ASD Committee of the Whole / Regular Board Meeting 11/20/2025

001I'd like to call to order the Finance Committee of the whole meeting of the Board of Directors of the School District for the City of Allentown for today, November 20th, 2025. And I believe we have some starting ceremonies? Yes, thank you, Ms. Matheson. Please join me in welcoming the Harrison-Morton Middle School Band. Let's give it up for Harrison-Morton! I want to thank Mr. Brickhouse and Ms. Gross and all of our students. Let's give them a roaring another round of applause. It's amazing how much the band has grown over the past few years. I know. What an amazing job. Take them on the road with us. What an amazing job. I'm so excited to see. I mean just a year and a half ago they were half that size and they've come a very long way.

002So I'm really proud of them. Again, I want to extend this to girls. Often I seem to arrive when I go over to Harrison Morton at the time where they're having a band and so on. I get to go and hear them and what a sensational job, especially at this point in the year. So again, thank you. I just want to Thank all of our staff, families, and students as we enter Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving season. And I just want to wish everyone a safe and joyful and restful holiday season. And I want to extend such great gratitude for your hard work, your commitment, your belief in our students, their families, as well as all of us as a collective community. And I feel deeply grateful and honored to be able to serve with each

003of you. I really thank you all for your heart, your strength, and dedication that you provide to our schools and our overall learning community every day. We are so honored to serve alongside you all on behalf of my administrative team as we look forward to continuing our important work, as we continue to light the way for our students and our families and of course all the staff. Tonight, we would also like to publicly thank our elected officials for their hard work and for everything they do to support our learning community up in Harrisburg. And we're just so happy the budget has been passed. We want to thank the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for passing the budget. And this finally brings quite relief and stability to our district and all the public school systems here in the

004state of Pennsylvania. as we know which we face such uncertainty for quite a few months now and as we know about 67% of our funding every day that number kind of moves but about 67% of our funding is received from the state these funds were much needed to continue on with our operations And as you know, the decisions that we make as relates to our funding are grounded in our strategic plan, Lighting the Way, a blueprint for innovation excellence 2030. And of course our commitment remains clear that we are utilizing our resources to promote the innovation, all of our priorities, and our investments in what we say our focus, because we're staying focused on focus, which is the instructional core, and that relationship between students, teachers, and content. So again, thank you. We additionally, as

005we know, we're working really hard to enact and execute on our big rocks. And just to remind everyone, The big rocks that we have identified this year are our focus on academics, our literacy, Algebra 1, our theme-based schools, as well as opening our family and community resource center, and incorporating AI within our learning community as a tool to personalize learning for our students. So again, I thank you. When you entered today, you saw the schools that had the highest amount of percentages of attendance in their schools. So they were on the, and I guess we didn't write them down in my notes. So can we put them back up, the schools that had the top attendance this month? And each month we're going to acknowledge those schools. If we can get that back up. As

006well as the schools that had the faculty and staff members who had the top attendance each month. And we will also recognize those individuals throughout our learning community who have top attendance, because we appreciate you and we need everyone here so that the students can learn and we can continue on with our work of learning and teaching. Can we get the slide back up, Mr. Delphi? As they bring up the slide, we want to, we are recognizing our educational support paraprofessionals. It's the time of the month or the year to support them or recognize them. So please give them a round of applause. We thank you. And that includes our paraprofessionals, our food service team, our custodians. You are the heartbeat of our schools, and thank you for all you do. And as I mentioned,

007these are the schools that had 93% of students' attendance during the month of October. So let's give a round of applause for those schools. And let's take a look at the schools with the staff members that had the best attendance this month. All right, let's give them a round of applause. So I commend, they share with me, we have more than 700 staff members who have perfect attendance during the month of October. So again, I thank you. We honor you. We need you here working with our students. So thank you again. Please give them another round of applause. To our education support professionals, again, thank you. And this month is National Family Engagement Month. And I want to thank the members of my superintendent's family advisory council. We had our meeting last evening, and we

008highlighted their work and all our families. And our family members who are part of our school governance councils for your active involvement in ensuring that our schools are continuing. continuing in the path of continuous improvement. So I thank you. Our family, the superintendent's family group is planning a conference, so it's underway, so we will keep you informed as they make their progress. Also, next week is parent-teacher conferences. Yay! We encourage all of our families to come to all of our schools and talk with teachers and all of our staff members, of course, administration, everyone who's staff, to learn more about what's happening in your schools and particularly your child's academic journey thus far in the district. So, again, that's next week. We encourage all families to sign up for the parent portal, PowerSchool. So you

009can see every single day the progress that your child is making. And also you will receive an alert if your child is not in class. So families, please make sure that you are signing up to receive those alerts because they happen in real time to keep you informed of what's going on. And our teachers are putting in... the assignments so you can see if they're completed. So I want to thank our entire team who's been working really diligently in our assessment team to ensure that we continue to roll out our PowerSchool implementation as well. as the learning and teaching team who's helping to ensure and has actually added some additional support to that team. And there are many teacher leaders who are serving as ambassadors to ensure that all staff know how to access PowerSchool

010and how families, so again, our family liaisons and all support staff, I don't want to name positions because I'm going to get in trouble, but everyone who's been involved. in this implementation or rollout of PowerSchool, thank you, as well as ParentSquare. And for anyone who's watching or you're in the audience right now and you still need some additional support, here are the QR codes to help you to become, get access, I'm sorry, to both of those particular applications. So thank you very much. This month, we're celebrating Puerto Rican Heritage Month. So let's give a round of applause for Puerto Rican Heritage Month. And so we want to thank our partners at PBS for showcasing Passport to Puerto Rico. We had a really festive event. There were almost, I think, like 150, about 200 people at

011that event. I think there were about 150 students and many adults. It was a sensational evening. Passport to Puerto Rico will air on December 10th at 9 a.m. And I think that's the exact time. But we will send it out. I want to commend the teachers and all the staff at Central Elementary Stream Academy for a job well done. If you have not seen it, think about this, third, fourth, and fifth graders working with their teachers, working with someone. who lives in LA, who was the CEO, who was the former CEO of the company that produced the Rugrats and the Simpsons, and our students got to work with that individual. He came to Allentown. We had a Star Studded event, but we also had an event earlier this week. So again, please commend the entire

012learning community at Central Elementary Stream Academy. I think it's correction. I thought the 10th was a Saturday, but I guess I have December 13th as the date. Is that the date? 13? Okay, December 13th at 9.30. So please be sure to tune in. And we want the ratings to go really up that day because we're all watching our students. PBS. And we'll get the call numbers and send it out to our entire learning community. Thank you, Ms. Matheson. I'll have all my other remarks later. Okay. Thank you. Prior to tonight's meeting, an informational executive session was held. The purpose of the executive session was to engage in informational updates presented to the board on a number of district initiatives, as well as consultation with council regarding the negotiations of multiple tax assessment appeals and discussion

013regarding proposed expulsion adjudications and confidential personnel matters. The board welcomes and invites public comment. You may address the board on agenda and or non-agenda items. The first opportunity for comment is at the beginning of the meeting and is limited to agenda items only. The comments cards must be received by the start of the meeting, which is now. If you choose to address the board, please fill out a comment card and hand it to the board secretary, Mr. Simonson. Comment cards are located at the podium near the door. Once recognized, please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record. And you have nothing else to add at this time? I forgot one more thing. It pertains to building. So earlier this week, we held our official Act 34 public hearing for

014the proposed construction of our new K-8 Academy that's going to be located on Hanover Street. We are really thrilled that that process is underway. We will have a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, November 20. Thank you, November 24th at 10 o'clock a.m. So if you're available on Monday, November 24th at 10 o'clock, please meet us over at the new location on Hanover Street. We will send something out because it's a little tricky to get there because the construction is underway. So some of the roads that we typically go down in that area are closed. So we would love to have everyone there. that day will really mark a momentous occasion for the city of Allentown, particularly for the east side of Allentown. So we're really excited about that. So please join us on that evening. This

015evening, we will also talk about, and I got one more thing, proposed renovations to the Dara practice field. Someone should be clapping about that. And so we have a team, so I won't get into details about that, and they'll present to the school board and to the public in a few minutes. So thank you, Ms. Matheson. At this time, we're only taking public comments on agenda items, and we have no cards. We have four action items on the finance agenda this evening. Mr. Cuff is requesting approval from the Board of Directors to authorize Fox Rothschild to enter into an agreement for the property located at 1604 to 1734 South 4th Street. Could we have some explanation? Mr. Cuff, please. Good evening. Thank you very much. Good evening, Dr. Berks and board members. We're seeking approval

016from the School Board of Directors to authorize Fox Rothschild to enter to an agreement for the property located at 1604-1734 South 4th Street in the city of Allentown. setting the assessment of the property at $4,353,900 for the tax year 2025 and $4,042,900 for the tax year 2026 and for each subsequent tax year until a change in the property's assessment pursuant to applicable law. That's the first. Am I going to the second? Yes, please. And without objection, we'll take both of those together. Thank you. Again, we're seeking approval from the school board of directors to authorize Fox Child to enter to an agreement for the property located at 3101 Hamilton Boulevard in the city of Allentown. Several parcel numbers. Setting the total assessment for aforementioned parcel at $8,671,600 for the tax year 2000. $25,000,000, and $8,052,200

017for the tax year 2026 and for each subsequent tax year until a change in the properties assessment pursuant to applicable law. Those are the two assessments. Is there a comment or question about either of those items? Seeing none, may I have a motion to move them both forward to later this evening? I second. All of those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Then we'll move forward. Thank you. Mr. Cuff is also requesting approval from the board for the engagement of Whistler-Pearl, Steen, LLP, and specifically Attorney Allison S. Peterson to continue serving as charter school counsel for the Allentown School District. Okay, thank you very much. Some explanation, please. Again, I'll repeat. Thank you very much. We're seeking approval from the School Board of Directors to approve the engagement of Whistler-Pearlstein LLP, and specifically for

018Attorney Allison Peterson to continue serving as the Charter School Counsel for the Allentown School District under the terms outlined in the November 14, 2025 engagement letter. Thank you. Is there any discussion or question? May I have a motion to move this item forward? I make that motion. I second. I hear a maker and a seconder. All of those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Then the motion carries and it will move forward. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our last item, Mr. Sickett is requesting approval from the board for the purchase of the Hazel Health platform for mental health services. Give us some explanation, please. Good evening. We're requesting the board's approval for the purchase of the Hazel Health for Mental Health Services. The platform cost is $240,000. What is it? Hazel Health is the largest U.S.

019provider of school-based and at-home telehealth, offering evidence-based mental health services to all ASD staff. I'm sorry, excuse me, to all ASD. families at no cost with parent consent and referrals from parents or school staff. Though through its protocol, Pennsylvania licensed diverse multilingual clinicians deliver solution-focused care, help determine when long-term care is needed, and coordinate transitions to local community providers. The contract also includes technology and equipment for each school, training and ongoing support for staff. How is it affecting students? Students seeking mental health services will have locally licensed providers within 15 days of the referral and will reduce symptoms related to mental health conditions, which will serve as improved social-emotional attendance and academic outcomes. The grant, I'm sorry, it will be funded through the PCCD grant and the general fund. Any questions? Any questions or comments?

