001Good evening. Today is Monday, May 11th, 2026. It is 7:30 p.m. and we are in room D205 to start our voting and discussion meeting today. We will be voting um a little bit later on a personnel matter, so this will be a voting as well. And roll call, please. Mrs. Burdick? Here. Dr. Campanaro? Mr. Clockerty? >> Here. >> Mrs. Crable? Here. Ms. Flasher? Mrs. Gelman? >> Here. >> Ms. Givens? >> Here. >> Mr. Hoffman? >> Here. >> Reverend Dr. Strauss? There are six members present. >> Thank you. And I am excited tonight. We have a curriculum presentation for K through 12 social studies, 6 through 12 ELA, and K through 5 math. >> Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to share with you tonight some of the exciting work that we've done throughout the
002year with our K-12 social studies, K-5 math, and 6-12 ELA departments. Uh tonight we're going to share a brief overview with you of the curriculum review process. We'll talk a little bit about phase one, which consists of research and program analysis, and then you'll hear from our social studies, math, and ELA departments at the elementary use the review teams, what some of the key findings and recommendations they found in their review this year, and talk to you a little bit about next steps. So, we've been talking most of the year about our curriculum review process that was first initiated or implemented this fall. Last school year, the K-12 curriculum council came together and developed an MTLSD curriculum review cycle, which was the process that we were going to start to use to take a look
003at our programs, take a look at our departments, and see what we could improve upon in the effort for continuous improvement. This process is a 6-year cycle. Year one consists of research research and program analysis. The second year is curriculum development and resource selection. The third and fourth years are implementation and revision. And finally, we spend 2 years reflecting and evaluating the the department. The teams that are presenting to you tonight are the first some of the first to go through this formal cycle. >> [snorts] >> What the process does overall, it identifies that understanding by design is our framework for curriculum development. It provides an outline for departments to use as they walk through each phase of the review. >> [snorts] >> That framework also provides a fast track. If something comes up that
004we have to address in a department and they're not in their revision cycle, it allows us to work with the department to make a revision uh when we need to. It includes an overview of what our K-12 Curriculum Council is and what their purpose does. It has a writing style guide, so all of our written curriculum in Atlas is the same format for our teachers. And lastly, it does contain that cycle of curriculum reviews that will take place between now and 2041. >> 2041 wasn't a typo. >> [laughter] >> It's overly ambitious. I don't plan to be here. >> We had >> [laughter] >> We had the cycles out. As Dr. Schuler had indicated, um we are this group that's with us tonight is the year one uh departments that went through. And I just
005want to talk a little bit more detail about the research the needs assessment research and then recommendations, so you have a a framework for what's going to what you're going to hear tonight and then what our next steps are as we move forward in years to come. So, as you as you can see on the screen, um the first two phases that our uh departments went through is this kind of the research phase, the data analysis and research phase. So, we're doing a needs assessment. Uh so, we're looking at strengths, we're looking at weaknesses, we're looking for opportunities for improvement, and we're looking for threats to the curriculum. And so, once we collect this data, we're running it through this SWOT analysis to help us drill down into what are the the major themes. Uh
006and as we're doing that uh uh discussion and that investigation, uh we're also kind of looking at what research may be available to us. And that research could be conversations with kids, it could be conversations with colleagues, it could be conversations with peer districts, uh it could be what our professional organizations are saying, it could be what some of the uh university uh information that's coming out in in a more contemporary environment. Uh it could be what the Department of Education is indicating, like you heard from the science department a month or two ago in terms of the steel standards. So, we're looking at the research that is coming out, uh and what you're going to see as we move into the slides, uh that that research will vary by department on what information is
007available. Uh and as they do their needs assessment, they conduct a SWOT analysis, uh they look at research, uh they will distill that information into some major findings, uh and then some uh actionable recommendations or next steps for us. Um the list on the screen here is the various types of information that they're going to look through. And again, it it will um it'll uh uh be different for each department depending on what information is available. Uh I'm not going to go through all of the bullets uh on on that screen, uh but it's similar to what I have just described to you. Professional organizations, what data may be available, uh what our standardized test performance may look like, uh and the list can go on. Uh so, it's this idea of trying to be
008as informed as we possibly can uh as we're going through this SWOT analysis uh and then making recommendations. But to get us started tonight, we have the social studies department with us who did a K-12 investigation. We give them a lot of credit cuz I think this is we did science in kind of two different phases and as you you know we've you know we've done science in in two different phases and we're doing English and math in a couple of different phases. So this is the first group that looked at a K-12 vertical articulation. And and the reason as you know we did science differently and we're doing math differently is about the onboarding of resources and when state standards were changing, hence we go out to 2041 because we want all groups to
009do kind of a K-12 analysis throughout the throughout their investigation and throughout their time together. To get us started, let me introduce we have quite an impressive instructional team with us tonight. I I could not be more proud of the educators that are sitting in this room both administrators and teachers. Some of the best individuals we have in in this community and in this in this organization. Totally impressive. Unfortunately, you only get to hear a snippet of each one of them tonight or we will be here till midnight. So we've asked them to be succinct and as brief and as clear as they can in their presentation. And to get us started, let me introduce Brooke Webb who's the principal of Washington Elementary and she's going to start us off with K-12 social studies but
010really hone in on the K-5 group. >> Thank you Dr. Davis and Dr. Shulo. Good evening everybody. I'm happy to be here tonight to talk social studies with you. At the beginning of the school year, our review team learned that the multi-year contract for our current resource would expire at the end of this school year. This provided us with the unique opportunity to participate in the year one review process while also exploring additional resources for consideration. In response to this need, an additional team was created to review our options and pilot materials in classrooms. Our teams include teachers from every grade level representing all seven elementary buildings along with colleagues from the library, gifted, and special education departments. With that, I will now turn it over to our elementary social studies facilitator and Washington fifth-grade
011teacher extraordinaire, Mr. Jason Phillips. >> Good evening. Um so, when we had the review team come together looking at our current program, we found that the current program did indeed meet the state standards very well and provided a very strong foundation for social studies for our elementary. We also recognized the growing opportunities that we have to do cross-curricular activities with ELA, especially with our new ELA program. Um and we also have access through our current program primary sources that help build meaningful and authentic connections to historical events. So, the current program is very engaging. However, through the process we were carefully considering all of the different learners that social studies students that social studies does encompass and the different needs of our grade levels. And so, as we the pilot team worked together, we found
012that the primary program and needs versus the intermediate needs were very different. And so, a one-size-fits-all a one program approach was not going to meet the needs of everybody's best we could. So, with the guidance of Mrs. Webb and Dr. Shulo, we are recommending the adoption of K-12 program for social studies and then a 3-5 program for social studies. And with professional development, um this approach will be able to strengthen what is what we found is already a strong social studies program and help enhance learning for each of each of our students. So, thank you. And for secondary, >> Hi everybody. My name is Vince Botters. I'm one of the unit principals at the high school. And again, while this work was done together from elementary through secondary, we're just chunking our findings so that
013it makes good sense as we present that to you. So, at this time we're going to share some information and findings, strengths, opportunities, and recommendations from the 6th grade through the 12th grade. To share that with you, we have Julian Slogic from the high school and Tyler Blumling from our middle school. Tyler will come up first and he will share some of those recommendations, strengths, and opportunities from the middle school perspective. >> Hello. Um, thanks for having us tonight. So, when looking at the middle school, 6, 7, and 8, social studies, some of our strengths were that we're very student-centered, project-based learning environments, and the team setup makes it very conducive for that PBL setup. We're very much aligned with peer districts. We really strive for real-world relevance in our curriculum, making meaningful learning meaningful.
