001Good evening. I would like to call to order the March 24th, 2025 meeting of the Westchester School Board. Tonight we welcome students Riley Jones and Clara and Rosini from Westtown Thornbury and their principal Dr. Cruz. Let us begin with the salute to the flag. I aliance 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. Good evening. I'm Claire Amberini, president of the student council. And I'm Riley Jones, vice president of the student council. Tonight, we will share some of the fun events going on at Westtown Thornbury Elementary School this March. This month, WTE hosted fun events like career day and everybody belongs spirit week. They provided opportunities for the students to be their true selves while
002exploring what they want to be when they grow up and to always include others no matter what they look like. On career day, students were encouraged to dress up as professions they hope to pursue when they're older. Lots of the classrooms had visitors to tell us about their jobs and what they do for a living. The students were exposed to careers they might want to pursue in the future. Fire, police, paramedics, and SWAT visited also to share about their jobs and let the students know what it is like to ride in their vehicles. Overall, this day was super fun and it taught the students what it is like to pursue a career and got the wheels turning on what they want to do when they grow up. For everyone belongs spirit week. Each day had
003a theme to dress up. Monday, everyone wore mismatched clothing for we are also unique day. On Tuesday, everyone was encouraged to wear yellow for you are so special day. Wednesday was a day off, but we resumed on Thursday with superhero shirts for acceptance is our superpower. Friday, we wore mismatch socks for World Down Syndrome Day. This week, we have two additional spirit days. Wednesday, we will wear purple for epilepsy awareness and Friday, we will wear blue for World Autism Day. The spirit days are important to support kids with Down syndrome, epilepsy, and autism, and focusing on being kind, and recognizing how to love yourself. WTE loved all of these special fun events. We look forward to do more events like these in the future. In the special design lab, we learned something new every class.
004One cool fun project we just finished in design lab was researching and building a recyclable material cardboard museum for STEM related careers. This was a collaborative project for third, fourth, and fifth graders working together to build different parts of the museum and conducting research. This is a great project and I really enjoyed it. Second graders are researching animals from their non-fiction and books in the classroom. They are getting multiplication math and are also super excited for the field trip to media theater in a couple of weeks. I'm sure second graders are having fun with their activities. In fourth grade, the writing classes celebrated Black History Month by crafting resumes for notable black Americans. This project helps students become better writers while learning about the contributions of of these influential figures. They also learns valuable skills
005to help write a solid resume. In math, fourth graders are working on mastering multi-digit multiplication and division problems. They are also loving their fiction unit in their reading classes. Fifth graders have been working on decimals, a book called Bun Not Bunny, Earth and Space Patterns, mystery science unit, and writing TDA. We just wrapped up writing a memoir and Water in the World, another mystery science unit. We have a field trip for Citizens Spang Park and the Museum of American Revolution on April 15th. Me and my other fifth grade students are super lucky to be able to do all these cool projects and things. Thank you so much for listening to our presentation. Have a great evening. Thank you, Riley. Sarah, Christopher, and I are going to come up and get a couple of photos with
006you. Okay. Thanks for letting us know what happening. It was sound. I have some kits for you. So, I have Claire first down. So, I'm going to hand this to you. Let's move over here. And then I'll hand this to you. Shake your hand. Great job. Hey, we have no special announcements this evening. So next up is roll call with Miss Cherish board secretary. Vice President Balakqua here. Director Christie here. Director Dietri here. Director Dell here. President Fleming here. Director Fry. Director Herman here. Director Parkinson here. Director Warsley here. Thank you, Miss Chair. And next up is public comment. Uh, Miss Dun, do we have any public comment on agenda items? We do. We have one public comment on agenda items. So, I'll read the statement. Now is the time for public comment on agenda
007items. The board will follow the procedure established by policy 903. All individuals wishing to comment this evening were required to properly register prior to the designated start time of tonight's meeting by completing the information specified on the public comment registration card. Once called to the podium, each commenter will begin by stating their first and last name and municipality. Each speaker must limit their comments to three minutes or less per public comment period. Commenters may not seed their time to other individuals. Individuals will be notified by a time clock when their time allowed for public comment has expired. There will be a second public comment period at the end of the meeting for comments from residents following these same guidelines. The board asked that all commentary be direct to the board as a whole. Public comment
008be interrupted or terminated if the commentary exceeds three minutes or if the commentary is obscene and or threatening in nature. The comment commenter for this period is Judy Defonso. Hello everyone. Happy Monday. Uh Judy Deano, still living in these goable places. Um I noticed some inconsistencies with the uh comprehensive plan and the way it's been filled out. um our very own David Christopher is listed as the chief uh school administrator uh on the gifted ed plan, but the other plans list uh Dr. Reynolds as in that same role. And I just thought that there should be some consistency um with that sort of thing. Um, in addition, I noticed there was a principal who no longer works for the district mentioned in the induction plan chapter 49. Again, uh it it just kind of bothers
009me that that you know it it's inconsistent with um you know what goes on. And uh that basically was it just that inconsistency in the comprehensive plan. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Judy. All right. Next, we will uh vote to approve the minutes from the February 24th, 2025 board meeting. May have a motion to approve the minutes. Dr. Dri may have a second. Director Bealwa. All those in favor say I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Uh I do have an executive session announcement. Miss Cherish, please note in the minutes the board met in executive session tonight, March 24th, 2025, regarding a legal matter. Now, we'll approve the agenda for tonight. I don't believe we have any amendments to tonight's agenda. Uh now is the opportunity for board members to request changes to the board agenda.
