001Good evening, everyone. And welcome to the March 23rd, 2026 regular meeting of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board. >> [snorts] >> As always, I invite you to stand for the Pledge to the Flag. Thank you. Regular School Board meetings are business meetings that are open to the public during which we provide several opportunities for public comments on items before the board. The first comment period is reserved for announced additional agenda items and items on the consent agenda only. Additional public comment will be heard for all the actions listed under other actions under consideration. And the final comment period near the end of the meeting is reserved for any matters of concern, official action, or deliberation which may or may not be may be before the TESD Board of Directors and which are not covered by other comment
002periods. Each public comment period is reserved for residents and taxpayers. Additionally, the board will accept comments from sitting public officials for non-campaigning purposes. And by agreement with the TEA and TENIG, the board will accept comments from the union presidents. All comments should be directed to the board as a whole or to the presiding officer. No comments or questions should be directed to individual board members. All public comments and responses should be in the spirit of civil public discourse. Also, please be aware that intentionally disrupting a lawful meeting of the administration of a government function is a criminal offense in Pennsylvania. The board values the opportunity to hear from the community in person and we appreciate your cooperation in advance. This evening we have eight members present. Uh Ms. Wile regrets that she's not able to
003join us due to an obligation related to her employment. I I'd like to start um by having our student reports. And this evening Maggie Neary is here and she's going to uh give us a an update from the student perspective. Maggie? Thank you, Mrs. Teed. Good evening, everyone. It's been a while since I last spoke here, but I hope everyone is having a great start to their spring and enjoying this incredible spring weather we are experiencing right now. So, as you can tell, I'm going solo tonight, so I'll get right into the report. Since the last time I spoke, some notable event events have occurred at Conestoga. First, the musical Once Upon a Mattress was a huge success and everyone was incredible in it. I was so blown away by the musical talent that our
004school has and I highly recommend everyone at least once go see the high school musical at Conestoga. Next, Conestoga held our annual Mini-THON fundraiser, a large culmination of the year-long Mini-THON donation efforts for the kids. And the grand total was revealed to be a little over $43,000 and we're still counting, which is a huge success and it had the largest turnout we've had ever with over 350 students. And currently on the docket for Conestoga students as well, everyone's looking forward to spring break, which begins this Saturday. During this time as well, Conestoga seniors are finalizing their elective experience plans for the month of May. Seniors are also anticipating senior prom, which will be held April 17th at the Phoenixville Foundry. Student Council has just announced that the theme is Rio, based off of the movie
005around the rainforest and its bright colors, which is exciting. So now, for the entire school and not just seniors, this coming week on Wednesday the 25th and Thursday the 26th are career days. These career days are headlined by guests such as Adam Joseph and Brad Inglesby and they'll share their experiences in their career fields for aspiring students who wish to learn more about these fields. The schedule's hung hung up on walls around Conestoga, as you can see up here, and on Schoology, too. Definitely very very cool opportunity. Highly encourage you to check that out. Switching over to sports, there's been a lot of news about sports, especially again since the last time I spoke, which seems to be a few months ago. So, for starters, to recap the winter season, all teams performed exceptionally well.
006Both the girls and boys swim team made it to the state championships, as did wrestling and winter track. And all these teams had a great running in these state championships and tournaments. Both the girls and boys basketball teams qualified for the state tournaments as well. And arguably more notable, not biased, both basketball teams won the Central League title, a feat that has not been not been accomplished by either team since 2008. And it's pretty special that we swept that this year. Now, switching over to spring sports, it's been a pretty slow start battling this unfavorable weather. So, all games that have been rescheduled or canceled are being posted on CHS Athletics, so make sure to stay up to date to that. Um but again, all of our spring sports are up and running and we
007have some pretty exciting firsts to mention. Our boys tennis team hosted and won their first home tennis match that was held at 'Stoga at the our brand new tennis courts. Additionally, the boys volleyball team just hosted earlier tonight their first game. The boys volleyball team has been a club sport for the past 3 years and this is the first year that they're PIAA sponsored, which again, also super exciting. This past weekend, the crew team competed in their first race of the season at the Schuylkill River. They continue to practice down at Boathouse Row. Tomorrow, the boys lacrosse team will play their home opener on the brand new Cassatt Field. The fields and the tennis courts are all perfectly playable and all of our spring sports have been making very good use of them these past
008weeks. Construction is still finishing up over there, but very soon they should be completely ready to go, which is awesome. And looking ahead, rugby will have their senior day at Wilson Farm Park on April 19th with the girls at 12:00 and boys at 2:00. And finally, a college signing day, an event for seniors who will be continuing their athletic careers into college, will take place out on Teamer Field on April 29th. More information on of that will be to come. And I know that this is very ahead of schedule, but it was important for me to note that for those who are planning vacations this summer, um football preseason is going to be starting August 10th next year and trials for every other sport will be starting August 17th. Kind of crazy that we have
