001Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> Excellent. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Like to call to order the Monday, March 2nd, Penmanor School Board Committee of the Whole meeting. The next scheduled meeting of the Pen Manor School Board will be held on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 700 p.m. in the large group instruction room of Penmanor High School. An executive session was held prior to the committee of the whole meeting for the purpose of discussing personnel as detailed above. Mrs. Rhodess, may we have a roll call, please? >> Sure. Mr. Beaks >> here. >> Mr. Her >> here. >> Mrs. Hope >> here. >> Mrs. Kek >> here. >> Mr. Lombardo >> here. >> Mr. Warful >> here. >> Miss Wart >> here. >> Mrs. Napiger >> here. >> Dr. Fullerton >> here. >> Nine board members
002present. >> I would love to entertain a motion to approve the minutes of our February 17th, 2026 committee of the whole meeting. So move >> and a second. >> Second. >> Thank you. And thank you. Any further comment or question? All those in favor? >> Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Beaks. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Nassiger. Yeah. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Her. We're going to need you tonight because Mr. Beaks isn't here. Okay. We'll wait till you're done with your cookie, but we'll we'll we'll get you. [sighs] Do we have any board development opportunities and reports? Any board reports this evening? Seeing none, I'll help you out. Mrs. Napsinger board oper board opportunities. We have our next board breakfast on March 10th uh at Central Manor 8:15 a.m. Uh we also have a new opportunity
003either the 12th, 13th, or 14th. And I think we're going to hear about this music man. Otherwise, you might be the sharpest dressed young man in Lancaster County tonight. And then Thursday the 19th is the FFA banquet. If you haven't [snorts] already signed up, I'm sure you still can, but you are multiple days late by now. >> Just let us know. >> Yeah. So, and then Friday, March 20th, we have the legislative breakfast at Manor Middle School at 8:00. Please RSVP by the 12th. And that is straight to Mrs. Rhodess. You can RSVP to me or you can >> do it right to the >> Okay. Right to Representative Miller. >> It's always a good time. It's uh Hempfield, US, and >> Columbia. >> Colombia. >> So, good chance to rub elbows with our colleagues
004in other districts. That being said, it's uh now time for our spring musical preview. Dr. Gail. >> Yep. Tonight, have privilege to uh welcome Mrs. Simuits. Uh Lauren Simoitz is one of our music teachers here at the high school along with our our coral manner singers and other groups. Uh the director of those, but then also she has served as our spring musical director for a number of years. Always a great production and a lot of work goes into it. So it's really a fun night for us to have the cast crew and Mrs. Simits here to share uh what are what we can expect this year. >> Thank you, Dr. Gale. Um, so our show uh run as you've heard is March 12th through the 14th and we are producing The Music Man. Um,
005which is a classic. Um, so my thought process with that was last year we did a lesser known show. Um, so this year it was time for a classic. Um, on the 12th that is our comic classic card holder show. So anyone uh that falls in that category can attend for free. Um, but they would need to reserve their seats upon arrival. It's a paid show for everybody else. Friday the 13th is a 7:30 p.m. show. Um, Saturday the 14th, 7:30 p.m. We also have a 2 pm matinea. Um, what's unique about this show um is we have rep representation um from both middle schools and multiple elementary schools, Central Manor, Hamre, and Pekquay. So, we've got um parts for for our younger students. We call them our littles. Um and then our our middle
006school students as well. Um our cast size is large. It's actually the largest um cast that I've directed. Um so this one called for for about 44 people. So um we've got a lot of them and that's just those that are on stage not including those that are working behind the scenes. Um which you'll hear a little bit more about that from my students. Um so at this point I'm going to introduce David Fogle to give the official invitation to join us in River City, Iowa. After all, he is the town mayor. >> Howdy. I'm Mayor Shin. Um, and I'm sure you can tell by the title, I am the mayor of River City, and I would like to invite each of you members of the school board, if you are able or have the
007time, to come visit our quaint little town of of River City. Um, and in reality, my name is David Fogle. I play the character Mayor Shin, but I also help with costumeumings for the show. Now, this show, as Mrs. C was saying, has a large cast and it has an even larger costume department. So, we have over a hundred costumes for every for like the entire show and that includes suits like this that Mayor Shin wears from band uniforms that are that Harold Hill and many other band players wear. Um, a lot of work with that kind of stuff has [clears throat] come into the show and I think I will hand it off to Aiden to talk more about that kind of logistics and [clears throat] acting side of the show. Hello, I am
008Aiden Woodfield and I am playing the character of Harold Hill. Uh, Harold Hill is the lead of the musical and with that came the daunting task of learning over 400 lines as well as blocking for scenes. Um, it's honestly an honor and it's very fun to be in a classic show like this. I mean, the story itself is really charming. It's this it follows this quaint town in the Midwest and this traveling salesman who is this charmer. He's a con man and he arrives at this town and it's like every other town and he plans on extorting these people but through circumstances and the good nature of the town he finds it in himself to become a better person through his love of the local librarian Marion. Um it's honestly a charming show. There's a