010Are there any requests? Seeing none, may I have a motion to approve the March 24th, 2025 agenda? Director Dornell, may I have a second? Dr. Herman. All those in favor say I. I. Oppose? Nay. Motion carries. And this leads us to the superintendent report with Dr. Christopher. Thank you. So, good evening everyone. Thanks for joining us tonight. As always, I appreciate the time and dedication of our board members, staff, and families, and our community partners who make WCASD such a strong and supportive district. Before our student representatives and board members begin their reports, I want to take a quick moment to shine a spotlight on some of the standout moments from this past month. So, this past month is March's Women's History Month, and our schools have been celebrating in meaningful ways. One standout event
011was Fernhill Elementary's Women's History Month Career Fair where students had the opportunity to hear from incredible women making a difference in their field. Data engineers, police officers, Navy pilots, and many more inspiring professionals shared their journeys, challenges, and advice, empowering Bobcats to dream big and reach for the stars. We had enough elementary career and community connection days. Uh continuing that theme, uh we're going to continue to strengthen our partnerships between students and the broader community through career and community connections. East Bradbury Elementary hosted Math and Action Day where community members demonstrated how math plays a role in everyday life and potential careers. Westtown Thornberry Elementary brought in EMTs, firefighters, photographers, pilots, engineers, business owners, and more to share their professions with students. Uh to make the day even more fun, students dressed up as their
012future dream careers. Hillsdale Elementary's fifth graders had an exciting career day hearing from a professional lacrosse player, a Coastg Guard lawyer, and other inspiring guests who gave them a glimpse into potential futures. These experiences help students connect classroom learning to the real world. And I want to thank our educators and community members for making these events possible. We have an upcoming Harlem Wizards game on Friday. If anyone has uh seen that, this is makes Linda Cherish happy that I'm talking about it this evening. Uh but this weekend we'll bring one of our most exciting community events. Uh the Harlem Wizards game uh really celebrates and supports the Westchester Area Education Foundation. The event usually raises somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 or more to support district programs. Uh the energy inside East High School's gym
013Friday night will be electric and I'm told there are still a few tickets left. So if your weekend isn't already packed, I encourage you to join us for a fun night that benefits a great cause. It is also music in our schools month uh in addition to women's history month and our students have been putting on fantastic performances across the district. This weekend Henderson High School will perform anything goes and Fugan Middle School's drama club will present Crazy for You. If you're looking for a fun way to spend your weekend, tickets are available in our newsletter and on our website calendar. Before the stage, uh beyond the stage, I should say, our student musicians continue to shine at the highest levels. After months of dedication and three rigorous auditions, 11 Westchester students have earned a
014place in the BMEA All State Festival representing the pinnacle of musical achievement Pennsylvania. So that's that's a huge achievement to have 11 students actually in that. These students will represent WCD at the PMBA all state festival on April 9th through 12th depending on um what they're doing in orchestra, band or chorus. I also want to shed some light on a couple of cabinet positions and and some awards that we received this last month. So, I'm proud to share that the Westchester team has been awarded the 2025 Pasville Gold Award of Excellence in school facilities, recognizing the outstanding leadership and operations of our facilities department. Thank you to our facilities and operations team for their exceptional work in keeping our building safe, efficient, and well-maintained for our students and staff. So, congratulations, Mike. We appreciate that.
015It was actually a lot of work is what I was told. So, we do appreciate you doing that. In addition, our communications department won five awards from the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association in excellence at the communications competition. These awards reflect the team's dedication to keeping our community informed, engaged, and connected with incredible work happening across the district. I would also like to uh let the community know that uh I want to acknowledge that the charter school appeal board has issued a written decision upholding the district's denial of the revised application for the Valley Forge Classical Academy Charter School. The charter school appeal board affformed the original concerns raised including the lack of community support, incomplete curriculum alignment, and issues related to services for special education and English learners, budget deficiencies, and the overall inability
016of the proposed school to serve as a model for public education. This decision reflects the thorough and thoughtful process taken by the school district to ensure that any new charter school meets high educational standards and serves the best interests of our students. Finally, I do want to acknowledge that we have received some concerns from high school staff members about unanswered questions they have about the proposed high school schedule. Dr. Connelly and I have scheduled meetings with staff members who have shared concerns with us and we'll continue to do that and we look forward to meeting with those teachers too. We've also scheduled meetings with our science department chairs and also with our specialy programs such as child development staff to address specific questions they have shared with us as well. We are continuing to take
017visits to neighboring school districts uh who will be going to downtown east and west in the next week to look at how they're operating their lunch and learn and to create plans for things we may need to do to support lunch and learn in our buildings. We will also continue to update our FAQ document as we refine plans moving forward to an implementation in 17 months in the fall of 2026. As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership. I look forward to seeing many of you in our upcoming events and celebrations. Now, we'll turn it over to our student representatives. Uh, good evening everyone. I hope you all have had a great month so far and that your March Madness brackets are going strong. Unfortunately, my bracket isn't doing too well, but fortunately,
018esports teams are. Congratulations to Grace Hurley, Emily Schwarz, Emma Anzac, and Lily Rower for qualifying for the swimming state champions. Another congrats to Jack Brandon, who has qualified for the indoor track national championships in Boston next week. Good luck to all of these athletes. Congratulations to the baseball team for their big win over last year's state semi-finalist DE East and to the boys rugby team on their impressive 475 victory over Roman Catholic High School. The rugby team is made up of players from East as well as Henderson and Rustin, but we're still looking for more athletes to join. Last week, girls flag football won their first game with a 446 victory over Academy Park. The first first touchdown in school history was scored by Annalise Kubasco and the first interception was by Sophia Keat. They