009to think that ahead, but that schedule was just released and it was pushed back as Labor Day is pushed back, so important to note, I guess. And that was a lot of information from me, so thank you for bearing with me. Um I'm excited to see everyone next month and I hope you all have who are employed in TE or T&E have nice spring break this coming week. Thank you, Maggie. >> [applause] >> Mag- Maggie's being uh modest. I have to tell you that as long as she's sitting right here, she was an integral part of that girls basketball team that uh won the Central League and it was quite a year to have both the boys and girls uh teams uh accomplishing that. So, thank you, Maggie, for all those three-pointers. >> [laughter and
010gasps] >> Uh before we go on to the highlight section, I just want to point out the art which is behind us here. Uh in this artwork was uh supplied to us by the TE Middle School artists. It's inspired by the iconic style of the 1980s artist Keith Haring. Eighth grade students at TE Middle School created a pop art mural that reflects moments from their daily lives. Like Haring, the students use simple shapes and powerful symbols to communicate meaningful ideas in ways that are easy to understand and engaging for all audiences. Haring believed that art should be accessible to everyone and he also used his visibility as an artist to draw attention to important world events. So, we thank uh TE Middle School for sending that art over for our backdrop this evening. Uh now,
011School Board members Kenneth Hong and Nicole Shirer will join TE Middle School Assistant Principal Orlando Car- Caravel and Valley Forge Elementary Principal Becky Wills in greeting students and staff during the highlight section of tonight's board meeting. Director of Assessment and Accountability Mark Cataldi and Curriculum Supervisor Dr. Matthew Starenchak will be the readers for this evening. And while they're preparing to greet our students, I'd like to say a word about the Valley Forge Elementary students and their families who have been extremely patient in waiting for their students to be recognized. We all know this has been a very challenging winter. And I'm [snorts] from Buffalo, so I know winter. Uh in January, we had planned to recognize these Valley Forge Elementary students, but the snow caused us to postpone our meeting and shorten it due to
012the weather. And then in February, we had yet another storm. And once again, we asked these families for their patience. That same night, the TE Middle School families who are here this evening received a message postponing their recognition. So, tonight, on a rainy day, but not a snowy one, I want to thank the Valley Forge Elementary families and TE Middle School families for bearing with us with such graciousness. Thank you very much. Mr. Starenchak. have demonstrated outstanding achievement to attend the regular School Board meetings to be recognized for their efforts. The board invites parents and teachers to accompany their students this evening as the board recognizes them. Those who are unable to be here tonight will receive their certificates at each school. When I call your name, please walk by Mr. Cataldi and then greet
013your school board members and Ms. Wells and Ms. Carver Hall and proceed to Ms. Roy where Ms. Roy is to receive your certificates. Valley Forge Elementary School celebrates kindness week. Shine bright with kindness is Valley Forge's theme this year and it's being celebrated through announcements, classroom activities, and school-wide events. In December, the school hosted kindness week and students participated in a kindness pledge, a school-wide kindness chain, and gratitude grams. The week concluded with a positive character assembly and the announcements of the fourth grade kindness ambassadors, students who help create a welcoming environment at school. Ellie Wynn. Chase Horton. Artemy Razhnev. Emmanuel Berhanu. Neha Khanna. Charlie Newman. Alisa Bolgatova. Emma Bauer. Harper Klein. Aaron Hong. Sandra Leonardo. Jackie Andrews. Howie Whitehead. Logan Bernadini. And Leanne Halika. The school climate committee led by school counselor Carolyn Swickowski
014designed the theme and kindness activities. >> [applause] [applause] >> Valley Forge Elementary School fourth grade students excel at STEM activities. Fourth graders recently demonstrated critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. After learning the engineering design process in STEM class, students Artemy Razhnev, Vivan Kaushal, Caleb Sedoroff, and Ryan Sheikh worked together to design an impressive marble run. During the challenge, they explored velocity, momentum, and gravity, refining their design to create a successful prototype. The project highlighted the importance of communication, teamwork, and perseverance. STEM teacher Susan McCann guided the experience. >> [applause] [applause] >> TE Middle School Junior Model UN Club members support inclusive school environment. The TE Middle School Junior Model UN Club gives students a dynamic way to explore international relations, diplomacy, and public speaking while demonstrating
015strong research, debate, and collaboration skills. Members show teamwork, critical thinking, and confident communication as they professionally represent their assigned countries, creating an inclusive environment that welcomes diverse perspectives and builds empathy and cultural awareness. Congratulations to club members Ahani Ariel, Aisha Goma, Caitlin Lay, Harishitha Malaswaren, Simone McGear, Danvi Narasetti, Jimmerly Richardson, Sanvika Sarangi, Roshini Thennarasu Karan, Krisha Vadia, and Sophia Yang. Teacher Dave Hardy is the faculty advisor. >> [applause] >> TE Middle School Community Service Club members spread kindness. The Community Service Club at TE Middle School makes a meaningful impact through hands-on projects like decorating bags for Meals on Wheels, supporting local seniors, organizing the athletic closet, and managing the lost and found to help families in need. Members also brighten the school by creating door decorations for teachers and appreciation cards for support staff. Through
