001Henry Zinc to our board. Uh Mr. Mr. Zinc was appointed in late January and he be immediately began his work uh in in the committees where um that we have as a board but uh tonight is his first full board meeting in a in this format in the business meeting and uh we're so happy to have him join us. Uh regular schoolboard meetings are business meetings that are open to the public during which we provide several opportunities for public comment on items that are 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 the actions listed under priority discussion and other actions under consideration. The final comment period near the end of the meeting is reserved for
002any matters of concern, official action or deliberation which may or may not be before the TEESD board of directors and which are not covered by the other comment periods. 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 TEAA 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 and all public comments and responses should be given 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 school board
003values the opportunity to hear from the community in person and appreciate your cooperation in advance. Tonight, we will forgo uh reports from our student representatives and our staff highlights this evening since our students were not in the building today. We look forward to those postponed reports and highlights in our January 23rd meeting. >> March. >> I'm sorry. March. I'm going the wrong way. In our March meeting. Um I think I'm I'm stuck on that because the poor people that were supposed to be recognized in January have been waiting patiently and we'll do that now in March. Uh, I would like because our students aren't here, I thought I would take this moment to tell you what they probably would uh and remind everyone that the Kanes Stoogga musical Once Upon a Mattress is currently ready
004to begin. It it starts on Wednesday evening and will uh continue through Saturday and there are some tickets available for some of those performances. It's always a treat to see our students. So, I hope um if you're watching this uh you might consider doing that and uh I know that you would enjoy it. And also, our boys and girls varsity basketball teams, both of which are Central League champs, quite a feat, uh are both playing in postseason games this coming week. Uh the boys will be here tomorrow night right here at Konesoga and uh the girls will be playing on Wednesday in Nman. Uh there are details on the KNOSOGA website in terms of times and specific locations. Uh student artwork. Uh I'd like to draw attention to the student artwork which is behind us.
005Uh it was supplied by Valley Forge Elementary School for this evening. Uh the kindergarten students explored how artist Claude Monaet layered and dabbed colors to capture reflected light and shifting times of day. Students selected the colors of sunrise, midday, or even evening light. And they used collaged flowers, lily pads, and other elements to design mixed media ponds. First grade students created bold, colorful landscapes using liquid glue and cast and chalk pastel, inspired by the Canadian artist Ted Harrison. They also studied toucans and their environment to create these colorful and detailed drawings. Second grade students studied Mexican artists Lurards Villa Gomez and ancient Egyptian scarab motifs to begin to design symmetrical butterflies and beetles. Their work demonstrates mastery of the transfer process of symmetry. Third grade students investigated Navajo weaving traditions before crafting paper weavingings with
006watercolor and ink. And they also explored cubism through Pablo Picasso's portraits and created imaginative what they called mashed up self-portraits. And then students in the adaptive art class collaborated on tactile artworks and emphasizing texture, sensation, and fine motor skills. Their botanical geometric print was made with foam shapes, faux flowers, and stamped in tempera or velour paper. So we thank the Valley Forge students for sending us uh this lovely background. Uh the next item on our agenda is announcement of additional agenda items and we have none. So uh now it is time for public participation from district residents and district taxpayers regarding any items that appear on the consent agenda only. If you'd like to make a comment on the consent agenda, please come to the microphone, state your name and township of residence. We will
007end comment with the last person in line. All public public comments this evening will be limited to three minutes. And again, this comment period is limited to the consent agenda only. To help with the timing, please make sure your entire comment is made and the board will determine an appropriate response. Are there any people in the public who would like to make a comment? Seeing none, I think we can go on to uh our next item and that 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 approval is given in one motion. In the event a board member wants to discuss any item, the board president will remove it to an appropriate place
008on 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 agenda. The action under consideration is that the board of school day directors approves the following recommendations on the consent agenda as printed on page five of this particular agenda. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All those in favor, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Those opposed by saying nay. All right. The eyes have it and the motion has been passed. Uh nine to zero. I guess our vice president, Mr. Hong, has some information now about a gift that we received this month. Mr. Hong. >> Yes. Um, thank you, President Titi. Uh, one of