009lot of things in the world right now that can be disheartening and if you want to feel good after a performance I would recommend coming and seeing the show. It really is a classic. Thank you for your time. Good evening. My name is Divine Tom and I'm the dance captain of this year's production of The Music Man. We have around five major dances in this show and many of them are layered and very technically complex. [clears throat] Mary and the Librarian runs for almost 10 minutes long, so the number requires constant movement, spacing adjustments, and energy shifts without a break for our actors. Um, our biggest numbers also have multiple musical sections. There's a lot of interchanging parts with different tempos and formations. So, the choreography has to evolve as the music does. So, there
010are layered entrances, moving parts, and just really large ensemble moments that require precise timing and spatial awareness. Our show even has a tap duet. So, there's a lot of different variety throughout the show. As dance captain, my job job is to learn every routine in detail to be ready to rehearse with different groups and help people out whenever they need it and also to be able to fill in in case someone is either sick or injured. Um, yeah, so I help clean transitions and I fill in for anyone. Uh, this production has been incredibly demanding, but it's brought us all really close together. So, we very proud of the work we've put in and we would truly love for you and the Penmaner community to come see us next week. Thank you so much. Good
011evening. I am Myer Muser and I play the flute and piccolo in the pit orchestra. The pit is a small ensemble consisting of a few adult instrumentalists, but it's mostly led by students. Our shoot music comes from the official show show, so it's written at a very high and professional level. The pit has met almost every Thursday from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. since January. During rehearsals, we have built up our musicality through initially tackling rhythms and pitch to slowly adding expression. Outside of our focused time together, personal practice is highly encouraged so we can individually polish polish sections. Because our ensemble is a small group compared to a concert band or orchestra, every member has a different and unique role. It's important that each member is confident in their part and plays to their full
012potential. Otherwise, there will be missing elements to the sound. The faster moving dance routines have been both my and the overall ensemble's areas of struggle. It can be challenging to keep up with the vocals, so our conductor, Mr. Johnson, has spend spent more time breaking down those pieces with us to eventually reach the written tempo. It's also important that we stay alert and consistently follow the cast. It's the pit's job to set a backup backdrop to the vocals. So, without good listening during vamps or slow lyrical sections, the show could easily fall apart. Last but not least, from my my experience, I feel that a crucial element of being in the pit is getting fully immersed in the show while performing. Though the pit naturally acts as a background accompaniment, mirroring the energy of the
013cast better develops our understanding of the music. For a show like The Music Man especially, there's a certain playful mood that could easily be lost if the ensemble focuses only on the technical elements. Being in the pit overall is a strong commitment, but it comes with a rewarding experience and a place for students to challenge themselves as in instrumentalists. Hi everyone. Uh my name is Kingston Deir. I am the main stage manager for this production. Some of you might be asking what is a stage manager? So a stage manager is someone that gives cues during the show of lighting and sound and during rehearsals. I help take notes, help with blocking, and something that I've taken as a responsibility is I help with sets, help with costumes, help with most of the areas that we
014have here to make sure we capture the culture of River City. Um, we have a lot of set pieces that aren't on for very long. And with the way our auditorium is, it's not a lot of space. So, our we have very small run crew, but we try and make it we work. And it's also helped our actors and actresses take initiative to help us move sets on and off. It's been a lot of, you know, as everyone else has said, it's a very demanding show. So, it's taking a real team to make sure that we have River City be the very best that it can be and this production and we have a wonderful staff, wonderful directing team and hopefully some students that, you know, continue on because they have plenty of leadership qualities
015and we hope to see you there 12th, 13th and 14th next week. And uh thank you guys everyone. >> Thank you. Thank you. And if anyone is wondering how to purchase tickets, um it's www. umse seatyourselfbiz or sorry www.penmanor.seatyourself um.biz. So thank you. >> Well, thank you, Miss Simitz, and thank you to [snorts] uh our cast crew and all the supporting uh folks that that will go into the show. One thing that I've always felt bad for you all is that you only get one weekend to perform. Uh some of our other activities go on for several [snorts] months, but uh it's a it's always a great show. We look forward to it. Uh and we thank you for being here tonight. Uh Mr. Sim, you didn't you didn't uh introduce the other two folks