016teamwork and service, the club empowers students to give back, spread kindness, and strengthen their community. A huge thank you to club members Nikhila Avari, Arthur Carter, Noah Gallagher, Isla Glass, Amy Gaul, Eliza Hurtado, Clara Lawler, Isabelle Merriam, Sienna McCraw, Alex McKetta, Lucy Melnizak, Trisha Parikh, Vanya Pulusari, Shri Renukunta, Ben Regal, Jackson Regal, Haley Searfoss, and Brent Yu, as well as Conestoga High School student mentors Veronica Look and Chloe Proud. Teacher Patrick Humbert is the faculty advisor. >> [applause] [applause] >> TE Middle School students exemplify outstanding engineering. The TE Middle School Engineering Students of the Month recognition honors students who consistently exemplify creativity, technical skill, teamwork, and curiosity as they tackle challenges with determination and persist through uncertainty. Their positive attitude helps foster a classroom culture of innovation and growth, and we are proud to celebrate
017their achievements. Congratulations to the following students who were named engineering students of the month for December and January. Robert Costigan, Molly Fogarty Fogarty, Madeleine Kreswick, Finnegan Orm, Edwin Brecht, Tilly Langloss, Saisha Luthra, Chase Lee, Cameron Gonzalez, Ethan High, Ada Huang, Ellie Mendecino, Theo Wyckoff, Sophia Canaan, Melanie Balog, and Pahal Patadar. These students were recommended by their teachers, Tim Mumford, Melinda Serenzak, and Melissa Marino. >> [applause] [applause] >> Conestoga High School students win 2025 National Press Association Awards. Competing against the nation's top student journalists and photographers, Lily Chen won first place sports photo of the year with her photo Field Hockey Wins State Championship for the first time. Abby Chong and Lauren Pinheiro, Lauren Pinheiro and Vaishnavi Shriyadabhatla received fifth place for best sports story of the year with their article Field Hockey Wins State Championship
018for the first time. Jeffrey Hang was awarded fifth place for best opinion story of the year for his article Jeff's Gist: I Hate Men. Finally, Mary Walters received honorable mention for Portfolio of the Year Artist of the Year. The faculty advisors for Conestoga student newspaper, The Spoke, are Laura Howard, Mimi Thurman, and Trisha Young. >> [applause] >> Retired TE School District administrator honored by Pennsylvania Senate. Dr. Oscar Torres, who recently retired from the position of Director of Equity and Public Programs, was recognized by the Pennsylvania Senate for his dedicated service to the students and families of Tredyffrin/Easttown School District for over 25 years. The Senate has provided Dr. Torres with a certificate honoring his commitment to public education in Pennsylvania. Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning Dr. Wendy Toll will present the Senate certificate
019to Dr. Torres this evening. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to share this award tonight for my dear friend Dr. Oscar Torres. Congratulations from the Senate of Pennsylvania. Whereas, the Senate of Pennsylvania is always pleased to recognize those individuals who, through their laudable tenure of service, contribute in a meaningful way toward the well-being of their communities and this Commonwealth. And whereas, Oscar Torres Jr. is being honored upon his November 5th, 2025 retirement as Director of Equity and Public Programs of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District after more than 25 years of dedicated service. Now, therefore, the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania extends heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Oscar Torres Jr. upon the occasion of his well-deserved retirement, expresses appreciation for the exemplary dedication to duty which he demonstrated, extends best wishes for
020a most happy and rewarding future, and directs that a copy of this document, sponsored by Senator Carolyn T. Committa and Senator Katie J. Muth, be transmitted to Dr. Oscar Torres Jr. Congratulations, Oscar. >> [applause] [applause] >> Congratulations to all of you for your outstanding efforts and achievements. We commend you for your accomplishments. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you, everyone. Uh parents, at this time, uh we certainly welcome you to stay for the rest of our business meeting if you'd like. Uh but if you have uh other things to do to celebrate with your very accomplished children, we give you a moment to depart. We'll take a quick break. All right, I think we're ready to resume our meeting. Um there are no additional announcements for agenda items, so we move on now to
021public participation from district residents and district taxpayers regarding items that are on the consent agenda this evening. If you'd like to make a comment on the consent agenda, please step up to the microphone and tell us your your name and the township of your residence. And then we will end comment with the last person in line. All right, seeing none, I think we ready to move on then. Um this evening we have no board action regarding amendments of agenda to include additional items from section five. So, our next item is the consent agenda. Although board action is required, it is generally unnecessary to hold discussion on these items. With the consent of all members, they are therefore grouped and approval is given in one motion. In the event a board member wants to discuss any
022item, the board president will move it to an appropriate place on the agenda. A board member may vote nay or abstain with respect to a consent agenda item without the need of removing that item from the consent agenda. The action under consideration is that the Board of School Directors approves the recommendations on the consent agenda as printed on page seven of the agenda this evening. Do I have a motion? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Uh I will be voting on all the items in the consent agenda except for item number seven C4 year 2026 summer reading program camp staff due to the presence of the name of my niece as a teacher on that staff this summer. So, I think we're ready to vote. All those in favor, please indicate so by