009the great pleasures of being vice president is accepting gifts to the school district and acknowledging this tremendous support and generosity of members of our community. Uh, the board of school directors accepts with pleasure and appreciation a $400 cash donation from Raul and Schulpa Mishra. A thank you note will be sent from our board secretary. >> Thank you. Uh next on our agenda is our priority discussion and this evening it's an update on the work of our ad hoc redistricting committee. Uh Dr. Tol will share an overview of the actions related to the redistricting of students for the school year in conjunction with the opening of Bear Hill Elementary School as represented in the presentation provided. Do I have a motion uh before Dr. Dr. Tol begins to approve the actions related to the redistricting of
010students for the school year in conjunction with the opening of Bear Hill Elementary. >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. So we have a proper first and second. We can now uh we will provide comment time at the end of Dr. Tol's uh presentation for both the board and the public. But uh we're ready now to hear from Dr. Tol. >> Thank you very much, President Titi. So um as Mrs. Titi stated uh and as you all know, we we will be opening Barry Hill Elementary in 2027 as part of the preparation for the new school, we are undertaking this process of redistricting to ensure that we have students to attend Bear Hill Elementary. So tonight I'm here to share with you uh the work of the uh ad hoc redistricting
011committee and then um answer any questions that you may have about the process. So the ad hoc redistricting committee has been meeting since last May. Tonight I'm here to share for your approval the parameters or or guard rails for the actual redistricting process and the guidelines for the selection of the people who will who will engage in the redistricting process itself. So here you can see the timeline. We first met um in May of last year and throughout the fall and up until uh the last few weeks we've been working as an ad hoc committee again to develop both the the uh parameters for the redistricting and the selection process for the members of the steering committee which we'll talk about in just a few moments. uh in the in the summer and the fall,
012the early fall, after we've selected the steering committee members, that committee will meet and engage in the actual redistricting work itself. So here you'll see the parameters for redistricting that were approved by the committee in January of 2026. So briefly um the parameters or again the guardrails for the process including include that we will seek to meet the population target ranges for each school. We'll certainly abide by all legal requirements. Create reasonably drawn boundaries. Avoid dividing neighborhoods. Align with best practices for bus transportation. will need to adjust middle school feeder patterns to include the new elementary school. So, TE Middle will be will now include students from Bowmont, Devon, and all of Hillside rather than Hillside splitting between the two elementary schools or between the two middle schools. And then Valley Forge Middle will include
013students from Valley Forge, New Eagle, and Bear Hill. Another parameter is that the committee will seek to use will utilize the proportional approach to redistricting. So by proportional what we mean is each elementary school has similar but slightly different numbers of core classrooms to accommodate the classes in each grade level. The proportional model allows us to set goals for student enrollment for each school within a range that is proportional to the number of core classrooms available in each building. This does allow us to make efficient use of the space that we have and also allows us to ensure well to seek to ensure that the redistricting lasts for a bit of time. The last uh b the last parameter up there is that we will maintain the current middle school attendance boundaries. So another benefit
014of choosing the proportional model allows us to maintain current middle school attendance boundaries. So in other words, if students are already at TE middle school or are slated to go to TE Middle School because of where they live, they will still go to TE Middle School after the redistricting. And similarly uh at Valley Forge Middle School, students who are slated to go to Valley Forge Middle School or who are already there will continue that path uh regardless of how the elementary schools are redistricted. So while they have developed the parameters and guidelines we're discussing tonight, the ad hoc uh redistricting committee will not be the ones doing the actual redistricting. There will be a steering committee taking on this responsibility and members of the steering committee are listed on this slide and will include myself
015as the administrative staff liaison, 10 parents and guard or andor guardians, an external facilitator and then observers which it could include board members or district staff who perhaps can provide additional information to the committee as they do their work. to provide a bit more information about the eligibility criteria for the steering committee members. We have uh the committee has established some of these criteria and guidelines. People who want to be part of the steering committee need to be uh a resident of TEESD, a parent or guardian resident of TEESD and they must meet one of the following. The child can be c they must have a child that is currently enrolled in grades K to two or a child that is currently enrolled in grades three or four and a child not yet school age.
