DTSD Webinars: I'd like to call the August 20, eighth, 2,023. Meeting of the Derry Township School District Board of Directors to order and announce that this meeting is being live, streamed, and audio recorded.
DTSD Webinars: This meeting is being conducted both in person and virtually.
DTSD Webinars: I'd like to request for Board members to please state your name when speaking.
DTSD Webinars: Mrs. Ag. Roll. Call, please.
DTSD Webinars: Mr. Bennett. Dr. Cronin. Here, Miss Drew, here, doctor, here, Mrs. Many here, Mr. Rizzo here, Mrs. Schmidt, here, Mrs. Sicker.
DTSD Webinars: Mr. Singer, a present one absent.
DTSD Webinars: Please rise, if you're able, and join me for the pledge of allegiance.
DTSD Webinars: be
DTSD Webinars: indivisible with liberty and process.
DTSD Webinars: I have a motion to approve. The August 20, eighth, 2,023 Board of Directors, Agenda. So moved Lindsey drew second Lindsey Cooper.
DTSD Webinars: Is there any discussion?
DTSD Webinars: This is a standard voice. Vote all those in favor, please say, aye, aye, any opposed? No.
DTSD Webinars: thank you. Moving on to agenda. Item, 2 information and proposals to a President communications. I'd like to announce. The board met an executive session prior to this meeting to discuss
DTSD Webinars: information
DTSD Webinars: onto item 2. B. Recognition of citizens.
DTSD Webinars: This is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers to address the Board on matters related to the agenda.
DTSD Webinars: Citizens wishing to speak if in person, should complete and turn in a registration form to the Board secretary, Mrs. Ag
DTSD Webinars: registration forms can be found on the table adjacent to the boardroom entrance.
DTSD Webinars: When your name is announced, come to the microphone. If online, you must have registered individually with your full name and address to be recognized, raise your virtual hand for recognition
DTSD Webinars: once recognized or unmuted, whether you're in the room, or virtually it's only necessary that you identify yourself by providing your full name. This is a reminder that public comment is not a forum for personal attacks, antagonistic behavior, or harassment.
DTSD Webinars: Please be advised that you are accountable for any legal ramifications and liability that results from statements that misrepresent the truth to fame individuals
DTSD Webinars: or disclose personal information that is not of public concern.
DTSD Webinars: to provide other residents with an opportunity to speak. Each speaker during the public comment portion is limited to 5 min of speaking. Time, once recognized and limited to one opportunity to address the Board during each of the public comment periods, if necessary, the Board may set a maximum time for the public comment portion of any meeting.
DTSD Webinars: I'll ask for treasurer, Mr. Rizzo, to please keep time.
DTSD Webinars: Mrs. Age, are there any residents or taxpayers in the room who have registered to comment at this time? Not at this time.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, thank you, Jared. Anybody online, you'd like to comment at this time.
DTSD Webinars: Not at this time. Okay, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: We'll move on to item, agenda. Item 2 C. Standing committee reports. I see, Mr. Rizzo. You've been very, very busy this evening. Yes, I have. So, Mr. Rizzo, do you have a general services report.
DTSD Webinars: I do. Thank you very much.
DTSD Webinars: Mr. Singer. So tonight, on general services, we talked about several different topics, and and updates in unfinished business. So with the owners. Rep, this is the individual that would be representing the school in regards to building the new elementary
DTSD Webinars: and will be primarily a project manager. Only we call it owners. Rep, because they're they're representing us as the owner of the project. So right now, working on the draft agreement and planning for October to start to put out
DTSD Webinars: opportunities for the owners rep, or individuals or groups of individuals that would be looking to to put a bid in for that
DTSD Webinars: position
DTSD Webinars: it'd be a smaller group. But looking at that versus having it you know, in a public forum to be able to make this a little bit more streamlined, for with this owners rep. Because it would be representing us on, on the project itself. So really, looking at the those individuals and groups that are interested.
DTSD Webinars: Second, we talked about concession stand and an update there. So agreements have been issued on a concession stand. And right now we're looking at starting in October
DTSD Webinars: with the build with a final finished date of December fifteenth.
DTSD Webinars: We're we're working with the team now that that has the the bid. Award. On looking at some some ways to save on the brick exterior, to be able to to provide some cost savings there so, still would look good in comparing to where the school is, and providing that overall appearance but maybe able to bring that cost down now that we're able to work with them in the project.