023saying I. I. Those opposed by saying nay. The motion has passed eight to zero. And uh I would like to just make one special note about something that was on that agenda that we've just passed. Uh we're happy to announce that Mr. Rick Madison has been formally approved now as our next athletic director. And we uh are very happy to have him assume that new role, which he will do at the end of this school year. And uh we offer our congratulations to Mr. Madison. >> [applause] >> This evening we have no priority discussion, so we'll return to the next item on the agenda, which is which will be our committee and ambassador reports. And I'd like to start with our policy committee, and Dr. Hotinsky is giving that report this evening. Uh thank you,
024Ms. Tidy. Um the policy committee met on March 3rd. The following policies are on tonight's agenda on a second reading basis. Policy and regulation 3241, fees collected from students. The policy was revised as credit systems are permitted. The The regulation was revised to include approved activity fees and a statement about fee adjustments or waivers for qualified students. Policy 3293, designation of depositories. The policy and regulation were revised as as it is not necessary to issue a request for depositories every 3 years. The order of the two subsections in the regulation regarding timing of board resignation and solicitation were reversed for clarity, and the updated title of assistant business manager was inserted. Uh and then finally, policy 4031, voluntary separations from the district, uh resignations from employment. The policy was revised to allow an employee's resignation
025to be accepted by the superintendent and placed in the consent agenda as an information item in a regular board meeting following the resignation within a reasonable time of the acceptance of the resignation by the superintendent. This was a non-material change from the first reading. In addition, the following were discussed. Uh policy and regulation 3295, district initiated real estate real estate tax assessment appeals. Revisions to the policy included grammatical changes along with those made for clarity that align with the underlying purpose and therefore did not constitute a material revision to the policy. Non-substantive non-substantive revisions were made to the regulation. The policy and regulation will be shared with the district's tax appeal council, and absent further changes, both the policy and the regulation will go into effect immediately. The following policies had non-substantive revisions regarding updated
026titles, spacing, grammar, and punctuation. They will be marked as revised and go into effect immediately along with the revisions to the accompanying regulations. Policy 3440, management of escrow funds. Policy and regulation 3450, monies collected in school buildings. Policy and regulation 3460, management of school activity funds. Policy and regulation 3510, continuing disclosure and post-issuance compliance and record retention for district bond obligations. Um policy 3430 uh was also discussed, uh periodic financial reports, but there were no revisions, so it will be marked as reviewed and go into effect immediately. Further details uh will be provided later in the meeting regarding the policies listed on tonight's agenda for approval on a first reading basis. The next policy committee meeting is scheduled for April 20th, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the district offices. Thank you. Uh our next report
027is from Vice President Kenneth Hong. Uh it is a report about the diversity committee. Uh thank you, Ms. Tidy. Uh the diversity committee has not met uh since our last board meeting. The next meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 9th at the TE administrative office. All are welcome to attend. Thank you. We turn now to the finance committee and Mr. Ken Torcik. Thank you, President Teedy. Our finance committee met on Monday, March 9th. Uh Mr. Livergood started the meeting reviewing the February financials. The February revenues include an increase in receipt of local revenues when comparing this year to last year and overall revenues are higher by $4.6 million compared to last year but down as a percentage of budget compared to last year. The main difference in the local revenue is the
028revenue received or not received from real estate tax collection. The total revenue as of February 2026 is almost 1.1 I'm sorry, 163.9 million dollars. Regarding expenditures, approximately 58% of the total budget has been expended year to date without including encumbrances. But if you take into account encumbrances, expenditures and encumbrances show that instruction expansion expenses are higher this year and are over 93% of budget. The total general fund expenses and encumbrances as of the end of February are $174,240,058.42. The committee next reviewed the February 2026 individual student services report which included a new format to track spending to date and projected total 2025-26 expenditures as compared to budget. Currently, the administration projects expenditures to exceed budget by over $2.5 million. We plan to discuss this projection in more detail and how it relates to the 26-27
029budget at our next budget workshop in April. Speaking of which the short finance committee was followed by a budget workshop for the 26-27 budget which focused on revenues. During the workshop, a video of which can be found on the district's website we discussed in particular our recent experience of real estate tax revenues coming in under budget due to appeals and how to account for this going forward. Our next finance committee meeting will be on Monday, April 13th, 2026 here at Conestoga High School. One of the items will be the CCIU presenting their budget for the finance committee meeting. So, all all are welcome to attend. Will be followed by a budget workshop that focuses on expenditures. And this includes my report. Thank you, Mr. Ken Torcik. Mr. Hong has our facilities report. Thank you, Mrs.
