thank you everybody. Um, I'm so happy I got to meet everybody, got to work here for the last five years all together as a group. Um, but one last uh comment for me. I am a huge um arts person and I have to say I'm so excited we are doing Shrek this year for Senica. I am I cannot wait to come see it. And um unfortunately it's the same time as Harbor Creek.
038So we'll have to try and find a way to come and see it. But um at least for me because I'm working with Harbor Creek um at the moment. But um >> you you could bring yourself over to Wattsburg, you know. >> I know, right? I have to convince uh Mr. uh uh Steve uh >> O'Donnell. I was going to say more. Convince Mr. O'Donnell that I need to be on his team. So >> you can play. >> I can be Shrek. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Mrs. Biringham. >> Um yeah, I also would like to echo the thank you. It's been a very joyous four years. I'm very appreciative of my time. Um, I'm happy to continue to help serving a part of the special education committee.
039So, I'm going to try to continue to stay involved. But the other thing I wanted to point out, so I know because I feel like this was newer, um, but last week some of our high school students in the med science class got to participate in the front line through UPMC. They got to go on a field trip. Um, my son participated in that and I was so excited cuz he had a really good time and he was so annoyed about needing to dress up and like look like a professional and he couldn't wear sweatpants and hoodie and so he was very annoyed about that but he said it was a great experience. Um, I know that there was like interviews with some of the students. He participated in that and he said it was
040really cool. So I love that Wattsburg did that. I don't know like how that comes together, but again like him being a sophomore like our kids are starting to realize they have to come up with what am I doing with my life? And so he, you know, he's very interested in some sports medicine and thought that it was a pretty cool experience. So that was cool and I'm glad that our school just participates and gives our kids those opportunities to learn and do some growth. >> Is he inspired enough that you're going shopping for polos and slacks yet? >> I don't know if he's going to be that inspired. I'm sure those clothes are in the back of the closet somewhere at this point, but you know, >> but anyway, thank you. >> Any others
041for board correspondence and dialogue this evening? Hearing none, I will now entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So move push check. >> Nicole second. >> All in favor, please say I. >> I. Motion carries. We are adjourned. Thank you.