DTSD Webinars: we did have a 4 C, which was a retoo update. So with vertu we we talked about the retention area, the memorial field, and then the softball field as well there over along Cocoa Avenue.
DTSD Webinars: So the the first priority would be the softball field regrading and paving that parking lot right now would look like the bid will be out November of 2023 to to December 2023, and then we would be looking at a
DTSD Webinars: spring of 2024 start date for that project. The estimate there is $322,000 for all of the work to be done. And again, that's an estimate at this point in time. Until we get the bids, and we won't know what the final is.
DTSD Webinars: the second piece would then be memorial field. This would be restructuring the swell to prevent water going into the baseball field again repaving there, and the combination of memorial field in the softball field would also be providing a safer place for students to be dropped off. Picked up. Because it is a. It's an area today that has some concerns with safety for students. At that time
DTSD Webinars: we would be able to pave and provide some some clear direction, and how or to to basically move the traffic appropriately in that area to provide some safety. So with memorial field that again, that
DTSD Webinars: estimated bid is about 112,000, and again we will be bidding that in the spring of 2024, with a fall, 2024 start and finish to that project. Now.
DTSD Webinars: both of these are being funded by the Dolphin County Commissioner. Is that is that correct?
DTSD Webinars: Not exactly, not entirely, but it was from a funding from the there was funding from the Commissioners that prompted some of the work
DTSD Webinars: we have. If if you recall, we asked for some of the funds to be moved to the concession stand to offset that price. Thank you very much.
DTSD Webinars: And then, with the retention area, we there is work that it continues to look at the overall, build and design of the retention area to provide
DTSD Webinars: better removal of the water in that area for wastewater management, or to continues to work on that right now. That is not the the primary piece. However, we need to fix some of the key areas to make sure that we we don't have any major concerns going forward with water as it's as it's run off from the the fields and the parking lots
DTSD Webinars: for the district. So they continue to work on that that'll be a 2024 project, potentially at some point time for bids. And then we will go from there correct, and then the last piece we had here. Oh, 2 other pieces there was a presentation from
DTSD Webinars: Dr. Winslow in regards to upgrading the propane station. Now that most of our buses are primarily run off of propane, this would add this would include moving the current pad site and adding an additional tank, so that there are 2 filling stations to expedite filling of the the buses over at the township building the township just a little bit. What's that? Can I clarify that? Just a little bit? Yeah.
DTSD Webinars: It would be upgrading the current pad, the current station. The pad that the tank sits on, and it would be 1 9,000 gallon tank with 2 fueling
DTSD Webinars: got it. The tank itself would have 2 fueling pieces off of it.
DTSD Webinars: Okay.
DTSD Webinars: sorry I wrote that incorrectly. I do apologize. Right? This this agreement. We, the
DTSD Webinars: the township, has agreed to make those upgrades and those upgrades come to roughly $16,000, and that will come to the full board for approval on 9, 11.
DTSD Webinars: Okay.
DTSD Webinars: And then there's an upgrade by Crabtree. No, excuse me, Crabtree, in regards to the elementary design building design, and where they're at right now. So really, just a an informational piece
DTSD Webinars: they will be looking at the programming phase, or they're in the programming phase right now, looking at the educational program and envisioning with the Administration.
DTSD Webinars: They're also looking at enrollment. And what we what we would see in the next 10 years, and what they're showing in in enrollment is that it's relatively flat. So there is growth there in enrollment. But over the last 10 years, going back actually to 2,008, 2,009.
DTSD Webinars: It was relatively flat, took a dip during the Covid period, and then has come up. Come up steadily. So there's no huge spikes in in what they're seeing for enrollment, including the West End experience and or West End build
DTSD Webinars: should not greatly affect the the overall future outlook of enrollment and then going forward. They'll be looking at visioning including not only the administration and the students, but also having sessions with the the public, so that the public has a chance to discuss and identify different criteria that they would like to see and then from that point forward we'll start to look at
DTSD Webinars: how we we designed a building to achieve the
DTSD Webinars: the primary goals of the Administration and the public. So within 2 weeks or I should say, within September they'll be presenting to the full board
DTSD Webinars: their ideas, and where they are right now, so that the full board and the public has a full visibility of what they're doing.
DTSD Webinars: that's all. For general services. Anyone have any questions. This is Lindsey Drew. Can I ask a question on the route to part when you're talking about the retention and the softball field, the regrade and paving of the parking lots. Now, if that goes to bid in November, and it has a spring. 2024 project start. Will that be part of the bid? And what do we consider spring? I'm just curious.