030Teedy. Uh the facilities committee met March 10th. Uh we covered a lot of new as well as ongoing projects. Uh fortunately, we were able to find a number of different ways where we could reduce our expenditures on on these projects. We first reviewed our construction report for our summer projects. Um pre-construction meetings are taking place and bids are being received for our two summer infrastructure projects which are expected to begin uh at the end of the school year. Next, we had an update on our athletic fields project. As our student representative mentioned, the the fields are all open now and ready for use or in use by our students. Um as of the the meeting, we were a little bit behind on the completion for our field house. However, all construction issues have been addressed
031and we're expecting that to be completed shortly. Um as well the fields uh are available and the roadways are in place and uh there was a little bit of a discussion about uh how we were going to be opening up those roadways in the future and we can I think look forward to those opening um up in the fall. Uh for for more general use. Uh for Bear Hill Elementary School um we were fortunate to have a credit change order for the project in the amount of $10,831 for a credit for a tank that was determined that we did not need to use for the project. Um we also uh went through key construction status updates uh issues with snow removal uh and our substantial completion date continues to be projected as April 9th 2027.
032Um we also had a substantial discussion about uh the signage for Bear Hill Elementary School. Um we were showed pictures of a number of different options to consider um both for the the type of sign whether it would be masonry or wooden as well as a different placement options. If people have been driving by the site, you may have noticed that there's a temporary sign out there um that was quite good but definitely temporary and not not the kind of durability we expect for a permanent sign. Um and that was all all due to our our great maintenance staff in putting that together for us. Uh the committee decided that we would continue with the wooden sign option uh to explore further uh as the less expensive alternative to the masonry one. Uh next, we
033received an update on our solar grants uh for Bear Bear Hill Elementary School um and we reviewed uh three competitive solar grants totaling uh uh $93,682 um and we reviewed the cost both with and without those grants. And we're looking forward to seeing uh the the the results of of those applications to see how we move forward with our solar for the for the building. Uh next up, um we uh Dr. Semendara uh reviewed our capital expenses for our wireless infrastructure which is due to be upgraded and and replaced. Um and uh was glad to show that we were able to reduce our budget by approximately $300,000 uh uh using the E-rate contract and that which was placed on uh to tonight's consent agenda. Finally, we reviewed our capital sources and uses. Uh the main
034updates were the assumption of $20 million in bonds uh in this year and next as well as the $6 million contribution to capital from the budget and years going forward. So, our future meetings will be April 14th and May 12th, both at 7:00 p.m. at the TE administrative offices on West Valley Road. All are welcome to attend. That ends my report. Thank you. Uh Dr. Hutansky has our report on the education committee's work. Thank you. Uh we met on uh the education committee met on March 12th and uh we had uh several topics. The first was curiosity driven pathways. Uh that was presented as a presentation by Dr. Amy Meisinger who is the Conestoga High School principal. Dr. Meisinger in defined the strategic plan aligned pathways as an intentional combinations of multi-disciplinary courses and experience
035that establish a trajectory of inquiry aligned with a personal student's personal passions, interest in specific topics, themes or problems and particular and or interest in a particular field or career. The curiosity driven pathways will be accomplished when students select an area of concentration across several disciplines uh engage in a series of four minute more multi-disciplinary courses design their own area of focus and sequence of courses with approval and um demonstrate in the end results through reflection on a culminating pathway card. Uh Dr. Meisinger explained the logistics and specifics about the pathways and um which are uh specifically here. Um it will be introduced in the spring of ninth grade. Um so uh after the ninth graders been here for a while um to get used to the to the environment. Uh no additional coursework will
