001I hereby call to order the regular board meeting of the Ligonier Valley School District, November 17, 2025 at 6:23 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. >> I pledge algiance 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. >> Mr. Secretary, may we have a roll call, please? >> Present. here. >> Here >> Mr. Solicitor, may we have an executive session report, please? >> Yes, sir. We had an executive session tonight on personnel items discussing um coverage of some leads. um some job descriptions as well as um potential absences and report times. We also had a brief discussion on potential litigation involving cyber charter schools. And that was it tonight. >> Thank you very much. And Mr.
002Secretary, can you report those times of the meeting, please? >> Okay. Sorry about that. I have it starting at uh 5:15 p.m. to 6:03 p.m. >> Thank you very much. Are there any motions that need to be amended or added to this evening's agenda? Hearing none, there is no need for public comment on those amended items. Moving into old business, I am asking for the approval be given to the minutes of the October 20th, 2025 committee of the whole meeting as well as the minutes of the October 20th, 2025 regular board meeting. >> So moved. Second. >> Having a motion and a second to approve the minutes, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Are there any opposed? The motion carries. Are there any items that require followup from any of the previous agendas?
003Hearing none, we'll move into new business. Hearing of citizens, we had no one sign up. I will offer a last call for any hearing of citizens. There are none reports. Mr. Secretary, [laughter] >> there you >> there. I'm back on >> Janine. Janine's back there playing mind games with you. >> Yeah, exactly. [laughter] Um, we did get correspondence uh from the Ligonier Valley Endowment. Uh, we did apply for a grant uh through the endowment for phase two of the uh baseball field improvement project. Uh we did an application for 150,000 and we got notification that we were awarded $84,000 for phase two. I want to thank uh Justin uh for writing that grant. and I had a little bit of help, but Justin deserves most of the recognition and uh thank thanks to the Linger
004Valley Endowment for the the donation to the district to move forward with phase two. >> Absolutely. The field's looking great and hopefully that'll be a great improvement. Mr. Moles, the superintendent's report, please. >> Yes. Uh thank you, Mr. President. Uh good evening, everyone. Uh I want to thank uh thank everyone for the warm and generous welcome I've received since joining the district. It's truly an honor to serve as a superintendent and I am grateful for the support, kindness, and partnership shown by the board members, staff, families, and the community. As we begin this work together, I want to emphasize two commitments that will guide every decision we make. The first is transparency. I believe strongly that a healthy school system communicates openly, listens actively, and ensures that our community understands both our challenges and our
005progress. My goal was to foster a clear and consistent communication so that stakeholders feel informed, included, and confident in the direction of our district. The second commitment is that of student growth. Everything we do must initially support our students in achieving their fullest potential. Whether academic, social, emotional, or personal, student growth is the measure by which we will evaluate our success. I look forward to working collaboratively to strengthen opportunities, remove barriers, and create environments where every student can succeed. Thank you again for the warm welcome. I'm excited to begin this journey of work with you, and I look forward to the work ahead tonight. I'd also like to pause uh to recognize three members of the Ligonier Valley School Board of Education who are attending their final meeting. Mary Gamble, who began her service in
006December of 2017, Don Gilbert and Josie Bennett, who both began in December of 2020. Serving on a school board is a significant commitment. It requires long hours, difficult decisions, and a steady dedication to doing what is best for our students, staff, and the community. Each of you has contributed time, energy, and leadership that have helped guide this district through important moments and ongoing challenges. As a new superintendent, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the foundation that you've helped build. Your service has made a meaningful impact and the work you have done will continue to benefit our students and schools well into the future. On behalf of the Ligonier Valley School District, thank you for your dedication and for the role you've played in supporting publication public education in our community. We wish you