014This goes all the way back to Mr. Ziders who, you know, looked over the social studies department. And creating a cultural understanding for our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. We are also very heavy in skill development, research, writing, notes, and that team setup allows for that collaboration of cross-curricular work. So, English teachers are constantly working with our social studies teachers, math teachers, science teachers. In that group setting really allows for that cross-curricular setup to be possible. We also in the middle school have a pretty heavy focus on social emotional learning and executive functioning at the especially in the sixth grade level. Being an inclusive classroom social studies welcoming all students there is a lot of need outside of just our curriculum. So those those tools that maybe don't aren't part of our curriculum are are
015essential to giving our students a great and memorable learning experience in sixth grade social studies. Some of the opportunities we're looking for maybe more consistent seventh grade content to allow students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum all students going through Mount Lebanon and seeing a little bit of their history and where they come from being able to see themselves in the mirror continuing to develop a mixed ability classroom since I mentioned earlier we're a all inclusive subject allowing for those opportunities for all students to be able to access their curriculum at a meaningful level and shifting time periods for US history in eighth grade to allow for more current US history history topics to be addressed. Those timelines have never really changed but the end timeline continues to go further and further. So we're
016looking at how can we address some of the more current history and maybe shifting some timelines in eighth grade to meet those timelines at the high school and that there are no gaps. So our recommendations are reviewing seventh grade course and it's inconsistency and maybe Western civilization and world history and then reviewing that timeline with the eighth grade history course and filling any potential gaps from the sixth grade to the high school. Thank you. The next is Julian Shalek from the high school. >> Good evening. It's my pleasure to be with you tonight. So in looking at the review for grades 9 through 12 we have a lot of strengths a lot to be proud of. In particular, our curriculum is committed to rigor at both the academic level, the honors level, and um the
017AP level. We are very proud of the way that we continue to expand the resources and the way that our curriculum touches on diverse and culturally rich experiences in both American history and in world history. We continue to build skills with a regard to real-world application and connections, as well as media literacy. Increasingly, teachers are routinely placing conversations on media bias and AI literacy in their discussions and work with students. We align our curriculum, especially our core curriculum, aligns well with our comparable school districts, but also we are very proud of the electives that we have that are a little more unique, perhaps anthropology, comparative religions, our honors international relations, just as examples of what some of those courses are that you may not see in every school district, and we're fortunate to have some
018of those opportunities curricularly for students. >> [snorts] >> And then finally, I want to give a nod to the fabulous staff that we have, our faculty in our high school social studies area. We have teachers who are not only committed to continuous learning themselves, who are curious learners, who are excited learners, but my peers are some of the most talented [clears throat] in working with students to enrich student opportunities beyond the classroom. So, I think about programs that our department traditionally has housed and has led for decades. That would include Model United Nations, mock trial, forensics, the global studies program, and many other programs in our building. We always have some room for growth. So, when we look at opportunities, um we're going to continue to build off of what Tyler had shared with you
019in reviewing our curriculum alignment in both our core US history and our world culture world history classes 6 through 12. Um we're [snorts] going to continue to expand on some of the targeted areas of skill progression such as writing skills. This is work that we've already begun to address and expand upon, but we see that improving and and being a targeted area over this cycle. And um we intend to embed more inquiry-based learning and project-based learning throughout all of our courses over this cycle. Thank you for your time tonight and I'm turning it over to elementary math. Thank you. >> Good evening. Thank you for having us here this evening. I'm Ron Kitsgo, I work at Lincoln as the principal and uh working with Rose Davidson here uh leading the elementary math review process uh
020for the district uh this year. The team uh that you see on the screen is comprised of staff members from all seven elementary schools as well as instructional support staff and grade level teachers. Uh we've been working uh the second semester moving forward with our process of reviewing where we stand and doing a lot of the similar things that you've heard from the social studies team this evening. Uh one of the things I want to say before I turn things over to Rose for a few minutes is that uh for math, the process that we're going through right now is the first time since 2017 that we've really taking a a hard and deep look at the curriculum that we've written. Um at that [snorts] time we moved to a newer edition of the resource
021that the district had been using prior to me arriving back in 2014. So, a really good resource, um but one that, you know, it's I think time for us to do a little bit of work with and as we move forward, Rose is going to share with you kind of how we've gotten to where we are today in our review process. >> Thank you. Hi everyone. Thank you for this opportunity. Our math committee did gather some data from all elementary math teachers and we identified some strengths, some opportunities and some recommendations going forward with our elementary math program. Some key strengths of our Investigations 3 program include standards alignment, conceptual understanding over procedural skills, has a hands-on resource and over 80% of our staff reported that the students are very engaged with the Investigations 3
022program. Now to the opportunities. The publishing company Savvas is not going to be updating Investigations 3. So, this leads us to an opportunity to ensure consistency and continued growth aligned with our district priorities. We want to ensure that we have access to updated core materials, the ability to enhance and improve our differentiation practices and resources for all of our mathematicians, explore enhancements in our LEAP time usage and to integrate a balanced online platform that meets the needs of both our teachers and our students. This leads us to some recommendations that we have come up with. Our committee developed a ranked list of priorities highlighting several essential areas for our focused efforts. Our top priorities include the following: intervention and differentiation tools for all students, a program that is balanced with conceptual understanding and procedural skills.