036be required um to to um participate in a curiosity driven pathway. Students can register at any time but there will be no look backs. You have to register to um for a curiosity driven pathway before finishing the final course out of the four at least four. Um and there is the ability to adjust um as as needed. So, um the it's a very flexible sort of um experience designed for the student's benefit. Um and the committee responded very positively to um to this proposal and we are looking forward to seeing how students put their own stamp of approval on their Conestoga experience. Um next, we received a dual enrollment update from Dr. Matt Sterenczak who's a curriculum supervisor at the high school. He explained that uh the Conestoga High School dual enrollment enrollment program continues
037to grow with 11 courses eligible for college credit through the district's partnership with Gwynedd Mercy University. Um and there's also one additional course eligible for credit with through an agreement with Immaculata. We then uh Dr. Sterenczak then reviewed uh the 11 Gwynedd Mercy courses um that are available for dual enrollment and explain or eligible for dual enrollment and explain the details of the collaborative partnership with Gwynedd Gwynedd Mercy including three transferable college credits per course with no additional academic requirements placed on Conestoga students who take that that course. A fee for the 2020 2026-2027 school year of $420 per course for those three transferable credits, which is an 80% reduction in Gwynedd Mercy's normal tuition. And also the availability availability of a scholarship at Gwynedd Mercy for participation in the program in the last semester
038of if they were to attend. Dr. Serencic then reviewed the growing number of students enrolled in the courses since 2023 and the efforts made by the district and the dual enrollment coordinator to share information with students and parents about the program to help help increase enrollment, which is now up to 110 students. He then explained a sampling of colleges and universities that accept Mercy's Gwynedd Mercy's transfer credits and the potential cost savings for families and students earning dual enrollment credit. Dr. He then he answered our questions and they will continue to monitor opportunities for further courses that would align with the district's needs and to continue to work to communicate the opportunities available to all families. And finally we received a cursive handwriting update from Dr. Wendy Toll, director of curriculum, instruction, and professional learning.
039Dr. Toll explained that state legislation recently passed mandates that cursive writing be taught in Pennsylvania schools, but fortunately the district has always taught cursive writing in third grade and will continue to do so. We will be kept updated if there is any change that requires any consideration on our part, but we are complying with that legislation already. The meeting was then adjourned and our next meeting will be April 16th, 2026 at the district offices and all are welcome and encouraged to attend. Thank you. Our ad hoc legislative committee report is will be done by Ms. Piccione. Thank you, President Teti. For your information, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, there are four legislative education items that have been co-sponsored by our representative Melissa Shusterman. First is House Bill 2285, health services reimbursement reform and school
040nurse staffing ratios. The legislation establishes a staffing ratio of one certified school nurse for every 750 students, ensuring that every child has meaningful access to qualified medical support during the school day. This has been referred to the House Education Committee. The next item is um House Bill 2275, allowing more time for an IEP evaluation. The legislation would extend this time frame to 60 school days to allow more time for a thorough evaluation of a student's disability. This has been referred to the House Education Committee. The next is House Bill 2218, increasing student success with more school counselor support. Legislation would establish the School Counseling Services Act, ensuring the planning and coordination necessary for counselors to fully use their training and expertise. That also has been referred to the House Education Committee. And House Resolution 318,
041school property tax study. The proposed resolution will gather and aggregate property tax data to study and evaluate the impact of different school fundings. That has been referred to the House Education Committee. And in the Pennsylvania Senate, that would be Senate Bill 1102. This has been co-sponsored by our Senator Carolyn Comitta, protecting schools, nonprofits, and human services from budget impasse fallout. This act would provide the budget impasse reimbursement program and for grants to certain eligible entities and establishing the budget impasse reimbursement restricted account. This has been referred to the Pennsylvania Senate Finance Committee. You can find additional information about these legislative items on their respective websites. Thank you. Ad hoc public information is chaired by Mr. Contorse. Thank you, President Teti. The ad hoc public information committee has not met since our last monthly board meeting.