016How will the committee members be chosen? So they'll be randomly selected from an applicant pool. will seek to have two parents or guardians from each current elementary catchment area and in particular for Hillside because as you know right now Hillside uh students can either go to Valley Forge Middle or TE Middle depending on who applies ideally we would like to be able to have one hillside parents who resides in the TE catchment area and one who resides in the Valley Forge middle area but we do have to see who actually applies um to be part of the C to be part of the uh committee. We'll need to choose one parent or guardian alternate from each current elementary catchment area. We're going to limit participation to one parent or guardian per TESD student household. The
017application window will be open from the 6th of April through the 24th of April. And then during the week of May 4th, we will both select and notify the committee members. So in order to fully understand the commitment of time, we want people to know that there will be probably a very brief meeting before the end of the school year if they're chosen to be part of the committee. And that will be sort of an introductory meeting so that we can share again parameters um some pertinent information and also see from the committee members if there's any particular information that we have not provided that they think would be useful and that we can gather over the summer. But then beginning in the fall of this coming school year, fall of 2026, the applicants of
018the committee should expect to meet weekly until the redistricting process is completed. We'll share all details uh including what we've shared tonight and anything additional that fam um parents or guardians might need to know about the application process on the website as well as in the the uh weekly TESD email blast and all other ways that we generally communicate information um to our parents and guardians. Lastly, uh we are proposing an external facilitator to be part of this process. During our last round of redistricting, we found that an external facilitator was very beneficial to the process and we'd recommend using one again. We don't have a specific person to recommend at this point, but should you approve this plan, we will bring forward the name of a recommended facilitator in a future meeting. So that's
019the end of this report. I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have. Thank you, Dr. Tol. I know that we had uh some nice parent input from parents who came to some of these uh ad hoc meetings and um I I think they were very happy to hear that if they were accustomed to going to one middle school as a family that they would continue that regardless of what happens with the elementary uh uh redistricting because they realize that when we have a new school with no students in it yet uh we're going to have to uh to move people in and we'll also provide a space in each building for things that come up for growth for special programs and that's how we started this whole process with building a new school.
020So, um appreciate uh the summary of the next steps. Uh do we have other comments or questions from the board? Mr. Zinc, >> thank you Dr. for that uh excellent presentation. I wanted to ask a little bit more about the role of the observers. Would those be people who were consistent members of the committee for the extent of the term or would that be more of a drop in as interested for school directors and staff like you mentioned? And then my follow-up question is are there parameters and caps to the participation of those um of those observers? like would they be just flies on the wall or uh I'm just curious how that would be handled as far as you know were many members of the um staff for example to show up and and
021have have opinions. >> Sure. So I I can speak to um the process that we used during the last um redistricting process and then certainly um there are board members here who participated and perhaps they would um want to share the experience but um the board members who were observers really were sort of flies on the wall and just um providing you um providing a sense of um I guess continuity um so that they attended all of all of the meetings and should a question ever arise about the process there were board members there who could speak to the process and the way it was handled. As far as others who might attend, it could be um what you might say as drop in in the sense that we might need some more information about
022transportation. So the director of transportation could be invited to the meeting that particular night or maybe for more than one night. So it it will really depend upon what the um what the needs are of the committee. And then I'm sorry, can you repeat your second question, please? >> That helps to answer my question entirely. Thank you. I really appreciate it. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Anyone else? Dr. Miss Sos. >> Yes. Uh thank you Dr. Tol for um all of that. Um just as I had attended the last couple of ad hoc redistricting committee meetings and there was some discussion around a couple of points and I wanted to just mention that I'm glad to see the addition of uh guardians in addition to parents um not only to increase the diversity and inclusion
023of them of the participants but to widen the applicant pool generally which I think is in our favor too. Um I do have a few questions uh also related to those discussions. Um so we were well I had asked a question I'll take responsibility for the question. Um, regarding the criteria of having to have having to have a child who's in grade three or four or not yet school age, but we to kind of clarify at what point would one consider be considered to have that younger child, will that child have to have been born already or by what point just to be clear for the public. Mhm. Well, there was a lot of discussion around that point at the committee and um to be honest, I think we landed on the child needed to
024be born. Um I I'm going to have to ask if there were people who are part of the ad hoc committee to provide more detail um about specifics as far as these, you know, the age of that child. But I I I know we landed on the child needed to be born. >> Dr. Hotinsky, uh, as chair of that committee, can you tell us a little bit about your recollection? >> I I think it was simply that and there had been some discussion of whether it parents with a child who could be coming to the kindergarten should should um be included for consideration. And because people can move or you never know what the circumstances might be, we settled on uh parents of third or fourth graders who already have experience in the school district.