007all the very best and all that lies ahead. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. >> Thank you, Mr. Moles, for the superintendence report. Is there any report from the solicitor? >> Not this. >> Thank you, Linda. LVEA and is there any report this evening? >> Thank you, John. >> You're good. You're fine. I'm here tonight to talk about the impact that anatomy and physiology has had on our students. Um 15 years ago I was approved to start this class. Um we've had 227 students complete it and 24 are currently enrolled. In 2020 I was able to offer a second year of anatomy. As far as I know we're the only high school in the area that has this course available. Um it's been offered three times with 19 students completing it. We also had a purchase
008of an anatomage table um approximately two and a half years ago and we were the first high school in the county to have that. Now Mount Pleasant has one also. Um about I would say January I was thinking and seeing some posts from former students about what they're doing. So I thought I wonder what all my students are doing from anatomy. So, I took it upon myself to track down all 227 students. Um, 95% of them I was able to track down and find out what they're doing now. Um, 120 of the 215, which is a little over 50% are in health care or are trying to go into health care. Um, just a few stats, we have 28 nurses and 15 more that are in training to become nurses. We have one veterinarian, two
009pharmacists, three physician assistants with a lot more in training, three physicians, and five more in either medical or optometry school, and countless premed majors. We have four in dental school or are currently applying, one of which sits on the school board. We have synographers, speech pathologists, dieticians, exercise physiologists, athletic trainers, physical and occupational therapists, healthc care administrators, psychologists, and even a forensic scientist who works in a corer's office. But even not in healthcare, we have so many kids that are doing wonderful things. We have one former student um in my first anatomy class who was a Fulbright scholar in Malaysia. They studied migrant labor forces. We have and she now works in the um Pentagon for the Department of Defense. Uh we have one student who is an ESL teacher in Ecuador. We have a
010lot of stay-at-home moms, military officers, so many engineers, aerospace, mechanical, chemical, a high school guidance counselor, a union carpenter, and even a scrum master, which I still do not understand what that is even after looking it up. Something to do with banking. So, I just wanted to share um some positive news about the program and how um wonderful it's been to be able to teach that and and have an impact on these kids. >> Thank you. >> Fantastic. >> Great. I had the pleasure of going to high school with Jonathan and uh and knowing him for very many many many me many many years and his dedication to this school district and to this community is absolutely fabulous and John I can't say enough great things about you you are fan one fantastic gentleman >>
011uh Mrs. Brown. Do we have any report from EWCTC? I only I only have one item. So, >> do you want to go first? >> I can. >> Okay, go ahead. >> Um, tomorrow evening is the National Technical Honor Society induction at 7 o'clock. There are approximately 100 of our EWCTC students that are being inducted into that honor society. It requires a grade point average that's relatively high both from the sending school as well as from uh EWCTC itself. I'm fortunate that my daughter is being inducted as well and uh it'll be my parting duty as school board president and also as the Joocc to hand her her uh certificate tomorrow evening. So, um, the event is kind of open to the public. They had requested that you let them know that you're coming because
012it does fill up very fast in the in their little lobby area. So, um, congratulations to all of our students here from Ligonier that are being inducted into the National Technical Honor Society tomorrow evening. >> All right. And just to give you some wrap-up of other things that have been going on, we did have um our open house which was combined with trick-or-treating which um I went to Josie and I went to and it was amazing. It was it was so great to see the kids. Uh they decorated all the doors and then you know like three or four kids from each shop sat out there and they give treats away and it was uh very well conducted and it was it was very nice. Um they we did have on October 23rd the first
013step of the skills competition which is the in-house competition uh to find out who ranks the best in each shop to send them on to the skills competition. So we haven't gotten the results of those yet so I can't give you that. We won't get those till the end of the month. Um we do have this is our upcoming besides tomorrow's induction and ceremony we do have the holiday dinner with Santa coming up. It is on Wednesday, um, December 17th. And so it is and it's from 4 to 7 PM. It's eat dinner, take out. Tickets are $15. Dinner will consist of rigone meatball, garlic toast, salad, and dessert. Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be on hand, and more information will be posted on the website. Um, and I'll give it to you. Um,
