001Good evening. I'd like to call the May 18th work session to order. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge alce 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. The Springford Board of School Directors believes the community has the right to bring before the board issues and concerns they may have about items on the agenda or about items in general which affect the district or their children. Because of this belief and philosophy, the board will schedule a time at the beginning and conclusion of every meeting to have an opportunity for community members to share their concerns with the board. At the start of the meeting, members
002from the public may comment on agenda items only. The school board will move through the meeting agenda. Then at the end, when prompted, there will be a time for public comment. This meeting is being filmed to be broadcast on community cable channels and online. Individuals intending to make public comments should be aware that they are being filmed. Speakers will be asked to state their name in the area in which you reside before your comment. >> Mrs. Schmidt, could I please have a roll call? Tonight in person we have Mrs. Deerdorf, Mrs. Westwood, Dr. Chararma, Mrs. Herman's, Dr. Wright, Mrs. Weine Garden, Mrs. Yut. Online we have Mrs. Goldsmith, and not present tonight is Mr. Lackey. >> Thank you very much. Uh, I do have one announcement. Uh the board met in executive session on May
00311th at 5:30 prior to the policy committee meeting to discuss a personnel me matter and then we also met in executive session tonight at 6:30 to also discuss personnel and a student issue. Dr. Burkhart, do you have any announcements? >> I do not. >> Okay. Uh moving to section two, public to be heard on agenda items. Is there any members of the public that would like to speak to an agenda item this evening? Okay, seeing none, we will move to section three, uh, our presentation tonight. I'll have Dr. Edwards come up to present our new student representative. Good evening, everyone. Um it is my pleasure to introduce to you Gavin Ellison who is our new uh student rep to the school board. Um Gavin had to go through a process that involved um answering an
004online application um and interviewing with myself um Miss Bogus and Mrs. Fra as well as members of our school board. Um he impressed everyone um with his articulate articulate ways of talking about himself. And I'll give him the opportunity um to share with you just some highlights about himself. Uh hello everyone. My name's Gavin as you heard. Um some things that I do is I do uh choir, orchestra. Um I do a lot of theater which is a big thing and I like to speak in front of people which is why it really brought me to want to do this um to be in this position because I just enjoy it so much and I want to work with other people to uh help the school become a better place and do what I can
005to do that. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. It's really I think since I got on the board in 2021, starting from 2022, I've been part of that interview process and it really is one of my most favorite times of the year. Uh because you do get to spend a lot of time with students and really getting to know them. Um so I'm very excited and I we have a little bunk cake for you from the board to welcome you to the team. Um so thank you so much, Gavin. So, Mrs. Deardorf and Mr. Burkhard Gavin joins us at the table in June, correct? >> Yes, that's correct. Looking forward to actually >> to put you on the spot. Jason, do you have any words of wisdom? >> Um, Gavin and I spoke uh
006briefly last week. Um, but I'm just looking forward to working with you uh during this next school year. >> Yeah, I after talking with him last week, we had a like a meeting with a few of us and I just got even more excited because I got to see how like how it works and the different processes and I want to major in business in college. So I was um so I think it's a very good opportunity to work with everyone to try to just make the community of the school a better place and I'm very excited. So thank you. >> I like that you two coordinated your outfits too. >> Yeah, we're very much looking forward to working with you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. U moving. We do have one action item on
007the agenda tonight. Uh so it is item 4A. This is the um ex for us to accept a grant from the MCIU which will be used for emergency communications equipment. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? >> Mrs. Goldmith, what is your vote? >> I >> That motion passes 8 Z. Uh, next we will move on to section five, our board and committee reports. And I'll kick it to Jason for the student representative report. >> Uh, I don't have a report this week. Um, I just want to say I'm excited to work with Gavin and I've had a good uh, very learning year this year with Anukica. Uh, and I think she'll be