019look to remain undefeated tomorrow at Chester. On March 20th, the science Olympiad team competed against 28 other high schools in the region. They brought home medals from 16 events and placed overall third for our division. They'll represent us at the state's competition in Altuna, PA next month. We're proud of their accomplishments and wish them the best of luck next month. The environmental club is hosting a clothing swap this month where students can donate their clothes in return for a free bag of thrifted clothing. They can also stop by the library to shop for and purchase clothing at a low price. EHS had a couple of field trips this month. Students recently visited the Westchester Police Department for a job shadow experience. During their visit, they had the opportunity to hear from various professionals within the
020department and learn about different careers in law enforcement. The students also received a tour of the station. The 10th grade English teachers organized a field trip to the People's Light and Theater to see A Raisin in the Sun. Almost 90 students from different grade levels attended the performance. On March 13th, Mrs. Mareno Davis's upper level Spanish students created a mock college fair to display information in Spanish, of course, about various universities and their offerings. Newer Spanish students were the guests at the fair and were tasked with asking the presenters about their schools. It was a highly engaging interactive activity that had students speaking, listening, and writing. Last week, other students in Spanish classes, like myself, were taught how to salsa dance. I might not be ready for Dancing with the Stars, but let's just say
021my salsa skills are seasoned. Last week, Miss Flynn's creative workshop students engaged in a blackout poetry experience, which they merged color and poetry. The results were impressive and demonstrated what exceptionally creative and artistic students we have at East. Thank you, Miss Flynn, for inspiring them. I'd like to give a shout out to Denith Palag, a junior who has earned one of the string mass chairs in the all state concert band. Den has represented our music department at several festivals this year with Mr. Selfo and Mr. Orlando. He thanks both of these teachers for helping him become the musician he is today. ES hosted its fifth annual coding contest at Westchester University this month. 16 high schools came together to compete in coding challenges. Thank you to our WCASD staff including Mr. Schaw and Mr. Dormer
022and a congratulations to all involved in the successful event. East will be hosting its 15th annual House of Hope charity concert benefiting Home of the Sparrow, a charity supporting local women and children facing homelessness. Come to the East auditorium at 700 p.m. on April 4th to support to support performers from East and surrounding schools and contribute to our effort to raise for fund raise for Home of the Sparrow. On March 10th, BSU hosted Westchester Mayor Lillian de Baptist. As a graduate from Henderson, Mayor de Baptist share her life experiences. She impressed upon the students the importance of surrounding themselves with people who want what's best for them. Each year, the WCASD and the Westchester Area Education Association award 10 deserving seniors from each from each high school with the Spellelman Humanitarian Award. The 10 honories
023from each high school exhibit the spirit of volunteerism and citizenship that was central to Dr. Spelman's life. Congratulations to the following East students who will be honored at reception in April. Michelle Chen, Jada Cooper, Nula Coyle, Sophia Fu, Wesley Hester, Sneha Mahadavan, Pujo Menan, Debbie Nair, Kira Oakland, and Amelia Pambino. East production of Singing in the Rain was spectacular. Thank you to all of our students, directors, and parents for this unforgettable production. Last week, Mrs. Bailey received quite the surprise when Dr. Christopher showed up to her first period class to present her with the Westchester Way Maker Recognition Award. As a student in her AP calculus class, I can attest to her dedication as an educator. Mrs. Bailey ensures that all students feel valued and capable of success and does it all with a smile
024on her face. So, thank you to Mrs. Bailey for setting the standard for East excellence. This concludes my report for this month. Enjoy the rest of your month and let's finish out the third marking period with a bang. Good evening everyone. I hope you're doing well this evening. Uh here's my report for the month of March. As for our music department, Henderson is sending eight students to the PMEA state competition at the Kalahari Resort in the Poconos this year, a school record. Representing our choir will be juniors Jackson Ogden and Leonardo Garcia Rodriguez, and seniors Daniel Kusen, uh Leonard Constantine Silveroft, and Brooke Kaufman. Representing our band will be oboist Heidi Krug, bass clarinetist Nate Netherman, and tuba player Skyler Trudeau. Congratulations to all of our musicians on their noteworthy accomplishment. Are you looking for
025a night of love, laughter, and lively tunes this weekend? If so, you're in luck. This year, Henderson's music department is hosting its rendition of Anything Goes. Set sail for a journey of a lifetime. Tickets are $5 and shows will run from Thursday to Sunday. We hope to see you there. As for other happenings at Henderson, on Friday, March 14th, our World Language Honor Society hosted its annual World Language Honor Society induction. This year, just upward of 100 students enrolled in Spanish, French, Latin, Italian, and German were given the opportunity to join their respective language honor societies in recognition of their outstanding academic academic performance in their second language course. Congratulations to all the students honored. On Friday, March 21st, Henderson students participated alongside millions of students worldwide in the Rock Your Socks event in accordance
026with World Down Syndrome Day. By wearing mismatch socks, Henderson students celebrated the accomplishments and contributions of our fellow warriors with Down syndrome. Tonight at the Brandy Wine campus of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, Henderson's JB academic team will take on Great Valley and Downing Town STEM high schools in the county championship. We wish them luck in their match. Additionally, I'd like to offer the Henderson Varsity Academic Team congratulations on their second place finish at the downtown STEM Invitational and fifth place finish at the Madther Invitational. On April 2nd, Henderson alumni and current county commissioner Eric Row will visit Henderson to speak to the students and civics club. Commissioner Ro will speak to students about careers in government, public service, as well as issues facing Chester County. We warriors look forward to his visit. Uh, speaking
027of the Henderson Students and Civics Club, the club was honored earlier this month by new voters at the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office for their efforts to register voters during their October voter drive. Congratulations to them on their hard work. The Henderson Model United Nations team had the opportunity to visit New York City this month and compete at the National High School Model UN competition. There the students had the opportunity to tour the United Nations Secretariat, General Assembly, and Security Council while enjoy engaging in an exciting simulation in which they learned about global affairs and diplomacy. As for sports, the spring season has just kicked off. Our boys tennis team has had a great start to the season. The boys are currently 4- one and have defeated both of our cross town rivals, East and