023We would like to strengthen our curriculum coherence and alignment, revise assessment practices including common grade level assessments, improve our differentiation opportunities, and have access to differentiated resources as part of our core program. Strengthen our elementary math structure with our elementary mathematics Leveled Time, and clarify the role of basic facts and how they basic fact fluency practices and fluency assessments play in our elementary classrooms. And finally, technology. We want to ensure access to quality technology resources connected with the core math resource to support instruction. And now, Dr. Kitzmiller address additional goals for our future endeavors. >> Thank you, Rose. So, some things that we are looking at today and also over the next 2 years. I tried to keep the scope of where we are going kind of focused in the next 2-year window. So, next
024week actually on Tuesday, we'll be meeting here in this space with five publishing companies to get some review of their current resources where our core team will meet with them and do a kind of precursor evaluation to determine of those resources which ones do we think would be worthy of a pilot process in our elementary schools in semester one of the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Coming out of that, we will get a core team of teachers across the buildings to then pilot whatever number of resources those might be and evaluate those across semester one in the fall with the goal being to narrow that down to one program that would be considered kind of our core resource to work with moving forward so that we could work with Dr. Shula, Dr. Freeze, and Ms. Connelly
025on budgeting and get that into preparations for the 2027-2028 budget cycle so that we can come to you sometime next school year with a proposal to adopt a new core resource in mathematics. The goal being also at that time we are reviewing the the curriculum as it's written and our pacing guides, working towards some of those things like looking at common assessment practices and moving towards that so that for the 27-28 school year we hopefully have revised curriculum maps in place that outline those changes that are supported by this new core resource and that all teachers in the K-5 program are then using those resources with our students in the 27-28 school year. Some of the other things I'll quickly allude to are moving forward past 27-28 would be some of those things that Dr.
026Shula mentioned where we start reviewing our practice, monitoring how we are using those resources, the benefits we are seeing in that long-term cyclical process. At this time I will then turn things over to our ELA group for grades 6 through 12. Thank you. >> Good evening. Thank you, Dr. Davis, Dr. Shula. I am a Teresa Mitchell, one of the inner principals here at the high school, and as you see on screen, those are the highlights of all of the teachers and and educators who have made a true difference in what our students learn, what our students know, and how they actually become actually leaders in our own communities. Our department, in addition to working with Melon Middle, Melon Middle School, Jefferson Middle School, the high school, we have made a concerted effort to make sure
027that our students are learning, growing, and we are indeed at all points making efforts to nurture excellence. There is a lot to do when it comes to English, but we all know that it takes our middle school team to actually, of course, help our high school team. And at this time, I am delighted to introduce our department chair, Ms. Dawn Davenport. >> I'll move this up a little. >> [laughter] >> You can see we have a lot of people working on this. We actually worked on this as an entire department for this entire year. And I think we have something that we feel we feel good about our strengths. We have proven academic success. Our test scores show that we are doing a lot of things correctly. We have a commitment to a rigorous novel-based
028instruction, and we have student-centered pedagogy. Some opportunities. We would like to strengthen our 6-12 vertical alignment and implementation of structural reading strategies to rebuild stamina. The stamina reading stamina is definitely an issue. Um we want to foster intellectual agency through choice and diversity and cultivate creativity. So, some of our key findings. One One of our key findings was that we need to cultivate digital literacy and intellectual curiosity. We want to continue to refine a curriculum that prioritizes developmental writing cycles by focusing on the iterative nature of thinking and drafting. We foster intellectual agency um and a reflective journey so they can see the writing process as an actual process. We want to integrate instructional frameworks that teach students to ethically navigate digital tools in a complex environment. This includes using technology to visualize the evolution
029of their ideas, ensuring they remain the central author, okay, um to the work that they're doing. >> [clears throat] >> We're all up against a a pretty big thing right now and we want to make sure that we are encouraging the kids to do their own work, but also value their own work um and find their creativity in that. Um we want to work on providing resources including technology that will be beneficial to the teaching and learning process. And then finally evaluate departmental practices and structures that allow students to further demonstrate their agency on standardized measures. And then our second key finding and our last key finding um is strengthening structural literacy. So our recommendations around that is prioritizing a student-centered pedagogy designed to emphasize and inspire, that's a big word there, reading through the
030application of best practice and principles of all of our literature selections to prioritize, excuse me, inclusive representation. By diversifying the voices in our curriculum, we increase opportunities for students to see themselves in the literature. Hopefully buying and in raising the buy-in of the beauty of reading. Cultivate a curriculum that maintains a sophisticated balance among full-length novels, poetry, drama, and informational text. This prepares students to analyze complex real-world experiences while still engaging with the deep life lessons often found in the text. Some of the trends we see are our teachers going away from longer books because the kids don't have the buy-in, but the research really shows the need for them to be in full-length books. And we want to ultimately evaluate departmental practices and structures that allow students to identify and find sources, success, excuse
031me, in our evolving growth framework. Goal setting, reflect and review, optimize opportunities, and well-being. I think that's it for me. Oh, no, next step. Um so our next steps are to revisit our curriculum to explore and formalize different assessment opportunities that emphasize engagement and commitment to authenticity, curiosity, and critical thinking. And explore age-appropriate texts and alternate ways to increase student engagement. I That is my last. >> We're open to any questions from the board. >> I don't have any questions, but there's no way I could not sit here and not say thank you so much for all the work that you've put in. I know that you are doing countless hours outside of being here in the building and it's so important and I'm really excited to see where this lands. My son had the
032opportunity to be a part of the K-through-5 ELA, so really excited to see some strong Washington faces out here and the rest of you with us, but just delighted in the work that you're doing and excited for the future. Thank you. >> Just to echo Mrs. Crable, um it's really great to see the the level of thought and care that's going into all these decisions and the level of collaboration um across the building and units. It's really great to see uh what's coming. I'm on the other end of it, well I mean I've got older ones too, but my my four-year-olds are going to be coming in for the 27-28 math curriculum. Uh so they'll get to be a part of the new stuff coming in and that's exciting to see as well. Thank you
033all. >> Okay. >> All right. Um I don't believe we have any questions or comments from residents for any action items who previously requested to speak. And do we have any questions or comments from residents and taxpayers concerning action items for this specific meeting. No? Okay. We will now move into our new business for consideration or action. This is what we will be voting on this evening and we will be talking about the personnel. Ms. Conley. >> The personnel report details personnel appointments, changes in assignments, leaves of absences, resignations, sabbaticals, and retirements to be considered by the board. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. All right. May it be resolved that the board We did that already. So, questions, comments? So moved. Second? >> I'll second it. >> Thank you. Mr. Clougherty, roll call, please.