008here next week. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. Uh, next up we have community relations with Mrs. Wearten. >> Thank you. The community relations committee is always a joy to attend. We last met on May 5th. Mr. Rothermell provided an update overview of RC RCTV's recent coverage since our last meeting, including many school spotlights, athletic events, and concerts. Over the past 28 days, RCTV's YouTube channel has received over 20,500 views. The end of the season is really busy for the team as they're out most nights of the week covering events for all 12 of our schools. He gave an update on the cablecast project, sharing that connecting with RCTV will soon be easier than ever through your smart TV at home and on mobile devices. So, that's pretty exciting. And during the meeting, he shared
009three projects uh that were nominated for Mid-Atlantic School Production Award awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-Atlantic chapter. And they found out following the meeting that for the first time in school history, our broadcast students received an award. This was a huge moment for these talented students. And I can show you that if I can get out of this thing is heavy. It looks small, but it's very heavy. It comes with its own little cloth here. Um, this is the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Student Production Awards for Sports Program, Inside the Huddle, the final episode. Springford Area High School, the National Academy of Television, Arts, and Sciences. So, congratulations to those students. Very proud. And I'll put it I'll put it back together and polish it before I return it. Um, as always,
010Miss Crew opened her portion of the meeting with updates from the parents from parent square, sharing a new feature called conversation starters. It's a prompt that provides families with specific, meaningful ways to start a conversation at home based on the communication sent from school. Instead of guessing, parents can ask targeted questions about their school day, and students are more likely to share when they ask questions uh from these prompts. She shared updates from the Spring Forward Education Foundation, including the recent Spring Forward 5K run and walk, which was held this past Friday with just under 500 registered participants, which is the largest 5K event in district history. We've got a lot of record-breaking things happening. Um, and as we all know, this evening is the Spring Ford night at the Phillies, which benefits the educational
011foundation. She shared that April 20th, the US Department of Justice announced an update to the ADA website accessibility timeline. I think we we mentioned this before and how much the team was working to make sure it met all of the regulations, but under the revised schedule, uh larger public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more will now have basically another year to comply. So, I want to applaud them for the work that they've done to date and hopefully they can take a little bit of a breath as they finish that work. It's no easy feat and it's very very detail oriented to make sure that all of our materials are ADA compliant on the website. So, um her team was actually very uh very prepared for the 2026 deadline. So, this little extra time gives
012them a little room. Finally, she shared the recent and upcoming events which include the first ever spring forward military signing night which recognized seniors who are enlisting in a military branch or joining an ROC program. This was the committee agreed one of the most meaningful additions to spring for's senior recognition. Our next community relations meeting is scheduled for October 2026. Any questions? Oh, thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, next we have policy with Mrs. Herman's. >> Thank you. So, the policy committee met on Monday, May 11th. Um, items to be discussed or that were discussed uh was first policy 221, dressing and grooming. And there was no recommended update to this policy. Um, we also had a list of other policies. I'll just ramble them off here. Policy 325, dressing and grooming. Policy 332, working
013periods. policy 140, charter schools, policy 619, district audit policy 810, transportation, that were all discussed and is recommended for legal review before proceeding to first read. Um lastly, there was a discussion item on the agenda to um make the policy committee aware that PSBA is no longer continuing with their use of board docs. They're actually moving to a different vendor and it is administration's recommendation that we continue to use board docs until we can see how this new vendor plays out and then make the decision next year in terms of how we want to proceed. Any questions? >> Thank you very much. U moving to curriculum curriculum and technology with Dr. Wright. >> Hi. Um good evening. The curriculum and technology meeting um met was May 11th. I was not able to attend and Mr.