025Um then if they so it's kind children who will be directly impacted. So parents of first and second graders and then if you have a third or a fourth grader uh if you had another child coming up um that we wanted to well we the committee I think agreed and the parents in the room also um seem to concur with the idea of people to have people on the committee who had some experience with the district and and the schools. So that's how we we came to that understanding. >> Thank you. >> Are you finished Dr. >> Yes. I I have a uh thank you. I have a couple other uh questions. Um just to also clarify because I had a community member ask me about this when I was telling her about it. Um
026the steering committee will be meeting in person. Is that correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. Because when she said she asked, "Oh, will it be virtual or person?" I I had thought I remembered it being in person. So I just wanted to clarify that. Um, also with regard to some assurance or communication to potential prospective um, applicants for the steering committee, um, h how will we handle their the names of those folks in terms of trying to keep them a little bit private versus speaking about them as it's ongoing, you know, or printing their names? >> Uh, for the folks who would be participating on the steering committee. Yes, the parents or guardians. >> So, generally speaking, um and again, I can speak to what our previous practice was and I and from the conversations we
027had during the ad hoc committee, I think we were um feeling as though that worked well and we would probably um follow along those same lines. We um asked all of the members who who were part of the committee to maintain confidentiality during the meetings themselves and in turn we did keep confidentiality until really we gave the presentation on the redistricting um itself. Okay. It would be um the members of the committee might choose to share with somebody that they were participating but as far as what was happening in the meeting we wanted to keep that confidential and we did not share those names immediately. >> Okay. Yeah. because I know that some there was some uh anxiety or concern on the part of some of the the audience members of the audience at the
028last meeting as to you know kind of how will this be really difficult um you know how how will it work so I glad to hear that uh clarification thank you >> are there any other questions or comments >> Mr. Kentosk >> yes just to confirm the process for that we discussed and for the benefit of the public. So there'll be a steering committee will do the work and will come with a recommendation, but that recommendation comes before this board and it's this board's responsibility to ask questions, modify andor approve the recommendation from from the steering committee. Correct. >> That's correct. So they'll provide hopefully before the end of the fall um in 2026 a recommend a recommended redistricting plan to you as the full board and then it will be up to you um
029whether or not the board accepts that plan. >> Right. And so in that context then there's opportunity for public participation in that process because the recommendation will be like any other priority action on the board agenda will be released before the board meeting. There will be opportunity for public comment and consideration by the board um at that point. >> That's correct. >> Thank you Mr. Contosk. Such an important point that it's not once the plan is being recommended. It becomes very public and then people can see how it affects them personally because of where their house is and where their child will be attending school and then they'll have time to come and give us their thoughts on that. And it would be, could you just take it one step further? Then once the plan
030is approved by this board, >> uh it gives the district time for the articulation of the actual moves. >> Yes. >> And could you talk a little bit about that just briefly? >> Sure. So, um once uh the plan is approved and and actually probably even before it's approved, knowing our elementary principles, um the principles will start to prepare transition um activities for families who are coming into their schools and also those who may, you know, be moving to a different school. And uh again reflecting on the process that we had uh in place the last time we had multiple opportunities for students to come um and visit their new school, interact with some of their new peers and um the both the the school um personnel directly and um the PTO's and the home
031and school associations really did a wonderful job of providing those opportunities for families who were transitioning. Thank you. Are there any other board comments, questions? Seeing none, uh I'll turn to the audience. Is there anyone that would like to make a comment or has a question about this topic? All right, seeing none again, um I think that uh we have a a motion on the table to uh that we can put forward now. we can as a vote and I'm going to ask Mr. McDonald to have a roll call vote for this particular item. >> Sure. I'm going to start with Mr. Zinc down at the end. >> Yes. >> Miss Sheer? >> Yes. >> Mr. Canour? >> Yes. >> Miss While? >> Yes. >> Dr. Otinsky? >> Yes. >> Miss Pichion? >> Yes. >>