020Well, I know we have access to the data that you guys provided. If you can just give us a little synopsis to the public. Sure. Do you have packets? I can go to the updated school year 24-25, and there were 410 total referrals to Hazel Health during last school year. There were 676 therapy sessions and currently 143 are still active. Trying to read highlights. It will show... the basis of what grade level most of the majority of the students were and our highest ones were our eighth graders followed by our fourth and fifth graders were the ones that most sought out mental health services. There is also a school summary with our students that were referred the most came and started at Deeriff High School. Those are just a few of the highlights of Hazel

021Health, and I'd be happy to offer. Was last year the first year they were with us? Yes, it was. Now, this is very interesting because when I look at this data, I'm noticing the students that are transitioning. Like I'm looking at fifth grade going over to sixth grade and I'm looking at the seventh and eighth graders. Like those are like the highest numbers. And I'm wondering if we can probably talk to them about doing some type of transitional sessions with students. Cause I'm noticing that there's a pattern with students that are transitioning to like other schools or transitioning to like a different grade or they're phasing out of a school. we're seeing when they get to high school, they're doing things that are like so out of the norm or when they leave in elementary,

022going to middle school, so outside of the norms. I don't know if it's something within the scope of what they can do, but I think we can have a focus there of like transition, students that are transitioning to grades or different schools to get that kind of a support. The mental health provider follows up. with the people that referred them within the school or the parent, and then talks about local resources where they can continue to get, I'll call it private therapy. Yeah, but I'm thinking more of a promotion. Like we put out a flyer and say, your student is transitioning next year to this grade. We are offering services through Hazel Health to support your child as they transition to another year. Just something off the head, I'm just thinking. Yeah. And so, you

023know, that recommendation, we'll take that. We have a mental health task force, and so many providers, some of our own clinicians are part of that task force, as well as mental health providers in the community. So we should bring that to that committee. And we do offer some transitioning in general, academic transition, and some schools have it more at scale than others, from 8th grade to 9th grade and from 5th grade to 6th grade. But, you know, we can work on bolstering. the affect of part of it around the social emotional wellness, but we will take that back to that group. Thank you. Anything else? May I have a motion to move this item forward? Thank you. I'll make that motion. Second. We have a maker and a seconder. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Then

024a motion carries and it moves forward. At this time, we're taking public comments on non-agenda items and we have no cards this evening. Is there any old business to come before the Finance Committee? Any new business? May I have a motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. Motion carries. I'd like to call to order the policy committee of the whole meeting for the board of directors for the school district of the city of Allentown. Does our superintendent have any remarks? Thank you, Mr. Nikolov. Just this evening, we have five new policies that will become before the board this evening. And again, I want to commend you, Mr. Nikolov, and the entire policy team, my cabinet members who work with you on this to ensure that we implement our policies, update our policies, and help us to

025implement them effectively. So thank you. Do we have any public comments? We do not. Okay. We have five policies tonight, as Dr. Birx mentioned. Our first one is from Ms. Ramos. It's policy 006.1, attendance via virtual settings. Thank you, Mr. Nikoloff. This policy was last adopted in January 25, 2018. And I point that out intentionally because this speaks to virtual attendance at board meetings of the board and it also speaks to when the board can authorize the board meeting to occur virtually. So in the guidelines section, it does remind us that a majority of school directors shall be physically present at a board meeting when a school director does need to attend virtually. And then on page two, the real brand new section that I did want to point out is emergency conditions. This section

026didn't exist before, and this highlights that in the event that the county, state, or federal public health authorities, the governor, or any similar authority with appropriate jurisdiction declares an emergency condition that prevents or discourages public gathering due to public health. or safety concern, the board shall be able to conduct meetings virtually. And then this speaks to those rules. Was this section at the end that you just read, was that a recommendation through PSBA or was it vetted through PSBA? The emergency conditions came through PSBA, yes. Okay, thank you. Any other questions or concerns? I have a motion to move this forward to our regular meeting. I make that motion. I second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Next we have policy 146 with dr. Savoy. Dr. Savoy has two policies tonight with the board's permission.

027We'll do both in a row That the Wharton B is going to take the other one scratch that good evening board members superintendent I have policy 1 4 6 which is a new policy this policy has been written in accordance with chapter 4 in chapter 12 regulation of the State Board of Education which requires school districts to develop student services plans based on the needs of the students served The district must develop a written plan for K-12 student services every six years based on students' needs. The plan must be available for public inspection and comment at the district's administrative offices and the public library. The public library is noted because of the comprehensive planning tool for PDE, not Chapter 4. The plan must include policies and procedures for emergency care and the administration of medication

028and treatment under the Controlled Substance Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act. Services are offered by community agencies and district schools. They must also be coordinated under the direction of the school district. We have to include our SET process, the... Plan have to address students needs through their throughout their enrollment including guidance counseling psychological services health services home and school visitor services and social work services We also have to have a diagnostic intervention and referral services for students who are experiencing difficulty in addition to consultation and coordinating services This plan has to be an integral part of the instructional program at all levels of the school system, K-12, and it provides information to students. We have to provide information to students, parents, and guardians about the educational opportunities and how to access them. We must also include

029career information and assessments, and we must also provide basic health service required by law. The superintendent or designee is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring the student service plan as regulated by the state. Any comments or questions? I have a motion to move this one. Actually, yes. Great, great policy, by the way. Is the six years best practice? The six years was recommended by PSBA. By PSBA, okay. Any other questions or comments? Can I have a motion? All right. It's one. Is there a second? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. We'll move forward. Thanks, Dr. Savoy. Dr. Ortenby has three policies tonight, 805, emergency preparedness and response, 904, attendance at school events, and 909, municipal government relations. With your permission, we vote on these all in one go. Good evening, board. Good evening, Dr.

030Birx. Policy 805, summary is what is it? Policy 805 is a district update of comprehensive emergency preparedness and response policy. It replaces an outdated 1998 evacuation-only policy with a modern framework that aligns current state laws, Pennsylvania emergency management guidance, and school safety requirements. The new policy addresses all major types of emergencies, outlines... planning, communication, training expectations, sets clear drill requirements, and integrates coordination with law enforcement, emergency management, and public health authorities. Moving on to policy 804 is public attendance at schools. This is a new policy. This outlines the expectations for public behavior, safety requirements, and conditions for attending district-sponsored events. The new policy is comprehensive update that replaces the brief, and if you look at all the red, very brief, limited 2014 version with a modern detailed framework that addresses public conduct, prohibited items, health

031and safety expectations. tobacco and vaping restrictions, weapons definitions, use of service animals, event fees, and required state reporting. What's also important is this policy also comports with the student policy regarding the same as well as the employee faculty policy that basically talks the same thing. The last one is policy 909, which is municipal government relationships. This establishes the district's commitment to maintaining strong cooperative relationships with local municipalities, government agencies, and it outlines how the district will collaborate with these agencies such as the municipal officials, law enforcement, public libraries, emergency services, the community entities that share. are issues. It improves planning and support joint projects. The policy also formalizes the biannual memoranda of understanding with law enforcement as mandated by state law. And if you guys recall, the MOU was recently signed in the summer. And

032that is it for these three policies. Thank you. Any comments or questions on these? I think for the policy you said 804. I think it was actually 904. 904. I apologize. I just wanted to correct that on the record. Thank you. I have a motion to move these forward to our regular motion. Is there a second? All in favor please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Thanks Dr. Wharton-Bey. Do we have any public comments? Okay then I'll make a motion to adjourn this. So moved. Second. All in favor please say aye. Aye. All adjourned. I'd like to call to order the Education Committee of the Whole of the Board of Directors of the School District for the City of Allentown today, November 20, 2025. The Board welcomes and invites public comment. You may address

033the Board on agenda and or non-agenda items. The first opportunity for comment is at the beginning of the meeting and is limited to agenda items only. Comment cards must be received by the start of the meeting, which is now. We will not be receiving public cards once the meeting begins. A copy of the comment... Public comment policy is located on the table next to the comment cards. Per our board's policy, any person may address the board in accordance with the procedures and limitations of this policy, either on issues presented in resolutions being considered or on other matters affecting the administration, management, or operation of the district. Remarks of a personal nature directed against any individual will be ruled out of order. If you choose to address the board, please fill out a comment card and

034hand it to our board secretary, Mr. Simonson. Comment cards are located at the podium near the door. Once recognized, please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record. Dr. Birx, any remarks? Yes, so thank you, Ms. Hartnett. I'm just really excited, even though we're in the beginning of the year still, we're going to talk about the end of the year and that we are prepared so we can inform families, students, and staff early of when we're going to have commencement. And then Dr. Savoy is going to talk about some opportunities for our students to earn college credits while they're in high school. then our partnership in creating, which is aligned to our strategic plan in creating multiple pathways for students to be successful. Thank you. At this time, we're only

035taking public comment on agenda items. No comments. All right, tonight we have two agenda items. The first item is being presented by Ms. Ramos. Ms. Ramos is requesting approval from the School Board of Directors for the sites for the 2026 commencement exercises. Good evening, Ms. Hartnett, you captured it. I'm here to ask the board's approval for the William Allen High School, Louis C. Dieruff High School, and Bridgeview Academy High School's graduations Thursday, June 11th for Bridgeview, and Friday, June 12th for both William Allen and Dieruff High School. The cost for the PPL Center event for Allen and Dieruff is approximately $27,405.69. I will point out that the rental fee of the PPL Center is waived so that $20,000 is not included there. And the approximate cost for Bridgeview Academy's graduation is $4,350. Any comments or

036questions? May I have a motion to move this item forward to the November? Second. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Next, Dr. Savoy is requesting the approval from the School Board of Directors to engage the National Education Opportunity Network in a national dual enrollment partnership for high school students. Thank you. Good evening again. This is a proposal for the approval and execution of an MOU, Memorandum of Understanding, with the National Education Opportunity Network for the 25-26 school year. The core purpose of this MOU is to deliver one or more college and high school courses. in partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network of colleges and universities. We are projecting $5,000, which is $250 per student, with a minimum of 15 students per course. Any comments or questions? This is a great opportunity.