014Lackey um chaired in my place but I have the notes from that. U regarding technology Dr. Hill provided information regarding the purchase of uh V sonic interactive panel replacement. Uh those of you that have been following the board may remember that several years ago we had made the decision to convert our smartboards to the the view sonic um interactive panels. uh as as a way of costsaving and really to get everybody on the same page. So I believe this is our final stage for that. You will see that on the agenda. It is money that was planned um for budgeted for this purpose. Regarding curriculum, Dr. Gardy uh provided information regarding the 2627 district assessment calendar that is also attached to the agenda for approval with no cost associated with it obviously. And you may
015recall that we have spent um or Dr. Guardi has spent a lot of time really working to create an assessment calendar that is in the best interest of our students and our teachers and that we're not over assessing but yet we are assessing at appropriate times and the information is is relevant. Um so I really commend them for all the work that that um Dr. Gardy and her team have done on the district assessment calendar. Uh Dr. Dr. Gardy provided information regarding the title 2 inter agency agreement with the MCIU for non-public school services for 26 through 29. I believe that is also on the calendar doc I mean on the agenda Dr. Gardy shared with the district is exploring options for summer travel immersionbased experiences with EF education first educational tours for students following
016the completion of level three Spanish and French. So, we have students that have the opportunity, I believe, to go to Germany. We have an exchange program with that. We have the Ireland, and now we're looking for this opportunity for students um to go be able to go to Spain or France. Dr. Gardy also provided information regarding the requested curriculum renewals. You'll see that on the calendar. And again, whether between technology and curriculum, they've worked very hard to cut back on program um apps or programs that we don't use um or that we don't, you know, and so that we can use be effective in the costsaving, but also that um the time that we have our students online is valid for our teachers information that they're programs that they are curriculum programs that they are
017are using. So, there's a lot of care that goes into that. You'll see them on the agenda. Dr. Gardy, Mrs. Angeluchcci, and Dr. Reinhimr provided curriculum department highlights for the 2526 school year, which included curriculum reviews, program implementation, professional development, induction, instructional coaching, capital planning, and compliance. It really was a highlight of what has occurred over the last year um with the curriculum department. Having said that, our next meeting will not be until Monday, September 14th at 7 PM in the district office conference room. So, we've gotten everything wrapped up nicely for the school year. Um, so and that is it my report. Any questions? >> I have no questions, but I just want to echo your sentiment about um the praise for the work for the district assessment calendar. Um, I did have my
018daughter's MTSS meeting today and um, I'm happy to hear that that window will be a little bit earlier next year for her so she can get those services uh, continued as soon as possible and not just my daughter but all the wonderful children in the district. But it's really been um, I commented today at our meeting. Um, a really immersive experience and experiencing it as a parent and as a board member um, and she's made amazing strides this year and we're all just so proud of her. Um but you know knowing that that window will open up sooner next year for her to get that continued is is um very comforting for me in that process. So just to echo your sentiments about that. So thank you guys. Any other questions or comments for curriculum
019and technology? Okay. Which brings us to finance with Mrs. Westwood. Good evening. The finance committee met on May 12th at 6 PM in the district office. Uh we discussed ongoing business. All of these numbers are as of April 30th, 2026. For cash, we have 97.3 million cash on hand. For revenues, uh overall, we are in good condition. Real estate taxes are slower than plan, which is expected due to commercial assessment declines as previously discussed. However, there are some bright spots. Earned income tax is $600,000 ahead of plan. Transfer tax has exceeded plan by $220,000 with three months remaining in the budget and earn interest continues to exceed plan due to lower than expected interest rate reductions. For expenditures, overall expenses are currently under plan year to date. Medical claims continue to be under budget as
020do special education costs. Special education costs um scratch that. I think that's repetitive. Um they're under budget. Assessments growth continues to be slower than expected as residential gains are offset by commercial reductions. We did gain 4.1 million in assessments since the prior month, which is all residential growth. Uh a little bit more on selfunded health insurance. Medical claims costs are under budget by about $750,000. This is after a few years of double digit growth, so this is starting to level off, which is good news. We estimate that we'll come in under budget by approximately 1 million to $1.2 million. For food service, we are up to 727,000 meals served year to date. We're continuing to operate in the black as the collective team, meaning Springford and Aramark are doing a nice job, but labor and