028Rustin. We we wish them the best of luck tomorrow as they take on Kennan. Also, our boys and girls lacrosse teams are gearing up for their seasons after many weeks of preparation. Later this week, the boys and girls will play their season openers against Downing Town West at home. Go Warriors. That concludes my report tonight for March. Thank you and have a wonderful evening. Hello everyone. It's awesome to be back and I hope you're having an awesome month so far. Russ has had a quite a busy month and I can't wait to update you all. On March 6, Reson held its annual college and career fair during lunch and learn and fifth period in our main gym. We had around 50 representatives from several universities, jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities. People were even able to
029do a pull challenge with the US Army, and some students got free haircuts. Like, could you imagine your child coming home with a new hairdo? On March 7th, our HOSA club had the opportunity to host guest speaker, nurse Elizabeth Hatsy, and Dr. Ellison, who got to speak about their roles and experiences in the Thank you. On March 15th, our project management and leadership classes held their second annual dodgeball tournament. We had the privilege of honoring 12 guests who had military service and have the fun opportunity to watch our own teachers verse them in a game of dodgeball. Some other memorable moments include club selling Chick-fil-A, baked goods, Duncan pizza, and more. We also had the police officers verse the junior class in one of the games. Honestly, this day was so fun and filled with
030so much energy. On March 18th, our student council in BSU joined forces to host this year's talent show. It was such an entertaining event that was able to raise over $600. Ella Labasser and um Ella Maratonis won first place with a beautiful duet featuring a song from the musical Jackal and High. Simon Kohler placed second with a cello solo and Desmond Cidle placed third with the piano solo. Everyone did an amazing job and we're looking forward to next year's talent show. The rest in Science Olympia team had an incredible day at the Central East regional regional competition. They placed second overall and will be heading to states on April 26th. Russ was among the top five in 19 events including anatomy, wind power, ecology and more. Two students from our team, Christian Miller and Alex
031Abram participated in the science fair. Christian came up with an experiment using a Bluetooth speaker and got first place in the earth science category for the sophomore division. Alex worked Alex worked on a model of a hybrid nuclear fision fision fusion reactor in place first in the physics category at the county fair. We're so eager to see what they will come up with next. This past weekend, 30 members of the model UN group traveled to Washington DC and represented Rustin. A special shout out to senior club leader Molly McCoy who represented Iceland for receiving the award of most outstanding delegate. Congratulations to junior Addie Steve for receiving a verbal accommodation for representing Rwanda. Our students uh National Honor Society has planned the eighth grade mentor trip for tomorrow, March 25th. A group of 24 seniors
032and juniors will talk to current eighth graders at Stson Middle School about high school, offering their advice as well as delving into academics and in Rustin along with addressing potential concerns they may have about the overall transition. We hope to ease and prepare them for the next big step in their academic journey. On Saturday, March 29th, the Rustin Symphonic Band will perform at the Percy Graer Wind Band Ensem Festival in Chicago. The rest symphonic band was one out of five groups selected to perform at the Chicago Symphony Hall where they will be able to honor the music of one of the greatest masters of the wind ensemble tradition, Percy Greener. Here are some amazing highlights to wrap up the winter sports seasons. 10th grader wrestler AJ Corp placed fifth in the PIAA state championships. And
033the girls swim relay team comprised of Claire Rosakus, Lily Greenwood, EA Spear Gibson, and Emily Thomas won fifth place at the PIAAA state championships. Clarakus also earned fourth place in the 400 fly, and sixth in the 100 Bure. Rosen has been having an amazing spring season so far. The track and field team has four district qualifiers, including Cameron Barkas for shot, Andrew Black for javelin, Anna Dus for discus and shot put, and Miles Davis for high jump. and he ended up breaking our school record which hasn't been broken in three years in the high jump with a height of 6 feet and 4 in. Good luck and congratulations to them. The boys lacrosse team had a huge win against Howard for 10 to2 and congratulations to the Westchester High School's boy rugby team on their
034impressive 47 to5 victory against Roman Catholic High School this week. The team put on a dominant performance scoring nine times with Aaron Alexander from Rustin earning hardest worker of match honors on Sunday. Everyone has been working extremely hard this month and I can't wait to see what Rustin will do next. Thank you. Wow. Thank you Diana, Peter, and Madison for uh giving us of the highlights of all the wonderful things going on at the high schools. Now, do all of you know what you're doing next year yet or what are you doing? Where were you? I think I'm going to the University of Pittsburgh. Oh, great. For early education. Oh, great. Well, good luck. How about anyone else, you know? It's probably between William and Mary and Syracuse right now. Okay, great. I'm still a
035junior, so I got Oh, you're a junior. Okay, so we'll have you back. I guess you you won't be the student at the next year, though, will you? Okay. Well, we'll look forward to hearing next year where where you going to college. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um, next up we have Dr. Mer with the uh monthly personnel report. Thank you very much. Good evening, Mr. Clint, Mr. Rebel, members of our board. Our personnel report for the month of March 2025 is as follows. With removals from payroll, we have two resignations, one power professional and one custodian. We also have eight retirement notifications. Mr. Mark Fabian, third grade teacher at Mary Se House Elementary School with 35 years of service. Mrs. Marian Jackson, Spanish teacher at Henderson High School with 31 years
036of service. Miss Colette Keenan, English teacher at East High School with 23 years of service. Susan Kelly, special education teacher at Exon Elementary School with eight years of service. Christina Mer, art teacher at East High School with 22 years of service. Mrs. Robin Mc Williams, ELD and gifted teacher at Stson Middle School with 35 years of service. Lisa Williams, special education teacher. Hillsdale Elementary School with 35 years of service and Don Young, building system supervisor at facilities and operations center with 17 years of service. This represents 206 years of experience and service in Westchester area school district. We wish all eight of our retirees a happy and healthy retirement and we're thankful for their service. We wish them all the best in this next exciting chapter in their lives. In addition to payroll, we are
037recommending the hiring of one teacher and one athletic trainer. Additionally, we are also recommending the hiring of two secretaries, one accounting technician, and one sub substitute custodian. Furthermore, we're recommending the hiring of nine site administrators for temporary summer staff. In personnel events, I communicated one voluntary transfer and support staff. Also, we are recommending the approval of one satical. In additional information, we're reporting an adjustment of years of service for an upcoming retiree. Four start date updates. A resignation update. Club coach payments from the NFL for girls flag football. 12 teachers have earned tenure in the state of Pennsylvania. All of which were found satisfactory within the last four months of the third year of teaching. importance of the school code which is law. I'm also speaking seeking approval for four drivers and one aid for