DTSD Webinars: So from the pricing perspective.
DTSD Webinars: yeah, let me let me clarify that. So the the softball field would be looking for the bid to go out in the fall of this year 2023, with
DTSD Webinars: build around April, May of 2024, to try and anticipate
DTSD Webinars: the baseball season that will be coming up. What about the softball season? Well, in softball, softball baseball with as as we worked through it, there's not a good time
DTSD Webinars: to to do the lots, but I told them they could not do something that would disrupt access to the dugouts during
DTSD Webinars: the season. So the work at Memorial Field will disrupt
DTSD Webinars: accessing the field because of the soil work that has to be done.
DTSD Webinars: So we can have people park someplace different for that period of time. Once construction starts. It's not. It's there's no ideal way.
DTSD Webinars: What's the project? Completion? Time
DTSD Webinars: for the softball for that parking lot? I don't know that they've II don't think they anticipate it, taking very long, maybe 4 weeks or so. My reason for asking is, you know, I know, like when we did, the concession stand vids. We were looking at
DTSD Webinars: an opportunity for as soon as possible start.
DTSD Webinars: knowing that pricing could be different based on that. For this I guess my concern would be to first minimize obviously interruptions to use, if the softball field as much as possible, and and baseball, but also with school ending
DTSD Webinars: before Memorial Day this year. It's a heavily traffic pedestrian, wise area for kids. And so if
DTSD Webinars: I guess my thoughts would be if there's any way to prevent
DTSD Webinars: disruption to that with school ending so early in this
DTSD Webinars: spring. Yeah, there's a lot to work through with it yet. Honestly, we've we've had just these preliminary discussions to be able to bring forward to general services today.
DTSD Webinars: And there are with the use of asphalt. There's weather
DTSD Webinars: considerations for how far you can push it in the fall. As well as we're we're gonna have to go to the conservation authority because we had hoped that it would be considered 2 separate projects if they consider it one project that's a whole other story. So there's still a lot of mitigating factors in all of this. So I hesitate to give any kind of
DTSD Webinars: definitive timeframe at all, because there's a lot still, kind of playing up in the air. Okay, thanks. I just wanted to ask cause. I know when the
DTSD Webinars: if the documents come in November like that'll be here before we know it, and if then, fair question as a board, we want to say we shouldn't start this until there's not students yeah, in school. Then I don't wanna throw off the whole timeline if we kind of avoided it. No, and that's still. And if it has to be all one project, then it can just be all one project also, like, if we don't have to.
DTSD Webinars: If there's no benefit to making it 2 separate projects, then we can
DTSD Webinars: think about that also. So there's there's still a lot at play. Okay? Cause. There's not really a lot of other self
DTSD Webinars: fields available for that, and that was one of the things we discussed. There's no place to send everybody for here. Thank you. Yep, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Oh, yeah, this is Erica Schmidt. So with the concession stand starting in October. Is that just kind of fluid timeframe, or to be a bit?
DTSD Webinars: No, they they anticipate being finished by December fifteenth, and the reason that we pushed it to October instead of September is because there was hold up on the doors. No, no, no, I know we know. And I asked, because it's the season for boys, soccer girls, soccer field hockey.
DTSD Webinars: you know, everything is in the concession stands. It's being that is being used right now. So if we have a date, the actual start date for October, you know, if that can be communicated in advance.
DTSD Webinars: So when everything gets moved, everything has to be moved with it. That's got you got, you know what I mean? Yeah, I would say, and I don't know how.
DTSD Webinars: And honestly, I don't know if the boost do clean out at the end of the season.
DTSD Webinars: So yes, I mean no, because we haven't been able to, for several reasons, to leave anything there.
DTSD Webinars: But, for example, like voice soccer, went into November last year. So I know we discussed moving the concession stand. Which?
DTSD Webinars: Great? Yes.
DTSD Webinars: well, it just logistically. And yeah, I mean communication. Wise. It's something that's has to be considered, I guess Yup and and we can definitely make sure that that happens. The the old concession stand will continue to be able to be used the whole way through the season, right? And then, but not where it is.
DTSD Webinars: No, it's just gonna be kind of like, swung around. Okay.