037Thank you. Thank you. May I have a motion to move this item forward to the November 20, 2025, regular school board meeting? I make that motion. I second it. I first. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? At this time, we're taking public comments on non-agenda items. Is there any old business to come before the board? Any new business? Any... That's it. The meeting is adjourned. May I have a motion to adjourn? Make the motion. Second. All right, and all in favor, please say aye. Aye. Meeting's adjourned. I'd like to call to order the building committee of the whole meeting of the board of directors of the school district for the city of Allentown for today, November 20th, 2025. The board welcomes and invites public comment. You may address the board on agenda

038or non-agenda items. The first opportunity for comment is the beginning of the meeting and is limited. Okay. The first opportunity for comment is the beginning of the meeting and is limited to agenda items. Only comment cards will be received by the start of the meeting, which is now. We will not be receiving public cards once the meeting begins. The copy of the public comment policy is located at the table next to the comment cards. Per our board's policy, any person may address the board in accordance with the procedures and limitations of the policy. either on issues presented in resolution being considered or on matters affecting the administration, management, or operation of the district. Remarks of personal nature directed against any individual will be ruled out of order. If you choose to address the board, please

039fill out our comment card and hand it to the board secretary. We don't have any. Okay. At this, oh, okay, okay. Once, never mind, go past that. Tonight we have five items. Mrs. Ramos is... Requesting approval of the school of directors to authorize the administration to proceed with the planning of the final design of the Jaref High School practice field upgrades. Yay! All right, well, good evening. Miss Phoebe's not the only one excited. Tonight, I am truly excited to stand here with my colleagues to reflect on how far we've come in strengthening the Allentown School District's athletic programs and to present one important next step on behalf of the Derriff High School community. We're here this evening because of our years of collective work, stabilizing our finances, expanding opportunities for students, investing in our facilities,

040and bringing greater alignment across our athletic programs district-wide. This proposal is part of that larger story. Over the last three years, the Allentown School District has made tremendous measurable progress in athletics. Tonight you'll hear from Mr. Jurczyk about the significant expansion of opportunities and the upgrades from launching elementary athletics and new sports such as girls wrestling and girls soccer. You'll also learn about our district-wide investments in equipment, nutrition stations, scoreboards, sound systems. And all of these enhancements reflect a district that is intentionally strengthening athletics as a core component of whole child development. Tonight you'll also hear from Mr. Schmidt, principal of Derriff High School, and several of our student athletes, Marcus Soto, Bruce Bilger, and Seyron Meehan. They'll speak directly to their experiences and the challenges they navigate daily. and their hopes for safe, reliable

041practice spaces that reflect the pride they have in their school and their teams. Following that, Dr. Wartenbe will walk us through the enhancements we are proposing for the Deeriff practice field and the design elements under consideration and projected timeline. I'd also like to recognize Deeriff's athletic director, Stout, who is here with us this evening. His advocacy and commitment for our athletes has been unwavering, to say the least. So with that, as you know, all of our work in ASD is grounded in our mission to ignite students' passion for learning and to build positive relationships and support the whole child. Athletics plays a critical role in that mission. That is why we have taken such intentional steps over the last several years to rebuild and elevate athletic programming across the district. However, despite all of this

042progress, there is still an unremained and unresolved challenge, and that's ensuring that DERIF athletes have a safe, consistent, and permanent place to train. For those who may not be aware, DERIF does have a designated practice field on the east side of Allentown. It's located at 820 East Tillman Street. However, that field was deemed unsafe in 2021. And since that time, nearly all of DERIF's teams, from football to track to soccer, have been forced to practice off-site. This means daily transportation, reliance on parks, borrowed fields, and sometimes practicing in hallways or cafeterias. Finding a viable solution has required extensive study, careful planning, and frankly, navigating years of fiscal constraints. I want to emphasize that there has never been a lack of desire to solve this. only real-world barriers related to cost, scope, and sustainability. Tonight, I'm

043thrilled that we have a reasonable and realistic plan in front of us. Thanks to disciplined financial management, we can now leverage a capital reserve fund to move forward with the redesign and rehabilitation of the practice field. And we can celebrate all that we have accomplished and all that we will accomplish over the years to come. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Jurczyk. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. So a few things I just wanted to point out were, and these sort of quietly behind the scenes came about, but the, well, not the Elementary Athletic League. That is something that came on. QUITE QUICKLY AND IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT MANY OF YOU MAY BE AWARE WITHIN THE CITY WE TEND TO LACK FEEDER SYSTEMS AND FEEDER PROGRAMS TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS,

044TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS. SOMETIMES THE FIRST, OFTEN THE FIRST TIME A STUDENT ATHLETE MAY TOUCH A BASKETBALL OR KICK A SOCCER BALL MAY NOT BE UNTIL 7TH GRADE WITH AN ORGANIZED TEAM. SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WE'RE TAKING TO really elevate what we're doing to support our younger student athletes and providing that opportunity across the school district. This year we'll kick off with, no pun intended, kick off with, luckily it's not football, but basketball and soccer. And then in the years to come, we'll discuss how to build on that and really fill those gaps, those opportunity gaps. This year, officially, we have high school girls wrestling kicking off. The schools have worked in sort of the club format, but now official PIAA sports. And I saw Allen last night. They have about 20 girls

045that were introduced to the community. The middle school assistant coaches. In the AEA, there were some gaps for there were only head coaches listed. With the work of our team, we added assistant coaches. In middle school, the girls soccer. Historically, middle school soccer is co-ed. And we look at our high school girls soccer teams, we may have, if we're lucky, 15, 20 on the high end, and it's a unified team. By splitting middle school soccer into girls and boys, we saw Harrison Morton, for example, last year, they had around 20 to 25 girls solely at Harrison Morton who wanted to play soccer because now they got to play as a girls team. And then the sports performance physical education class is something that was introduced last year. I'm going into my second year, almost two

046years. I think it was last year that we introduced the sports performance PE class to support nutrition development in student athletes and just students who are interested in living that lifestyle. So those are some of the increased opportunities we've seen. And if I can figure out how to use the clicker, we'll be good. Please help. While he's trying to miss Phoebe while he's figuring out the clicker. Can I just make a few comments? Okay. I just want to Again, thank the team for the hard work, but also commend District attorney Gavin for his support of the formation of this elementary athletic league and I want mr. Your chick and I met earlier today and he's sure that we have an overwhelming amount of young people who want to participate. What's the total number right now,

047Mr. Hirta? The total number, I believe it's 288, but it exceeds that. Some of our elementary schools had additional students go. They didn't go through that registration form that I had, and some of our elementary schools had over 100 students interested in this program. So I want to say this as my appeal to our collective community and to all of us. We have more young people who want to participate than we have adults to support them. So we don't want to let our young people down. So if you know people who are involved in other sports activities within the community. PAL or whatsoever, and I apologize, but I want to make sure I say this, we want to serve all the students. So please, if you know people who are equipped with that, they have

048some time on their hands, there is a stipend for this. So please, until all our teacher leaders, I know we're, some of our teachers are like, we're tired. And so, but I think that some additional teachers said, okay, we'll do it for this time because we want to see the students succeed and be successful. So I want to share that. But thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Dr. Birx. So in addition to that, over the past few years, there have been some major upgrades, as you can see in the image here, out at J. Bernie Crum Stadium. If you haven't been out there, there's a new video board that takes the place of the scoreboard that you would never know from weekend to weekend if it was going to be fully functioning. So this was

049a huge improvement to that space, and the community deserves it. One of the big things since Dr. Burks came in to her role was working with the financial team to make sure that the athletic teams were funded appropriately. So the high schools are able to know what they have from year to year, and it's something... resource that matches our student body and those needs. So uniforms, most of our teams there were trying to think, there was a team that had the last time they had a new uniform was I believe it was 2012 and that was that uniform was over 10 years old and that shouldn't be. So usually teams are on about a four-year cycle the turnover they'll get a new uniform. So we made a point to ensure that all of our teams

050had the appropriate gear. So I could go down the list. The Third Street athletic field, which we mentioned before, was the Long American Parkway between Harrison Morton and American Parkway. That field is ours. We secured that and made that a safe space for, I think it came up in a previous meeting, where Dieruff was practicing at Keck Park and different local community spaces. But this is our space that we were able to secure and give them that opportunity to have a place to do that work. The fueling stations with the support of St. Luke's University Health Network. We have fueling stations at each of the secondary schools. The new digital video boards that I mentioned. So if you go into the high school gymnasiums and including the Deeriff Natatorium, the swimming pool, there are new

051video boards there. The sound system was included with the upgrade with the scoreboard at J. Bernie Crum. And something too, instead of having to climb Mount Everest to go up to the press box at J. Bernie Crum, we purchased a field level press box to support the teams at that level so you can be closer to... your programs. And another project that's taking place is, if you've been in the high schools, the gym floors are this beautiful maple light color. It's not that old yellowy that I remember from high school. But the graphics, the logos have been rebranded, refinished the floors, and the middle schools are up next. So it's just some of the things, a snapshot of some of the big programmatic and facility upgrades we have. Thanks, Ryan. I'm going to turn it

052over to Mr. Schmidt and our student athletes to share. Thank you. I'm just going to adjust this. I've been told I look a little ridiculous when I hunch over up here. Good evening, Dr. Burks, members of the ASD school board. Thank you so much for having us here tonight to present our proposal for the deer practice field. Dr. Burks, I remember two years ago when I first started, actually before I started having a phone call with you and talking about what... or some of the urgent needs for DERIF beyond academics and you mentioning the practice field situation. And thank you so much for keeping that vision alive for us to get to this point. So we'll just talk a little bit about sort of what the current context is. We think that will help to

053provide a little bit of context to why this is so urgent. Currently, we require transportation for most practices and games for literally all of our fall athletes. You know, we have a phenomenal facility here in Allentown for football, soccer, and other fall sports, and it's on the west side of town, and what we're looking for is a second facility to make it. match that and make sure we can accommodate teams across the city. The transportation is required for those teams and we thought it would be powerful to hear a little bit about how much it would improve the lives of some of our students. I'm free to hear from Marcus Soto. Marcus is a 11th grade football player at Dieruff, also an AP student as he wants to include in his speech and just a

054phenomenal student. So Marcus will share a little bit about that, kind of how that transportation impacts him and how he hopes it'll be different for Dieruff students of the future. As a junior, I wish this facility had been completed during my time here. However, I'm thrilled that the future Huskies will have a place to call home and be able to have a decent, not more than decent, practice field. So, you know, and practice and just improve overall. The facility will make more practices and training more accessible year-round for all of our athletes, which is both exciting and long overdue. Not having to transport water and equipment to every practice will improve safety and will no longer have to make us wait for transportation to get to and from practice. Shorter practice times will allow athletes

055to get home earlier and manage other responsibilities more effectively. Eliminating up to 80 additional hours of transportation time each season as an AP student will allow me to get me and my teammates to dedicate that time to our heavy workload. Additionally, when storms move in, athletes won't have to wait for buses to return to school. Instead, they will be able to safely shelter within five minutes. Thank you. We also, it's not just our fall athletes who are impacted by this. As you know, our track is on the west side as well. And our track and field team does travel to J. Bernie Crum for all of their practices. And in fact, when the weather is inclement or sometimes during the winter, we're also using our hallways currently for their practice. So we did have a

056student lined up tonight, Mr. Levon Clemens, a ninth grade track student. He did write a little bit. I'll just briefly read. Is he here? Oh. And then I'm going to have Levon come on up. He just came in in time. So Levon is, again, ninth grade athlete, student athlete for us, track athlete. And we'll talk a little bit about how the track being closer in proximity to the facility will improve outcomes for him and his teammates. As a track athlete? Practice involves repetition and refining form and stamina over time. With the facility within warm-up jogging distance, we could add an additional 30 to 60 minutes of practice time each day, which would significantly increase our competitiveness and the overall success of our track and field teams. Thank you. Our football teams, as was stated earlier,