038on the go kids busing. In supplemental contracts, we're adding nine annual contracts for 2425 school year, one addition for the winter season 2425, eight additions for the spring season, one contract removal in 2425, and three adjustments for the 2425 contracts. We also bringing forth three additions to our two green list and three additions for gain health. I'm respectfully requesting board approval for all personal matters listed above. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Mer. Uh may I have a motion to approve the March 24th, 2005 personnel recommendations as presented. Director Parkinson may have a second. Director Premakqua. All those in favor say I. I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. Uh we'll now vote to approve our consent agenda. I don't believe we have any changes to the consent agenda tonight. May I have a motion to approve
039the March 24th, 2025 consent agenda as listed? Director Dell and a second. Director Dietri. All those in favor say I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. and we'll move on to our committee reports. First up is Director Dell with teaching, learning, and equity. Thank you, President Fleming. The teaching, learning, and equity committee met on Monday, March 17. Uh we have one action item and that was to discuss core instructional materials. Dr. Dr. Dina Dormer provided an update on the process through which the elementary science committee selected a program to recommend to the board. With the July 1 scheduled onboarding of the new steel standards through the state of Pennsylvania, the committee has been focused on designing a curriculum aligned to these new standards and is recommending mass mystery science as a core instructional material to support
040this work. Uh it came down to two uh different programs. both of them that the committee ranked both of them really pretty equally. Uh the course that was selected mystery um science was chosen not just because of substantial savings over the other program but because of the quality of the program. Both programs were great um and we're getting one at a good price. Um also at as discussion items the department of elementary level Dr. shared about departmentalizing at the elementary level, grades four and five. Uh several teachers participated in neighborhood district uh visits. Uh the three schools that be essentially pilot piloting the program next year will be East Coast and Stark Weather and Fern Hill with the hope that you know we'll carry on with all the 11 elementary schools in the future. Uh
041we also heard uh uh we welcome Dr. or we welcome Miss Marita Barber to give an update on the collegiate charter schools charter. Um she was present to answer any questions which there were none. And then also we had an equity update by Dr. Brown. Uh Dr. Brown talked about student access and opportunity. Uh he also gave an update on restorative practices that our district is using and will be using. And finally he mentioned the 41st Alice Thomas BSU banquet that was held uh recently and it was a great opportunity a great event. Uh finally our next uh next teaching learning and equity committee meeting will be Tuesday April 11th and you're all invited to attend. That ends my report. Thank you, Director Dell. Uh, we do not have a need for a personnel committee
042meeting in March. Uh, now Vice President Bevala will give us an update on the property and finance committee report. Yeah, good evening. Uh, we had a property and finance meeting last Monday, March 17th. The first item on the on the agenda was, as we normally do, review the budget forecast model. Mr. Scully reviewed the budget forecast model and the changes to the 2425 expense projections. The total 2425 adjustments resulted in a1,34,000 savings. It'll be utilized to reduce the 2526 budget gap. Mr. Scully then reviewed the the net of all changes to the 2526 projections. There was an increase of 444,000. Mr. Scully noted that Chester County at the current time would have it they would have a tax increase of 3.8%. Delaware County a tax increase of 3.9%. As we continue through the the uh
043the budget process, the administration will continue to review the projections for potential savings over the next few months. The next item, Mr. Scully reviewed a financing process and timeline. Uh Mr. Skully recommended that the property finance committee approve the parameters resolution authorizing the financing team to proceed with a 20 2025 general obligation bond in the amount of 55.5 million to fund both the elementary school renovation plan and other capital projects and for the potential partial refunding of a4A bond. The committee recommended approval of this parameters resolution tonight. I do have a motion for the whole board. Uh it reads as follows. approval of a parameters resolution for the 20 2025 general obligation bonds in the amount of 55.5 million to fund the elementary school renovation plan and for the potential partial refunding of the 2014
044doubleA bonds. I so move. Okay, I have a first from Vice President Fabalqua. Do I have a second? Director Kriski. All those in favor say I. Oppos? Nay. Motion carries. Okay. So, Miss Jared, can you do the roll call vote? Sure. So, Vice President Pavila, yes. Director Christie, yes. Director Dietri, yes. Director Fry, maybe she's not here. Sorry. Director Harmon, yes. Director Parkinson, yes. Director Wamsley. Yes. Director Dell, yes. President B, yes. Motion carries. Thank you. All right. Continuing on. Dr. Mer then presented to the property and finance committee uh information on a contract for comply program. That's through a company called Edelink. It tracks and manages employee fulfillment of district uh requisites, state mandates, and other important compliance items. currently districts using multiple platforms that require extensive manual traction uh tracking and input to
045ensure compliance with legally required local, state, and federal mandates. The three-year contract uh starting in 2526 school year will be a cost of 77,695. Um it includes a multi a 5% multi-year discount and a 5% uh client discount. The total fees based on the total number of staff that we employ at that point. The committee recommended approval of a three-year contract for the complied at the cost of 77 77 77,695. Continuing on with our property finance committee meeting, Mr. Burster presented the committee with bid results in a previously approved 2526 capital reserve projects. They are as follows. These bids bid awards for districtwide playgrounds to George E. Lion Associates for a total award price of 108,000 22 264 uh districtwide fencing repairs to to uh in Indigar fence and decks for a total award value
046of 74,000. Uh districtwide floor replacements u to Donald E. Risinger Incorporated for a total award price of 93,695. East High School interior painting of the second and third floor Donald Risinger Incorporated for a total bid award price of 147,975. The property and finance committee recommended approval of these 2526 capital reserve project bid awards as stated. The last item, Mr. Burka also presented the committee with an update to the capital plan to delay the removal of a couple existing module classrooms and construction of the permanent space at Xen Elementary for one year. We are seeing an increase in enrollment at the exit elementary school and additional space provided by the module classes will be required to meet the educational needs of the school for next school year of 2526. The committee recommended approval of the capital