014but this is a ticketon uh fundraiser. There's no walk-ins. So if you want to take part in that, you need to buy a ticket. Um there is no November meeting because of reorganization and that is set for December 10th. >> Thank you very much Christie. We always look for the fun activities from the intermediate unit. So the um October meeting was held on the 28th and it started out with an executive session uh where a plan was discussed regarding how to handle the state budget impass which thankfully is no longer needed. Um in addition a board related personnel matter was discussed. We proceeded through the agenda and some of the main notable items were um items SB 2526007 regarding a South Morland area school district's removal of their IU board member and FS2526008 for two
015directors to attend the PSBO annual conference were both tabled a three-year contract with um Education Plus for -ate consulting services at a rate of 55 $500 annually was approved along with an eight-month contract with DQE Communications to extend the current contract until the IU is -ate eligible. Um they approve we approved a four-year agreement with classroom assistance and personal care assistance that will go from July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2029. Four policies were updated and approved. Seven policies are out for first read and one policy that was out for approval was tabled. Uh unfortunately approval of a second ran in the amount of $2 million was approved. Uh approval award bids for the PS PA um system replacement at CL school was approved for 70k which was uh $17,000 over the grant. There were
016five resignations of which one was for retirement. approval of hiring three personal care assistants and we ratified the start date for four employees and believe it or not the meeting concluded at approximately 900 pm. >> Was there any update on the parking lot situation? >> There was not. >> Okay. >> All right. Well, we'll see how that pans out here in the new year. >> So, Christie, when's the next meeting? They moved it to >> Thursday night. >> This Thursday at 7. Uh, Mr. Kos, will you please assist our two uh, student representatives up to the stage with the microphone, please? >> Yeah. Have them have them have them stand by Mr. Steppy, please. >> Yeah. My name is Esme Morgan. I am an eighth grader at LBMS and I am here with the public
017relations report for across the district for the Ligonier Valley High School. The Spanish Honor Society recently sponsored a Dia de los Muertos lunchon for 60 students in Spanish Liz levels 2 through five. The students signed up to eat a meal that was ordered that was catered by the El Bakero Mexico of Ligonier. The Hernandez family owners of the restaurant have four children who graduated from Ligonier Valley. Elero has always provided the group with fantastic meals and this particular lunchion featured chicken and cheese enchiladas in red rice, red sauce, rice, beans, chips with salsa and queso and cherros. LBHs presented the fall play, Parents Just Don't Understand, on November 1st and 2nd with close to 300 people in attendance over the two performances. Thank you to those people who attended. The LVHS quiz teams concluded their
018season last week. The varsity team placed their placed first in their conference with an undefeated record. >> The JV team placed second in their conference and a second place during the double elimination tournament. Alyssa Steffy has been named to the WCCA All-Star volleyball team and will represent the East team tomorrow night at 6 at the Ligonier Valley High School gym. Hi, my name is Adeline Bowman and I am the sixth grader student at LVMS. Student council participated in a candy for cancer service project. The project was started by two Norwin High School students a few years ago. Those students provided us with all the information we needed. We collected candy, purchased small bags, and colored motivational messages. The next step will be to package a few pieces of candy and a motivational message into each
019bag. We've assembled over 400 bags. The bags will be donated to the owner Palmer Pavilion to be distributed to the chemotherapy patients at the L LVMS. Our angel tree is up and running. We've placed 50 tags from our Salv Salvation Army and the tree as well as the tags for the residents at Ligonier Gardens and Life's Promise. Students and staff have been encouraged to take a tag and shop for someone in our community who is in need. For our annual foulathon, we that will be held next Wednesday with the money raised from the fowl. Student council will go shopping to purchase gifts for any tags that were not filled by students and staff. The gifts will be organized for pickup by Salvation Army and delivered to the assisted living homes. October 8. October 28th, as
020part of the PBIS schoolwide system, students who have earned enough RAM bucks by following Rams by following the Rams promise were able to participate in cosmic bowling. Our gym was transformed by the teachers and custodians into a glow-in-the-dark bowling fiesta for the students who consistently make good choices choices following the Rams promise. Respect matters. A act responsibly, M honest choices, and s show cooperation. November 7th, students hosted a Veterans Day assembly with over 40 veterans attending. The students sang songs, introduced their guests, and we all thanked and we thanked all the veterans for their service. November 13th, fourth grade students had a walk-athon around the RK Melon campus to help raise money for the local meal on Wales. All the fourth grade students participated in this event. Laurel Valley Elementary. On Wednesday, November 10th, LVE