034>> Mrs. Burdick. >> Aye. >> Mr. Clougherty. >> Aye. >> Ms. Crable. >> Aye. >> Mrs. Gelman. >> Aye. >> Ms. Givens. >> Aye. >> Mr. Hoffman. >> Aye. >> Okay. All right. Next, we will move into policy. >> This month we're asking the board to consider policy revisions, policy adoptions, and policy retirements. The policies that are up for revision are 103, discrimination harassment affecting students. 104, discrimination harassment affecting It should say, staff. 236.1, threat assessment. 325, dress and grooming. And then, in terms of policy adoptions, 101, mission statement, vision statement, shared values. 122.1, non-curriculum-related, non-school-sponsored, student-initiated groups. 137.1, extracurricular participation in home education students. 137.2, participation in co-curricular activities and academic courses by home education students. 137.3, participation in career and technical education programs by home education students. 140, charter schools. And 140.1, extracurricular
035participation by charter cyber charter students. Policy retirements for this month, because they are being replaced by updated policies, are AE, school core values. IHBH, charter schools. And JJJ, participation in district activities by students not enrolled in the school district. The board held a policy meeting at 6:30 p.m. this evening and reviewed each of these policies and provided feedback. They'll be up for vote next week. >> Thank you, Dr. Freeze. Moving into finance, we have a slew of reports tonight. So, we will be discussing our treasurer's report, our monthly list of bills, budgetary transfers, list of unusable equipment, 2026-2027 homestead-farmstead resolution, the 2026-2027 real estate tax resolution, the 2026-2027 Act 511 tax resolution, property tax reassessment resolution, the 2026-2027 final budget, the 2026-2027 list of contracts in excess of $100, appointment of school district treasurer, exoneration
036of real estate tax collection for listed properties, municipal real estate tax office audit, American Fidelity supplemental benefits, workman's compensation insurance renewal, food services still student meal prices, high-speed duplicating and cover stock paper bid, and bus auction. And I am going to turn it on over >> [laughter] >> to Ms. Conley. >> Thank you, Mrs. Crable. The treasurer's report reflects cash transactions for the month of April 2026. The first part of the treasurer's report is a list of all of our main accounts, their beginning and ending balances for April 2026. Page two and three includes our investments, their beginning balances on April 1 and ending balances on April 30th. And page four lists our smaller accounts that also provide the beginning and ending balances for April. The other part of the monthly report is the projected
037expenditures and revenues as of April 30th, 2026. We are well into the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, and we are continuing to project a surplus of 1,000,000 1,043,751 dollars. >> Thank you so much. Any questions or comments? Okay. Monthly list of bills. >> The monthly list of bills reflects checks authorized to be drawn from April 9th, 2026 to April 30th, 2026. All checks have been reviewed by the administration. The superintendent recommends approval of this list. >> Any questions or comments? Budgetary transfer >> for May? >> Budgetary transfers for May total $1,260 for conference expenses and athletics. The superintendent recommends approval of these transfers. >> Any questions or comments? Unusable equipment? >> The list of unusable equipment includes a gas stove in poor condition, a milling machine in fair condition, a utility trailer in poor
038condition, and a belt and disc sander in poor condition. The superintendent recommends approval of this list. >> Any questions or comments? >> I just want to appreciate the Pittsburghese on the list that the sander the wiring needs looked at. >> Love it. >> [laughter] >> Love us. >> No, not you, Mr. Kaiser. >> 2026-2027 Homestead-Farmstead Resolution. >> The board is requested to consider the '26-'27 Homestead-Farmstead Resolution, which provides a tax reduction of $328.59 per homestead. >> Any questions or comments? Real estate tax resolution. >> The board is requested to consider the 2026-2027 tax resolution increasing real estate millage to 32.033. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Act 511 tax resolution. >> The board is requested to approve the 2026-2027 Act 511 tax resolution that includes earned income tax levied and assessed at the rate of
039.5% of earned income, real estate tax transfer tax levied and assessed at the rate of .5% of the sale price of the real estate property, and local service tax levied and assessed at the rate of $5 per person. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Property tax reassessment resolution. >> The board is asked to approve a resolution urging the Allegheny County Council to mandate and implement a system of regular periodic property tax reassessment. >> Any questions or comments? >> Yeah, I think there's one misspelling in the first whereas section of that, um where it's saying our facilities, it's saying Fox Chapel Area School District, and I think it really means the Mount Lebanon School District. >> Thank you for that. I just wanted to comment that this advocacy is so important, and thank you for um
040organizing uh this um resolution, and that it would be shared with other um districts, and I think it's important that we um that we stand behind that. >> And just to echo on with what Mrs. Bartik said, you know, part of the reason our tax increase is has to be higher than we would like it to be really is a reflection on how long it has been since there has been a reassessment. >> Absolutely. Anything else? Okay. Final budget. >> I have a brief presentation, Mrs. Kriebel. May I give it? >> Absolutely. >> Tonight is our final look at the 2026-2027 final budget. There [snorts] have been four minor changes to the 2026-2027 final budget since the April 11th meeting, which is was the budget forum. And all four minor changes are associated with the
