The Board of School Directors of the Shaler Area School District held a Combined Committee of the Whole/Voting Meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at the Shaler Area Administration Building, Glenshaw, PA, with Mr. Jim Tunstall, School Board President, presiding. This meeting began at 7:32 p.m.

Board Members Present:	Mrs. Suzanna Donahue
	Mr. James Fisher
Mr. Tim Gapsky
Dr. April Kwiatkowski
Mr. Jason Machajewski
Mrs. Jeanne Petrovich 
Mrs. Eileen Phillips
Mr. Steve Romac
Mr. James Tunstall

Others Present:	Mr. Sean Aiken, Superintendent
	Dr. Bryan O’Black, Assistant Superintendent
Ms. Sherri Ludwig, Director of Business Affairs
Mr. Matt Hoffman, Solicitor 

Notice of this meeting was posted as required.

•	Mr. Tunstall opened the meeting at 7:32 p.m. and recognized the Public to Speak on Agenda Items.
•	There was none.

•	Mr. Tunstall called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. and invited all to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. 

•	Mr. Tunstall then turned the meeting over to Mr. Aiken and Dr. O’Black who recognized the following individuals:
•	Jacob Ishman, Shaler Area High School senior who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout
•	Mr. James Fisher, school board director – named to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s Honor Roll of School Board Service for his 24 years on the board
•	Mrs. Jeanne Petrovich, school board director – named to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s Honor Roll of School Board Service for her 20 years on the board

•	On a motion by Mrs. Donahue and a second by Mr. Fisher, the following Minutes were approved by all in attendance:  
•	Committee of the Whole Meeting – October 9, 2019
•	Voting Meeting – October 16, 2019

•	Mr. Tunstall then announced items tabled or removed from the agenda:
•	There were none.

•	On a motion by Mrs. Petrovich and a second by Mrs. Donahue, the agenda was approved by all Board members in attendance.

Dr. O’Black then announced the following Education Items:

ITEM
#	
EDUCATION ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL	SUP
#	ACTION 
TAKEN	
				
A.1	Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Head Start and Pre-K Counts Programs to support best practices in transition to kindergarten with the Shaler Area School District in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.	A.1	MOU with AIU Head Start & Pre-K Counts	
				
A.2	Approve the first reading of the following revised policies:
a.	Policy No. 333 – Professional Development
b.	Policy No. 704 – Maintenance 
c.	Policy No. 806 – Child Abuse	A.2	Revised Policies – 1st Reading	
				
A3	Approve the second reading of the following new policy:
a.	Policy No. 719.1 – Therapy Dogs in Schools	A.3	New Policy – 2nd Reading	
				
A.4	Approve the following out-of-state/overnight trips:
a.	Shaler Area Cheerleaders travel to Hershey, PA – January 9-11, 2020 to compete in the PIAA Championships.  Approximate cost to the district:  Hotel (2 nights) $1,200; Bus (Campbell Tours) $3,200; Meals (2 days) $600; one substitute teacher for one day.

b.	Shaler Area Cheerleaders travel to Orlando, FL – February 5-10, 2020 to compete in UCA National High School Cheerleading Competition and Cheer Worlds.  Approximate cost per student is $550 plus $290 airfare; cost to the district one substitute teacher for four days.	A.4	Out-of-State/ Overnight Trips	

Dr. O’Black then announced the following Information Items:

Information Items:

1.	Student Representatives – Gabriella Mizera and Zoe Babbit were not in attendance

2.	SAEF Foundation – Dr. Kwiatkowski announced the ongoing planning for the Taste of Shaler Area and that the foundation is looking for gifts and donations. She also announced the Alumni Association’s VIP event for alumni prior to the high school’s opening night for “Radium Girls.” She added that grants were coming in and foundation member Dr. Seybert works with teachers to get them to an approved grant. Mr. Aiken said the foundation will host a retreat for board members on Jan. 22 to talk about its by-laws and purpose. 

3.	Education Committee Meeting – Wednesday, January 29, 2020 – 6:00 PM - 2018-19 District Assessment Data Review.

•	Dr. Kwaitkowski asked if changes also needed to be made in the volunteer policies with the changes to Policy 806 (Item A.2c). Dr. O’Black said the other policies refer to Policy 806. 

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski asked if there is any concern with the cheerleaders missing so many days of school and if this will affect the students’ attendance records in light of the new state requirements. Mr. Aiken explained that the trip is categorized as a school sponsored trip, so it doesn’t count against the students’ attendance. He also said if a student was struggling with attendance, it’s something that the administration would look into. Dr. O’Black added that the trip is no different than a track student going to Hershey to compete. Mrs. Phillips asked how much is budgeted for the Hershey trip. Dr. O’Black said there is a playoff budget line, and because it is a PIAA sanctioned sport, it qualifies. 