DTSD Webinars: okay, so it won't be too far away because it still needs power. Yeah, we have power. So so the the contractors will give us kind of an area of
DTSD Webinars: that. They need to work that it needs to be away from right. But they don't anticipate it, being like I thought maybe it was gonna have to be moved clear over. That's what I thought, and I don't think it will be. I think it can just be like swung around so that it like kind of lines, the fence
DTSD Webinars: at the end. Okay. okay, yeah. I mean, as long as we can
DTSD Webinars: come up with a plan. I don't know who
DTSD Webinars: can kind of manage
DTSD Webinars: that. I can bring Mr. Montador into that conversation, because he probably has the most contact with booster presidents and so forth. Okay.
DTSD Webinars: yeah, that's a great idea. Okay, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Okay. Any other questions for Mike. Before we move on to
DTSD Webinars: the second committee that he chaired this evening the Finance Committee. Do you have a finance report, please, Mike, I do have a finance report. So to start out the the presentation or the committee meeting. We did have sherry Neal from the Milton Hershey School, trust fund
DTSD Webinars: and it it
DTSD Webinars: looking relatively good news on the trust fund year to date. We started out at around 45 million for that that fund. And currently, we're at 49 million for the fund for the year year to date. Quarter to date. We were up approximately 1 million. So we're about 2 and 2.3% up from in the quarter, and about 12% up for
DTSD Webinars: or the year in total. So it's a it's good news, for the fund continues to perform strongly, primarily, it's heavily
DTSD Webinars: weighted on tech stocks. So right now things are going very well and they are improving. So that looks really good for the school district, and we'll continue to talk about how we draw out of that trust fund later in the year.
DTSD Webinars: The second presentation we had for Financial
DTSD Webinars: Committee or the Finance Committee, was from Louver Deli, from Raymond James. In regards to capital funds, and again with good news, we continue to to maintain our trip away rating. And as Miss Sicker has talked about in the past, we're one of 10 schools out of 500 in Pennsylvania that actually have that rating in Pennsylvania. So
DTSD Webinars: our cap, our bar borrowing capacity, has gone up. We right now from a borrowing capacity, is about a hundred 30 million dollars. So the reasons why I state that is because with the school project coming up to play, it just kinda gives you where our capabilities are. We're not looking to
DTSD Webinars: borrow that much money, but it's just kind of in relevance what the what our school district is and how strong we are within the school district. So
DTSD Webinars: excuse me.
DTSD Webinars: So one of the things that he did talk about today was a unique situation that had, as he explained, it hasn't happened in 15 years in that. If we
DTSD Webinars: the because we are a nonprofit organization and Miss Purcell help me out if I mistake things. We have the capability of borrowing against
DTSD Webinars: the low are borrowing up to 15 million dollars this year. And with the way the interest rates are, we would actually make money on the borrowing of that money.
DTSD Webinars: And again, when you look at it it
DTSD Webinars: you you're sitting there saying, Well, I'm spending 50 million, but I'm making money. How does that happen? It's not necessarily that we're making money in total, but we're reducing the amount of money that we we eventually would have to ask for to to pay for the overall bills. So I think it, it's something to be considered in the first step was coming to the Finance Committee to look at this
DTSD Webinars: but overall in the lifetime of that loan, if we locked in at the end of this year we would gain about 1.2 million dollars on on a 15 million dollar loan.
DTSD Webinars: So I think from a finance committee, there's still a lot of questions that are out there that we need to answer. But we wanted to say Yes, bring it forward to the full board, so that we can make this public, and it's lou Bradley would have the opportunity to explain all of the details to the full board, had that opportunity to think about it along with the public and and have full visibility of what our capabilities are.
DTSD Webinars: The only challenge is right now is being able to get it done by the end of the year. If we feel that that is truly something that we want to move forward again. This isn't making money
DTSD Webinars: in the sense of making money, but it is in the sense of cutting down the overall cost and the payments going forward. So go ahead, Ms. Purcell, if you'd like to add on to that.
DTSD Webinars: No, I won't just add on, actually, it was a very good explanation of of what we're looking at. Why, we're looking at it now. There's a a 15 million dollars OP. Opportunity to do. Take a 15 million dollar new money borrowing tax free in each school year, or in each calendar year. Rather so the year ends 1231. So if we wanted to go forward with this transaction, and really, what this does.