0412026-2027 revenues. So, change number one, PDE issued the homestead farmstead funding on May 1st, 2026. Mount Lebanon School District's 2026-2027 allocation is $2,903,783. This is a decrease of $5,307 from the previous year. When we did our budgeting, I the assumption was flat funding, but we actually have a decrease, so we had to make some adjustments. The homestead funding is used to reduce local property taxes and is a result of PDE distributing state gaming funds through the Taxpayer Relief Act, also known as special act special session act one of 2006. Mount Lebanon School District's 2026-2027 reduction is $328.59 per homestead. Three more changes, very minor in revenue. Change number two, federal revenue. The federal title one real allocation for 2025-2026 was lowered slightly by $54. Thus, the 2026-2027 was also adjusted from 177,176 to 177,122. Change
042number three is local revenue. The real estate revenue was decreased by $3 due to rounding when we look at all of our properties. That's what happened. And change number four is local revenue. Interest earnings was increased by $5,364 to offset all of these changes. Homestead of 5307, the title decrease of 54, and the rounding decrease on real estate taxes of $3. So, our budget still equals $129,216,926. And the the shares between local, state, and federal is 76.5 76.54% in local, 23% in state, and less than 1/2% in federal. This final budget includes a tax increase of 3.5%. This is below the adjusted Act 1 index of 4.1%, which is the maximum. At 3 and 1/2% or 1.083 mills, the real estate tax revenue increase is $2,905,347. The 25-26 millage was 30.95. Our projected millage for
04326-27 is 32.033, and that's how we get the increase of 1.83 3.5% of the allowed 4.1. This little grid shows the um the impact on the property owner. Uh home value of $200,000 will see a tax increase of $253.60, all the way to a home value of half a million dollars, they will see a um tax increase per year of $634. >> So in summary, the final [clears throat] revenue we've assumed that the state special basic ed funding is flat. State special ed funding is also flat. Ready to learn block grant is also flat. Title funding is slightly decrease. It's really insignificant. We'll we'll just call that flat. Medicaid funding is also flat. Revenues were analyzed and projected by reviewing 3 to 5 years of actuals. The 2016-2017 projected final revenues are 129 216 926.
044We have a zero revenue shortfall. Excuse me. For expenditures the same amount 129 216 926. This grid gives the the buckets based on the chart of accounts. And the last column gives the percentage in Oh, excuse me. The last column gives the percentage increase to each bucket. Salary and benefits and other financing issues which is our bonds are the highest increase highest portion of our expenditures. Salary increases were calculated according to collective bargaining agreements. Positions were analyzed across elementary and secondary and reductions were made accordingly. Due to attrition, one teacher position was reduced and two sabbaticals will now be covered by existing staff through schedule changes and six period stipends. This will save on permanent substitute teacher costs. Curricular increases for elementary social studies and secondary science have been included. That's $327,000. There's an 8.3%
045increase to employer health care, um and 3% increase for employee dental insurance. There's a 3 to 5% increase to special ed tuition for out-of-district placements, 3% increase for charter school tuition, and a 10% increase to Parkway due to increased enrollment and Parkway tuition increases. 4% increase to the transportation contract. Our department expense budgets remained flat or below prior year. And we have budgeted $619,735 for capital project expenses for our buildings and grounds. The 2026-27 final budget in the amount of $129,216,916 is balanced and it does not use fund balance to balance this budget. To ensure the 2026-27 final budget does not rely on fund balance, we did several things. The district considered all options including employee reassignments, program modifications, employee attrition, capital projects and purchases. The 2026-27 final budget balances without the use of its
046existing fund balance without a full tax increase as well to the Act 1 Act 1 Act 1 index of 4.1%. The millage increase is 1.083, which is 3 and 1/2%. So, this is the final budget overall summary. It is balanced and it does not use fund balance or furloughs. The 2026-27 final budget will leave Mount Lebanon School District's fund balance unchanged. And to ensure the 2026-27 final budget does not rely on the use of fund balance, the district considered all options including all of those all of these things. Reassignments, program modifications, attrition, capital projects and purchases. Pro- active planning underscores the district's commitment to ensure the long-term fiscal account sustainability aligning with the state regulations and our dedication to transparency and responsible financial management. May 18th, 2026 will be the final budget adoption. Thank you.
047>> Thank you, Mrs. Conley. Any questions or comments? >> Just one very quick. Um you know, you were explaining we do have a budget surplus this year. That money is going into the fund balance. Just so the community understands the value of doing that as opposed to using applying that money for this this upcoming school year. >> We have to increase our fund balance to get a better bond rating through Moody's. And our goal is to get an 8% fund balance. In addition, once we reach that goal, we have to build up our capital reserve. Uh right now it's dangerously low. Uh we are budgeting our capital improvements through the budget process. But having a um capital reserve will help with the emergencies and projects on our 10 buildings. >> Great. Thank you. >> [snorts]
048>> Any other questions or comments? >> I just want to thank you, Mrs. Conley, for the presentation and that summary to see it all again. It was really helpful when we think about this increase on the real real tax at 3.5% to see all those percentages that are out of our control that are increasing, right? The the increase in health insurance, the increase in transportation, tuition at out of district placements. Like to see all of those numbers increasing by greater amounts, it's just really helpful to get that context. So, thank you for making it so accessible. >> Thank you. >> The board is re- >> I'm sorry. Is that presentation um that's on the board docs, correct? So, the public does have have full access to that. >> That's correct. Yes. >> Great. Thank you.