057do travel to the 3rd Street field currently at this time. Again, that's travel each day. I believe it's two or three bus runs each day over to the 3rd Street field. Obviously, having the practice facility nearby would have a huge impact for them. And to talk about that is our QB1 and sophomore, Bruce Billiger, a member of the football team. I am truly excited about the possibility of having our own facility within walking distance of the school and I want to thank the board for considering this proposal today. This complex will allow us to establish a consistent practice routine without relying on daily transportation to an off-site location. We can begin and end practice at set times without delays eliminating the eliminating the need to wait for buses to add extra travel time will significantly

058improve efficiency for the whole program and and our counterparts at William Allen school who currently share some facilities with us in addition having success Access to high school standard field ensures that our athletes can train properly throughout both the regular season and off season. With on-site bathrooms, weight room, and heated facilities, we will be able to utilize the complex year-round. Lastly, having a facility that is on par with our surrounding school districts will strengthen our athletes' sense of pride and positively impact. their self-esteem, which is something every quarterback knows is an important part of any team's success. Thank you. And last but not least, our soccer teams currently practice in Andre Reed Park, which is directly across from us, sort of between school and where the proposed facility would be at. Andre Reed Park is

059a nice park, but it does have some limitations as well that are impacting our soccer teams, including this year, our boys' soccer team actually was then... Had to move over to st. Luke's Metro field and be doing some indoor practice And so there there's an impact there and the impact of being able to practice on a new High-quality facility would be tremendous for our soccer players. And so I asked I'm sorry I asked Shrayan may on who is a 10th grade girls soccer player on our unified Girls soccer team to just speak a little bit about how this would impact the girls soccer team as well the improved surface conditions. Currently our conditions are rocky and bumpy, which makes it difficult to practice and develop and can be unsafe. So in addition to those teams,

060our cheerleading team, which also needs outdoor practice during the fall as they prepare for their phenomenal performances. During our fall, sports teams are currently using the main cafeteria and hallways for practices. This field would allow them outdoor practice facility as well. Our softball and baseball teams do play at Andre Reid Park. An important caveat there is one of the new programs that wasn't mentioned in a previous slide, and I'm doing it again. One of the programs that wasn't mentioned in a previous slide is that the fastest growing sport right now among youth sports is actually girls flag football in the country. It is a huge, huge sport. And we have had an incredible demand for it. Dave Stout, our athletic director, and myself have had an incredible demand from our student athletes, young ladies who

061would like to participate in girls' flag football. And so to have that, we need a practice facility for them. Right now, we could not have them practicing in Andre Reid because our baseball and our softball. PRACTICE THERE. IT'S A SPRING SPORT. SO THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO USE IT YEAR ROUND BY HAVING OUR TRACK TEAM OPERATING OBVIOUSLY IN THE OVAL TRACK ON THE OUTSIDE AND HAVING OUR GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM, WHICH WE COULD START PRETTY MUCH IMMINENTLY IF WE KNEW THE FACILITY WAS FORTHCOMING, WOULD HAVE THEIR DEDICATED PRACTICE SPACE AS WELL. SO JUST FOR ORIENTING ALL The practice field is currently located at 820 East Tillman Street. You can see it there. It's within walking distance to Dieruff. Thank you very much, Ms. Ramos. So what we're looking at here is the practice field. Obviously,

062it's kind of diamond-shaped. However, it does sit well with a full football field. It does sit well with not a PAA track but close to it. This site does not. allow for a full-scale track but they're still a good practice track where student athletes can excel on. The upgrades will include soil rehabilitation. The site was a former quarry. It has been filled so over time that starts to settle when the material in that hole starts to degrade and decompose. We're looking at a synthetic track. We're looking at field events. If you notice on the periphery of the track there's high jump, there's broad jump, there's discus, pole vault, and some other field sports. And then if you looked on the right-hand side, you know, the young man was talking about having a restroom and a

063weight room. That little graphic, that yellow rectangle, is actually the little field house. So that will accommodate a boys and girls restroom or males and female restroom, as well as a weight room. And that's coming right off of the primary street there. So new field house on the existing footprint and also bleachers. When I say bleachers, they're probably going to be portable bleachers that can collapse since the site is pretty tight. The next thing that we're looking at, and obviously we have to think about programming, we have to think about costs. So the project budget right now is between $15 and $18 million. That $3 million gap is between is it going to be grass or is it going to be synthetic turf, and obviously the track is still going to be synthetic. The field

064house and then the portable bleachers. The estimated time between design. all the way to breaking ground, all the way to being able to run and play on the field is 21 months. The next steps, obviously tonight we would like you guys to approve this project. And from there, we're going to have, you know, start doing the... We're going to start doing the engineering. Even though you saw a site plan, that is just a conceptual plan showing that a football field and track can fit on the property. Now what we have to do is actually engineer that. So that will take some time too. So we're looking from, hypothetically, tomorrow morning all the way to fall 2026 to get the... engineering done. And then from there, fall 2026, bidding phase, then construction, and then being able

065to accommodate you guys to play on the field. We do have one more student we'd like to give an opportunity to. Camila Franco, ninth grade track athlete. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Camila Franco, and I'm a proud ninth grade student at Deerhoff High School. and a dedicated member of our track and field program. I'm honored to represent my teammates tonight, but I'm also here to speak from the heart about something that deeply affects my athlete on every athlete on our team. We are a public um. We are the only public school athletes in the PIA district and even the surrounding districts who do not have a track on our campus. That reality shapes our season every single day. Every weekend we spend nearly five hours on a bus just to practice

066on a real 400 meter track that's about five hours other schools get to use for training, recovery, homework, or simply being with their families. For us, that time is spent traveling, losing daylight, losing reps, and losing... confidence because it's hard to feel like you're on equal footing when everyone around you has something so basic, so essential right outside their door. And yet despite this disadvantage, our team still shows up. We still work hard. We still succeed. We have district champions, state medalists, school record holders, all without ever having a regulation track to call our own. We achieve all this with grit and heart, but we are doing it without the equity our district promises. At the other ASD high school, students can simply walk outside and step directly onto their track. Meanwhile, we travel daily

067just to reach a starting line that should exist right on our own campus. We are not asking for anything extra or special. We are asking for fairness and we are asking for safety. We are asking for pride in our school. And most importantly, we are asking for the chance to compete on the same level as every other athlete in our county. We work too hard, sacrifice too much, and dream far too big to keep training at such a disadvantage. DearF athletes deserve what every other school already has. Please help us build a 400 meter track facility so that our team, our school, and future generations of Huskies can finally stand on equal ground. Thank you for your time. Thank you. So in closing, I do want to emphasize that this plan will not solve every

068challenge DERA faces, but it will make a major and meaningful difference in issues that have existed for far too long. It represents the most significant progress we can make within our current constraints, and it puts us on a long-term path towards better athletic access for the Eastside community. For some of you, this may be one of your final actions as board directors, and I want to personally thank you for your service, your ongoing commitment. that has helped us reach this moment. Questions? For the track team specifically, I know you said that once we give the approval, if the approval goes through, you're going to start getting some information together. But my question is, how much space do you think will accommodate the track measurements? Have you discussed that? We have. Because my concern, just full

069disclosure, I'm... I'm all for this, right, because we don't have, so we want. But I want to make sure whatever it is we're doing, we're not just going through the motions. We are putting our students in a position where they can compete. And I've heard from everybody here tonight, that's why we're here, right? We're here for them. But I know on a personal note, since I've been on the board, I've had students of my own. who've come through here, who've pushed. They've been complaining about this for a long time as it relates to the track. and field. So that's my reason for asking that question because I want to make sure whatever it is that we're doing, that we're being proactive and we're making sure that we're giving them what they need and not something

070that's just going to say we did something. So could you give me that? I can absolutely give you that. At $13 to $15 million, they're going to get what they need. That is real cost. That is cost that is going to be a field and track that's... as competitive as the J. Bernie Crumb track. So they're going to have a great, great facility. And thank you for that. And then the other part is I am one of the board members that's not going to be here, but for the record, I'm not going anywhere. Very good. As well as you are a community member and you have a vested interest in everything that we do here, we also expect you to continue advocating for the school district. But thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? I have

071a question about the track. You said that it's not a PIAA official track. What's the differences between this track and an official one? Distance. So if you look at the configuration of the site, not the track, it's going to be short. I forgot how much. I mean, we still have to do engineering on it, right? What that depicts is... the engineer and architect taking a conceptual plan, dropping it down on the property, playing with it to see if it lines up in orients. So what this track shows right now, it's a little short, but we might be able to play with it, meaning getting closer to the property line, maybe turning it slightly to gain feet. Please. So I think, again, this is for the proposal to go to bid. We are not the engineers,

072Chris, and our goal is to have engineers look at the space and see what's viable. Certainly our aim is to have a full-size track. If the engineers say that's viable and can do it within the price of the bid, that's our goal. So the other part, I have a question. So when you say PI. PIAA. PIAA, all of those letters. When you say that, does that mean that if other students wanted to compete, they couldn't compete where we are because it doesn't meet that, but it would only provide us with practice? Practice. Opportunities. So it depends how it's engineered. If the engineers cannot get it to be PIAA standards. the meets will still be held at J. Bernie Crum when they're home meets. Okay, thank you. I have a, I guess, comment. First of all,

073I want to thank all of the students and everyone for speaking today. Your bravery, your voice. Thank you for your advocacy. I want to especially shout out Bruce, affectionately known as Little Bruce to me. He made sure he climbed all the way up to the top to get a message to my husband to say, we really need that field. Please tell her to vote positive. So I want to thank you for your advocacy and using your voice and the tools that you have to make sure that the message was sent out there. But we are here for you guys. As Ms. Conover and everyone said, you know, this is something that we've been trying to get done for years, but before I even got on the board. So the fact that it's happening now, we're

074really excited to make it happen and let's get it done. Thank you. Anyone else? Seven years ago, I walked the track. and the field with Mr. Stout, Coach Stout. And I was appalled because of the conditions that I had for our students. I made a promise. Mr. Stout, I made a promise. Yes, I did, seven years ago. And here we are now. To the students, I'm so proud of you all. We are so proud of you all for your dedication. And with that, because of your dedication, we're going to make sure that you have the best that that almost $18 million can do because we're not going to have a grass track. I mean, not grass-based football field. It will be AstroTurf because nobody's going to be, you know, doing his own lawnmower on that.