021material costs, which we've discussed previously, are rising at a faster rate than revenue. So, it's something that we will continue to watch. We discussed the budget progress. So, Mr. Frink discussed changes to our upcoming budget for the 2627 budget year. Overall changes since April is a decrease of $90,000 due to resignations and backfills. The remaining gap to index is in the amount of $118,000 that we'll continue to monitor in the coming week at this point since we're set to vote on the budget next Tuesday. U other business, we have our annual Aramark contract renewal. The board did approve a 4-year agreement for Aramark in 2024. However, uh the state requires further annual renewal. So, that is on the agenda for approval. We'll vote on that next week. And then for the assessment appeal, this was
022discussed during the meeting for Upper Providence Town Center shopping mall. It is not finalized yet, but it would be best to have it done prior to the 2627 common level ratio release if that is possible. So stay tuned. But that is approximately $350,000 revenue decrease to the district. Um so if we were done in time, that may be on the agenda. Our next meeting is June 9th at 6 PM in the district office. Any questions? Thank you very much. Um, next is property, uh, which Mr. Lackey has asked me to give his report, um, as he is away. So, the property committee met on Tuesday, May 12th. Um, as far as maintenance and operations go. Facilities crews continue to make progress across the district. Stadium lighting maintenance is underway with bulb and ballast replacements completed
023at both McNell Stadium and Ram Stadium. On the facilities planning front, the committee received an update on the facility master plan. Township meetings are scheduled for May 21st to review our addition projects and principal meetings at Brook and Oaks Elementary are set for May 27th and 28th. Overall, the project remains on schedule. The committee also discussed several capital items that will be coming before the board, including HVAC heat pump replacement in the ninth grade center gymnasium, technical education shop renovations at the high school, carpent carpentry shop dust replacement, dust collection replacement at the ninth grade center, security access control preventative maintenance agreement. Um, a big thank you to Mr. Pelgrren and his team for their continued dedication to keeping our buildings and grounds in great shape. As far as school safety goes, the school police
024have investigated 595 incident reports since the start of the school year. 16 safe to say tips were investigated and re received and investigated since the last report. Light speeded flagged 783 alerts related to student safety concerns. The Spring City Elementary School physical security assessment has been completed with ongoing review of district allhazard plans. Upcoming trainings include taser certification, defensive tactics, active shooter response, and mandated firearms training. Two grants were awarded. The PCCD safety and mental health grant for $250,48 and the MCIU BJ BJA grant for $51,000 for emergency communications equipment. Administration has recommended approval of this grant and that is we passed it um just a few moments ago. Um, as always, also a big thank you to Chief Boyer and his team for everything you do to keep our schools safe and also recognizing
025that it was uh National Police Week uh May 10th to the 16th. Um, we are so thankful for all that you do and and as a nurse and we have teachers, we always say, you know, that if you have a a a job where you need to have a appreciation week, um, then that that recognition is definitely deserved. So, um, celebrating you guys and I know you had a nice brunch for your team. The next property committee meeting is June 9th, 2026 at 700 p.m. And that includes Mr. Lackey's update. Thank you. Any questions? Heidi has a question. Okay. >> Hi. This actually I I raised my hand actually with Miss Westwood's commentary. I just want to make a comment based upon Miss Westwood's which was to thank Dr. G in terms of the special
026education savings. She has done a fantastic job of creating situations where we could bring kids back in house and that has created a tremendous amount of savings um as well as other things that she has done with her department and I appreciate it more as because the fact is that it creates perfect education for kids with special education as well as maintaining the legal requirements. Thank you. >> Thank you. But I do have to acknowledge my my special ed team. The supervisors go above and beyond. We work as a team to do it. So, thank you. >> Okay. Next, we have the MCIU update with Dr. Wright. >> Hi, thank you very much. Um, I actually gave an update last week, uh, last month. Um, but I will give an update this time. Also, our
027next our Next meeting is May 27th as that's next Wednesday. Our previous meeting had been April 22nd. Uh but just a couple of things of interest. We have a program called Monco Works Now. And to let you know that one of our participants received the youth governor's individual achievement award this year at the PA Workforce Development Awards lunchon. When I say one of our students, this is one of the IU students, not specifically Springford. Uh the workforce um the this student came into the program during a tough time in her life. She worked hard to secure housing while attending EKG technician training and working during her time in the program. She also completed two paid work experiences was she was been able to secure housing for her family and is currently working as a medical