047plan update to delay the removal of these existing module classrooms as stated construction of the permanent space at Xton Elementary for one year. More to come on that topic in later meetings. The next property finance committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 26. There's a change of the date due the Easter holiday. So, it'll be Tuesday, April 22nd. And that concludes my report for this evening. Thank you, Vice President Bealqua. And our last committee report is Dr. Dree with policy review. Thank you. Policy review committee met on Monday, March 17th. The committee reviewed some timesensitive policies, completed the review of section 600 finances, and began the review of section 700 property. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 22nd. That is my report for tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Petri. And we'll
048move on to other reports with director Dell. Uh, let us know, please, what's going on at the IU. Thanks again, President Fleming. The Chester the Chester County Intermediate Unit board of directors held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 19th at the Technical College High School Pickering Campus on Charleston Road in Phoenixville. Dr. Joe Fullerton, director of career technical and customized education, introduced Aaron Peters, principal of the TCHS Pickering, and Julie Teny, instructor of the animal science program. Together, they presented highlights of the program's structure, achievements, and future plans. The animal science program provides students with hands-on experience and animal care through co-ops, internships, and participation in the future farmers of America. Currently, 36% of the students engage in work-based learning and 100% are FFA members with many earning leadership degrees. Additionally, the program recently lost
049launched its first year participation in the PA apprenticeship program, allowing students to earn six college credits at Delaware Valley University. Miss Teny also highlighted the program's partnerships with veterinary hospitals, farms, and pet care facilities, which provide students with realworld experience. Mr. Mr. Joseph Lubiski, director of administrative services, presented the draft of the 202526 marketplace budgets to the board members for initial review. The CCIU board is scheduled to vote on these budgets on April 16th, 2025. Mr. Levitzki highlighted a coming in a comp a coming increase of 2.87% 87% in the cost of marketplace programs available for purchase by school districts, staying below the act one statewide index of 4%. School districts will only be build for the services they utilize. The next CCIU board meeting of directors will be held on Wednesday, April 16th at
0507:30 at the at the Educational Service Center Technical College High School, Brady on campus in downtown. That is very important. Oh, it I'm sorry. It doesn't in my report. I just want to make sure board members know uh that each year the T um the CCIU hosts board appreciation dinners and they're great events. It's a great opportunity to see what the students at CCHS do, all different types of fields and we're invited to the April 30th uh dinner at the Brandy campus. So that really concludes my report. Thank you, Director Dell. And uh next up we have Director Christie with the CC IU legislative report. Thank you, President Fleming. Um we last met in February virtually and in person um and Chris Fazio with the CCIU gave an overview um at the time somewhat fresh
051um overview of Governor Josh appear's budget proposal um which he gave in in early February. I understand this the end of March. Um but just to highlight some of those things, um he has proposed 75 million increased basic education funding. Um a statewide based cyber tuition rate of 8,000 um dollars per student per year. Um a 5.5 million increase for career and technical education programs. Uh 20 million additional funding for student teacher siphons. Uh doubling last year's investment uh to a total of $40 million. um a $25 million increase for school repairs, bringing total annual funding to 125 million. Um three million to continue providing free Metro hygiene products in schools. 55 million for childcare worker retention recruitment. Um 10 million for early increases in early intervention and $15 million increase for prek counts program
052to stabilize the prek educator workforce. Additionally, there was a group discussion about the impacts the impacts of possible federal funding cuts and what that would mean uh for each district they repres you know attending. Additionally, another event that I I believe I brought up last month but uh the date has since changed. Uh there is a the CCIU holds a school director and legislator annual breakfast. So, a bunch of school directors, our state reps, our state senators attend. And that is on May 9th, uh, Friday, May 9th at the CCIU on Boot Road from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and all board members are invited to that. There is no March meeting, which would have been tomorrow night. Uh, that was cancelled, but there our next meeting will be April 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at the
053Chester County. And that concludes my report. Thank you, Director Christie. Moving on, we have two items of other business tonight. Uh the first will be brought up by Vice President Beelu. Yes, thank you. We do have a motion. It's K1 of the agenda. It's and I'll read the motion as follows. Approval of the 2526 technology -ate bids to optive security for to award price of 391,254 84 cents. I so move. I have a first vice president. May I have a second? Dr. Herman. All those in favor say I. I. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. And then our second uh item of other business will be brought to our attention by director Dell. Thank you again, President Fleming. Approval is requested of the 2025 through 2028 comprehensive plan. I so move. I have a first from Director
054Dell. May I have a second? Uh Dr. Dietri. All those in favor say I. I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. And we are now uh at the time for comments from residents on non-aggenda items. Yes, there are six comments this evening. Um I'm not going to read the statement again since we read at the beginning of the meeting. The first commenter this evening is Steph Anderson. Hi, Seth Anderson, West Coast Township. I'm here to share a couple of the concerns I have about the proposed changes to the secondary schedule. The first being that calling it a schedule change is a little bit of a misnomer. Um, when you look at all the aspects that will change and the things that need to be considered, space, facilities, curriculum, budget, staffing, this is a reimagining to how we're
055approaching secondary education. And I think calling it a schedule change is misleading. Um second, the sentiment around all of this has been this is a plan. This is decided this is happening. We're moving forward with it. Um and a couple concerns and questions I have about that. Um one, have teachers been brought along the way meaningfully? Uh have you considered their expertise? Um do you have alignment and buyin from them? Um another set of stakeholders, parents and families. We have not been officially communicated with yet about this. I know that there's an FAQ page. Um, but that email has not been shared with families by the district. There's a lot of hearsay. We should not be finding out uh through Facebook groups and local email newsletters about significant changes in our children's education. Um, other
056thing, there are items under consideration that I believe should involve board approval, facility staffing, and curriculum changes. How can we be moving forward so definitively and confidently when there is uncertainty, when there's a lack of stakeholder involvement, and the board hasn't even voted yet? I'm concerned by the lack of transparency in this process. Um there are many unknowns not being meaningfully addressed considering that you want to implement this in a little over a year. Um the space to conduct an extended lunch and learn. I know that affects Henderson and Rustin. Uh you're looking at an overhaul of curriculum which means potential changes to graduation requirements. Uh how we calculate GPA and loss of science labs. You're looking at potentially increasing staffing which will affect our budget. With a momentous change like this, I feel like