075No. We're going to make sure that y'all have the best. Who knows? Nobody's going to fix that. So we're going to just make sure it's done right the first time because you deserve it. You have waited for a long time, and like I said, seven years. When I first started, it was myself and Robert Smith on the Athletic Building and Facility Board. And athletes from JIRA talked to us. The coaches talked to us about that, about having their own, because it wasn't fair that Allen had theirs and they didn't have one. It wasn't. Then a few years later, Nick Miller, Senator Nick Miller, got on the board. And he took it up with me. And he continued with me to make sure this happened. So I'm so proud and so happy for this to be

076one of the last things I do as a board member is to vote on this. It's amazing. So, Mr. Stout, now, what you got to say? Thank you. You're welcome. All righty. Motion to move. No, no, no. Anyone else want to say anything? I just want to commend the students again for your advocacy and to Mr. Stout, Mr. Cherchik, and the entire team, all the coaches, for your advocacy and commitment to our students. And we're so happy that we're at this place now. I know when I first arrived in the district, and just like Mr. Smith said, I was like, we've got to get something done. And I want to thank all the people that you said, like Mr. Smith, as well as Senator Miller, and really pushing for this to happen. I'm really excited

077about this. I didn't vote yet. I'm not the person who votes, but I just want to say that for the record. So thank you. Thank you, Dr. Burks. Can I make a statement? Please. Because my sister, who's no longer with us, Cheryl Johnson Watts, was really big on this. Yes. Yes, she was. And I just want to say that I know that she's looking down and she's proud. And thank you. Yes, I do. Thank you for reminding me that she was a big proponent of it. She really was. May I have a motion to move this item forward to the November 20th, 2025 regular school board meeting? So moved. Second. Okay. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Motion carried. Go ahead, Dr. Wharton-Bee. Okay. So the next five items are

078mine. And we're going to start with the Family Engagement and Resource Center, or as we recently have called it, the Family and Community Resource Center. So the board to consider approval of CMG of Easton, Pennsylvania, to provide general construction services for the new Family Engagement and Resource Center. The amount of the contract is $8,508,100. Do you want me to do all four at one time? Yes, please. Okay. The second bid, which is electrical contractor, the board to consider approval of Abarel Electric of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to provide electrical construction services for the new family engagement and resource center for the amount of $1,187,000. Next is the plumbing contractor. the board to consider approval of JBM mechanical of Nazareth, Pennsylvania to provide plumbing contracting services for the new family engagement Resource Center at the amount of five

079hundred and sixteen thousand dollars lastly The mechanical contractor, again, JBM Mechanical of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to provide mechanical construction services for the new Family Engagement Resource Center for the amount of $1,187,000. And I would be very, I want to reflect on what the original estimate was. The estimate was originally over $12 million, close to $12.7. This came in 1.7 million less than the original estimate. So that's not bad. That shows that there's competition. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? May I have a motion to move this item forward to the November 20th, 2025 regular board meeting? So moved. All in favor? Aye. Ayes have it. Motion carried. Okay. The last one is exciting. This is about the potential purchase of property so we can expand our educational endeavors in Allentown. So the board would consider the

080agreement of sale, including any addenda to the agreement of sale, subject to the final review and approval of the school district solicitor. the school district administration involving a property with an address of 1940 West Fairview Street located in the city of Allentown Pennsylvania and applicable and adjoining parcels of pieces of ground via deed in lieu of condemnation. This piece of property is approximately $1.9 million, and I use the word approximate because if we were to engage in a settlement agreement, if we have to do some site remediation, that cost that we bear for the site remediation comes off of the value of the property. So what we're looking to do here is... basically expand our ability to do something with Union Terrace as we're growing out of it. Do something with Rob Middle School as

081we're growing out of it. Doing a K-8 program as we're doing on the east side of town with the new K-8 school. This fits in specifically and directly with Dr. Burks' vision and the strategic plan. This is our continuation of doing good things for these students. I would love for you guys to approve this tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions, comments? I do have a question. This is the appraised value for what you – did we get an appraisal? We have multiple appraisals. This is not the appraised value. This is the value that the seller is indicating. Thank you. Which means you can still negotiate it. Oh, I know about that part, but I just – okay, thank you. You're welcome. That's the Union Terrace baseball field. I understand. Okay. That's just a big

082number, and I didn't see it before. Let me take that back. Scratch that. Thank you. You're welcome, ma'am. Thank you very much. You're welcome. I'm excited about these projects. I'm excited that we are able to now make decisions and do things regarding our buildings and our facilities and expanding our schools. I'm really excited about this. I'm going to add a plug for Dr. Birx. She uses the word innovation, and this is what this is. She's allowing us to innovate. She's not just allowing us to innovate. She's giving us the ground floor and the field to do this because without her advocating and making sure that she's in the right place at the right time with the right people to do the right thing for our students, this wouldn't be happening. Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you,

083Dr. Burke. I just want to say I want to thank the entire team because Dr. Burks is nothing without the rest of the team. And I want to really commend the school board directors for working so closely with me and allowing me to kind of push our team to really think more creatively about how we best serve our students and our entire learning community. So I'm just honored to serve. So I thank you so much for that compliment, but I'm just honored to serve and be here with all of you. Thank you. Anyone else? May I have a motion to bring this forward to the next board meeting November 2025 pardon? I can all in favor say aye aye Any opposed eyes have a motion carry may have a motion to dismiss So we can

084go forward any public. Oh, I'm sorry any public comments. Okay. Oh business new business May have a motion to adjourn All in favor say aye We're gonna take a quick five-minute break and then come back for the regular scheduled meeting I'd like to call to order the meeting of the Board of Directors of the School District of the City of Allentown for today, November 20th, 2025. The board welcomes and invites public comment. You may address the board on agenda and or non-agenda items. The first opportunity for comment is at the beginning of the meeting and is limited to agenda items only. Comment cards must be received by the start of the meeting, which is now. We will not be receiving public cards once the meeting begins. A copy of the public comment policy is located

085on the table next to the comment cards. Per our board's policy, Any person may address the board in accordance with the procedures and limitations of this policy, either on issues presented in resolutions being considered or on other matters affecting the administration, management, or operation of the district. Remarks of a personal nature directed against any individual will be ruled out of order. If you choose to address the board, please fill out a comment card and hand it to the board secretary, Mr. Simonson. Once recognized, please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record. We will now have a roll call. Mr. Secretary, please call the roll. Ms. Brown. Present. Ms. Conover. Present. Ms. Harris. Ms. Matheson. Here. Mr. Nikoloff. Here. Ms. Noel. Here. Ms. Hartnett. Here. Ms. Sierra. Ms. Sierra. Is

086she on virtual? She is? Then she's not. Then she's, I can't, okay. We have eight members present. Thank you. Please rise for the pleasure of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence. And for my board president's remarks, I'm going to save the majority of my remarks until the end. I'm going to defer my comments to the end, but I do want to wish our families a happy holiday. Please take the time to love on your loved ones. Please take the time to just... decompress and completely check out if you can. Sometimes you just need to check out and get some quality time spent with your family and just tap into what's going on with your children. Sometimes we don't get a chance to tap in. The holidays are a great time to tap in. So

087I'm just encouraging everyone to take the time, decompress and tap in and see what's going on with your families. I also would like to thank our state legislators. I would also like to thank our families and advocates, everyone that called. regarding the state budget. I am so happy that and relieved that the state budget is passed. It was a very difficult time and I want to thank the administration and the board for the way we navigated that time. It was unprecedented. This was the longest shutdown that we've dealt with. The longest. impact budget impasse that we've experienced. So I'm just happy and grateful that we have a very strong team and we were able to navigate that time. And that's my comment for the night. Dr. Birx. Thank you, President Noel. Again, as I mentioned

088in the committee meetings, I wish everyone a happy and joyous and restful Thanksgiving. I'm truly grateful and honored to serve this district along with so many amazing educators, leaders, and of course the collective community and service to our students and families. Again, I honor you and I appreciate you. I just want to remind all families again, next week we have our report card conferences, so all the families listening. you can come get the report cards next week. And I also want to remind everyone. that we will have our groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. We are excited for our new K-8 school, our new K-8 Academy we're calling for right now. And for all of our East Side friends and school board directors, we will go through the naming process. So that's why it's the K-8 Academy

089for right now. And so we look forward to seeing you on Monday at 10 a.m. It won't be a long ceremony. And again, I have to really emphasize again, as Ms. Noel said, we want to thank our elected officials for all their hard work and advocacy for our district. and so I pre and it's because of them and again all the advocacy of the school board directors and all our families and advocates for Allentown helping to really encourage them and pushing that we can have additional resources for our students and our families so thank you thank you Dr. Brooks At this time, we are only taking public comments on agenda items. Once recognized, please come to the podium, state your name and address for the record. Please note remarks are limited to three minutes and

090the microphone will be disabled at the end of three minutes. Please also be informed the School Board of Directors appreciates public comments. However, we are not able to respond to these comments. Administration will address your concerns and update the board on the status of your concern. Are there any comments? Paulette Hunter. On Tillman Street. Today I heard some wonderful news regarding mental health in the school district. I was wondering is the data available to the public so we can also see the data. I would like to know how many students use the therapy on the weekend and also how many repeaters. I would love to see a follow-up with the student after discharge, three to six months after discharge, to see how they're doing. and to also ask them, you know, how the therapy was

091to have some kind of after-action review done. So the main reason I'm here is that I would like to see some data. And I think you all are doing a wonderful job having this mental health therapy available for the students and also the family centers. And I just want to applaud you all for doing that. Thank you. Thank you so much. And if someone could provide the data. Okay, thank you so much. Any other comments? Thank you. May I have a motion of approval of the minutes? I make that motion. May I have a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Please call the roll. Ms. Conover? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Ms. Matheson? Yes. Mr. Nikoloff? Yes. Ms. Noel? Yes. Ms. Hartnett? Yes. Ms. Sierra? Yes. Ms. Tabersio? Yes. Ms. Brown? Yes. Motion passes 8-0. Thank

092you. And now for our information updates, we'll start with the Allentown Public Library. Yes. The information that we have from the library, we're very happy with the new fall programs that we have and how they have actually been very positive in the community for ages 5 and under. Plus, Ms. Haynes just had a meeting with the actual new department for unhoused. That they have on City Hall so we're trying to work things out between daybreak and the library to see we be getting more organized when they break is actually closed Thank You mr. Rocio Yes, it's you I'm Allentown Recreation Commission the update on that is actually Also about the programs that we had and how positive they were through the summer and now we have a couple of programs now for the folder is

093in our schools One of the programs I believe is soccer at Trexler Thank You mr. Bursey enough for a report from the Allentown School District Foundation ASD foundation is a dedicated partner of the Allentown School District as such we have partnered with the district and several initiatives so far the school year We are serving as the financial host for an emergency fund in food raiser for district students and their families, allowing us to contribute $10,020 to this initiative as of November 18. This includes $1,270 donated directly by the foundation and $8,750 received from other donors. We are sponsoring the district's You Are the Light celebrations this year as well as the You Are the Light of the Year Teacher Award and providing funding to prizes as part of the Superintendent's Reading League. We promoted the

094availability of teacher innovation grants and received 29 applications from district educators, which are currently under review. We are looking forward to announcing the recipients before winter break. We have placed approximately 50 volunteers in pre-K through third grade classrooms to assist with literacy activities and we are actively recruiting more volunteers to help with reading skills development through a grant from the Harry C. Truxler Trust. We're supporting STEAM Club Junior at Moser and Union Terrace Elementary Schools and a visual art residency at Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy. and we expect to expand these programs to additional schools in the coming months. Our 13th annual Middle School Latin Dance Program culminated with an exciting competition at William Allen High School on Wednesday, November 19th. Close to 60 students participated and helped win trophies for their schools. Harrison