049>> It's on there along with the 2026-2027 final budget that has been proposed. And then just another plug is that if you go to the district website and you go to the business office and you select um budget, you can see our historical look back on the budget and all the presentations that we've provided. And then in addition to that, if you go to board docs, you can see all the updates that we've given monthly to provide an overview of our financial state. We've made significant gains in terms of where we were 3 years ago as opposed to now, and we're moving in the right direction to be able to restore our fund balance and to be able to put funding into our cap- capital improvements so that we can have a plan for how
050we um spend our funds, and it is um very, very public um all the things that we've been doing over the course of the last 3 years to restore our financials. And again, a thank you to the board and to the administration and all of the staff for their willingness to work with us to ensure that we can get to this um place. It's definitely happening way faster than we thought it would because we've stuck to the plan rather than allowing things to create a deviation from the plan. >> So, the actual uh board item reads as follows. The board is requested to approve the 2026-2027 [clears throat] final budget in the amount of $129,216,926. >> Any other questions or comments? Okay. List of contracts in excess of $100. >> Annually the board is asked
051to approve a list of contracts in excess in excess of $100 as required by school code. Note that the contract amount required to be approved has not changed since 1949. Some of these contracts have been approved separately by the board as they became due. Some continue year to year without separate action. All known contracts are listed here for board review and approval. The superintendent recommends approval of this list. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Appointment of school district treasurer. >> Annually the district must appoint a treasurer. Administration recommends the appointment of Patricia Connelly as school district treasurer for the 2026-2027 school year at no remuneration. >> Any questions or comments? You cannot say no. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Exoneration of real estate tax collection for listed properties. >> Annually the district exonerates the real estate
052tax collector from collecting taxes on district owned properties. There is one property on the list. It is a lot on Illinois Avenue that belongs to the school district. The superintendent recommends the exoneration of the collection of taxes on this property. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Municipal real estate tax office audit. >> The independent audit of the municipal real estate tax office for the 25 calendar year is complete and presented for board approval. There are no findings in the audit. The superintendent recommends approval of the audit. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. American Fidelity supplemental benefits. >> The board is asked to approve the continued agreement with American Fidelity as the district's provider of supplemental insurance benefits for employees. There is no cost to the district for these services and the superintendent recommends approval of
053the agreement. >> Any questions or comments? Workmen's compensation insurance. >> The board is asked to consider the approval of UPMC Workpartners to provide the district's 26-27 workers compensation insurance at an annual premium of $137,801. The superintendent recommends approval of this insurance renewal. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Insurance renewal. >> The board is asked to consider the approval of the 26-27 insurance policies for property, terrorism, liability, cyber, crime, commercial automobile, excess liability, school directors and officers, boiler and machinery, and student accident in the amount of $499,828. >> Any questions or comments? Food services student meal prices. >> The board is asked to approve the 26-27 student lunch meals at no increase. Elementary lunch, $2.70. Middle and high school lunch tier one, $2.85. Middle and high high lunch tier two, $3.20. Middle and high lunch tier
054three, $3.75. The superintendent recommends approval of the 2026-2027 student lunch meal prices. Any questions or comments? >> I just want to commend how well-run the food service is for the district. >> [clears throat] >> I mean, there the fact that they're able to run at a surplus with, you know, these type types of prices. And the food they're making is excellent. >> Ditto that. >> [laughter] >> Cover stock paper bid. >> Could I ask a question for a moment? >> We didn't read that one yet. >> So, the questions or comments? >> Great. All right. Now we're now we're there. >> The board is asked to approve WB Mason as the provider of high-speed duplicating and cover stock paper for the 2026-2027 school year. WB Mason was the only bidder at $87,226 for high-speed duplicating
055paper and $10,252 for cover stock paper. The superintendent recommends approval of these bids. >> Any questions or comments? >> Okay. >> And the bus auction. >> The board is asked to approve the agreement with Matisse and Sons Incorporated 422 sales to auction a 2010 Blue Bird 72 passenger school bus. The superintendent recommends approval of the agreement. >> Any questions or comments? >> Lived a good life. >> It did live a good life. >> Too bad we didn't have our own a little county fair cuz Washington County, we could have had a little demolition derby with our bus. [laughter] >> All right. >> typically go for? >> Like $5, but >> [laughter] >> I imagine there's not much value >> No. No, they they buy them really for parts. Um I think the best part about
056it is that they'll come and pick it up, too. This bus actually doesn't move anymore. So, they'll come out and they'll tow it to the lot. >> it's actually up at Cummins Sales and Service now. It was 25,000 for the parts we knew were bad. Once they removed the engine block, they were probably likely going to find more damage. At that point, it was kind of a sunk cost. So, these older buses, they generally we might get 1,000, 2,000 for them. It just really depends. Um but you don't generally get too much. We did order a new bus. That should be in in the summertime, July or August. That will replace that bus. >> Thanks. Okay, next we'll be moving to curriculum and instruction. We will be discussing a textbook adoption, social studies curriculum agreements,
057um AIU comprehensive service agreements, AIU waterfront leasing addendum agreement with AIU school-based access program, standardized testing schedule, and a high school ski trip. So, I will pass it on over. >> Sure, the first item textbook adoption in accordance with section 803 Pennsylvania School Law, the following basic textbooks are listed for adoption and recommended by the superintendent. For grade 10, human geography a spatial perspective, the AP edition. Grade 10 through 12, basic finance an introduction to financial institutions, investments, and management. Grade K-2, Impact Social Studies by McGraw Hill. Grade 3-5, Social Studies Alive by TCI. >> Thank you. Any questions or comments? >> [snorts] >> Okay, social studies curriculum agreements. >> The board is asked to consider 6-year agreements with McGraw Hill for grades K2 and TCI for grades 3-5 for social studies curriculum resources for
058students at a cost not to exceed $233,688.06. The superintendent recommends approval of these agreements. >> Any questions or comments? Okay, AIU comprehensive services agreement. >> The board is asked to approve the comprehensive services agreement with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for special education services for the 2026-2027 school year in the form presented. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. AIU Waterfront Learning Addendum. >> The board is asked to approve an agreement with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for its Waterfront Learning services. Waterfront Learning provides a menu of flexible cyber education program options for the 2026-2027 school year. This agreement establishes what costs the district's district would incur if it uses any of the services. Waterfront Learning is used as the course provider for our K-12 asynchronous program and as a credit
059recovery option for students. The superintendent recommends approval of this contract. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Agreement with AIU School-Based Access Program. >> The board is asked to approve an agreement with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit School-Based Access Program for support services related to Medicaid invoicing through the PA Department of Human Services for health-related services that students receive at school in the amount of $17,500. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. >> Any questions or comments? Okay, standardized testing schedule for 2026-2027. >> Annually for the purposes of providing appropriate educational programs and services for all district students, the board is asked to approve the standardized testing schedule for the next school year. The superintendent recommends approval of this schedule. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. And last but not least, the high school and board trip.