057it would be irresponsible to move forward with a plan that is not fully formed. Um, I just want to say I'm not against schedule changes. I think change is good and I'm for assessing our curriculum to make it stronger. And I appreciate that this is coming from a place of wanting to make Westchester Area School District the best that it can be. Um, but let's do it right. Uh, the district has determined the goal of implementing this in a little over a year, but we can slow down. Uh, let's determine a plan that is best for our district, our students, our teachers, not pointing to other districts. uh who have different needs, different students, different resources. Let's use data to make good decisions. The board deserves a comprehensive plan where all the unknowns and issues
058are adequately addressed, solved. Um I implore the board to please not move this forward until those issues are fully addressed and there is alignment among all stakeholders. Um please involve and incorporate feedback from all stakeholders, students, teachers, and parents. um not just students who are graduating and won't be affected and not pointing back to a committee that took place almost a decade ago that was not considering the same plan and has not reconvened since co um let's do that before we decide to to proceed. I fear that we are rushing toward a self-made goal without fully considering everyone involved and there will be consequences if we don't slow down and do this the right way. Thank you. The next commenter is Brian Johnson. Uh Brian Johnson, Westchester Burough. Um I stated a minute ago a
059moment ago, my name is Brian Johnson. I've been teaching and coaching cross country and track and field at Henderson High School for the past 16 years. I'm also a parent to two children in this district and my wife is a teacher in the district as well. I'm concerned with the number of changes going on in the district. The first concern is the communication gaps into major decisions that are being made. For instance, I was only made aware of the change to the fourth and fifth grade changing to departmentalization model last week. My wife being at the elementary level had no idea this was coming. We don't necessarily have a problem with the choice to do so, but being a parent and not knowing a change like this is happening and only to find out after
060the decision has been made is problematic. It is the same issue I have without knowing about the change of schedule at the high school level. The only reason I know about it is because I'm a teacher in the district and not because I'm a parent. Concern two is the need to not only continue lunch and learn, but to double the amount for it. The only time students come to my classroom is to make up a test. The majority of students either play basketball, sit and eat food in the hallways, or walk randomly around the building. With an extra half hour being added to the day, there are a lot of additional concerns. How are we to know where a student is if someone is looking for them? How are we to make sure all 13
061exits of the building are secured. There is currently no district-wide cell phone policy that is enforced. Many students will spend their time on their phones for an hour straight getting dopamine hits. With the original addition of lunch and learn, we lost 13 instructional days. By doubling lunch and learn, we will be losing another 10 instructional days. That is a month of instruction lost in the past 5 years. I can see the impact of in my classroom because with the shrinking amount of review time in my AP classes. Prior to lunch and learn, I had close to a month of review time and now I'm down to two weeks. With 10 additional days lost, I'm concerned I'll have no time left to review with my students. Reducing the curriculum is not an option at the AP
062level since the college board decides what needs to be covered. I appreciate Dr. Conley's willingness to meet with me and to discuss the schedule and for the invitation to for me to see other schools utilizing lunch and learn. I will keep an open mind while visiting, but I hope the administration will keep an open mind in addressing the concerns and listening to the teachers who are living with the issues of lunch and learn every day. This should be a partnership. I want to thank you all for your time tonight and listening to my concerns. Thank you. The next commenter is William Anderson. Hello, Bill Anderson, West Gan. I'm an English teacher at Henderson High School. I've been doing this for 16 years and I love what I do. I'd like to share my firsthand experience
063with lunch and learn at Henderson and to urge you to reconsider the proposed bell schedule. As I'm told, there are nearby high schools that have found success with a synchronous midday break for the entire student population. But our experience in Henderson has been different. So many students flood the cafeteria that the line stretches nearly to the door. Many end up late to their fifth period classes. The hallway upstairs from the cafeteria, our trophy hallway, is often lined with students sprawled on the floor trying to eat their lunches while crowds of other students step over their legs. This also takes place in the library hallway, the foreign language hallway, the art hallway, and so on. Groups of students roam the building, gather in stairwells, settle into al coes. The proposed bell schedule would double the duration
064of this, and it would cut the four existing lunch periods, worsening the cafeteria crunch. Some useful things occasionally happen inside classrooms during lunch and learn. In my classroom, students make up missed quizzes and they seek editorial advice for their college essays. But these activities have always happened during the school day. We've only just synchronized them and at a cost that makes the benefits seem negligible. The proposed bell schedule would worsen the facility's problems of lunch and learn and significant amounts of instructional time will be lost. I suggest we fix our current lunch and learn before asking our community to support doubling it, especially at such great expense to structured instruction. My final comment is that after a decade and a half at the practice uh at practicing the art and craft of engaging students interest
065in the classroom, I have to point out how disappointing it is to see our administration cite students self-reported sense of the value of their education as an impetus for this schedule. I think most adults, hopefully most adults who work in public education can understand the natural antipathy that teenagers have toward anything compulsory. Nevertheless, we are patient. We expect that they will with time, experience, and maturity come to see the value of their education. Thank you. The next commenter is Amy Chessa. I am not as tall as he is. Okay. Um, thank you members of the school board and the administration. Well, we may not all agree on the details of the proposed high school schedule. I can tell you that the Westchester area high school staff is the best in the state of Pennsylvania. We
066also have the students as demonstrated tonight. And I know this to be true not only as a Rustin teacher, but also as a proud parent of two Rustin graduates. We the teachers can be flexible about many things, but there are certain topics that we should defend vigorously. First, instructional time and second, safety. Any new schedule must preserve time in the classroom. The adoption of the rotating drop to schedule would reduce instructional time. Also, as an AP teacher, I cannot afford additional loss of time in the classroom. And I'm also concerned about the impact on programming like allied health and child development and the related ed practicum. Two amazing programs, one of which my own daughter benefited from. She's now as of this year a physician assistant Rustin grad allied health got her totally hooked on