095Morton won best bachata, South Mountain won best salsa, Trexler earned second place overall, and Wobb earned first place overall. Congratulations to all the talented dancers and their coaches. Give them a round of applause, please. We invited seven performance groups from Allen and Derif High School to perform at our 16th Annual High Notes Gala, taking place on Saturday, March 28th at the Palace Center. For more information, pick up the Save the Day postcard from the rack in the lobby of the AASD building. Additionally, we were selected as the United Way Partner Agency to receive a $5,000 grant from Crayola as part of the 2025 United Way campaign. These funds will help us further our mission to encourage, promote, support, and fund positive educational experiences for students in Allentown School District. And that ends my report for

096tonight. And just some highlights from the intermediate unit. Dr. Mark Scott, Director of SPS, presented the board with an overview of the schoolhouse lane facility, noting that the site was selected for its ability to support students' engagement, accessibility to Allen and Southern Lehigh, fiscal responsibility, and capacity for future growth. He highlighted the positive attention the facility has already received. Also, the general operating budget is the only budget required by Pennsylvania statute to receive formal approval from each member of the school district and the only budget that includes a district contribution determined through a Pennsylvania Department of Education funding formula. With no overall increase to district contributions, the board approved and proposed 2024-2025 general operating budget on Monday evening. This budget solely supports the work of the Curriculum and Instruction Department. And November 17th through the

09721 marks American Education Week. CLIU administration will visit all CLIU programs through our carbon and Lehigh communities. Dr. Coons took a moment to thank all staff who make the helping children learn mission a reality. And that ends my report. Is there a report from LCTI? Not tonight. Thank you. And now for my student representative, Brianna Potter from Allen High School. My name is Brianna Potter, and I am pleased to present the William Allen High School highlights for the month of November 2025. This report showcases the wide-ranging achievements across our school community, reflecting the dedication and hard work of our students, staff, and faculty. The following sections detail successes in community service, student leadership, and athletic excellence, and academic recognition, demonstrating the positive impact our students are making, both within the school and the greater Allentown

098community. The Environmental Club helped the West Park Civic Association plant a new pollinator garden at West Park. They picked up trash at West Park and volunteered at the Allentown Walking Parade, handing out candy and books to residents. For the community closet, students volunteered on packing donations. Student staff and community members gave donated items a second life, keeping them out of the landfill. The Student Government Association donated $550 to the Allentown Food Bank. This was the money raised by the HoCo Queen nominees as part of their competition. For our athletics department, Island girls volleyball player Stacy Canario named to the East Penn Conference All-Star team. Island Athletics will be launching a new Canary Connectors initiative utilizing current ESL student athletes to promote inclusivity and participation for additional ESL and newcomer students joining our athletic programs. Island

099football player Juju Pagan reached 1,000 yards passing, first player to do so since 2016. Island girls volleyball player Mikayla Makauka received the $10,000 scholarship from the Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation and a special visit from Saquon himself to the Canary Cage. Island girls basketball won the first ever St. Luke's 3-on-3 high school tournament at the St. Luke's Sportsplex. Allen football team named the sportsmanship team of the year by the Eastern PA Football Officials Association. Allen football team took college visits in free entry and sideline access at college football games at Lehigh University and Kutztown University. Allen A Student Athlete Leadership Club has made three visits to ASD elementary schools to encourage reading and sports. Allen girls wrestling team went on a visit to East Stroudsburg University to visit their campus and wrestling facilities.

100The Allen boys basketball coach, DeSales All-American Darnell Braswell and his 2008 to 2009 team were inducted into the DeSales University Hall of Fame. The Empower recruited students to work at the polls on election day. The National Honor Society on October 28th, the chapter of the National Honor Society sponsored a MKBC blood drive which collected 26 pints of whole blood. On November 13, 2025, 50 new members were inducted into the National Honor Society. Our theater department this past weekend Our new theater director, Dr. Dietz, had his first performance. The fall drama, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a play by Oscar Wilde. It follows the exploits of Jack Worthing, who pretends to be his younger brother, Ernest, when he visits the city. The twist is, Ernest does not exist. So you can imagine Jack's shock when

101he returns to his country home one afternoon to find out that his brother, Ernest, is sitting in his dining room. Our production ran from November 13th to the 14th and consisted of nine actors, 11 stage hands, one stage manager, and at least six other scenic designers, totaling 27 students involved in the production. While our first night sold a little over half the house, I am happy to announce that our final performance on Friday sold out. It is a testament to the hard work of the Allen Theater students and the reputation of Allen Theater. I couldn't have been more thrilled to have helmed such a fun first experience and we are very excited to see what Allen Theater can do next. These highlights from November 2025 demonstrate the tremendous success and positive impact William Allen High

102School students are making across academic, athletic, and community endeavors. Thank you for your continued support of William Allen High School. Our next report will come from Yismary Munoz Gutierrez. Good evening, my name is Ysmery Munoz and I am a senior at Bridgeview Academy of Health Science, Innovation and Technology. I am proud to share with you all our first school board report under our new name. Our name may have changed but our values remain the same. Passion, power, agency and impact. We look forward to sharing with you all the ways that our students bring these values to life this school year. We're excited to have been joined by new faculty in new positions with new course options in alignment with our new theme and technology of innovation. Building on the topic of technology and innovation, we

103are happy to be working in partnership with Verizon as a Verizon Innovative Learning School. Our students have their iPads in hand. I personally find the iPad easier and more comfortable to use, and it's great that we are always connected no matter where we are. While our students make the most of these new opportunities, we continue to engage in community-based learning in the successful ways our school has always done. This year, more students than ever, almost 30, completed poll worker training and served our community in polling places on election day. We also submitted our first voter registration drive of the school year, and several new Phoenix voters cast their ballots on November 4th. We renewed our partnership with LVHN and our first class of five students are currently finishing the Healthcare Futures Internship Program. Our partners

104at the DaVinci Center Science have brought a new program to our students this year, the STEAM Pathways program. Our second cohort of 15 students has just begun their six-week program. I participated in the first cohort of that program this year, and we learned how the internship works and the benefits like getting a job at a hospital. Over the summer, Bridgeview Academy was part of two city-school partnerships that were awarded grants under the City Youth Climate Action Fund program. This is our second school year receiving funding for school-led projects under this program. This year's programs are in full swing right now with the following results. Students in our urban agriculture, healthcare careers, and health science classes have partnered with the Allentown Health Bureau to study the devastating impact of lead exposure within our urban environment. On

105Friday, December 5th, from 1230 to 3 p.m., these classes will be holding an exhibition to share their learning with the public. Students in our environmental science classes will be joining the Allentown Office of Sustainability and conducting a stream study in the Little Lehigh on Thursday, December 4th. Students will contribute in both collecting and analyzing data. On November 18th, two of our students added youth voice to the city's initiative to collect opinions from Allentown residents about the future of fur parks. This discussion was specifically about Fountain Park, which is only steps away from our campus. Our counselors are already busy helping our seniors with their post-secondary plans. Our Cutstown University instant decision day resulted in 12 students being admitted. We have three more schools visiting our campus to admit students before winter break. In addition, We've

106been hitting the road to visit schools in person, and on October 31st, we held a college career fair where students in 10th to 12th grade met with 14 different colleges and technical schools, military recruiters, and public and private employers from Allentown. I was one of the 15 young women of color who attended the Zora Martin Felton Assumption at Moravian University on October 7th. How some girls spoke on how they and their families have different backgrounds, on how they all went through different situations in this country or the country where they came from. Flag football in only its third season and made it to the playoffs of the fall outdoor season. We have 40 students on three co-ed teams and they continue to play all year. The winter indoor season begins on October, December 13th. Last

107but not least, for the last two weeks, the senior class of Bridgeview Academy has planned and executed our building's contribution to the emergency food drive. Our students learn how to turn fear and uncertainty into agency and impact. and recruited community partners to increase their contributions. Special thanks to both Allentown Young Life and to the Allentown Health Bureau for joining us and nearly doubling what we were able to collect on our own. And that's the news from Brazier Academy. Thank you and remember as always, together we rise. Thank you. Now for our next report from Anaya Holder from Deerhoff High School. Thank you. My name is Anaya Holder and I will be representing Deerhoff and enlightening you all on all of our highlights. As fall sports ended, girls volleyball was able to win their senior night

108over our crosstown rivals William Allen in a spirited competitive match. The Allen and Deerhoff rivalry football game ended with our Huskies defeating the Canaries as well. Derwin Darius was selected as a first team all East Penn Conference for our football team. As our fall sports concluded, a few of our cross-country athletes were able to make it to districts for their final races. Now for our winter sports. Our Deer of Girls Wrestling is about to kick off its inaugural season. There has been an increase in participation on the girls' side of wrestling. For our basketball, there's a girls basketball game next Friday. Oh, sorry. Pardon me. Next Saturday, November 29th at 1.30. The boys will be kicking off their first game on December 2nd at 7 p.m. Come out and support your Deer of Huskies. In

109early October, a group of Deer of students and staff participated in a plane pool event at the ABE Airport, finishing second overall and raising $1,470 for Special Olympics of the Lehigh Valley. Our National Honor Society was also able to raise $2,000 in their annual Krispy Kreme sale. These funds will go to a charity to be determined. The National Honor Society also hosted their annual blood drive today. Our new ninth grade team's model is seeing incredible early success with an improvement of 15% on track rate for ninth graders at the end of marking period one. Our ninth grade students are also highly involved in activities with huge jumps in participation in sports and clubs. Welcome to Deer of Husky Pups. Special shout out to our 10th grade students who are leading in our daily attendance competition.

110College instant decision acceptances are also rolling in. Over 40 plus students were accepted into the following colleges. Kutztown University, Commonwealth University, Moravian University, and East Stroudsburg University. A huge congratulations to all the seniors who got accepted during instant decision day. Lastly, DERIF will be hosting a community event with Umoja's Unity, a non-profit organization started by a DERIF alumni. This Saturday, November 22nd. to celebrate the Thanksgiving season, all are welcome. You can learn more by reaching out to Mr. Spareberry-Adiruff or Umoja's Unity of the Lehigh Valley. Thank you. Thank you. Before we approve the Board of Directors report, it is with great sadness that I share the passing of a colleague, friend, and former ASD Board Director, Ms. Cheryl Johnson-Watts. Ms. Johnson-Watts served on the Board of Directors from 2017 through 2021. I would like to

111read an obituary minute in her honor and call for a moment of silence immediately following the reading. Thank you. It is with profound regret and deep sadness that we record the passing of Cheryl Johnson-Watts on November 18, 2025. In recognition of our dedicated public service, the School Board of Directors submit the following obituary minutes and resolution. Whereas Cheryl Johnson-Watts faithfully served the Allentown School District as a member of the School Board of Directors from 2017 through 2021, demonstrating unwavering commitment to the students, families, and staff of the district. and whereas during her tenure, she approached her responsibilities with integrity, professionalism, and thoughtful deliberation, consistently advocating for policies and decisions that advance educational opportunities for all students. and whereas she fostered a collaborative spirit among her fellow school board directors and district leadership and supported efforts