016that are here. >> Oh, the other two are are stuck here because their um their dad is helping to build the set. So, he's currently here. So, we had no child. >> It's a family affair tonight, huh? >> It is. They help out. They take notes. They are tough critics. >> [clears throat] >> Well, thanks everybody and we look forward to the show. Uh, and we we appreciate your your uh your dedication to this and representing Pen Manor to our community in many different ways. So, thanks very much. Look forward to it. >> Thank you. >> Before you go, I just have to make a quick comment. As each of of your young performers came up to the podium, you couldn't help but notice your smile and you're just beaming with pride for the work
017that they have done and and you have done. So, I just wanted to point that out that that was it's just lovely to see um and to see their faces right now and and their smiles and we're looking forward to the play. But I do have to ask if you have any type of guest spots for board members. Mrs. Wart and I would love to participate in the dance part. We're very good at that. We can make it work. Well, I promise we'll you won't notice us. We It'll just be seamless, right? >> What do you think, Mrs. Worth? >> I have no comment other than the fact that I would like to say that I think it's exciting that we'll just change the subject here. >> She does that also. But I think it's
018exciting that you have a production that's including the littles. That's very exciting and get their interest at an early age so that when they get to the high school level, they'll be more likely to perhaps want to participate. And also for choosing a quality classic, one that has redeeming qualities and that, as Howard Harold Hill said, people leave and and feel good at a time when uh people need to have that. So, thank you. Absolutely. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. [snorts] >> Good job of switching, didn't we? >> Yeah, but we could cut a rug out there. Mrs. Word. >> Uhhuh. [laughter] >> We might throw a hip out, but we'll have fun doing it. Right. >> Speak for yourself, Dr. Fullerton. [laughter] >> Oh, it's almost unfair, Dr. Cox and Dr.
019McFersonson, that [snorts] you have to follow that. And I tried to talk M or Dr. Gale out of putting you behind the students, but he said your presentation would make us forget all about that. So, good luck. [laughter] >> That's great. [clears throat] >> Okay. >> Well, the the reason that um I can compete a little bit Dr. Fitton is because I am standing here with Dr. McFersonson. So, that helps me. Um, good evening. I'm honored to present tonight with Dr. Carly McFersonson, the principal of Central Manor Elementary. Dr. McFersonson brings over a decade of proven success to our district, notably guiding her previous school team to a national blue ribbon status through deep teacher collaboration, data-informed instruction, and student centered vision. Two years ago, she brought that same energy to one of our largest
020buildings to bridge the gap between the small school feel and the large school opportunity. Her commitment to team learning, innovative instructional practices, and high expectations is instrumental in how we meet our students where they are while challenging them to become student penman's next generation of leaders. Tonight, Dr. Dr. McFersonson and I are excited to share a snapshot of the incredible work happening at Central Matter Elementary. As a representation of our elementary programming across the district, we offer a window into how we are scaling small school success into our larger buildings to ensure every student is known, valued, and challenged. Dr. McFersonson works alongside every member of our elementary principal team to meet our district mission. Everything we do stems from our mission, working collaboratively to help our students define and achieve their academic and life
021goals. At the elementary level, this means building a foundation that is both academically rigorous and socially supportive. [snorts] Our mission begins before students ever officially start kindergarten. Through our tiny comments and lunch and learn series, we engage families in literacy activities with our academic support team provides support to our parents. We're also proud of our partnership with the Katherine Hershey School in New Danville to reach certain Pen Manor families ensuring that the transition to school is a bridge, not a barrier. Kathern Hershey provides care and education for children from six weeks to f age five for qualifying families with all costs covered. To meet students need to meet students where we are they are we use our academic support team. This model mirrors the structured literacy requirements. We screen students three times a year through
022a cadian software. A key efficiency we found if our older students hit the end of the year benchmark early we excuse them for the final screener allowing us to pivot those resources towards students who need intensive support. One of my primary goals moving from a smaller building to Central Manor was to maintain the small school feel. We do this through families. The entire school is divided up into groups of 13 or 14 students across all grade levels. This creates leadership opportunities for older students and ensures every child builds relationships in a large community. This family structure culminates with CM connects our all school assemblies. We recognize character traits of the month and establish new relationships. It's a time where a sixth grader might see a family member receive an award, fostering a culture of mutual