060>> The high school administration is requesting permission for the high school ski and board club to travel to Jay Peak Resort in Jay Peak, Vermont from January 14th to 18th, 2027. Students will miss one day of school and be responsible for the cost of the trip, and the superintendent superintendent recommends approval of this student trip. >> Any questions or comments? No. Okay, great. Moving into other, we're going to discuss the designation of voting delegates to the PSBA conference. >> The board is asked to authorize voting delegates for the annual PSBA delegate assembly. The meeting will be held on Saturday, November 7th, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at Cumberland Valley School District's Mountain View Auditorium. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. And then the school board meeting schedule. >> The board is asked to adopt the following
061dates for monthly meetings for the 2026-2027 school year to be held in room D205 at Mount Lebanon High School. August 10th, 2026, August 17th, 2026, September 14th, 2026, October 12th, 2026, October 19th, 2026, November 9th, 2026, November 16th, 2026, December 7th, 2026, which would be a reorganization and joint discussion and voting meeting. January 11th, 2027, January 25th, 2027, February 22nd, 2027, March 8th, 2027, March 15th, 2027, April 5th, 2027, April 12th, 2027, May 10th, 2027, May 17th, 2027, and June 14th, 2027. All meetings may be voting meetings and location pending changes if necessary. >> Any questions or comments? >> I think um just a comment and clarification for the public that um despite that sounding like a really long list of dates that there there are fewer dates um by a few. I think four
062fewer um this time um or this upcoming year. And the reason being that um the the board would discuss and vote in one given meeting instead of having a discussion meeting, wait a week, and then vote. Um I think it reduces redundancy. >> Yes. Yes, at this point um we are a very well-oiled board. Um we have four docs. Um we are consistently talking. We now have our office hours, so we are going to utilize that office hour time. Once you have um your board packet, if you have any questions, we can answer them there. Of course, always send any questions you have, but we feel like we are in a really good space, and we still have that additional Monday if we do need it. So, there is still, you know, ample room for
063that. And then um other ways that we can either move our policy meeting if we need to. So, we feel that there's enough time and bandwidth throughout the month, and we've all been working really well together to make that happen. Any other questions or comments? Okay. And we are now at public comment. So this public comment period is open to residents and taxpayers regarding matters of concern, official action, or deliberation which are or may be before the board. All commenters should begin by stating their name. Comments are limited to 3 minutes and we will notify commenters when their time has expired. Questions requiring follow-up will be referred to the minute of the administration for later response. Comments by public participants are their own and should not be assumed to be the statements of the district.
064The Mount Lebanon School District is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming school environment that recognizes and celebrates diverse identities within our community so everyone feels a sense of belonging and we do have um Mr. Brian Walters, I believe, with us today. >> Good evening, members of the school board, Dr. Freeze, Dr. Davis, Dr. Shualo, other esteemed members of the school district. My name [clears throat] is Brian Walters. My family and I reside at 305 Parkway Drive and we've been members of this wonderful community for over 31 years. I'm here tonight on behalf of my family to respectfully extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to this school district for the many opportunities it's provided our children, the lessons it has taught them, and the impact it has had on all four of our kids
065throughout the years they attended school in Mount Lebanon. The timing of this public thank you seems right as our fourth and youngest daughter is scheduled, fingers crossed and God willing, to graduate from Mount Lebanon High School less than 1 month from tonight as a proud member of the class of 2026. Truth be told, this upcoming [clears throat] and final graduation from Mount Lebanon is hitting the Walters family a bit differently and certainly creating a lot of opportunity for reflection and perspective on all that this school district has meant to us. Full disclosure, my wife, Susie Walters, who's back here, has been a history teacher at Mt. Lebanon School District for over three decades. Suzy's role has helped provide a unique perspective on our kids' academic journey, and also has better prepared us for how to
066handle the various challenges and unexpected twists and turns on our kids' path to self-discovery and independence as young adults. To be clear, our kids are all very Different skill sets, different personalities, different interests. Varying degrees of academic curiosity, and most certainly different strengths and weaknesses. They took academic classes, had 504s, required reading specialists, but also took honors and AP classes. [music] The four kids spanned a gamut of capabilities and still do. As we reflected on how best to characterize their experience as students in the Mt. Lebanon School District, we went straight to the source. Suzy and I independently surveyed each of our four kids about their experiences in the school district. To our surprise, there was remarkable commonality in their reflections about Mt. Lebanon. They spoke first of the academic rigor and the high expectations.