028assistant with Mainline Health's OBGYn department. We are proud of all that she has achieved and can't wait to see how she continues to grow. So, thank you to the Paula Scott career counselor for her guidance and support. So, um I just it's a great program the Monco works now and I I'm not sure the age how late it goes to, but it doesn't stop with high school, but it is just a wonderful uh opportunity for students or for people in our area. Also, um the MCIU was um feeling the love during the teacher appreciation celebrations where families, students, and colleagues shared heartfelt notes and artwork as a simple way to celebrate all that they do. And a special thank you to the MCIU's Envision students for designing and creating incredible shirts for um and for
029helping our teachers to be honored. Uh the superintendent and executive director searches for this school year have all ended successfully with the naming of three superintendent and one executive director. Congratulations to Dr. Jay Birkhard from Springford Area School District, Dr. Dr. Bri uh D'Angel uh D'Angelo from Jenintown School District, Dr. Jessica Kilmets for Perkyan Valley School District, and Mr. Craig Robinson at Central Monco Technical High School. Thank you to the leaders of each district and the school um who allowed the MCIU to be part of the search process and to support the MCIU team um during that search. Um on May 27th, prior to our next board meeting, we will be honoring 14 retirees representing over 300 years of service to the MCIU. So, thank you to all the retirees who have contributed with passion
030and commitment to the students, families, and communities of Montgomery County. Uh a couple dates coming up. Tuesday, tomorrow is annual mental health awareness resource fair. Friday, uh this Friday the 22nd is the open house at the pathways and exploration from 1 to 3. Uh next Wednesday the 27th is our retirement celebration uh retiree celebration. Thursday the 28th is an open house for the Head Start program from 4 to 6. Friday, June 5th, we do our MCIU night out at the Phillies. that some of us will be attending. And then Friday, June 12th is the Anderson School graduation. So that's it. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Wright. Any questions or comments? Okay. And next we have the assistant superintendence report. Good evening. Last week we shared that Sumiti Sumida Basut Takaker, seventh and eighth grade
031ELD teacher, was named one of the 12 finalists for Pennsylvania's 2027 teacher of the year award by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The statewide recognition honors educators who inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities, demonstrate excellence in the classroom, and make meaningful contributions to their schools and communities. Through the National State Teacher of the Year program, PTE celebrates teachers who spark curiosity, build confidence, and create a supportive environment that prepares students for future success. The Pennsylvania 2027 Teacher of the Year will be announced at a state awards ceremony in December of 2026 and will go on to represent the Commonwealth at local, regional, and national events including the national teacher of the year ceremony in Washington DC. So to Mrs. Basutaker, thank you for this congratulations and thank you for this incredible and well-honored deserve
032um welldeserved honor. Roll out the red carpet. The 17th annual film festival will be held at the Oaks Center Cinema on Wednesday, May 20th. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The trailers start at 6:15 p.m. and the evening starts at 6:30 p.m. Invite all of your friends to enjoy a night of student creations. Again, it's May 20th from 6:30 to 8:30. Oaks Center Cinema. The event is free. Donations are accepted for a cause selected by the major 2 class. Donations will be accepted by the National Institute of Mental Health. Finally, students entering fourth grade for the 26 27th school year have the exciting opportunity to join band or orchestra with lessons conveniently held during the school day. To help students find the perfect fit, the music department is hosting a meet the instrument night on Thursday,
033May 28th at the 567 grade center. During this hands-on event, current third grade students will have the chance to explore and try out three instruments of their choice. A great way to discover what sparks their interest. Check out your uh parent square message for the registration link. And that is the end of my report. Thank you so much. >> Good evening. I'd like to extend a congratulations to Mrs. Sue Choi and Springford uh Spring City Elementary School for being named the 202526 school wellness checklist champion by the Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation. And while we're discussing awards and honors this week, the Springford Middle School Music Ensembles participated in the 2026 Music in the Park Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Students performed in the morning and enjoyed time in Hershey Park following their performances. All three
034of our ensembles gave fantastic performances and received the following ratings. Middle school concert band award of excellent. Middle school strings orchestra award of excellent and middle school concert choir award of superior. Congratulations to all of our musicians and the entire middle school music team. Mr. Joe Perry, Alex Celli, Anna Ham, and Steve Yoder. And finally, as we quickly approach the end of the school year, we'd like to take a moment to thank our teachers and staff for all of their hard work throughout the year. And to our students and families, we wish you a well-deserved, relaxing, and safe summer break. And we are almost there. And that's my report. >> Next, we have our solicitor's report. Mr. Fitzgerald, do you have anything for us? >> I do not have a report this evening. >> Okay.