023respect and school pride. Behind the scenes, we use six week cycles to analyze data via the link software dashboard. During the EI block, which is our enrichment and intervention block, students are fluidly moved based on their specific needs. This precision works. We recently celebrated Central Manor having the highest district average on the mid majel math assessment for grade five. proving that when you target instruction, the growth follows. Our commitment to excellent means that differentiation isn't just for remediation. We recognize that our student body is made up of many different kinds of thinkers and learners. While high achievers may consistently master our curriculum, our gifted learners may show their potential through unconventional thinking and unique problem solving needs. To support both, we offer the sky is the limit opportunities from projectbased learning and junior achievement biz
024to self- selected enrichment book clubs. We want our strongest students to be as challenged as our struggling students are supported. We are leaning heavily into the new steel standards, moving away from reading about science to doing science. This hands-on approach focuses on inquiry and investigating realworld phenomena, preparing the students for STEMheavy for the STEMheavy world they will graduate into. In line with this shift, we are prioritizing quality over quantity in our practice outside the classroom and in it. We know that for practice to be effective, students must be independently applying the correct skills. With the rise of AI tools that can easily complete wrote assignments, traditional busy work has lost its instructional value. Instead, more and more teachers more and more teachers are focusing on retrieval practice, brief high impact tasks that require genuine cognitive
025effort and reinforce daily lessons in the classroom. I'm not sure if you remember, but we uh we did a session on retrieval practices in uh like uh I believe fall of 2024. Um Mrs. Tahada came in and did some lessons with us. And that's what we're really working on in our classrooms now. So by moving away from high volume homework, we ensure that the work students do is authentic and meaningful. It protects the time that our young comets need for play, family, and passion. The passion projects that build a well-rounded foundation for life. A common question that we hear is how do we prepare for the PSSAs? Our philosophy is that what we do every single day is the best preparation possible. We don't stop our curriculum to teach to the test. Instead, we've built
026a culture where the PSSA is simply an opportunity for students to show what they know. This spring marks our second full year of online PSSA assessments. We acknowledge that the digital format, navigating split screens, and using online equation editors adds a layer of complexity for elementary learners. However, because our students are already using these tools during instruction, the transition is natural. For our advanced learners, this is where they truly shine. These online technology enhanced items require them to synthesize information and construct answers, not just pick A or B. We've taught them to apply their skills to any platforms, and the PSSA is just one place for them to demonstrate that Central Manor excels. Our focus on application extends beyond the computer screen. Whether it's the snack cart where students practice real world math and social
027interactions or our recent culture night celebrating the heritage of 18 different Central Manor families. We build we are building citizens. These activities reinforce the life goals portion of our mission statement. We want our students to be as confident in the community setting as they are during a state assessment. To make this level of personalized instruction possible in a large building, we are leaning into innovation. We define differentiation as tailoring instruction to meet individual needs and AI is helping our teachers do that more efficiently than ever. Our teach teachers are using Gemini AI to generate depth of knowledge questions and rubrics. We've even developed custom AI gems to unpack complex math and ELA standards and provide immediate scaffolding for English language learners. It allows the teacher to spend less time on paperwork and more time on
028the students. As we look to the future, the small school field we've cultivated at Central Manor ensures that no student is lost in the crowd. They leave us for middle school with a strong academic foundation and sense of belonging in the part of the Penmanor community. >> We want to thank the board for your support of these initiatives and the Penmanor Education Foundation for the venture grants that fund our one book one school and our thinking classrooms. >> We are happy to take any questions you may have. >> Any questions? I'm just curious, is this something that we would be planning to do at other elementary schools? Was this kind of a I don't know the history of this. I'm sorry. >> Yeah. So, uh I asked Dr. Cox and Dr. McFersonson to kind of
029give us a dive into what is happening at the elementary level from a curricular as well as uh strategies, activities and things like that. And then our our plan would then next to be do it from a middle school perspective and then also the high school perspective. >> The example that we're used this is happening across the district in different ways at each of the buildings, [clears throat] but we wanted to highlight Dr. McFersonson and the work that she and the staff at Central Manor are doing. Uh very proud of Dr. McFersonson uh making the transition from Lee Tour to Central Manor uh two years ago. I can't believe it's been two years. It doesn't quite seem like it. uh probably feels like 10 for you, but you know, for me it's >> it actually