032Dr. Meros? >> Yes. >> Vice President Hong? >> Yes. >> President Titi? >> Yes. Motion passes nine to zero. >> Nine to zero. Thank you, Dr. Tol. >> Uh the next item on our agenda is our committee and ambassador reports. And I'm going to start with Miss Wild and policy. >> Thank you, President TD. The policy committee met on February 3rd, 2026. The following policies are on tonight's agenda on a second reading basis. Policy and regulation 1340, weapons possession and use general public. Policy and regulation 5410-5410, weapons possession and use students. The policies were revised to comply with required notifications for for a weapons violation. A non-substantive change from the first reading was made to policy 1340. New regulations were drafted that provide additional details about incidents involving a weapon and subsequent notification. The regulations
033went into effect after the January 6, 2026 meeting. In addition, regulation 3380, travel reimbursement, was revised to update the current mileage rate, the current mileage rate reimbursement. The following policies had nonsubstantive revisions for clarification. They will be marked as revised and go into effect immediately along with revisions to the accompanying regulation. Policy and regulation 3350 approve re receiving and approving payment for goods and services. Policy 303 3365 payrolls. The following policies had no revisions. They will be marked as reviewed and go into effect immediately along with any revisions to their accompanying regulations. Policy and regulation 3294 trust funds. Policy and regulation 3323 procurement. Policy and regulation 3324, procurement cards. Policy and regulation 3340, purchase orders. Policy and regulation 3370, capital assets. Policy 3390, travel reimbursement, federal grant requests. Further details will be be provided later
034in 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 March 3rd, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the district office and all are invited. Thank you. That's that's the end of my report. >> Thank you. Uh next we have diversity with Mr. Hong. >> Uh yes, as mentioned at our last board meeting, uh we held our last diversity committee meeting on January 8th at the TE administrative office. tops has included a uh knogga high school club highlight tsd exchange program uh student exchange program and an all-around the world book tour. So Dr. Kim Morris opened the meeting with a student-ledd discussion by the GSA club, the gender sexuality alliance at Konosoga High School. The students described how the GSA is an
035exclusive and supportive space for all students offering opportunities for connection, dialogue, and peer support. Um, they particularly highlighted the benefit of holding meetings during the lunch and learn period, which increases accessibility for students who might not be able to attend before or after school. Students also shared the significance of their annual friends giving, a tradition that fosters a sense of found family. Uh for the next portion of the meeting, uh Dr. Jacqueline Rothera provided um an introduction to the TESD exchange student program and welcomed one of Kanesoga's current exchange students from Italy who shared his insights about the differences between his schooling experience in Italy and here at Konesoga as well as shared some experiences he had with his host family and the positive impact of living with them including the joy of having a
036host sibling. Uh Dr. Dr. Rivera also introduc introduced Sandy Forbes who represents an agency that supports our exchange program. Finally, Dr. Wendy Tol concluded the meeting by taking us through an all around the world book tour. She provided an overview of diverse and all embracing literature and resource manuals used across the district. She highlighted how classrooms and library collection reflect a wide range of characters and information about different cultures, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, disabilities, and abilities, and identities, ensuring that students engage with inclusive and representative texts. The next diversity committee meeting will be held April 9th, 2026 at the TEESD administrative offices at 700 p.m. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. >> Thank you. Uh, next we have our finance committee, uh, Mr. Ken Torsk. >> Thank you, President Titi. The last meeting of the
037finance committee was on February 9th. At the outset of the meeting, Mr. Livergood reviewed the January financials. The December revenues included an increase in the receipt of local revenues when compared to last year and overall local revenues are higher by 4 million compared to last year but they are down as a percentage of budget compared to last year. The main difference in the local revenue is the revenue received from real estate collections. The total revenue as of January 2026 is over 161.5 million. Expenditures and encumbrances show that instructions expenses are higher this year and are at 92% of budget. The total general fund expenses and incumbrances at the end of January 2026 are approximately $167 million. Next, we had a report on our June 2025 financial year end, our annual comprehensive financial report, and our
038fiscal year 2025 audit. Mr. Hogan from our auditor Clifton Lawson and Allen provided a summary of the 2024 2025 audit, which once again included an unmodified opinion. As part of the presentation, he noted that the anticipated fund balance was reduced because of the timing of receipt of s certain tax revenues. We also discussed the annual comprehensive financial report for 2024 25 which as a reminder is a voluntary report that the district and the business office really put together every year. uh and in the past few years it has provided the basis for a certificate of excellence that the district has received for financial reporting. Um I commend anyone who wants to find out uh basics about the district and finances and all the programs that are going on in the district to look at the