035Thank you. Chugging right along takes us uh to review items uh for our voting meeting next week. Um so we'll just kind of go through here. Section six is minutes. Section seven is finance. This looks like a through a lot. A through Y. Any questions or comments for finance? >> Can we talk about D, please? >> Sure. Item D. Yes. I just since next week is when we are supposed to vote on the budget and I will say we we've had a number of finance meetings and I know a number of our board members as well as administration has been there. I haven't heard a lot of major questions come up from the board. So, I was just curious if anyone had any looming questions or concerns as we approached next week and if there
036was anything valuable for us to discuss before we got to the vote next week. >> I don't know if you want a member of the finance committee to speak, but I don't have any questions. I would just uh attribute that to Mr. Frink and uh his team for the really the work that started last year to get us in a position this year where we really are um you know I I think about like where we were not this proposed preliminary budget but the one before that where it was an 11 million gap to index. Am I right on that? Was it $1 million? And this year when we met in November that number was uh was pleasantly I was pleasantly surprised to see where we were given um given the previous year. So um
037I know that the administration has worked very diligently to um think about how we can operize some things internally to get us to a point where this is actually probably knock on wood one of the most uh straightforward budget seasons that I've had since I've been on the board in the last five years. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Herman. I want to also uh thank the board for your engagement at the finance meetings um you know and and kind of going through that committee level process and then you know this thank you u Mrs. Westwood for bringing an additional opportunity to the table for any questions. But I do think um you know we really all had our um arms wrapped around the whole process the whole way led by uh Mr. Frink
038and Mrs. Westwood. So thanking you guys for your engagement on that as well. >> Okay. Any other items under finance? >> Yes. Uh K the closure of math club >> K >> section K which is a activity account closure for a math club. Is that a high school or middle school level? Like >> I'm ass I don't know much about this so I don't I'm not sure. I'm assuming it's a high school and usually when there's no activity that occurs over time is when we propose to close the activity club. But I would think that um Mr. Frink can probably speak more to this than I can. >> Actually, I can answer that. I got this from um Mrs. Weiss who is at she runs the high school account activities. >> I was like who
039is speaking right now? I am not used to that. Thank you Miss Schmidt. >> I did we discuss I feel like we discussed at extracurricular >> the change of some clubs. I feel like this was discussed there. We were reviewing if there's no activities we'll close the club. I'm just surprised to see the math club being closed. You know, just not having any activity in math club just surprises me. But uh maybe I'm blanking on it, but I'll circle back in the committee. >> Anything else from finance? Okay, moving to section 8 personnel A through K looking at um X with the changing from board docs to diligent. Do we know anything about how smoothly that transition is expected to go? Might be a question for Dr. Hilt. >> I I can actually speak to
040that. Um Mrs. Crew and I have been working with Diljen. Um we also met with um Keystone Agenda who is the new PSBA platform and there's also a policy component within the PSBA platform. Um, one of the our goals was to try and keep board docs moving as smoothly as possible so that the transition would be seamless. Um, I know that Mrs. Crew in conversations with board docs, they did talk to us about how we can carry on as is. And that's what we're looking for right now is just to kind of float it for a year as we let PSBA work out their new platform. um which we've sat in a couple of webinars about but um was not quite fully there yet as far as the information that was shared. So that's what
041we're working to try and keep everything just moving as is right now in status quo before making any changes. We've also found that Diligent has a new platform that they are eventually going to be phasing out board docs to their new platform down the road. So we're kind of waiting to see what that platform is going to look like as well. Um, and then, um, Mark and I were just talking about, um, some of the policy piece. We are anticipating it being a little clunky because now the policies will be housed in two different places. And so, we're working out on our end just to make sure that um, we're covered with that. But, I'm anticipating the policy to not be as clean as we would like it because now they're living in two different
042places. But I still think the best bet is to kind of move forward with what we know, let them work out their new platform and then re-evaluate it after a little time. >> Thank you for your attentiveness to this. So I know it's not simple. Thanks. >> Okay. So I think we went ahead jump back to finance now back to personnel. Is there any under personnel any Okay. So, next we're on section nine, programming and curriculum. Lots of renewals here, >> but I I want to call out something that we talked about during the curriculum meeting is there seems it seems like a lot of renewals here, but the impact that the administration team has made in really reducing the number of things that we have to renew. it wasn't reducing um pieces of the