030feels a lot less than two to [laughter] be honest. >> Uh the the work that the work that's happening across the board, across the district, different ways, different programs, different names, but still uh a lot of the different the [snorts] same things that are taking place. So, thought it would be good to start at the elementary level because as we know, the elementary level is that foundational time for our students and then the middle school we build off of and then uh here at the high school we can move forward. Yeah, it's great. Thank you, >> Mrs. Kek. Dr. McFersonson and I did talk today and we ran through almost everything in the presentation that we have put in and we could come up with an example from almost every elementary school of these things
031that is happening. Just different names um maybe different community events, different um transition or what was that? the activities that would um be application beyond the you know into the world. Um so we we were really careful to make sure we were showcasing things that are universal across our elementary division. We work really hard at being consistent >> even though we have seven unique schools. So, by using the Gemini 8i, is that going to help the ELELLL students not have to be taken out of class as often because they can use this in a way that it's a little bit more incorporated into the classroom. >> So, the what we have created is a gem that [clears throat] it's in what I would call I talked to Charlie about this. It's in beta testing. um
032where we created a gem that takes this the students current level based on their WEDA access assessment. So they we get some some data based on some state assessment on a state assessment and we would put that information along with um the different levels that a student could be at. So for example, you can score at a 1.2, but your top level will be a 6.0 in reading, writing, listening, speaking. And so in those different levels, our our regular education teacher, so like our English teacher, our reading teacher, our social studies teacher might have activities that they would like to both check on the students level 1.6, but then challenge their next level. So, by using Gemini, I could take my lesson plan or my activity and say, "Hey, I have a student who is
033scoring at a 1.6 in reading and a 2.1 in writing. Can you take this activity and make it tell me what I need to do to assess this child at this level and then also what would be the next level to challenge them?" And so it can allow me to assess the child on their level and then see what the next challenge level is. So it is a very differentiated lesson. It just gives us an authentic and true evaluation of where that child would be based on their language level. They'll still need some English language support, but it will help our teachers who aren't sure what to do sometimes with the lessons that they are teaching that are, you know, a sixth grade lesson and I have a student who is at a at a
034just learning. They they've been here for a year and they're just learning the language. Does that does that explain a little? Yeah, that's that's very exciting to me. >> Exciting. >> Yeah, >> truly truly exciting support mechanism for students uh from the standpoint that the use of technology will allow them to stay in the classroom, you know, and potentially hear it in their language or see it in their language. It doesn't replace the instruction that they'll continue to receive by our English language learner, our teachers, >> but at the same time, it it it does give them that opportunity if there isn't a >> fellow speaker >> in the classroom to to have something like that that that utilizes it. So, I think it, you know, it's a it's a benefit of the technology that
035we have in classrooms. uh and teachers are able to really differentiate down to the student through many of the different tools. The gem Christa Dr. Cox mentioned gem. It's almost like we're creating a personal >> we are >> what's the word Charlie? I'm drawing a blank like I I have a gem like I have the superintendent gym. Uh so it's kind of me. [snorts] >> Do a better job of explaining please. >> Mini Phil >> help me out. [laughter] Maybe a mini fell in some ways. Now if um to explain this a quick show of hands, how many of you are familiar with chat GPT or Gemini or Claude? Those are the three frontier LLM models right now. Uh we have standardized on Gemini which is Google's model. One of the reasons we've standardized on
036it is because it has important safeguards. Uh so unlike some of the other models out there as you've probably heard a lot about Gemini has spent an incredible amount or Google spent an incredible amount of time on Gemini to make sure that it is appropriate especially in school environments. One of the functions inside the Gemini large language model inside the chatbot is a function called a gem which essentially is a customized mini AI bot that every member of our every employee that we have really can use for whatever they need. So, as Phil was saying, he has a gem that allows him to analyze and create content that um understands his writing style, his speaking style, understands the priorities, the goals of the district, things that he has fed into this so that can it
037can create customized responses, assistance, analysis specifically for him. We're at the point now where every single teacher in the district can do this. So you heard you know Chrisa talk about an example of differentiating for every single student. Uh we have capabilities now just in the span of two years that feel futuristic in some ways. >> That's probably a very long-winded way of explaining but it's a pretty it's a pretty big deal and I think it deserves the context. So >> yeah, >> but I do want to thank Dr. McFersonson, not only for being here tonight and sharing this, but the work that that she has done along with our other principles. Uh, you know, we we do have seven elementary schools. Each is very different than the next one, but the team of elementary