042If and when we schedule a committee meeting, we will announce the time and place of such meeting in the weekly blast and on our district website. Thank you. I will go back to Ms. Piccione for the intermediate unit technical school report. Thank you. Before I get into our March 18th CCIU meeting update, there was a prior event of board appreciation of which our board members were invited to go to the um Pickering campus, the technical college high school Pickering campus, where we uh went to three different stations from the uh programs. There are 18 programs at that Pickering campus and the three programs that we were engaged in, hands-on I might add, were automotive services technology, digital media and sound communication, and electrical occupations. I got to um And in between those rotations were um
043uh delectable munchies from the culinary arts program. So I got to during the automotive service technology, I got to use one of those hand uh you know, power tools where I got to take off rivets off of a tire. I'm surprised I didn't just get blasted across the room with the with the power of that thing. So Jake helped me and it was a really interesting experience. In the digital media and sound communication, Eli and his assistant we did a podcast and we got asked questions and we were on film and that was a lot of fun. And for the electrical occupations, Jackson helped me with the um I had to strip wires make a light turn on. So that was really unique. So other board members attended and I'll I'll refer to Dr. Messaris
044who has some insights on what she experienced during this fun event. Yes, thank you, Ms. Piccione. I really enjoyed um the hospitality of the um technical high school Pickering campus in Phoenixville. It was my first time to attend the school board appreciation night a few weeks ago. I'd like to thank executive director of the CCIU, Dr. George Fiore and his fellow administrators and of course the teachers and especially the students for a warm welcome to us from school directors from around the county. We were invited as Ms. Piccione said, I might repeat a couple of things here, but we were invited to try out and learn how several programs work. I had fun getting to be hands-on and learn from students and teachers. We were invited to record a podcast, perform electrical work, and to
045remove and replace lug nuts on a car tire and I did try all of those things. And also as Ms. Piccione said, we we had some wonderful tastings of the makings from the culinary students throughout the event. I was impressed by the students' competence and enthusiasm for the skills they're acquiring. And by the future academic and vocational opportunities afforded to the students by these specialized programs. And also as somebody who is um took various electives in industrial arts in high school and I was the only girl in my class, I was interested to know about the participation of females in their programs. So I was asking various administrators and and teachers about that and they assured me that there was some pretty decent representation in um the different trades that girls and women typically are
046not represented in. So I look forward to hearing more student success stories during my time on the school board and I thank again CCIU for that opportunity. On March 18th where the Chester County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors held its monthly meeting at the Pickering campus. Um Board members were presented with this hanger door hanger for our from the carpentry program. It's already been in use at my home. And so with that there were actually three meetings at the mart on March 18th. The policy committee meeting met uh first and we uh discussed the 200 series which is our student protocols. Um The next meeting was the Chester County school board authority. The Chester County school authority is a legal body that is the owner of all of the school buildings operated by the CCIU.
047The school authority board can issue bonds, enter into contracts, solicit bids, etc. for school construction. At this meeting uh we um discussed and approved the Give me 1 minute. All right. I have my notes here. Pages are stuck together, so forgive me. This is the kind of book that we get. And we uh discussed and approved the refunding of the 2018 general obligation bond. Now for the regular um board meeting uh the uh presentation was made on the full full circle success story showcasing alumni who have returned as instructors after gaining meaningful meaningful industry experience. Their stories demonstrate the strong workforce pipeline, industry partnerships, and career readiness fostered by TCHS programs at Pickering. We had a short video from Eli who did our podcasts. And then uh for the next item, we did have a
048uh presentation on the um 2026 marketplace services budget. And the uh CCIU um this is the marketplace services budget and the occupational education and categorical budgets. And so um uh those as uh Mr. Kantorski mentioned uh will um the CCIU will attend the TE April 13th finance committee meeting to present their budgets. Um the next item, the intermediate unit has sent an invoice to the state to recoup the costs of the loan that the IU incurred because of last year's state budget impasse. And the next meeting of the CCIU uh board of directors will be held Wednesday, April the 15th at 7:30 at the Child and Career Development Center at 1525 East Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, PA. Thank you. Thank you. Uh as you know, we are getting ready for the opening of Bear Hill in
049the August actually of 2027 and part of that is redistricting all of our elementary students. And Dr. Hotinsky has chaired that ad hoc redistricting committee and she has a a brief report. Yes, I will I will be brief. Just an update. As I mentioned last month, we have the ad hoc redistricting committee has completed its work in setting the parameters and defining the process for the redistricting. Uh the work of defining the new catchment areas will now move to a district steering committee which will include 10 um 10 members will be parents or guard parents or guardians from all five elementary schools. So if one's interested in uh participating in that committee, the application um will be available on on the web and in more information will be available on the website. I believe still