DTSD Webinars: This is saying that we don't know necessarily what
DTSD Webinars: any school district project is going to look at. But as we go down this road with Crabtree, and in in the, you know, looking at everything, at the elementary school as we try to come to that decision as do what to do this, 15 million dollars would just be the first step in in multiple borrowings. But what this does now that we we're actually, we have monies making 5%. So there.
DTSD Webinars: this is an opportunity, maybe to we take that money and we invest it until we start spending. Because clearly, no matter what we do even with an upgrade, or you know, any kind of a renovation, 15 million dollars will be
DTSD Webinars: pretty much a drop in the bucket. We'll still need future borrowings. This just gives us the opportunity.
DTSD Webinars: like, Mr. Rizzo said, with earning interest. Earnings at at 5, and just the way. And with way Lou laid it out, and you can see that in September when he says it, possibly 1.2 million dollars over the life of the loan that we could get interest income now, are there upfront costs? Yes, that will have to start taking on debt service sooner than we typically would have
DTSD Webinars: But again, it's just an opportunity to look at things as we
DTSD Webinars: challenge. You know we do. A budget challenge is, how do we think about possibly being able to build up our debt capacity, you know, to to take on a build or a renovation. So that's that's the conversation while we're looking at it.
DTSD Webinars: If if I may add to this is Lindsay Drew. It's really more coming to us at this moment, knowing that there is a project coming forward. But we have not been in a financing situation where arbitrage has played a role, where there's the difference between the interest rate and the potential interest earnings that the interest earnings would be to the positive. So that's why it, the conversations being brought forward now from a financial planning perspective.
DTSD Webinars: so basically from the Finance Committee, those were the 2 key discussions that we had today? Were there any questions?
DTSD Webinars: For from anyone else on the board? If this is supposed to happen by the end of the year. Then what's the next? I'm sure you talked about that is Lou. Gonna come to the full board. How are we? Gonna yeah. So what we we talked about in the Finance Committee today was the vote to bring it to the full board, and in September eleventh Blue Verdell will come and present to the full board, along with some some other
DTSD Webinars: some other reports that this Drew had asked for in in regards to the overall budget, and how that that debt would be re repaid and reduced. So those are the things that were asked that would be coming to the September eleventh.
DTSD Webinars: I'm sorry there, there's still a lot of steps in in the process.
DTSD Webinars: But to get everything done in a timeline by 1231. What's important is that that cash is in our bank account, basically at December 30 first. But to back up from December 30 first it would start September eleventh with the Full Board presentation, October would actually be the A board vote on the legal piece of it, the to do a parameters. Resolution. That's the that's the lead. That is the board vote. At that point. In October we would go forward with all the paperwork, do another ratings. We we would go through
DTSD Webinars: S. And P for another credit rating review. And so there's there's a lot that has to happen, or you know, before going to bond sale, and then the close in December. So that's why it it does seem a little bit good. But to get everything done we really have to, at least, at least it's worth the conversation, or bring it forward. Let the full board think about this. Again. It's just it's just step number one in a financing plan
DTSD Webinars: for the project. Yep.
DTSD Webinars: I think, too, that it was an important part of the conversation is that from the Finance Committee we weren't recommending this to the full board in September for our recommendation to move forward with it. It was more to bring it to the full board, so that the conversation could be had.
DTSD Webinars: Given the short timeline. I do think it would
DTSD Webinars: probably be beneficial for Board members to go back and listen to the Finance Committee meeting from today in advance of that. So that if there are questions because it kind of goes on a meeting by meeting timeline from there. And I know that on in the Finance Committee discussions today.
DTSD Webinars: after hearing that and processing it and considering we do that on a monthly basis with so many of the numbers we were still like. We have a lot of questions, and would, you know, want a lot more information? So I think there'd be benefit to being really prepared for that conversation. Thank you, Ms. Drew.
DTSD Webinars: and thank you very much, Mike. Appreciate it just to add what Mr. Said there. There was some several attachments to
DTSD Webinars: the agenda today as well, but
DTSD Webinars: that Lou went through. So if you could listen to the the audio, I'd also take a look at the the attachments as well.
DTSD Webinars: Okay. Moving on to agenda. Item 2D. The listed items are on the anticipated September eleventh, 2,023 board of directors meeting agenda.
DTSD Webinars: and there they are.
class
DTSD Webinars: moving on to agenda. Item. 3. Unfinished business elementary facility. Dr. Winslow.