038principles are are doing a great job of talking, collaborating, planning together, working together, sharing ideas across across [clears throat] the district. And it has really been beneficial for our teachers and our students. Uh so you know Carly is one of our more experienced administrators uh but we appreciate her her leadership within the the ranks of the leaders. >> Thanks for being here tonight as well. >> Absolutely. >> And we'll move on to item three. And Dr. Gail has generously given us five minutes to explain this but the >> we have 28. >> Yeah we do. [clears throat] We have 28 minutes, so we'll read each date uh on here. Uh but now you can see the uh calendar of proposed school board meeting [clears throat] dates. We only have one Tuesday this year, which is
039uh uh something of an anomaly uh at least in my time of the board. But when you look uh take a deeper dive into here, there is some extended breaks uh you know where we get off of our pattern of every other Monday. Um July 20th will be the first meeting um and our only meeting in July. Um and then we're on on target in August. The [snorts] if you remember when we looked at the school calendar, the 26 27 school year has some real anomalies. Uh it starts with Labor Day is September 7th. Really the latest that it can be on the calendar. So Monday, this September 7th is is is as late as Labor Day can be. So that kind of puts us into a situation where we have the first board meeting
040there and Tuesday. Uh but then really jumping down to and again December 7th, uh you know, the state code requires that we have our our December meeting, our reorganization meeting the first week of December. So we're barely squeezing that in there. Mhm. >> Uh but then the first meeting in January is actually on the second Monday, the first meeting would be January 4th. Uh you know, instead of coming back first day from our extended vacation and and then getting into a board meeting and you know January 1st is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So kind of shifted things back and then we do that same same and fourth in January, February and March. And then of course uh I think March is the one that has the five Mondays. So it allows us to get back
041on the schedule of first and third on April, May, and June. So we did include two uh October meetings last couple years. We've only had one because of PSBA holding their annual U conference, but uh we haven't had uh folks going to that, which is perfectly fine if we need to. We can always adjust that if we feel the need. and uh we want to make that adjustment. So that's what we're proposing to everyone. Uh Cindy obviously is the one that came up with this whole schedule. Uh >> so of course it is absolutely absolutely accurate. >> It's perfect. Uh it's it's right where we need it. So but thank you Mrs. Rhodess. >> So any questions on the proposed schedule? Seeing none, may I have a motion to place this on our March 23rd
042board voting agenda? >> So moved. >> Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Her. Appreciate it. >> Any further comment or question? [snorts] All those in favor? >> Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Bees, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nassiger, >> yes. >> Nine affirmative votes. >> Thank you. Anything else for the good of the committee of the whole? Seeing none, I will adjourn the committee of the whole and I will call to order the Monday, March 2nd Pen Manor School District School Board voting agenda. Would you please join me in a moment of silence and the flag salute? I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Mr. Bicks. for a second there.
043I got all messed up. I must have said the wrong words. The next scheduled meeting of the Pen Manor [snorts] School Board will be held on Monday, March 23rd, 2026, following the committee of the whole meeting. An executive session was held prior to the committee of the whole meeting for the purpose of discussing personnel as detailed on the committee of the whole agenda. Mrs. Rhodess, may we have a roll call, please? >> Sure. Mr. Beaks. Mr. Her >> here. >> Mrs. Hope >> here. >> Mrs. Ke here. >> Mr. Lombardo >> here. >> Mr. Warful >> here. >> Miss Wart >> here. >> Mrs. Napsinger >> here. >> Dr. Fullerton >> here. >> Nine board members present. >> Thank you, Mrs. Rhodess. At each of our board voting agendas, we offer two opportunities for our
044citizens to comment. We have reached the first opportunity which would be comments pertaining to action items on the board voting agenda only. We would ask you to state your name and municipality and recognize that the comment period is 5 minutes. Do we have any citizens comments? Okay, we'll give you a second opportunity a little later. May I have a motion to approve the minutes of our February 17th, 2026 board voting agenda meeting? >> So moved. >> Thank you. A second. >> Second. Thank you. Any further comment or question? [clears throat] >> All those in favor? >> Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Beaks. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Nassiger. >> Yes. >> Nine affirmative votes. >> Dr. Gail, superintendent report. Uh thank you Dr. Fullerton. Uh like to share uh some congratulations uh for three different groups and
045individuals uh in our school district. Uh first like to congratulate our unified botchi team from the high school. Uh last week they won the league championship uh which means that they will continue on to the regionals uh that is being held tomorrow at Glenn Mills. So, congratulations to our students uh for their fine performance and wish them luck as they go on to the next level. Also, uh when I talked about Mrs. Simitz uh doing all the different things she does in the district, uh she's busy not only with the the spring musical at this time of year, but this is also competition time for a lot of our students. Uh and recently she had three of our students uh Matthew Pomeary, Rain Anderchek and Noah Tulle at the regional uh festival coral festival that