050starting April 6th still, so keep an eye out for that along um and there's plenty of information on the district website about eligibility for participating in that and the commitment involved. So we hope that uh we'll have a broad section of the community participate. Um and so again, that will be um be on the lookout for that in district communications um leading into next month. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Hotinsky. Under uh actions under consideration, we have some policy recommended for first reading. Uh the action under consideration is that the board of school directors approves the following policies on a first reading basis as ready for adoption at the next regular board meeting. Policy 3410, system of accounts. Policy 3434, annual audit. Do I have a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Thank
051you. Uh Dr. Hotinsky, would you please provide then the context for these policies? Yes. Um so policy 3410, system of accounts. The policy was revised as it was not necessary for checks in ex- in excess of $3,000 to be listed as a separate item since all checks are included on the monthly financial report. For policy and regulation 3434, annual audit, uh the policy was revised to include wording that the business manager or designee will evaluate the need for a request for proposal for audit services at least once every 3 years rather than make it a requirement. In addition, the list of entities the auditors file a statement with regarding the financial condition of the district was updated. And uh finally, it was decided that the proposed new regulation was not necessary. Thank you. Uh do
052we have any questions or comments from the board on these policies? Uh seeing none, then I'd turn to the uh public. The board now invites members of the audience who might have a comment on this item to step to the microphone if they would like to make that comment. All right. Seeing none, are there any further comments from the board? All righty, then I think we're ready to uh vote on the first reading of these policies. All those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Those opposed by saying nay. The motion has passed 8 to 0. We're now at the point in our meeting for public participation from district residents and taxpayers regarding any dis- any matters of concern, official action, or deliberation which are or may be before the board. Residents and taxpayers
053may address the board on matters not included in this agenda. Do we have any members that would like to make a comment? Okay, seeing none, the public comment period for this evening is closed. This is the point in the meeting when we ask for any announcements required by the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. Our solicitor this evening is Mr. Kenneth Roos and he will make any required announcements. Mr. Roos? Thank you. The board uh met in executive session tonight before this meeting regarding potential real estate acquisitions and a confidential personnel matter. Thank you. I'd like to just highlight some of the future meetings that we have coming up. Um as uh Mr. Kantorski mentioned, Monday, April 13th, 2026 is a budget workshop. It's our second one. It will be held here at 7:30 at Conestoga High School
054following uh the finance meeting that evening. Uh the finance meeting begins at 7:00. On Monday, April 27th, we'll have our regular school board meeting here at 7:30. On Tuesday, May 26th, we'll have another regular school board meeting. And then on Monday, June 8th, a regular school board meeting at Conestoga High School. So there're plenty of opportunities for people to come and uh continue at working with us as we go through the budget process. I would like to draw your attention to some materials that appear at the end of the agenda this evening. First, in accordance with policy 9310, the schedule of board meetings for the 26-27 school year is presented on page 98 of your agenda. And second, there is a summary of the 25-26 student participation in winter sports at our middle schools and
055high schools, and this is presented on page 99 of your agenda this evening. Do we have any other general amount announcements from the board? Dr. Mercerus? Yes, thank you, President Tidy. I just wanted to take a minute before the board meeting closes to share some some of my gratitude and notes about being an ambassador to Beaumont Elementary School. Last month and this month, Principal Dr. Stephanie Deming invited me to the school for a few special activities. In February, which is Black History Month, the students made creative creative displays for classroom doors and hallway bulletin boards. Teachers engaged students in scavenger hunt type quizzes so they could go around the school and locate answers to questions about people who were highlighted to celebrate the month. And I actually got to see two students working together uh
056diligently to to complete their quiz while I was there in the hallway. This month, I was invited to read a book to students in a first grade class and a second grade class. And I I would like to thank Mrs. Kowalski and Mr. Parada for making time to let me do this. The first grade class was especially precocious and inquisitive. We enjoyed a book about kindness and they could remember many details from the book and name other ways that we can be kind to each other. Thank you again to Beaumont Elementary for welcoming me and making my day every time. Thank you. Before I ask uh for a motion to adjourn, I'd like to point out also that there is a list of correspondences to the board that appear on page 100 of your agenda.
057And uh those are the uh correspondences that we uh received during the last month. Uh do I have a motion to Oh, if I may just uh I'd like to congratulate uh the performances of uh Once Upon a Mattress, the uh especially the choreographer. That was exceptional. And uh they really had to do some aerobics to uh be able to do the dancing and the and the choreography as well as sing at the same time. It was very energetic and uh a lots of fun. So, thank you very much and congratulations. It's always a a pleasure to see what our students do and I'm always amazed at the professionalism of the uh the productions that we have here at Conant. So, that's a real treat. Okay, uh do I have a motion to adjourn? Moved.
058And a second? Second. All those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. And those opposed by as Mr. Condor suggests, can stay here. The meeting is adjourned.