•	Mr. Romac asked if under “Health & Safety” in the Therapy Dogs in School Policy should read “The District Administration shall ensure that the therapy dog does not pose a health and safety risk…” as opposed to “The Board of School Directors shall ensure…” Mr. Hoffman said that would be an appropriate revision. Mr. Romac also asked if the policy is based around staff members or also volunteers. Dr. O’Black said the policy would also apply to the Reading with Rover program in which volunteers bring in therapy dogs. 

A motion was made by Mrs. Donahue with a second by Mr. Romac, to approve Items A.1-4. 

The approval was made to include the revision to the wording in Item A.3 from “The Board of School Directors” to “District Administration.” After no further discussion, these items were then approved by a roll call vote.

Motion Carried:   9 aye; 0 nay

Donahue	
Fisher	
Gapsky	
Kwiatkowski 	
Machajewski 	
Petrovich 	
Phillips	
Romac	
Tunstall	

Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	

	
ACTION:
Approved
Items A.1-4

Dr. O’Black then presented the following Personnel items for approval. 

ITEM
#	
PERSONNEL ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL	SUP
#	ACTION 
TAKEN	
				
B.1	Approve the following Leave of Absence:		Leave of Absence	
				
a.	David Boyles, Art teacher, High School, for the unpaid portion of his military leave of absence effective February 1, 2020 and returning to work on March 20, 2020.			
				
B.2	Approve the following Long-Term Substitutes (LTS) for the 2019-20 school year:		LTS	
				
a.	Scott Hughes, a graduate of Westminster College, as an FT 1.0 LTS Special Education teacher for Ashley DiCriscio, High School, effective retro to November 18, 2019 to on or about June 8, 2020, at 85% of the Bachelor’s Step 2-3 salary level (prorated).	B.2a.		
				
b.	Carrie Heim, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, for an extension to her current LTS contract, as a FT 1.0 LTS Art teacher, for David Boyles, High School, effective from on or about January 22, 2020 to on or about March 20, 2020, at 85% of the Master’s Step 3 salary level (prorated). 	B.2b.		
				
B.3	Approve the following Coaches for the 2019-20 school year:		Coaches	
				
	Boys/Girls Indoor Track (Winter)				
a.	Boys/Girls Asst. Varsity Coach	Scott Hughes (50%)			
b.	Boys/Girls Asst. Varsity Coach	Rachel Webb (50%)			
				
B.4	Approve the following Day-to-Day Substitute Teachers for the 2019-20 school year:		Day-to-Day Substitute – Teacher	
				
a.	Melissa Thomas, Elem Ed K-6 (retro to October 21, 2019)			

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski asked at what time an employee moves from a day-to-day substitute to a long-term substitute. Dr. O’Black said that happens after 45 consecutive days. He said Carrie Heim is already an LTS in the district and will just extend the dates. 

A motion was made by Mrs. Petrovich with a second by Mrs. Donahue, to approve Items B.1-4. 

After no further discussion, these items were then approved by a roll call vote.

Motion Carried:   9 aye; 0 nay

Donahue	
Fisher	
Gapsky	
Kwiatkowski 	
Machajewski 	
Petrovich 	
Phillips	
Romac	
Tunstall	

Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	

ACTION:
Approved
Items B.1-4	

Ms. Ludwig then presented the following Finance items for approval:

 
ITEM
#	
FINANCE & OPERATION ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL	SUP
#	ACTION
TAKEN	
				
C.1	APPROVE FUND PROFILES:	 		
	A.	General Fund – Schedule of Bills and Addendum	C.1A	Fund Profiles	
	B.	Cafeteria Fund – Schedule of Bills   	C.1B		
	C.	Bond Proceeds – Schedule of Bills	C.1C		
	D.	Year-to-Date Financial Reports	C.1D		
	E.	Fund Profiles and Investments	C.1E		
					
C.2	Cafeteria Operating Statement	C.2	Cafeteria Operating Statement	
				
C.3	Approval of additional ABC Transit personnel	C.3	ABC Transit Personnel	
				
C.4	Approve the Shaler Area School District’s continued participation in the Western Pennsylvania Electric Consortium.  The new contract period will begin on the meter read date in January 2021 and will extend for a one, two, or three-year period based on pricing received from up to six major electric suppliers.		Participation in the Western PA Electric Consortium	
				
C.5	Approve the application for Booster Club from the Shaler Area Bowling Parents Association.	C.5	Bowling Parents Association Application	
				
C.6	Approve Tri-Cog Land Bank’s Notice of Proposed Property Disposition for Lot Block 167-E-208 address 1 Bottomfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA  15223 and Lot Block 167-F-134 address 27 Freeport Street Pittsburgh, PA  15223.	C.6	Tri-Cog Land Bank’s Notice of Proposed Property Disposition	
 
C.7	Approve payment to Sample Development Corp. (Brantner) for the Biles Field sink hole repair construction work in the amount of $49,000.	C.7	Sample Development Corp. Payment	

•	Ms. Ludwig explained that Item C.4 allows the district to participate in the bidding process. The district can then approve or disapprove when the bids come in. 