046was held at Warwick High School. And this is a festival that these three qualified for through their participation in other levels. And uh part of this competition is that they reaw auditioned for to be to see if they can make the all state choir. Uh and it's very demanding. There's number of different schools, number of different uh individuals that are competing at each voice part, but the top six uh are selected to go on to all states. And uh I am pleased to announce that Matthew Palmary has placed first on his voice part of base one and is a qualifier for our all state choir. >> Uh some of you, if you've attended some different activities, Matthew was often times the one that sings the national anthem. Uh so Matthew will proudly represent Penmanor at
047the All State Festival in April at the Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. Uh and the culminating concert is Friday, April 24th at 5:00 p.m. And it's this year it's special because it it will be conducted by Dr. Brian J. Winnie who's the director of coral studies at Western Illinois University. So congratulations to the three of them, but especially to Matthew uh for going on and qualifying as all state. and we'll be sure to have Matthew uh attend the board meeting in the future after the competition. Uh and again, thank you to Mrs. Simitz for the the many things different things that she does for our students. Uh it's also I do want to recognize and congratulate Chase Mutmore. Uh Chase is a seventh grade student at Marticville Middle School and he was named the Pennsylvania
048Regiment Junior Young Marine of the Year. Uh he's a member of the color guard and has demonstrated leadership qualities and a heart for service uh that's not frequently seen by his by children his age. So uh congratulations to Corporal Muchmore and the young Marines of Lancaster County and we appreciate the work that Chase does outside of school. Uh there's also wanted to share with you that on Friday we will PMer will be hosting the leadership Lancaster core class. Uh this is our public education day and I have the opportunity to share about public education in general uh with the 70 members of the class that represent different businesses and different organizations throughout Lancaster County. Uh in the afternoon I'll be joined by Heather Volutis the CEO of the Lancaster Chamber. Uh Andrew Godfrey who's the
049assistant director of CAP Lancaster and then also Jill Hackman who is the career pathways coordinator at Eleno School District. and we'll be presenting what education, public education looks like even from the the early ages before students enter public education up to preparing them uh for post education. So, it's a good day for us to advocate and then also challenge people in our community of how they can be involved with education, public education in our day and age. Uh and then you will take note, I do want to uh recognize uh our eight retireies this year. uh this is they're listed under item 4C. Uh but this year we have eight retirees, eight teachers and >> [clears throat] >> uh who will be leaving us at the at the end of this year. Uh we greatly
050appreciate all of their efforts in the different roles [snorts] that many of them have had uh in the district uh teaching at different schools, different grade levels. Uh some in some cases just the same school, same grade level. uh but yet at the same time the commitment that they have demonstrated. We will have an opportunity in May to have all of our retirees uh and also our outstanding employee and educator educators come to uh the second meeting in May so that we can recognize them as well. So that'll be an opportunity for us. But wanted to make sure that uh we start to recognize these folks. uh for some I'm sure the next couple months will be uh a little bit of uh mixed emotions you know excited to go on to that next phase
051but also at the same time many of them are leaving something that they've been a part of and have made a huge impact for many many years. Uh and then also uh just put another plug out there that we are continuing to receive nominations for our outstanding employee and educators. So if anyone public or students or parents have uh nominees, we are still continuing to do that. That's all I have. Dr. Fton, thank you very much. >> Thank you, Dr. Gale. Do we have any questions for Dr. Gail? >> Very good. Let us review our school board meeting agenda. Item two, A through D. Any comments or questions? Item three, A and B. >> Any can I like to pull 3B, please? >> 3B. Okay. >> Thank [snorts] you. >> You got it. Any comments
052or questions? [snorts] >> Uh, I'll comment later. >> Okay. And item four, A through G. Any comments or questions? Seeing none, may I have a motion to approve item two, A through D? >> So move. >> Thank you. A second. >> Second. >> Thank you. Any further comment or question? All those in favor? Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Beaks. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Napiger. >> Yes. >> Nine affirmative votes. >> May I have a motion to approve item 3A? >> So moved. >> Thank you. A second. >> Second. >> Thank you. Any further comment or question? All those in favor of 3A. >> Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Beaks. [snorts] >> Yes. >> Mrs. Naviger. >> Yes. >> Nine affirmative votes. >> May I have a motion to approve item 3B? >> So moved. >> Thank you.