021held their annual Veterans Day program. The event was held was well attended o by over 40 local veterans. The chorus sang patriotic songs and the auditorium was decorated with patriotic artwork honoring our veterans created by the students. We are honored to we are proud to welcome our veterans each year and want to thank them once again for all of their sacrifices. Thank you very much. >> That's why we have a fantastic school district right there. >> Right there. Moving into the regular agenda items for tonight's meeting, educational programs. Director Boy, for information purposes, um Iva Drosski, pre- studentent teacher at St. Vincent College, will observe Bana Graham at Ligonier Valley Middle School during the fall semester of 2025. There's no items on my agenda tonight. >> No, it's not in my packet. >> I'm missing
022a page there. Well, no, we'll go ahead. We'll go ahead and continue with her. Yeah, >> that was it for me. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Do we have a second for Director Boyd's motion? >> She didn't have >> Oh, she had information. >> That's true. That's right. She just has information for tonight. >> Okay. Thank you for that information. Yes, somehow my agenda is missing a page. Uh, finance committee director Stephy. >> Are there any motions that need pulled for discussion? >> I would like to pull F10625. And the reason I want to pull that is I just want Eric, if you would please give an explanation of what this is because people are very confused about this. >> Okay. Do you just want to discuss? You don't want to pull this discussion. >> Yes.
023Okay. Great. Okay. Uh this motion here for F 10625 is to opt into we're not going to raise taxes above the index. And what that does is it just puts us into the normal time frame for the preliminary budget to be done in May and the final budget to be done in June. Uh we've done this since I've been here. It doesn't mean there's going to be a tax increase. It could be possibly be a tax increase but no more than the index which is three and a half percent for the 26 27 school year which would mean equivalent to us right around three mills would be the max you can do it but this is no way putting us into uh commitment to raise taxes or not. What this does is give us a
024more realistic time frame because if we didn't do this we'd have to have a preliminary budget in February and you see where the state is. We can't it's hard to get a preliminary budget done in final one in June when the state doesn't pass the budget. So that's all this does is move the time frame to where it is and we're not going to ask for any um act one exceptions for to go on the agenda the ballot as well to to brag over the uh index as well. >> It's pretty much required by the state correct >> required by the state either pass this or have the preliminary budget in February. And we would be guessing that we wouldn't even know what the I mean I would even know what the federal state budget
025would be by then. So it really just a guess. >> I hope that clarifies everything. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, Director Boyd, uh, your initial comment was you wished to pull. >> Sorry, just for discussion. Sorry. >> Okay. So, so you're there's no motion to pull. >> No. >> Okay. Thank you very much. >> Director Stephy, continue please. >> I'd like to make a motion to approve F 10125 through F10725. >> Second. Having a motion and a second. All those that are in favor of the finance committee agenda, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Are there any opposed? The finance committee agenda passes. Under personnel committee, Director Bennett is on the phone with us this evening. She asked me to read her items. Are there any uh motions that need to be
026pulled for discussion from personnel? Hearing none. As president, I'm not allowed to make the motion. I am therefore asking for a motion for P79, 80, 81, and 82. So moved. >> I need a second. >> Second. >> Having a motion and a second. All those in favor of the personnel committee agenda items, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Are there any opposed? Those motions carry. See if I have all the right pages here. Um, transportation and attendance committee. No, I'm missing a page. >> Missing supplemental >> supplemental supplemental. >> I borrow yours. [clears throat] >> Oh, yours is missing >> here. [laughter] >> Supplemental contracts with director gamble, please. Are there any motions that need pulled for discussion? Hearing none, I make a motion for S 2425 through S 2525. >> Second. >>