DTSD Webinars: Thank you, Mr. Singer? We had discussed as a
DTSD Webinars: as a group to start putting the elementary facility project on to unfinished business just to keep it in front of everybody as we move forward. So I did just want to give a a brief report of the work that we've been working on this summer starting at the end of June, we did initiate bi-weekly meetings with Crabtree wore BA. Our first meeting was to meet their team for them to meet us, and we toured a windy Creek Winding Creek Elementary School in the West Shore School district.
DTSD Webinars: which was great to get to see a fairly large elementary school, and and and some of the work that they've done in person.
DTSD Webinars: So the work so far has focused on visioning and beginning to flesh out the educational programming model. That started with enrollments and projecting enrollments and the presentation that they gave at
DTSD Webinars: general services today. Anytime there's a General Services meeting. They will be coming to general services, giving a presentation, seeking feedback and then bringing forward to the full board the following board meeting, so they will be with us on September eleventh for a full board presentation, at which time they will review what they went over at general services, as well as give some updates for what's coming next. One of the things that we talked about is we'd really like to have some continued
DTSD Webinars: or further community engagement in October to start that process, and in September students and faculty will begin some visioning
DTSD Webinars: exercises, and the board will be invited to attend that.
DTSD Webinars: So are those facilitated by Crabtree. The visioning exercise. Yes, they are.
DTSD Webinars: they are
DTSD Webinars: and so you'll be invited to attend and watch for those initial ones, because it's going to be students and teachers. And so I think that'll be really interesting to see what do students identify as something that is really important to them. What a teachers identify is what's really important to them. To start
DTSD Webinars: thinking about that design concept, we have a lot of work in front of us. We are still at the very beginning stages of this.
DTSD Webinars: But it's it's it's fun and exciting work.
DTSD Webinars: So they'll be in front of us on a very regular basis. I would encourage anybody who's interested to go back and listen to or watch the presentation. It'll be posted. The general services. Presentation will be posted online with the minutes.
DTSD Webinars: so it will be there for for folks to go back and look at and maybe generate questions or thoughts
DTSD Webinars: as they come forward to the full board.
DTSD Webinars: Does anybody have any specific questions right now that I can answer for you? I have a question I just wanted to make sure I understood. So they will come to our full board meetings the after the day that there's a general services meeting, so they'll come to general services and seek feedback from the members of general services.
DTSD Webinars: and then they'll flush out their presentation further, and they will come to the following board, okay. And will they be giving a presentation every time that they attend? So like, once a month is okay. Yes, okay, thank you, Dr. Winslow. This may be more for Ms. Carpel, but we had talked back some time ago when we were doing the architect interviews about going forward if it the possibility. For when there are presentations like
DTSD Webinars: that that have a like visual component to them, if we would be able to post the video of of that meeting and not just the audio, so that it might be a little bit easier to grasp.
DTSD Webinars: Yeah, I have that planned starting tomorrow.
DTSD Webinars: And do you still have a plan to have like an area of the website once the new website is out for the building project. Yep, okay? Great thanks. Lots of information.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, any other questions for Dr. Winslow.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you. We'll move on to agenda. Item 4. The consent agenda contains routinely adopted items and items that normally do not require public deliberations on the part of the board.
DTSD Webinars: A board member may pull items which will then be discussed and voted on separately. May I have a motion to approve the consent? Agenda items as listed so moved Lindsey Koch.
DTSD Webinars: second Donna Cronin? Is there any discussion?
DTSD Webinars: This is a standard voice. Vote all those in favor, please say, aye, aye, aye, any opposed, no
DTSD Webinars: motion carries. Thank you very much.
DTSD Webinars: Moving on to agenda. Item, 5. New business personnel resignations. Dr. Winslow.
DTSD Webinars: The Administration recommends the approval of the listed personnel and
DTSD Webinars: always skip ahead, and the administration recommends the approval of the personnel resignations. I have a motion to approve the personnel resignations so moved Lindsey drew second Lindsey Cuck.
DTSD Webinars: Is there any discussion?
DTSD Webinars: This is a standard voice. Vote all those in favor, please say aye, aye, any opposed? No.
DTSD Webinars: thank you. The motion carries
DTSD Webinars: moving on to item 5 B.
DTSD Webinars: Personnel. General Doctor Winslow. Administration recommends the approval of the listed personnel, and recognition of any listed transfers, have a motion to approve the listed personnel and recognition of any listed transfers
DTSD Webinars: so moved. Lindsay Cock. Second, Lindsey Drew.
