Miler, Karen (Chair)
Lluberes, Miguel
Fasick, Jen
Gentzler, Ashten
Rupp, Galen
Strickland, Dawn
Young, Chris
Others in Attendance:
Behr, Wendy
Morley, Julie
Kessler, Jennifer
Stefanowicz, Nick
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE COMMITTEE AGENDA
MINUTES
I.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:01 PM
II.
Approval of Minutes
Director Lluberes made the motion to approve the minutes and Dr. Rupp seconded the motion
III.
Old Business:
A. America's 250th Birthday Update
1. September 11 and Constitution Day
September 11 All schools began the day with a moment of silence for lives lost and heroes. Mr. Young reported that he used "Unite for Good" as a resource for teachers. 5th grade at NSE read a Scholastic News article and discussed primary and secondary sources. A display was created to show the good deeds shared by the students. Some students discussed how lives have changed since Sept. 11. (ex: airports)
Constitution Day: All students in the district were invited to wear red, white, and blue on Constitution Day. Social Studies teachers in the middle school and high school covered the topic of the Constitution in their classrooms.
2. Veteran's Day: November 11, 2026
November 11, 2026: HS: Mrs. Fasick reported that Vietnam Veterans will be invited into the high school for a presentation in History class. There is discussion about honoring the branches of service and possibly creating a wall to commemorate veterans. Elementary: NSE: 1st graders create a slideshow to honor veterans. Fourth grade teacher is a veteran and others in the district will be celebrated that day. Weigelstown will have Field of Flags celebration and Dover Elementary will be writing Thank You notes.
IV.
New Business:
A Middle School Math Pilot Program: Amplify
Mrs. Gentzler shared about the pilot program for Math grades 6-8. Amplify is online and has paper and pencil components, like a workbook that was not purchased for the pilot program. MS has not had a formal program since 2010. Amplify is more inquiry-based and more exploratory. A teacher from each grade level and special education teachers have started training in the program. By looking at standards, 8-12 priority standards have been selected. Teachers can begin to use the Amplify curriculum when they begin a new unit. The 2nd and 3rd marking periods will be used to compare data to analyze effects of the pilot program on math achievement.
B. Elementary STEELS Curriculum
Mrs. Wickenheiser presented an update on the Science STEELS Curriculum as it enters its 3 year. There is a committee of K-5 teachers and specialists who have determined priority standards and are currently working on writing common assessments. Mystery Science is the digital science curriculum that uses video-based, inquiry-driven lessons. CER ( Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning) helps students analyze scientific concepts. Mrs. Behr shared that her students are very engaged. There is more reading due to open-ended questions, which help prepare students for PSSA in 5th grade. Supply Kits are built for each Mystery Science unit, so that all supplies are easily accessible for teachers in each classroom.
Members in Attendance
Emig, Terry
Hogan, Allen
Wagner, Tyler
Fluke, Tom
Miller, Emily
Riggins, Tony
Wiestling, Troy
Others in Attendance:
Hetrick, Kara
FACILITIES/SAFETY COMMITTEE AGENDA
MINUTES
I.
Call to Order
II.
Approval of Minutes - September 8, 2026
III.
Old Business
A. Update on Stadium Scoreboard
2 new play clocks came with the new scoreboard
- Play Clock closest to scoreboard is not working
- Temporary cord from front of stadium to play clock is the last resort (RX111)
Play clock from other end of the field at Canal Road works fine
- problem is the handheld
- Mr. Fluke and Dr. Wiestling believe the problem is the cell towers
B. Update on Gates at Middle School
Product is still in the manufacturing Q
Mr. Fluke states this is the lowest price
Mr. Fluke contacts the company once a month
C. Update on the Facilities Grant
Mr. Emig contacted Mrs. Weaver and she stated there is no update
D. Update on North Salem Elementary Stormwater Management Plan
Mr. Rod of Gordon L. Brown states that the basin is structurally sound
No fees were charged
Codes are from 1997
E. Update on High School Turf Field Fences
2 companies checked these fences and they both agree that the problem occurred by balls striking the fence
F. Update on Dishwashers at Leib Elementary and North Salem Elementary
Mr. Emig contacted Mrs. Rendard and received no update
G. Update on Logic Contracting Services Assurance Plans
IV.
New Business:
A. Maintenance Truck
Frame and Exhaust Manifold will cost $9,371.00 to repair
Body work will cost $6,000.00
The cost for a new truck would be $3,000 cheaper than last year
B. Leib Elementary Dock Doors
Will have estimate at the meeting in November
C. Middle School Dock Doors
(both of the dock doors will be covered by Capital Reserve
These doors are in bad shape
Estimate cost to repair would e $12,718.00
This cost would come out of Capital Reserve
McKinney, Rob (Chair)
Kindig, Craig
Brodbeck, Shannon
Weaver, Miranda
Others in Attendance:
Mitzel, Timothy
Stefanowicz, Andrea
AGENDA
MINUTES
I.
Call to Order
Done
II.
Public Comment
None
III.
Old Business:
A. Human Resources
- updates on staffing and subs
A. RECAP
B. Miranda Weaver
- Cost analysis discussions - Sports participation
B. Recap, and follow up questions from Director Kindig on how much new school sin CAC are affecting travel costs. Dr. Mitzel was able to response with report that SCAC has been examining that impact and are planning on creating an East and West division with proper scheduling to minimize the impact of the wider participant area
IV.
New Business:
A. Human Resources
- Updates on staffing
A. Human Resources Updates:
- Status on Director of Accounting, Director of Buildings and Grounds, and Assistant Superintendent position needs. Interviews are underway with November appointments planned
- Assistant Superintendent has solid candidates with internal candidate considerations
- There is now a 1st grade teacher vacancy at Dover Elementary with no concerns on hiring prospects
- First review of Kelly Education expenses to be conducted in November, along with an assessment of the candidate pool to assess marketing and recruiting approaches
B. Dustin Boyd/Miranda Weaver
- Cost analysis discussions - iPads and Technology Costs
B. Technology (iPad) presentation by Dustin Boyd
- We budget an extra 5% annually for iPad breakage. We Are currently budgeting $441k per year for devices. To keep costs/payments lower, we lease 4 years vs. 3, remove the Applecare coverage in the final year. Apple Care costs $59/year per device.
- Annual device costs per year is currently $148.25/device per year. We look at buyback/trade-in options in final year of contract to maximize value received for devices.
- We average 600-800 warranty claims during a full lease term
- Current lease guarantees $65/per device as a buyback price; Dustin bids a bid out ot 3-4 buyback vendors to compare to Apple's price
- We currently lease 3,700 devices which included Washington Township at the time of lease bidding. We'll be able to reduce 200 devices in next lease
- Lease cost ranges from $1.5M-$1.8M depending on terms and buyback/replacement options chosen.
- We discussed keeping devices longer, filtering older devices down from upper grades to lower grades who would use them less. We will conduct analysis on staggering replacements.
- Kindergarten and grade 1 could be eliminated with positive results. Since PSSA testing is now fully online in grade 3, we may want to introduce devices in grade 2 to get familiarity with using before testing, but we could limit actual curriculum and instructional use in grade 2.
C. Discussion of any main meeting agenda items
D. Open Floor
V.
Next Meeting: November 10, 2026 at 6 PM in Board Room