067medicine and number two is the ed practicum that's growing future teachers and I think we all know from the headlines that's a real concern is a teacher shortage in the state as for safety the lunch and learn period can be an opportunity for me remediation and socialization but if that hour block is not properly supervised it can become a liability. So, how can we make the safety goals of our Navigation 360 program reality if we have students scattered across the building and not supervised properly? I'm also concerned about the morale of the teaching staff. Teachers are stressed and worried about the schedule change. And I I don't say this lightly. I've been in the district 22 years. This is year 34 of teaching and publication in public education. And I I do love it and
068I love this community. But we've been through several schedule variations in the past five years and teacher concerns regarding the supervision of students during the lunch and learn block have existed for three years and they remain ongoing and I would ask the board I would ask the administration and I know you all care about children as much as we do but please listen to the adults who are charged with the implementation and management of the new high school schedule. We the teachers, we're in the trenches and we like to think that we know what works best for our students. And I'm only asking here as my fellow colleagues to please take the time to craft a new schedule. Again, not opposed to change, but a new schedule that works in the best interest of all
069stakeholders. And I do want to thank you, Dr. Christopher, because you did mention that you're um going to be along with Dr. Connelly, you're going to be holding scheduling meetings to continue to discuss this topic. and I certainly would like to be a part of that discussion. Thank you so much. The next commenter is Nancy Wood. Hi, I'm Nancy Wood, East Bradford. Recently, I had a very positive conversation with Dr. Connley. He took the time to answer my questions about the recommended high school schedule. In speaking with him, a few things became clear. First, Dr. Connley is passionate about improving how the district educates and engages our students. Second, he has an expansive vision for transforming secondary education in WCASD. And third, what the district is planning is way bigger than just a schedule change.
070From what Dr. Connley said, the new schedule is just one supporting piece of what sounds like a comprehensive overhaul of the high school program. Dr. Connley explained that while there will be a loss of instruction time per class, there will be a net increase in overall instruction time. That increase will be accomplished through a new goal for 95% of 9th through 11th graders to be fully scheduled with eight credits of coursework and no study halls. To put that in context, an eight credit course load is a math, ELA, science, social studies, physical education, foreign language, and two full additional courses on top. Three years of eight credits is more than the current minimum credits required to graduate. To reach this goal, Dr. Connley said that the minimum requirements for graduation will be revised. The course
071catalog and credit aotment will be revised. Course content is already being revised to fit a new instructional approach and pace. Lab periods will be eliminated from science courses. Music ensembles will need to change. There could be changes to leveling and GPA calculations. Staffing, seating, facilities, district policies, attendance tracking platforms, and professional development will all need to be re-evaluated. The financial impact is currently unknown. All of the things that I just listed are necessary parts of what is being marketed as a schedule change. A schedule change doesn't require your vote, but all of these other things will. In other words, the community and all of you are being asked to support sweeping changes in peace meal. Dr. Dr. Connley's vision for transforming education in WCASD sounds like it could be positive, but it is much more
072than just a schedule change, and we should call it what it is. This reimagining of the high school program might be in complete accordance with the district's vision of the future. But if it is, that's not clear to the community. If this is the beginning of a new direction, then there should be a transparent and fully documented plan, data to justify changes, and an impact analysis, budget projections, and a plan to monitor success. The full plan should be presented to the board for a vote before proceeding. Thank you. The last governor this evening is Judy Defonso. Hi, Judy Defonso back again still living in East Ocean. Um, wanted to start out with something I should have said last week that I didn't. And that is that um, putting uh, compostable trays into a landfill, even
073though there should be industrial composted, is definitely better than uh, putting styrofoam into a landfill. I I meant to say that last week and I didn't. Um, was trying to figure out what uh, to come up and and talk about this evening. and um took some in inspiration from a question um last week um about uh how does collegium compare to other school districts and um I looked at Westchester, Downing Town, Coastville, and Tradition East Town because let's just say they come up all the time. Um as far as uh the state average goes, um Westchester is definitely above average. Downing Town is a little bit above us and Tradiffan is even higher than that. Um, a good eight points above Downing Town. We're like, um, four points lower than Downing Town as far as
074ELA goes. Um, and the state average is right down in the middle at at 50 uh 53%. That's 53% proficient or advanced. Um, Collegium is 38 and Coatville is 32.8 with the LA and um it just kind of it was frustrating first of all because I couldn't find any data on um charter schools. I found it on districts but not on charter schools. And um I I want to kind of remind everyone that we've had we haven't had the PSSAs for very long. They were only been around for about 25 years. Um, we've had SAT scores for almost a hundred years and these scores have always pres reflected household income. So, it's the higher income families that tend to do better on these tests. And I I I mean, we put so much into getting
075kids to pass and wanting them to be proficient. And I'm just trying to figure out how we can kind of be like that Stevenville where they have 100%. I mean like that's like gosh like I I I don't it's mind-blowing to me. Uh but anyhow um yeah um and I'll end with the statistic. Um, children of the top 1% of earners are 13 times more likely to score a 1300 on the SAT than children of the lowest 5% of earners. So again, it seems to be reflection of income and it's it's an unfortunate statistic, but that's kind of just the way things go. And if you want the data, let me know and I'll type it up and I'll send it off to you. And if someone knows where to get the data on uh
076charter schools, let me know because I found the districts but not the charter schools. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and speak tonight. We appreciate your input. Um we've reached the end of the meeting. Our next monthly meeting will be on Monday, April 28th, 2025. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Dr. Dietri, do I have a second? Director Christopher. All in favor say I. I. I. What? Alexot. What's that? Alex got a promotion. I hereby grant you your PhD. Oppose. Nay. Motion carries. You're welcome, Alex. Who could have dated again?