DTSD Webinars: is there any discussion?
DTSD Webinars: This is a standard voice. Vote all those in favor, please say aye, aye, any opposed. No
DTSD Webinars: motion carries, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Moving on to agenda. Item 6. Delegate reports.
DTSD Webinars: The Pennsylvania School Boards Association report is attached. Dr. Cronin, do you have anything that you'd like to add, not at this time. Thank you. Okay, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: The capital area intermediate unit report is attached. Dr. Kuch, do you have anything you'd like to add, no, not at this time. Thanks. Okay, thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Moving on to special reports. Item, agenda. Item 7. Are there any board members who would like to give a report.
DTSD Webinars: Okay.
DTSD Webinars: Dr. Winslow, do you have a superintendent's report? I do thank you.
DTSD Webinars: We welcome the students back last week, and we had a great first week of school. It is truly lonely around here in the summertime, so the buildings are meant to be full filled with children, and it's always wonderful when they are I did want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to write and call last week to give feedback about recess. I know that that had
DTSD Webinars: a lot of people very concerned for their their kiddos. We do always seek to work as partners and appreciate the patents as we continue to work through the process and the new procedures.
DTSD Webinars: the intent is to make sure that recess is both safe and fun for the kids, and I think at the moment we have a pretty good compromise to make sure that both things are happening. But it will. Everything is always
DTSD Webinars: under evaluation and and analysis. So we'll continue to monitor how things are going and make adjustments as needed. So do want to thank everybody. We are very, very grateful to work and and
DTSD Webinars: be in a district where there is a lot of parental involvement. It is.
DTSD Webinars: It's good.
DTSD Webinars: So we are back in the full swing of things with fall sports and activities. I do encourage people to come out and support our student athletes and musicians and show your Trojan pride. It is
DTSD Webinars: a lot of fun, and there's a lot going on this week.
DTSD Webinars: You really could just
DTSD Webinars: throw a dart at the calendar and pick something to and to go see, because there's something every night. So it's it's definitely a. The fall is a great time.
DTSD Webinars: Ben and Tim Day was Saturday morning. There were more than 800 runners registered. It was the largest field of competitors that they've had in 31 years. And I did just want to highlight the event. One, because lots of students run it. Lots of adults run it teachers, some school board members, lots of community members. So it's it's wonderful. And I love to watch Coach Fricki because he's
DTSD Webinars: directing people to the finish line, and I think he knows every single person's name that runs past him. Which is, is very cool. He's so connected to the running community. But Ben and Tim day does generate scholarships for our students, and this past year they were able to give out 31,000 scholarships to graduating seniors. So it is a very worthwhile event.
DTSD Webinars: It's a lot of community spirit. It's a lot of fun. And some people can run really, really fast. It's it's really amazing to see, there were 2 runners this year who broke 15 min.
DTSD Webinars: That's just incredible. So it was. It was really fun to watch. I mean, it's also neat, because both high school track teams come or not. Track teams, cross country teams and college cross country teams. So that's also really just a neat thing.
DTSD Webinars: and we're looking forward to a fantastic school year. Okay, we're very glad it's underway, and that the kids are back and
DTSD Webinars: we're in full swing. So thank you very much. Well, thank you. Dr. Winslow.
DTSD Webinars: Moving to agenda. Item 7 C. Board Resident Board President's report. I do not have a report
DTSD Webinars: moving on to agenda. Item, 8. Recognition of citizens. This is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers to address the Board on matters related
DTSD Webinars: to the agenda or matters of district governance, not on the agenda. Those who speak arrest to follow the same guidelines outlined at the initial public comment portion of our meeting
DTSD Webinars: again. I'll ask board treasurer, Mister Rizzo, to please keep time.
DTSD Webinars: If, for some reason, when you came, you weren't planning on making a comment, you can still do so by picking up a registration form and and completing it. It's not too late to do that, and just hand it in to Mrs. Ag.
DTSD Webinars: Having said that. Is there anyone in the room? Mrs. Ag. Who was asked to comment. Not at this time.
DTSD Webinars: We have somebody who's getting ready.
So it's not.
DTSD Webinars: Why don't you come up? And then you can. You can complete that when you're finished and hand it in to Mrs. Ag.
DTSD Webinars: Talking to this yeah terrifying thing.