039annual comprehensive financial report. It provides an excellent summary of the status of the district each year. We next had an issue about uh potential bond issues. Mr. McDonald informed the committee that a refinancing of our current bonds is available and could provide savings to the district. The presentation included a potential timeline with alternatives to the amount of borrowing. The district advisors, financial adviserss from PFM and Raymond James presented historical figures pertaining to interest rates and added a detailed explanation of what has been borrowed and what is needed in the near future. The committee was presented with two options and ultimately agreed to recommend borrowing 20 million in two phases. Next, we had um a uh quick discussion about our uh asset valuation and uh other postemployment benefit reporting. Uh during that discussion, Mr. Livergood stated
040that the administration recommended renewal of the Gazsby 75 contract for asset valuation and other post-employment benefit reporting that we currently have with Conrad Seagull. and the contract uh and the uh committee agreed with that and the contract was placed on the consent agenda for board approval at tonight's meeting. We then had a short discussion about 2026 27 budget development. During that discussion, Mr. McDonald present uh had a bud budget presentation and noted that it will be updated with reduced expenses for the 202627 year at our upcoming budget workshops in March and April. Speaking of which, our next finance committee meeting is on Monday, March 9th, and it will be here in Konesoga because it will be immediately followed by our first of two budget workshops. Uh so I commend everybody who is interested in all
041things budget to come to the fi that finance committee meeting and stick around for our budget workshop. That concludes my report for this month. Thank you very much. Uh we're going to go back to Mr. Hong now uh for a report on facilities. Thank you, President TD. Uh the facilities committee met February 10th, 2026. Um we first had a presentation on by a Miss Cara Rash uh on the green initiatives at Bowmont Elementary School with details of their composting program. The president the presentation include possible future participation of other schools in the district and they discuss uh the need for additional funding and additional voluntary support uh volunteer support for those programs. Uh we also reviewed the uh preconstruction reports uh for our summer infrastructure projects which all seem to be proceeding uh as planned.
042Uh for the athletic fields project, our architects summarized the project status. Um and uh Dr. Semenera uh mentioned that the March 2nd anticipated completion date will coincide with the first day of spring sports and that traffic plans will be re relayed to parents once the interior roads are ready for cars. Next were the Bear Hill Elementary School update. We discussed um the updates um for that project uh which included photographs and videos um of the progress at Bell Hill Elementary School. We also reviewed a number of change orders um including uh change orders for demolition uh steel reinforcements for the library uh a kitchen washer and dryer unit uh a restroom uh stud replacement uh and a toilet partition credit where we're actually uh the change orders uh giving us uh additional money back from
043the original budget. Um all these change orders totaled uh $33,6414. Uh an additional discussion discuss change order involved um the boys and girls bathrooms on the second and third floors. Uh which uh makes a total of four multi-user bathrooms. And as with any remodeling of his existing buildings, you never know what you'll find behind closed walls. And in this case, the existing plumbing uh on those two floors had deteriorated considerably since the building was built almost 30 years ago, and they had already uh started to spring some leaks. So, it was determined that the best course of action would be to install new pipes and drains. This change order totals uh 160,321. Uh, one additional change order totaling uh, $31,644.64 was rejected. Um, all of the recommended change orders uh were included in tonight's consent
044agenda for board approval. Uh, as as usual, we also reviewed our capital source and uses uh, which had not uh, changed or been updated uh, for this meeting. So, as that changes, we will continue to review them in subsequent meetings. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 10th at the TE administrative office. All are encouraged and welcome to attend. That concludes my report. >> Thank you. Uh Dr. Hotinsky has our education committee report next. >> All right. Thank you very much. Uh the education med committee met on February 12th and uh our dis main discussion item was of the a full day kindergarten update from Dr. Wendy Tol our director of curriculum instruction and professional learning who shared a summary of the work of completed by the full day kindergarten committee in developing the new
045schedule. Uh we started with uh the district's new we believe statement for kindergarten which outlines the commit district's commitment to nurturing curiosity, fostering belonging, and building a balanced, inclusive, and joyful experience for every child. Dr. then de detailed the committee's goals for schedule development which included uh daily instructional blocks for both language arts and math alternating science and social studies within the six-day cycle one special area class each day opportunities for both structured and unstructured learning through play twice daily recess and timing of subjects that allow for support services to be scheduled in concert with the other grades. Uh Dr. Dr. Tol then shared an overview of to make it more concrete of what a day in the life of a kindergartener would encompass uh as well as a detailed explanation of daily blocks of