067In some ways, there is no greater compliment for an institution than to affirm that it routinely challenges students and consistently expects more from them. Within this environment, our kids learn the importance of critical thinking, logic, well-measured advocacy, creativity, preparation, prioritization, accountability, and multitasking. Honestly, I'm not certain we could have ever expected more. However, [snorts] each child quickly followed up that reflection by further noting that while challenging, they always felt supported and encouraged by their teachers. They felt comfortable asking questions for help, and noted that their teachers were always available before school, during a lunch break, and after school to provide additional instruction, guidance, or tutoring. Each of our kids noted that at least for them, school at Mount Lebanon was very hard. Yet again, that perspective was always caveated by each child re-emphasizing just how
068much the teachers cared about them, and in many instances, each of our kids specifically called out certain teachers who especially believed in them. I paused intentionally at that specific reflection because the belief by teachers in our kids has proven to be a true differentiator for each of them. As parents, I think this represents the realization of one of our greatest hopes. The hope that another adult believes in in our kids as much as we do. In Mount Lebanon, so many teachers, administrators, and coaches believed in our kids, especially in those challenging times when our own kids may not have believed in themselves. Mount Lebanon's challenging academic environment, fostered with expert instruction and genuine encouragement, pushed our kids and gave them the necessary confidence for them to challenge themselves. They were frequently motivated to try harder
069knowing another adult in this beloved community, beyond their parents, believed in them and expected more from them. Now, that does not mean that every semester ended with an A, leadership leadership role in the organization they were participating, or a place in the starting lineup of the team they were playing for. Definitely not. And in many instances, quite the opposite. Some lessons were definitely much harder than others, and our kids experienced their fair share of setbacks and sincere disappointment along the way. However, in those disappointments lied perhaps the most valuable lessons of all. As those setbacks allowed them to develop grit, pluck, and resiliency. The critical foundational characteristics that teach kids and adults alike how to battle through adversity and to keep trying, to keep pushing, and to keep believing. Ultimately, our kids have realized that
070those are the same characteristics necessary to succeed in this increasingly challenging world, and especially outside the friendly confines of our small community. I'll say this, supporting students through their setbacks is a very under-appreciated strength of this school district. Indeed, the power of the Mount Lebanon education extends far beyond the four four walls of our elementary and middle schools and this beautiful high school on Horsman Drive. Beyond the classroom, this school district finds ways to challenge its students through our co-curricular activities, extracurricular activities, and and athletics. Whether it's the arts, band, forensics, dance, sports, whatever your child's interest, Mount Lebanon remains committed to welcoming students, meaningfully engaging with them, and embracing them as their own, all the while helping them untap inner talents and strengths that they may not have ever realized they possessed, and always
071recognizing that life's most important lessons are really discovered in the journey itself and not so much the destination. To the administrators, teachers, and coaches of this school district, thanks for leading our kids on their journey. Thank you for your patience, for expecting more from them, for challenging them, for letting them know when they were wrong and taking the time to explain why, for telling them to be better, for standing with them when you saw them in their weakest moments, >> [clears throat] >> for encouraging them through their disappointments, and ultimately celebrating their successes and achievements. You've always showed up for the children of this community in ways both big and small by providing them not just the academic tools and skill sets to succeed, but also the confidence to believe in themselves and to to
072through the hard times. Whatever future success our kids achieve is and will be attributable to this remarkable school district. On behalf of our four kids, Sarah, Timmy, JP, and Cat, as well as Susie and me, thank you, Mount Lebanon School District. We are forever grateful. >> Well, I didn't expect to be teary >> [laughter] >> at the end of public comment. Um wow, thank you so much. Thank you for sharing um your time with us and your four amazing children. And Mrs. Walters, thank you for your decades of service. I am honored and humbled. Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? >> [laughter] >> I can start whenever. Go ahead. Okay. Um good evening. My name is Alicia Locker. I'm a resident of 279 Gilkeson Road. I have a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. Um and
073I'm also a behavioral neuroscientist, and I work at a public policy and public health organization. And I give you my background to caveat what I tell myself every day, what I'm going to remind you all tonight, is that our children are not tiny adults. And I say this because I want to talk about technology. We know intuitively for things like knives and cars that children cannot do what adults do. But we think about this less when we talk about the concept of learning, task discrimination, and attention. In the 1970s, there was a neuroscientist named John O'Keefe who discovered a small part in the brain called the hippocampus. And this part in the brain had a lot to do with cognitive mapping and spatial memory. And what he learned is that what matters most is that
074the area where you're learning really contributes to memory coding and ultimately cognitive mapping. And this is why when we're talking about reading, text on paper really matters. Pages are fixed. Text location is stable. And there's also physical navigation of words that happen during reading. Scrolling screens, by contrast, does not do this. There is continuous remapping of text, reducing of spatial anchors, and reducing of memory coding. More current research really adds on to this. There's a 2020 study that found children's reading comprehension between a physical textbook and a screen that showed that children who were physically reading the text were more able to comprehend what they were reading compared to those that were reading on a screen. And what's worse is that those children who did worse didn't understand that they were doing worse. So, on
075a metacognitive level, they were not aware that when they were learning on a screen, they were actually performing more performing more poorly. Another critical part of memory is the idea of attention. Young children do not have the neural pathways to be able to refresh their attention. Their brains physically cannot do it in the same way that adults do. And so, if we are giving them screens that move faster than their brains process, we are cutting their knees off. Um we are cutting their feet off at the knees. We cannot shortcut these biological timelines. They are ingrained within our biology. And what is most particularly harmful about screens, in my opinion, is that they are technologically designed to hijack our dopamine system, our reward system. They work in the same way that slot machines do that
076build gambling addictions and other sorts of rewarding pathways. We have put our tiny humans in front of screens and told them, "You're in a candy store, but you can only eat broccoli right now." I am asking at this time that we all think about what we need to do in Malibu to set our children up for success. These tiny brains rely on us. And a lot of different elementary schools in the area are pledging to keep screens out of the school system during these early cognitive days. We want to build the capacity for children to actually learn so that they can leverage these technological tools later in their life after they understand how to discern discern between things that are important versus things that they know and build the actual cognitive skills. We don't want
077to outsource the most valuable things that our children have and this is their knowledge. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comment. Anyone else? Okay. The board has met and will be meeting again on Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. in the same room. Do we have a motion to adjourn? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Aye.