112that strengthened governance, transparency, and community engagement, and whereas her leadership reflected a deep respect for educators, a sincere care for student well-being, and a steadfast belief in a transformative power of public education. and whereas her passing has been met with heartfelt sorrow across the Allentown School District community. Now, therefore be it resolved that the School Board of Directors formally acknowledges the passing of Cheryl Johnson-Watts and directs this obituary minute and resolution be entered into the permanent minutes of the board on the 20th day of November 2025. with a copy to be forwarded to her bereaved family as an expression of sympathy and gratitude for her service. Respectfully submitted, Andreen Brown-Noel, Audrey Madison, Lisa A. Conover, Latasha Brown, Phoebe D. Harris, Robert Nikoloff, Jennifer Ortiz, Zalia Sierra, and Anna Taburcio. May I please have a moment

113of silence? Thank you. We normally don't do this, but I'm going to open the floor to the board just in case anyone would like to add anything. I think you pretty much said it all. That's my sister. And, you know, we always say, you know, some people are just going too soon. But I will say I had an opportunity to be with her a couple of days before she passed, and she was at peace. And thank you, Cheryl. Thank you, Ms. Conover. Thank you, Cheryl Johnson-Watts. Eight years ago at this time, she, Lisa Conover, and myself embarked on being on the school district, on the school board. She was amazing. She championed especially our undocumented students. She championed our students, and she made sure they had a pathway to an education, a good education, as

114well as secondary education. as well as an opportunity to either go to college or trade school. She was a finance person, and she was great at it. Her mind was amazing. I thank God for her because she showed me so many things that I did not know, and she opened my mind to making sure, as well as being an advocate and the biggest advocate for our children, our families, community. She ran for mayor because she had such a love for Allentown. Truly did. And we will miss her. Cheryl, we miss you. Thank you, Ms. Feeney. Anyone else? I just want to say on behalf of the Allentown School District, I send my heartfelt prayers and condolences to the family of Ms. Johnson-Watts. I had an opportunity to meet her at one of these meetings, and

115so I had learned so much about her. I felt like I really knew her a lot because of all her advocacy and the great things that I heard from the other school board directors, her belief and passion for the children and our families. So again, I extend my consolations to her family, and we'll hold them up in prayer. So thank you. Thank you, Dr. Brooks. And I will say, you know, everything everyone said was so spot on. One of the things that Cheryl was to me was a mentor. She was such a great mentor to me. And I know in my toughest days, even on this board, she would just randomly call me and just give me the best advice. And sometimes she'll just say, even if you don't want to say anything, I'm just

116here. I'm just here. and she would always encourage me and tell me to keep going. She always say, don't forget who put you there. Don't forget who put you there. And Ms. Cheryl, we love you so much. We appreciate you for all that you did. And rest up, my sister. Rest up. Thank you. May I have a motion of approval of the Board of Directors report? I make that motion. May I have a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Please call the roll. Ms. Harris? Yes. Ms. Matheson? Yes. Mr. Nikoloff? Yes. Ms. Noel? Yes. Ms. Hartnett? Yes. Ms. DiBercio? Yes. Ms. Brown? Yes. Ms. Conover? Yes. Motion passes 8-0. Thank you. May I have a motion of approval of the policy agenda? I'll make that a motion. Is there a second? So moved. Is there

117any discussion? Please call the roll. Ms. Matheson? Yes. Mr. Nikoloff? Yes. Ms. Noel? Yes. Ms. Hartnett? Yes. Ms. Tabersio? Yes. Ms. Brown? Yes. Ms. Conover? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Motion passes 8-0. Thank you. We have a motion of approval of the Secretary and Treasurer's report. I make that motion. Second. Is there any discussion? Please call the wrong miss Matheson. Yes, mr. Nikola. Yes. Miss Noel. Yes Miss Hartnett. Yes. Mr. Burcio. Yes Miss Brown. Yes Miss con over. Yes Miss Harris. Yes motion passes 8-0. Thank you May have a motion of approval of the superintendent's report make that motion. We have a second Second is there any discussion? Please call the roll miss Noel. Yes, miss Hartnett. Yes, mr. Bersio. Yes, miss Brown. Yes, miss Conover. Yes Miss Harris. Yes, miss Matheson. Yes, mr. Nikolaev. Yes

118motion passes 8-0 Thank you. We have a motion of approval of the personnel report. I make that motion second second. Is there any discussion? Please call the roll miss Hartnett. Yes, mr. Bersio. Yes, miss Brown Miss Conover. Yes. Miss Harris. Yes. Miss Matheson. Yes. Mr. Nikola. Yes. Miss Noel. Yes motion passes 8-0 Tonight the board approved new administrative hires. Mr. James, would you please come forward and introduce our new hires? Good evening, school board directors and Dr. Burke's superintendent and CEO. It gives me great pleasure this evening to certainly introduce, present, certainly our very own. These three individuals are currently employees within the district, and we are certainly very, very excited to promote them this evening to their new positions. I would like to first begin with Michelle Klober. Michelle is our new assistant principal

119for South Mountain Middle School. We have another internal employee, Megan Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman is our new assistant director of health services. Melissa Reese. Ms. Reese is our new assistant director of communications. We would like to also congratulate our 31 new employees in these categories, teachers, IT, food services, paraprofessionals, maintenance and security. Let's give a round of applause for all of our new employees, Allentown School District. Okay, let's give one last round of applause for all of our new employees. Congratulations. Again, congratulations to everyone. It's amazing to always promote from within. May I have a motion of approval of the building report? I make that motion. I second. Is there any discussion? Please call the roll. Ms. Noel? Yes. Ms. Hartnett? Ms. DiBercio? Ms. Brown? Yes. Ms. Conover? Yes. Ms. Harris? Mr. Stout? Yes. Ms. Matheson?

120Yes. Mr. Nikoloff? Yes. Motion passes 8-0. Thank you. May I have a motion of approval of the finance report? So moved. Second. Second. Is there any discussion? Please call the vote. Ms. Tversio? Yes. Ms. Brown? Yes. Ms. Conover? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Ms. Matheson? Yes. Mr. Mikulov? Yes. Ms. Noel? Yes. Ms. Hartnett? Yes. Motion passes 8-0. Thank you. At this time, we are only taking public comments on non-agenda items. Once recognized, please come to the podium, state your name and address for the record. Please note remarks are limited to three minutes, and the microphone will be disabled at the end of the three minutes. Great. Thank you. You know I was about to speed through that, okay? Thank you. Is there any old business to come before the board? Is there any new business? Okay,

121before the meeting ends. New business, can I say a couple things? Sure. I'm going to try and get through this without crying. It's hard to believe that my time on the school board has come to an end. It's been an emotional week. Serving on this board has been the most rewarding experiences of my life and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the future of our students and our district. When I first joined the board, I knew it would be a significant responsibility. But I didn't fully appreciate the depth of the impact we could have on the lives of students and teachers. Over the years, we've made some great strides, whether it's through specific projects or accomplishments or simply working together to ensure that our students have access to the best education possible.

122None of this would have been possible without the hard work and collaboration of my fellow board members, our amazing administrators, teachers and staff, and you, Dr. Burks. Each of you brings something unique to the table, and together we've made decisions that will benefit generations to come. I am proud of what we've accomplished, and I'm confident that the district is in good hands moving forward. There have been challenges along the way and I'm sure there will be more but it's in those moments that we've grown the most. I've learned the value of patience and listening to every perspective and putting the needs of students first. These lessons will stay with me as I move on from this role. Looking ahead, I'm excited to see where the district goes from here. We've built a strong foundation and

123I know that the new leadership and future boards will continue to push for excellence. I have no doubt that the best days are ahead for our schools, our students, and I encourage all of you to remain engaged and committed to the mission of education. As I close, I want to extend my deepest thanks to each of you, to my fellow board members. to the administration for your guidance and to the community for your trust in me. To my daughters, Gianna and Isabella, thank you for your patience and always loving and supporting me and cheering me on. You two have been my cheerleaders through this whole thing in the last four years. To the staff and administration at every school across the district, thank you for believing in me and trusting in me. To the staff

124at Trexler and Sheridan, I want to give a special thank you for always supporting me and my daughters and for always going above and beyond. Your efforts aren't going unnoticed, and I'm proud to be part of the Sheridan and Trexler family. I will always be an advocate for our schools, and I'm excited to see the continued success of our students. Thank you, everybody. It's been an honor of a lifetime to serve with all of you. Thank you. Thank you. What Ms. Harnett said, ditto. My amen corner. I thank you all so much because every question I have, you answered. You found the answers to solutions to problems. So I thank you all. You know, a lot of people, never mind. You are amazing. To Dr. Birx, yep, I bought a hair. However, it is because

125she has such great insight, and she doesn't take no for an answer. And she will find the solution to the problem, and then she will help her team make sure that everything is done to make sure that everything is done. And that is the best. The absolute best thing that we have given our students is someone who does not just talk the talk, but walks the walk. So Dr. Birx, I say thank you. To our board members, to our board members, wow, wow. We accomplished so much together. And I'm just so happy and honored to have said to serve with you for these last eight years. Ms. Lisa Lisa, we started this baby together. We started because we wanted to change and to update and to upgrade and to uplift our school children. And being

126on this board, we did it. We did it. You know, I'm going to miss Cheryl because she was there with us at the start, too, as well, with the standard and the expectation. And I thank God for her. And I thank God for you and all of you that are on the board with me. But, Ms. Lisa Lisa, something deep in my heart because we did start this thing together. And we ended on such a great, great, great note that is just unbelievable. And I thank all of y'all, too, and everyone out there, and our families, and our students, and our administrators, and our staff, and our, you know, just thank you. You made this a wonderful time for me. Any other new business? Thank you, President Noel. You know, tonight marks a milestone for

127many of our school board directors. It takes a lot for someone to give so much service. I mean, think four years of their lives of plenty of meetings, board meetings, committee meetings, phone calls from the superintendent, reading superintendent's reports, and all the things that you've done and continue to do over the four years. I just want to say I thank you. People leaving on the board are the... original board members who hired me. And I want to thank you for believing in me. You know, I was coming from Connecticut, and I remember coming here one night, three hours here, three hours back. And so, and I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to serve this great community. And also providing me feedback when, at times, you're like, what are you doing? And why are you

128saying that? And I appreciate you helping me to reflect and become a better leader. And I honor you for that. And just because you're off the school board officially, please know that we will call upon you. We've had some major accomplishments. And Ms. Nancy is shaking her head because I do call her and ask her for some feedback and advice or help me to navigate understanding how the district works and the community still works. And so tonight, we just want to reflect. on some of the things that you've done, you saw we had some major accomplishments in the past three years. And it's because of you. Because we, as a collective administrative team, we could put forth all these various initiatives and you didn't have to say yes. You didn't have to say we're going

129to do this together. So again, I thank you, each of you, for the unique gifts that you bring. So on behalf of the 16,500 plus children and their families and approximately 3,000 members of our staff, I thank you. And you have not just passed through, you have left a footprint. Think of all those successes tonight. We gave you the highlight. Some of these things we talked about, they've been talked about for many years, and they're happening because of you. They are happening because of you. If you just passed through, you've left those footprints. Footprints in the new initiatives. Footprints in the strongest policies. Footprints in students who may never know your name. But because of you, they've been given an opportunity to excel, to succeed, and to shine, and to live on in the lives