046time in the new schedule. The kinder the full day kindergarten committee intentionally designed the daily schedule with the goal of creating a rhythm to the day that allowed for blocks of focused instruction and learning that alternate with time for breaks, more active hands-on learning, and both structured and unstructured play. New elements include read and recharge where children hear stories and uh charge up for the afternoon and also an active playful learning uh session at the end of the day. Then Dr. Tol explained theme-based design for building the curriculum with the overarching theme of growing together to unite the sub themes of amazing autumn, wonderful winter, spectacular spring and the sizzling summer. Dr. Dr. um uh also provided information about the next steps uh which include uh for the for the full day kindergarten roll out
047which include an upcoming landing page on the district website for families and community members to sign up to be on a full day kindergarten distribution list to receive regular updates as we progress towards uh the fall of 2027 when we'll start having will be the beginning of full day kindergarten. uh there are more details about the schedule uh on and about the whole plan on the in the agenda for the education meeting which is available on the website and I would encourage everyone to review that if you are interested. Uh our next meeting will be March 12th and all are welcome and encouraged to attend. >> Thank you Dr. Hodinski. uh it seems impossible but a year from now we'll be registering those children for that program and uh it it's good to see it's
048coming along so so well. Uh the next committee is um ad hoc legislative and uh Miss Pition has that report for us. Thank you President Titi. Uh for your information, Governor Shapiro's proposed education budget includes a total of 53.2 billion in state spending, which is an increase of more than $3.1 billion over last year. Please visit the Department of Education's website where you can find detailed spreadsheets on all education line items as well as estimated distributions of basic education funding, ready to learn and special education funding. That concludes my report. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh next is the ad hoc public information committee. Uh Mr. Ktosk. Thank you, President Titi. The ad hoc public information committee has not met since our last board meeting. If a meeting is scheduled, it'll be properly noticed and
049advertised, and we will encourage everybody to attend. >> Thank you. I'll go back now to Miss Pition uh for our intermediate unit technical school report. >> Thank you, President Titi. The Chester County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, February the 18th at the uh Technical College High School TCHS Brandywine campus in Downing Town. a summary fact sheet of TESD students participating in TCH programs included enrollment by grade eight 10th graders 18 11th graders 77 12th graders 25 students earned 46 industry certifications 9,990 program hours were completed by KNISOGA students. 550 high school students attended the 2023 24 career exploration presentation. The principal and staff of the TCHS Brandy Wine Barbering Program reported that it has seen significant growth since its inception in the 2012 2013 academic year from just eight
050students to full capacity in 202526 with 44 students enrolled and with an active weight list. The presentation emphasized the program's mission of preparing students for Pennsylvania state lensure, employment as barber stylists, and future entrepreneurship. Plans to expand the program to two C TCHS Panox Bridge in 2026 and 27 and to TCHS Pickering in 2027 28 were announced. The director of administrative services reviewed the first reading of the draft of the 2026-27 categorical core and occupational education budgets. Key points in the presentation were as follows. No increase in proposed core budget contributions by districts. Proposed 2% increase in occupational education tuition rate. The goal for the marketplace program prices for Chester County school districts is to limit to the act one index which is at 3.5%. The next uh CCIU board of directors meeting will be
051held on Wednesday, March the 18th at 7:30 at the Technical College High School Pickering Campus in Phoenixville. That concludes my report. Thank you, Miss Petrion. It's good to hear all uh the good things that are going on there and that so many of our students are taking advantage of the wonderful programs at the CCIU schools. Uh the last uh committee report we have is our ad hoc redistricting committee uh that's chaired by Dr. Hotinsky. Uh do you have anything to add this evening? >> Uh no, it was not much. It was admirably covered by Dr. Tol in the priority discussion. Um just to review starting last May the committee established the timeline and the parameters for their redistricting process and the work plan and um then uh now that we've dis uh decided uh the