053A second. >> Second. >> Thank you. Any further comment or question? Yes. Um, I'd just like to comment. I think I'm a little frustrated with reading these. Um, I guess we should back up. First, I want to say there's some really good grant requests on here that are innovative, that it's obvious that people took a lot of time to think through for opportunities for our students. And so, I don't want to diminish those things by what I'm going to say next. Um, but I'm I'm a little frustrated that we have a foundation that and a community that provides us with over $80,000 a year in educational enhancements. And I look at this list and we have quite a few things on here. Some of them rather large that have zero, at least from what we've
054received, zero educational value and things that you know would traditionally be paid for by a PTO or families would cover the cost of fund those fund events. I'm not saying they're bad. I just think we're missing the mark um on how we should be stewarding our community's money and what we should be asking for. Um I really I I've said this before if not new. I really think we need to be looking at that. Um we have an opportunity that many districts would kill for to be quite honest and we are blowing it in my opinion. Um, I'm also frustrated when I look at this list to no fault of our educators, but things that are ongoing programs that taxpayers should be funding that I think our taxpayers expect to fund. And I think this
055board has made clear that we would like to see as part of our budget. Um, we're having our teachers jump through hoops and do grant requests to get those things covered instead of just paying for them so they can do the job we've asked them to do. Um, so I'd like to have further conversation about this at the next retreat so that maybe we can have a conversation where we set some clear expectations moving forward. Um, I was, you know, Mr. Herr laid out some really great ideas previously. Um, and I thought that it was pretty clear that the board was excited about educational field trips and enhancing educational and hands-on learning. Um, but I think we've missed the mark in some pretty big ways on this one. >> Any other comments or questions? >>
056Thank you, Mrs. Napsinger. [snorts] >> [clears throat] >> Seeing no other comments or questions, all those in favor of item 3B. >> Six affirmative votes. >> All those opposed. >> One opposed. Mr. Beaks. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Naviger. >> No. >> Seven. Affirmative votes. Two opposed. >> Thank you. And item four, A through G. Any comment or question? >> Oh, I need a motion. Can I have a motion before we ask that question? >> I got a second. Thank you. [clears throat] >> I'm sorry. I missed the second. You were talking. >> Mr. Warful. Uh, now any comments or questions? Still have none. So all those in favor? >> Seven affirmative votes. Mr. Beaks. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Nassiger. >> Yes. >> Nine [clears throat] affirmative votes. >> We have now reached the second opportunity
057for citizens comments on anything district related. Again, if you would state your name and municipality and recognize that it will be a fiveminute comment period. [clears throat] My name is Tony Bar. I'm a resident of Manor Township and a parent of two students in the school district. I had originally intended to discuss policies, legal precedent, and the growing number of challenges across Pennsylvania that could affect policies 123.4 and 216.2 and your ability to enforce them. But new developments in my personal life require that I stand before you tonight as a father. My transgender daughter is here with me tonight, not because I asked her to join me, but because she volunteered. She's very bravely chosen to come here tonight because she needs to be seen and she needs to have other people see that there's
058somebody out there fighting for them. She's not alone. My daughter is currently in treatment in an intensive outpatient program because she is suicidal and struggling with severe gender dysphoria. Her mental health has deteriorated significantly after experiencing repeated misgendering and mistreatment by both faculty and students in the high school, leaving her feeling alienated and unsafe. No meaningful corrective action has restored her sense of safety. >> Excuse me, sir. Would you prefer to have this conversation executive session since you're talking about your your student? She has given permission for me to speak on this in front of you today. >> Very well. I'm just duty bound to give you that option. >> I appreciate that. >> For [sighs] me and for nobody else in this room should it be an abstract policy discussion. It's not about legal
059theory. It's about my child's life. It's about the lives of all the other children that are affected by these policies. They're not just words on paper. They shape how adults interact with students. They shape what students feel safe saying. And they shape whether a child believes school is a place of protection or another place where they must hide. When a student feels unsupported, dismissed, or singled out, the impact is not temporary. It affects mental health, identity, and whether they believe they are even worthy of belonging. Like any parent should, I love and support my children. They deserve to feel safe and protected when they walk through these doors, just like every student should. Right now, there are a lot of LGBTQ plus students who are not experiencing school as a place of safety. That safety
060is conditional and [snorts] perception has real consequences. Students are being affected in real time. It's not something to revisit in a year. It's happening now. It has been happening and now it's right in front of you. I'm standing here tonight not only as her father, but as a representative of the students who are too afraid to be themselves. the students who do not feel safe at school, who cannot speak up at home because they fear rejection or retaliation. To those students, I want to say this clearly. I hear you. I see you. And I will stand up for you so that you can have a safe place to learn and grow. We want to work with this board. We want collaboration. And we want solutions grounded in student safety and in mental health. We can't
061do that effectively while these policies remain in place that students experience as alienating or harmful. So again, I ask you urgently and respectfully to commit to a formal review of policies 216.2 and 123.4 through the lens of student safety, mental health, and lived impact. Let's bring in educators, counselors, parents, and professionals. Examine not only the language of the policies, but how they are functioning in real classrooms and hallways. I will continue to show up and speak and advocate not out of hostility but out of love for my child and for every student who deserves to feel safe here. Our children are not political issues. They are human. They all deserve love, safety, and acceptance in their school. To families, community members, faculty, staff who might be watching or listening tonight, I ask you to remember
062something simple. We all work better together. Thank you. >> Thank you. Do we have any other [snorts] citizens comments? >> Seeing none, do we have anything for the good of the board? Seeing none of that either, don't forget we have two weeks off. We'll see you on March 23rd. I hope everyone has a great week. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Get a Shamrock shake and have a good night.