130and make a difference in the lives of so many other people. Your legacy is not measured in the length of your term, but in the depth of your influence and the influence that lives on. I was here. I was here. I made a difference. And the world will know that you were here. Well done. Let's give a round of applause for our school board. And as tonight, as we continue to say thank you, Mr. James is going to join me and Mr. Singh. You know, I sing a little bit. I'd like the school board directors and Ms. Nancy, if you could please join us up here. Miss Nancy will they know I'm very formal your miss mr. doctor all that you could stand down there you want to have all school board directors stand down

131here in our student board reps The legacy of service, honoring Ms. Lisa Caldo-Burkey, and I'll say the same thing. For outstanding leadership, vision, and advocacy for public education, your voice, heart, and commitment have strengthened our schools and inspired our community. And it has each year, actually each one has their years of work and service. So 2017 to 2020. That's why I said with Brown, years. Okay. Next. 2000, Ms. Brown, for your years of service, 2021, 2020. Ms. Phoebe Harris, we thank you for your leadership and service and your belief in our students 2017 through 2025. Thank you so much. On behalf of the children of the Altais School District, all our families and our staff, thank you for all your service and your commitment. Thank you for keeping me in front of the things I

132didn't know about. Ms. Nancy, I want to thank you. Ms. Nancy was the president when I came to Athens to attend it. And so to receive that call and inviting me to be a part of the district, I was very happy. So thank you so much. I appreciate you. Thank you for serving 2020 and 2024. I honor you and thank you for answering the call today. Just think about it. We can't get people who sometimes work for four years or eight years, and these people have served for four or eight years and served to this great community. Again, I honor you. I appreciate you. I still know your phone numbers. Thank you. Let's give a round of applause. I don't know that anyone has ever known me to be speechless, but I do want to

133say it's a tough time for me. It's not your turn. I know, but can I jump in real quick? Go ahead. I just want to say that, you know, it was made mention that we don't get paid. I did eight years, and I didn't get a check. But I get paid out of the outcomes. Yes. And I'm always reminded of that. And so I want to thank everybody who has served alongside me, with me. I mean, we've had, you know, I don't do sidebar. Everything that I say pretty much has always happened in this. unless I was out in the street advocating publicly. You know, the news caught that, right? But at any rate, I just want to say thank you. Whatever we're doing, let's keep doing it. We have not reached where we need

134to be yet, but we've come a long way. I still wear rollers in my hair, so don't get out of line because, like I said, it's all about the kids and it's about our community. And we can be, Allentown will. be a model school district for positive. And I just can't say to my colleagues, thank you. I know, you know, I sit here, I'm a real person. You know, it wasn't always, we wasn't like smiling at each other. You know, I keep it the way it's supposed to be. We had our private fights, right? But good fights because we fight for a resolve. But I just want to say thank you, Dr. Burks. Thank you, Audrey. You've been here longer than all of us. But thank you. Let's keep doing what we're doing. And I

135tell you, I said this to Ms. Mr. Sultanic, I said to him, you know, I can't promise you that I'll be at every board meeting, but I will send my representative because we have to do this together. We can't just do it by ourselves. So just put your best foot forward. And that's all I have to say for tonight. Thank you and God bless. Madam President, can I say one thing? Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. No, no, no. The floor is... Ms. Brown, you were about to say that. Okay, thank you. There's a parent here who, first, when I first got here, Seven years ago in January or February of 2018, she saw that her children were taking a test administered by Pennsylvania that had some very awful questions. Awful questions, invasive questions that the

136whole state of Pennsylvania was taking. And Pennsylvania wanted to know that data. And she brought it to the superintendent. And she brought it to... myself being on the school board and we had a meeting with the superintendent and she presented it very very she she showed this test would not be do anything good for our school district if we had that test but survey Yahira Ms. Abele you made sure that our students would never be degraded like that dehumanized Set up for failure because that's what that test was that survey was saying set up for failure to see how many of our children would fail Because of their home situations or whatever was going on in their lives But you stopped it right in the middle face to face punches in the throat stopped it

137and I want to thank you I thank you for being here Because you reminded me of that seeing you sitting there. That was one of the first fights I saw as for an advocate for our students And that gave me a platform. So thank you for being that foundation. Thank you, ma'am. And to this day, we do not, as a school, I don't know if you remember what it was called, but I don't remember either, but I know we, as a school district, we do not participate in that. We're the only district that does not participate in that. So thank you. Okay, I'm done. I just want to say that this was an amazing opportunity to get to know new people and many people that I've already known, to work with the students, to continue

138to work with the board. It was a rough road. We had many great times, and we had some ups and downs. However, I would say that every time I stepped into this place, I led from my heart. And there was times that I sacrificed without a thought of. What it could potentially do to me and my family, you know being here all the time every time there was something You know going on I'll say for the first three years But if I had to do it all over again I'll do it again because at the end of the day The focus was to make this community a better community and to continue to serve to make sure each teacher had everything they need every department, every student and parents as well. And again, from my

139heart. So I thank you all for the good days and all the bad days. But today is the last day and I can give myself back to my family. And I'm excited to sit on the other end and I get to watch my grandbabies grow through this district. And I'm super excited about that. Thank you all and God bless. So I decided to speak to you guys from behind this podium because it means a lot to us. This podium, you either get to hear the good or the bad. We either get darts thrown at us or we get a thank you. So I thought it was fitting to end being at this podium so the last thing that you hear is something good. So good evening everyone. Tonight we gather to celebrate and express our

140profound gratitude to five remarkable leaders who have dedicated themselves to the students, staff, and families of the Allentown School District. As the terms on the School Board of Directors conclude, we must pause to truly honor the legacy of service left by Lisa Conover, Phoebe Harris, Latarsha Brown, Jennifer Hartnett, and Nancy Wilt. Serving on the Allentown School Board is an undertaking of immense responsibility. It requires deep commitment to our unique community, balancing the complex needs of our diverse student body, and ensuring that every Allentown student has access to the highest quality education. To Lisa, Phoebe, Latarsha, Jennifer, and Nancy, we thank you not just for many hours spent at meeting tables, but for the years of dedicated service you have given to the children of our city. You have invested your personal time, time away from

141your families, and personal pursuits. to wrestle with tough issues and tireless advocate for a brighter educational future here in Allentown. Your tenure has been defined by a powerful commitment to advocacy and progress. You have been advocates of our students, working to ensure that they have resources, programs, and supportive environment needed to thrive both academically and personally, reflecting the rich diversity of Allentown. And you have advocated for the dedicated educators and staff, championing the professionals who work tirelessly in our classrooms and across our campuses every single day to mold the next generation. And you have been advocates for the Allentown community, serving as essential links that connects the aspirations of our parents and taxpayers with the daily reality and ongoing success of our schools. Your collective contributions, whether through navigating challenging budgetary times, championing new initiatives,

142or simply listening patiently to a concerned resident, have been crucial in shaping the foundation of our district for the better. Your service truly reflects the spirit of Allentown. Tonight, we say thank you. Not goodbye, but thank you. Thank you for your enduring commitment. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors. Your impact will continue to be felt in our schools and by our students for years to come. Please join me in a round of applause for Lisa Conover, Phoebe Harris, Latasha Brown, Jennifer Hartnett, and Nancy Wilt. Now you guys know me, I freestyle, right? So that was the formal speech. So I'm just going to go this way. I'm just going to go around this way. Miss Brown, oh, Miss Brown, I remember the first time we met, and it was at

143Executive Charter School, and you were running for school board director. And I remember meeting you and I was like, who's this lady? And you were so passionate. You spoke with such conviction. And at the time, I didn't even know about the whole school board world. And you introduced me to that just by you handing me a flyer. And I remember randomly cleaning my house one day. and finding that flyer and getting the nudge to pray for you. And I remember praying for you, and I remember when you won, and I said, you know what? The school district has someone good. And I can sit here today and say the school district has someone good. Because I know the days when you woke up early on Saturday mornings and went to every school and walked around

144the school and prayed over the schools. I know the times when you advocated for students that were homeless. I know the times when you advocated for mental health. You sat there proudly and challenged us like no other. but you did it from the kindness of your heart because you really were dedicated to the students. So thank you for your time. Thank you for your efforts. And I know this isn't the end of the road. I know you said you're going to go back to your kids, but you have a heart for children. And I know you're going to continue the work. So thank you, Ms. Brown, for all you have done. Ooh, Ms. Conover. Ms. Conover, thank you for your mind. I thank God for your mind. The way you challenge us, the way you

145see things people don't see, the way you push us to greatness, the way you speak with authority to declare that we will be a model school district. And not only declare it, you're making actions to make sure that it happens. And I thank you that you paved the way for me to be able to stand here today. I thank you that you were not only a voice inside, but a voice outside. Thank you for everything you did. Even when you challenged me, thank you. I'm better for it. I'm better for it. And keep pushing. Keep doing what you do. I know you say you're going to show up at every school board meeting. Listen, you said you are your representative, okay? You know my number. You can still challenge everything. You know how to get

146to us to make sure that we're making the best decisions for our students. But thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you've done for the past eight years. And I know we didn't just, I know it's not the end for Ms. Conover. We know it's not the end. So thank you, Ms. Lisa. Ms. Phoebe, affectionately known as the Queen of Allentown. When you look up good trouble, you'll probably find Miss Phoebe's picture right next to it. Because Miss Phoebe knows how to give good trouble. Miss Phoebe, thank you for your boldness. Thank you that no matter what it looks like to the public, no matter what people say, no matter how we might be told to walk a line and you're just somebody just step right over it. But you step

147right over it for a cause, for a purpose, because you truly love the families and the students of Allentown. You not only serve on this board, but you serve outside in the community. People don't know that sometimes you make sure that you pack the food up and make sure that the kids out in the community have the food. I'm snitching. But you're always looking out for our students. Thank you for calling out the things that need to be called out, the things that sometimes we're afraid to say, but you are not. But I thank you for your strength. I thank you for all that you've done. And I know as the Queen of Allentown, we did not hear the last of Miss Phoebe Harris. Thank you, Miss Phoebe. Thank you. And last but not least,

148Miss Jen, newly heartnet. Jen, just like Dr. Berg said, you are someone that keeps us on the pulse of the know. Whatever is going on in this district, you just happen to know. You keep us in the know. You keep us informed. And you make sure that we're doing something about it. I thank you for showing up even in times when it was very difficult for you. And I won't even go into the deepness of it, but you know what I'm talking about. When it was very difficult for you, when it was challenging for you, you have two young children in the district, and we thank you for the time that you dedicated to sit there behind that seat and make sure that you're making decisions for our children, even at the cost of time

149that was needed for your family. We honor you, we appreciate you, and we thank you that you still trust us. to cover your children and move forward with the district. Thank you, Jen. Again, on behalf of the board, I thank you guys so much. I am truly, truly, truly going to miss you guys, but I hope you keep your phones open. I hope to still see you guys out in the battlefield in the community, and we honor you today for all your service, for all the years that you poured into ASD. Thank you so much. Okay. We have a motion to adjourn this meeting. All in favor say aye. Aye. Have a great night, everyone.