052or made recommendations for the composition of the steering committee our work is basically done and we will move it over to that steering committee to complete the work of actually um drawing the new catchment areas. Um, I wanted to let people know if they're interested in the the whole development of the plan and any of the background. You can see all those presentations are available on the district website on the TEESD redistricting page which you can find on the district's uh home a link to that on the district's homepage. And finally, I just wanted to thank uh all the parents who participated and came to those meetings and shared their perspectives. it really does help to hear from from the parents themselves who are very invested and and know a lot about our district. So,
053um it's it's always nice when we have meetings that bring some more people to share in the discussion. So, thank you for that and um I look forward to seeing the plan. Thank you and thank you for your leadership on that committee and for your committee members as well for their time. Uh we are now at the point in our agenda where we are at other actions under consideration and we have some policies that are 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 ne next regular meeting. Policy number 3241 fees collected from students. Policy 3293, designation of depositories, and policy 4031, voluntary separations from the district, resignations from employment. Do I have
054a motion? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Miss, uh before we vote, would you please provide us some context on these uh policies? >> Certainly. Thank you, President Ti. Policy and regulation 3241, fees collected from students. The policy was revised as credit systems are now permitted. The regulation was revised to include approved activity fees and a statement about fee adjustments or waiverss for qualified students. Policy and regulation 3293, designations of depositories. The policy and regulation were revised as as it is not necessary to issue a request for repositories every 3 years. The order of two subsections in the regulation regarding timing of board resignation and solicitation were reversed for clarity and the up the updated title of assistant business manager was inserted. Policy 4031 voluntary separations from district from
055the district resignations from employment. The policy was revised to allow an employees resignation to be accepted by the superintendent and placed on the consent agenda in a regular board meeting within a reasonable time. And that concludes my report. Thank you. Uh do we have any board discussion on any of those uh policies? Are there any uh members of the community that would like to make a comment about those three policies? Okay, seeing none, back to the board. All right, it looks like we're ready to vote. Um, all those in favor, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> And those opposed by saying nay. Uh, the eyes have it. Nine to zero. Um, public participation from district residents and taxpayers regarding any matter of concern, official action or deliberation which are or may be before
056the board is the next part of our agenda. Residents and taxpayers may address the board on matters not included in the agenda at this point. Are there any members of the community that would like to make a comment? Okay, seeing none, then the public comment periods for this evening are now closed. This is the point in the meeting when we ask for any announcements required by the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. And our solicitor this evening is Ken Roose and he will make any required announcements. Mr. Roose. >> Yes, thank you. Um board did meet in executive session. um prior to this meeting regarding number one matters of school safety, number two personnel matter um personnel labor relations matter um and also u received an update on several different litigation uh items. Um that's all I have.
057>> Thank you. So, we have uh a number of meetings planned in the future that I'd like to just highlight. Uh Monday, March 9th, we'll have, as uh Mr. Contosk mentioned, uh a finance meeting at 7:00 and then a budget workshop immediately following that meeting at 7:30 right here at Konesoga High School. On Monday, March 23rd, we'll have our regular board meeting. And we're hoping we won't have another snowstorm because, you know, we have a pattern of that. Uh on Monday, April 13th, uh we'll have another finance meeting at 700 p.m. here at Konesoga, followed by a budget workshop, our second one at 7:30 p.m. And then on April 27th, we have a regular schoolboard meeting at 7:30 right here at Konesoga. Are there any other announcements from the board members? Miss Pichion. Well, I
058have a uh fun fact and trivia answer about the play Once Upon a Mattress. It was Carol Bernett's breakout role when it premiered on Broadway. So, this promises to be a very fun and funny performance. I look forward to seeing it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any others, Mr. Hong? >> Yes. Um, now that we've uh approved our redistricting plan, I would like to encourage uh members of the public uh to apply to be on the uh redistricting steering committee. Uh we're really relying on the expertise of our community members, people who know both the schools and the neighborhoods to help with uh drawing the lines in a reasonable and satisfactory fashion. >> Thank you. Any others? All right. Our correspondence uh this month is listed on page 172 of the agenda. There you'll find
059all the list of uh correspondence that we received as boards uh for the the last month. I think we're ready to adjourn. Uh do I have a motion? >> So moved >> and a second. >> Second. >> All those in favor indicate by saying I. >> I. I. >> And those opposed by saying nay. The motion carries and the meeting is adjourned. Thank you. >> I think we should carry that whole idea >> except forward. >> Trust me, I've been there.