DTSD Webinars: Hi, I'm Jeanette Murray. I'm a a township resident, and I'm here tonight to represent a League of Women voters of the Pennsylvania capital region. We we like to attend local
DTSD Webinars: School Board and supervisor meetings from time to time, just to see what's going on and report back to our members.
DTSD Webinars: The other reason I'm here is we would very much like to restart the candidate forums we always used to have before Covid. where
DTSD Webinars: candidates for school board and Supervisor. Usually we had it at the Township Building and
DTSD Webinars: Members of the public came. There were questions for the candidates, and it was a very interesting and very friendly event always. Some of you
DTSD Webinars: candidates might remember being at at those forums, and we'd like to start them up again.
DTSD Webinars: I'm yet ready to officially invite every School Board candidate. Some of them, I think, are here.
DTSD Webinars: I'll give them invitations, and I'm having a really hard time contacting some of these folks. So if any of you know any of the candidates personally and can give you maybe the emails I can get hold of him. That would be great.
DTSD Webinars: Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. And if you could complete that form, please, and hand it in, we'd appreciate it. Thank you
DTSD Webinars: anyone else. This is Angie who would like to comment.
DTSD Webinars: It doesn't appear so.
DTSD Webinars: Jared, anyone online?
DTSD Webinars: Yeah, I'm I'm unmuting. Ashley man. Thai, you are free to speak.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, Ashley. Thank you.
Ashley Mantheiy: Hi, good evening. My name is Ashley man Thai. And I'm here tonight virtually to discuss an issue we are having with the Special Education Department.
Ashley Mantheiy: I have 2 sons, Drake, and he is in Twelfth, and another son, Benjamin, who's in tenth. Both of my sons have hydrocephalus, and they have had more brain surgeries than birthdays. Every year we produce a letter from our neurologist who's from Boston Children's Hospital and from our neurosurgeon, who's from Massachusetts, Massachusetts General.
Ashley Mantheiy: and they are leaders in research and their expertise of the brain. In their letter they detail the needs of my children about their health and how it affects their education. But year after year my children and their services they need are held hostage and challenged by the Special Education Department.
Ashley Mantheiy: The Special Education Department's reasoning they provide for us and push back is that our doctor's directives are the fact that they are not educators.
Ashley Mantheiy: but they are physicians, but they are physicians and professors at Harvard Medical School. Since my son's help is being withheld, they are forced to see documents they can't do, because the fluctuation of intracranial pressure. For them the images are blurry and distorted.
Ashley Mantheiy: They're advised by their teachers to just simply zoom in my oldest son.
Ashley Mantheiy: He is pushed is in a wheelchair, and he has pushed into a desk that his legs don't fit because of us. He's not at a wheelchair desk. He has to learn by moving forward, trying to focus on a lesson without the fear of falling forward.
Ashley Mantheiy: But this is only the tip of the iceberg, and to our situation. I was recently made aware, against my approval for medical consent, and my 17 year old son's medical consent, that the Director of Special Education called Boston Children's Hospital Department of Neurology to discuss the letter they drafted for us.
Ashley Mantheiy: She identified my son's name diagnosis, and who she wanted to speak with and challenged their recommendations. It was appalling enough that they called me right away to discuss the situation.
Ashley Mantheiy: The deceptive tactic that occurred is why I'm here to day. So other families know
Ashley Mantheiy: what occurred in how to protect their medical information and the true intrusiveness we've experienced. Lastly, my family's story is ours and ours alone. We are the parents, and we choose what information we want to provide with the guidance of our doctors.
Ashley Mantheiy: I am asking as a board and a governing body over the school to look out for all students. My son's recommendations are not happening because the director is not allowing them to happen. It is no different than some one who needs a handicapped parking spot, and they're not given that spot.
Ashley Mantheiy: Thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Thank you.
DTSD Webinars: Jared. Anyone else
DTSD Webinars: not at this time.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, we will
DTSD Webinars: bring this second public comment period to close. Then
DTSD Webinars: is there anything else for the good of the order?
Yeah.
DTSD Webinars: Okay, then, we're up to agenda. Item 9, adjournment. The next public board of Directors meeting will be held September eleventh.
DTSD Webinars: 2,023, starting at 7 PM.
DTSD Webinars: Please refer to the district website to register for virtual attendance. As the meeting draw us closer, may have a motion to adjourn this meeting.
DTSD Webinars: so move Lindsey Cox in favor, please say, aye, aye, any opposed? No. thank you. Meeting is adjourned.