043curriculum, but it was making things make sense. So, there weren't duplication, there weren't we weren't overspending or things. So, now they have a really nice um source of everything we need and it's in really good shape. So, while it might look like a lot, it's really significantly less than it used to be. Is that >> That's fair enough. And I really appreciate you saying that because Dr. Gardy has really taken the lead and has done a fantastic job with Jen Reinhim and Brienne Angeluchcci. They've really scrutinized the materials that we're using, the products, making sure it's we're getting the the most out of the products and that we're reducing the redundancy and looking at the usage. So, they've really done a really nice job at analyzing that and reducing this over time. So, they have
044pulled back on on some of those products just to make sure that they're being used consistently. So, they've done a really great job over the last couple years. >> It's it's a big a huge amount of work and it is very appreciated. So, thank you. Thank you. Okay. Anything else under programming and curriculum? Okay. There's nothing for conferences and workshops this month, which brings us to section 11, property items A through D. No. Um, no questions. But I do want to make a comment um because as many of you know Dr. Scandan um earlier in the year had done a lot of work to coordinate board tours uh for us. I think he had three different dates maybe it ended up being four different dates where we got to see basically all uh select rooms
045in in every school district every school in this district. And I really love the fact that some of the rooms that we toured uh were very intentional in that we see them on the agenda today. So for example, I had the opportunity to tour the 9th grade center and to see the carpentry room with uh Mr. Bowers and um when this came up in property, it be it was almost like okay, there's no discussion needed because I saw it firsthand. And you know, if you saw that room, you saw how um uh in terms of the dust collection, but also just in terms of how it's configured, how you know, if you're having different cohorts of kids working at certain areas of the room, they all can't be working simultaneously. So, I know that it
046was discussed around the dust collection and possibly a reconfiguration, and it's just makes total sense. So, I just wanted to say thank you for the setting up the tours and I hope that we can continue that in the future, especially if we have action items like this on the agenda as we oftent times do to be able to be get in there firsthand and see it. I think just makes a ton of sense. >> Thank you. Any other questions or comments on property? No. Okay. Next is other business. As usual, we have policies for first read and for approval and also um some MUS this month. And then section 13formational items. We don't have any this week, which brings us to board comment. Is there any board comment tonight? >> I was just wondering how
047Mr. Ellison liked his first meeting. It was pretty fun. I learned a lot um from just being here. It's like very different from just like watching it online or like you know, it's very different to be like in on the action. It's fun. I had a lot of fun. >> Flattery will get you everywhere. All right. >> I can tell. >> Okay. Is there any public comment on anything related? Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Um well, first of all, welcome. If you thought this was exciting, then um your parents are the only ones in the audience, but I am glad that you thought that this meeting was exciting. More to come. It'll get more exciting as we go. But um two two quick comments. One, this came up in finance committee, but I
048know not everyone was present and more for our wonderful audience members, maybe two. But um House Resolution 368, which we've talked about before, is officially out of committee and at the hands of the speaker of the PA House, which is Joanna McClinton. So all of you should have an email I think about that. It said house bill. It is not house bill. That is actually about antique automobiles. It's house resolution. So if anybody else was confused, I just wanted to clarify that. You're welcome. Um we are hopeful this is going to pass this spring and if it does pass that means that they would conduct this study. So as a reminder this is about property taxes. We talk a lot about I know Mr. Frink does and his team about um commercial real estate and
049the impact in our budget and actual dollars that goes to our school. So, if this is passed, that means that a study could be done and hopefully we'll be on a path to have a more viable model for assessing um real estate in Pennsylvania in the future. U the second thing, I did send a note about this last week, but I didn't know if anyone else if we had a majority that was interesting the board to consider adopting the PSBA 2026 resolution calling for increased funding for public schools and for passing an on-time budget for next school year. What's that? >> I was saying Mrs. Deerorf. I think that would be a great thing for you to talk about with Mrs. Westwood. I mean, I in terms of if the board wants to formally do
050that. >> Yeah, I think I think you suggested maybe I bring it up today. So, I don't know how you want to handle it. >> Um, I mean, if there is interest in adopt I mean that's what board we're were commenting. We can discuss it now. If there's uh I know Mrs. Goldmith has her hand raised, but if there is um interest, then we could do that to have on the agenda for next week. >> Yeah, I checked with some of the superintendents in Montgomery County and they're also interested in passing it and I would recommend we do the same. I know that it may not, you know, it has no weight per se that we can't force it, but it does show that, you know, we do rely on that funding and it is
051important to make sure that it's passed on time so that we can continue operations without interruption. Uh, Mrs. Goldmith. No. Okay. Um well, if you want to reach out to myself or uh Mrs. Westwood. Uh but you know, just a kind of quick straw poll, I would support uh adopting the resolution. Looks like Mrs. Wear and Mrs. Westwood. Yep, we have a majority. So, we'll move uh to add that to the agenda for next week. Awesome. Thank you. Is there any other board comment? Okay. Any public comment? No. Okay. Uh may I have a motion to adjurnn? So moved. >> All right. Meeting is adjourned.