027Having a motion and a second for the supplemental contract agenda items. Those in favor indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Are there any opposed? >> The motions carry for the athletic committee. Director Hutchinson. >> [laughter] >> I'd like to make a motion to approve motion 8 3925 with the names of Taylor Boyd softball. That's a new one for volunteer and Aiden Moharin varsity wrestling new also volunteer. >> Second. >> Having a motion and a second. All those in favor of approving the athletic committee agenda items indicate by saying I please. I >> Are there any opposed? >> Those motions carry. Now, hopefully I'm on the right page. Transportation and Attendance Committee is Director Nup, and he's not here this evening. There are also no motions for Director Nup this evening. Policy Legal Committee, Director
028Brown. >> I have nothing this evening. Thank you. We don't have any uh non-aggenda items for hearing of citizens. So, we shall move into the school board director comments. I do have Okay. One more thing about cyber charter tonight. Um I know the last two meetings I have spoke to that and we've talked about it twice tonight already. Um some things that are different between cyber school and regular public school which we are at Lego Valley School District. They do not require teacher evaluations which we do. There is no publicly elected school board. They may hire for-profit management companies to run their school. They do not have to provide an independent financial audit as we as a school district must do. Only 75% of teachers must be state certified. Regular public schools, which we are,
029must have 100% of teachers state certified. They have no authority to raise local property taxes. They piggy back on ours, make us raise them, and then we have to uh assess them here locally. So, just a couple little tidbits about the differences between cyber charter and a public school. their their vast differences. Their uh record of achievement doesn't even begin to compare. Thank you. And I do have one more. Uh thank you to our members that are rolling off the board. Mary, eight years. Thank you, Dawn and Josie. I know you're out there. Uh we appreciate your service as well. A lot of your service sitting here tonight, 16 years. >> Thank you. >> Uh just one other note. so that people are aware there uh director Kreml is not here and there were no
030building and grounds items on the agenda as well just so that you don't think that that went missing. Uh pondering a question out there. It came to me uh John KDKA quiz bowl. How do we do this year? >> Okay. All right. I've been trying to keep up on the Saturday shows and I I couldn't remember where we were in the season yet. Okay. Thank you. Uh future dates and activities on December the 2nd here at the high school at 6:30 p.m. will be the reorganization meeting. There is no committee of the whole and uh just the reorg will be happening at that point in time at 6:30 on the 2nd. At this point, I'll ask for entertain entertain motions for adjournment. I have I have a question. Um has there I noticed when we
031were going uh in this month's um attendance that we dropped 10 students from October 14th to um November 10th. Are we reaching out to these families? Has anybody reached out to them? Do we know why we lost these 10 students? Sorry. >> I I don't know the answer to that. Um it's it's really uh a finite number this time of year for the PIMS report u for October 1st. So um I would I would hope that that's reflective of just this month, but it may not be. It >> is not. It's been decreasing. Last month we lost I think seven. >> Okay. All right. So I don't have a definitive answer or a collective answer as to where um they're going or if they're leaving or moving. Um but I'll see what I can do.
032>> Okay. [clears throat] And then one other question and board director not he's not here. Has there been any update regarding the Jagger Hollow bus stop? >> Thank you. >> The last I believe Mr. Kosh we we talked about that the there was a homeowner that said that they were going to clear that in that land near the road and we were reviewing anou with Mr. Mata in order to have that homeowner sign that. >> Yeah, Mr. Mata reached out to the township and the homeowner. were trying to work out an agreement with the MLOU with the township so they would take care of it and a lease agreement with the owner saying that they would lease it out for whatever. That's where we're at in that that work right now. We have not heard
033anything back from the solicitor yet. >> Okay. >> And we have to get a guarantee for u winter maintenance for that as well. >> So that's why that's kind of still in process. >> I'll entertain motions for adjournment. I have a motion. >> Okay. Second. >> I'm sorry. I thought we did that. Sorry. I'm I'm like sleeping. >> Uh Christie and Cindy. >> Yeah. Christy and Cindy. I would like to thank everyone for the four years that I spent here on the board. Um and for two years sitting here with the gavl in my hand. I really appreciate all of the support that I had and all of the fine people that I met over the years. Obviously things change and they change because God has a plan for all of us and that plan
034obviously was for me to not be here any longer and I accept that plan that God has put forth for me because his will be all always be done. So with that being said, God bless the United States of America and God bless the Ligonier Valley School District. Meeting adjourned.