•	Mrs. Donahue asked if the proposed bowling booster group has all of its papers in order. Ms. Ludwig said they met all application requirements, and although they do not yet have a treasurer, the secretary can perform in that capacity. 

•	Mr. Gapsky said he did not see any names listed for the ABC Transit personnel. Ms. Ludwig said there was one candidate, Lona Bump, and she would make sure the documents were updated online for the board. 

•	Mr. Gapsky also asked if Item C.6 was in Etna. Mr. Fisher confirmed that both were. 

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski said the letter from Tri-Cog indicated the sale was to a nonprofit which would mean the property would not go back on the tax rolls, which was the goal of the Land Bank. Ms. Ludwig said the item is related to an approved item in the previous month for the Land Bank to go through a nonprofit organization to help with redevelopment. Mr. Fisher said the company came to the Land Bank, and the Land Bank agreed to give the nonprofit so many days to refurbish the property, put it on the market, and sell it, thus putting it back on the tax rolls. The nonprofit is the Land Bank’s subcontractor. Mr. Fisher said anytime there is a transfer, all taxing bodies must approve. Ms. Ludwig offered to put the Land Bank’s original letter explaining the new partnership online again for the board. 

A motion was made by Mrs. Petrovich with a second by Mrs. Donahue, to approve Items C.1a-d and C.2-6. 

After no further discussion, these items were then approved by a roll call vote.

Motion Carried:   9 aye; 0 nay

Donahue	
Fisher	
Gapsky	
Kwiatkowski 	
Machajewski 	
Petrovich 	
Phillips	
Romac	
Tunstall	

Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	

ACTION:
Approved
Items C.1a-d and C.2-6

A motion was made by Mr. Fisher with a second by Mrs. Petrovich, to approve Items C.1e. 

After no further discussion, these items were then approved by a roll call vote.

Motion Carried:   9 aye; 0 nay

Donahue	
Fisher	
Gapsky	
Kwiatkowski 	
Machajewski 	
Petrovich 	
Phillips	
Romac	
Tunstall	

Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	

ACTION:
Approved
Items C.1e

A motion was made by Mr. Fisher with a second by Mrs. Petrovich, to approve Items C.7. 

After no further discussion, these items were then approved by a roll call vote.

Motion Carried:   8 aye; 1 nay

Donahue	
Fisher	
Gapsky	
Kwiatkowski 	
Machajewski 	
Petrovich 	
Phillips	
Romac	
Tunstall	

Y	
Y	
Y	
N	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	
Y	

ACTION:
Approved
Items C.7

Ms. Ludwig then presented the following Acknowledgment:

Acknowledgement:

•	 The Alumni Association has generously donated additional seating for the courtyard outside the high school cafeteria.  This is the second step of providing outside classroom space for high school students. 
o	Mr. Aiken added that the Alumni Association also is working with the Unified bocce team. Mr. Rauscher, athletic director, explained that this year there will be two bocce teams, which will require an additional bocce court, about $400. The Alumni Association also is looking to get the team sponsored team shirts. The team wouldn’t use an advertised shirt for competition. Mr. Aiken said the shirt was more about unifying the team and not advertising. 

Ms. Ludwig then presented the following Discussion Items:

Discussion Items:

•	Titan Stadium Painting
o	Mr. John Kaib, supervisor of buildings and grounds, reported that the cost to paint Titan Stadium would be $110,000 to $130,000. He said it is a large job that involves removing all benches and railings in order to remove rust and repaint. Mr. Aiken said other projects have emerged in the district (such as the replacement of Marzolf Primary’s windows and doors) and repainting Titan Stadium may be more of a want than a need. He said the district constantly needs to reevaluate and reprioritize projects. Dr. Kwiatkowski pointed out that painting Titan Stadium was not included in the bonded list of capital improvement projects. Mrs. Petrovich asked why the board is having the discussion when they are not planning to repaint the stadium at this time. Mr. Aiken said the consideration to repaint the stadium came last spring when the district was preparing for graduation. Mr. Romac expressed concern that there may be holes in the decking that could cause additional damage if not addressed. 
o	Mrs. Petrovich asked for clarification on the issue with Marzolf’s windows and doors. Mr. Aiken said the way the original windows are constructed causes water to sit in the windows. Mr. Fisher added that the same problem happened at the former Rogers Primary and Reserve Primary and both schools had their windows replaced. Mr. Aiken said administration has an upcoming meeting with TEN at which time they will talk about Marzolf’s windows and doors. He said the district is looking at ways in which is can reorder some of the capital improvement projects to fund the window and door replacement. Additional discussion occurred regarding the order of the capital improvement projects and cost saving measures. Mrs. Petrovich requested an updated list of the capital improvement projects completed and still planned as well as the costs for each. Ms. Ludwig said the district has spent $3 million of the $15 million bond to date. Mr. Tunstall said that he isn’t saying the stadium needs to be repainted today, but it needs to stay on the district’s radar.
•	High School campus paving project: parking lots, lighting, timing, bidding, architect
o	Mr. Aiken said the district needs to put the high school paving project out for bid in the coming months in order to complete the project this spring. Mr. Romac asked that the district look into the option to piggy back on the Shaler Township paving project as it had for the paving of Paul Schweiger Way.
•	Fitness Center
o	Mr. Aiken shared a breakdown of the Fitness Center membership and presented two options to the board: 1.) reduce the Fitness Center hours and eliminate memberships to the public, and 2.) reduce hours and grandfather all current Fitness Center memberships, but not accept any new memberships. Mr. Ed DiPofi, who supervises the Fitness Center, said there are students who use the Fitness Center until 9 p.m. and cutting back hours would affect the students. Dr. Kwiatkowski and Mr. Gapsky expressed concern with the amount of money the Fitness Center loses each year and if it is being managed properly. Mr. Aiken said the board can look at is as losing money or investing money in the students. Dr. Kwiatkowski pointed out that at the end of the day, the memberships are the money revenues for the Fitness Center. Mr. Rauscher said the budget item includes repairs to the equipment and the majority of the use is by students. At the board’s request, Mr. Aiken explained the benefit of having a supervisory position for the Fitness Center, a position that is responsible for maintaining equipment, instructing students, and ensuring their safety using the equipment. Mr. DiPofi said the position maintains both of the district’s fitness centers (at the middle school and high school). Mr. Rauscher said the public memberships do not hurt the students’ access to the equipment. Mr. Gapsky said he wants the Fitness Center to be for students only. Additional discussion occurred related to the specific hours students use the Fitness Center and for what purposes. Discussion occurred whether or not to close the center at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Mr. DiPofi suggested that Saturday hours be reduced to 9 a.m. to noon. Mr. Aiken then conducted a straw poll of the board members on which option they preferred. The majority favored grandfathering all current Fitness Center memberships and keeping the center open until 9 p.m. They also expressed interest in increasing the membership costs.  

•	Mr. Tunstall then announced the following upcoming meetings:
•	Thursday, November 21, 2019
o	6:00 p.m. – A.W. Beattie Committee, Babcock Blvd.
•	Wednesday, December 4, 2019
o	6:00 p.m. – Executive Session
o	7:00 p.m. – Board Reorganization Meeting
o	7:30 p.m. – Combined Committee of the Whole/Voting Meeting

•	Announcement of Past Executive Sessions was made by Mr. Tunstall.

•	Mr. Tunstall then asked if there was any other business to come before the board. 
•	Mrs. Donahue asked for an update on recess at the elementary school. Mr. Aiken said students in fifth-grade now have recess every day. The sixth-grade is more challenging. The administration is looking to allow students to go into the courtyard on nice days.
•	Mrs. Donahue also asked for an update on the counselor availability at Reserve Primary. Mr. Aiken said he met with Reserve staff and administration to talk about the issue. Right now, there is a counselor one day per week and a social worker who focuses on attendance. The school principal felt differently than staff and felt there were many levels of support for students. He said the district does not have a solution that doesn’t include pulling someone from another building and a part-time counselor would be a big expense. He said the district could pull a counselor from elsewhere in the district, but Mr. Aiken said teachers didn’t feel that would have the same benefit because there wouldn’t be the same relationship with students. Mrs. Donahue said the teachers said it was a need and she would prefer a full-time counselor in that school. She argued that every other student in the district has a full-time counselor available to them. 
•	Mr. Romac asked how the fence posts at Titan Stadium are installed. Mr. Kaib said they are in cement.
•	Mr. Aiken said the district received the bills from the Central Catholic games at Titan Stadium and will share it with the board. 
•	Dr. Kwiatkowski said she doesn’t feel like the monthly Spotlight page is necessary for someone to be creating. She also expressed the interest in a discussion about the minimal participation in National Honor Society. She said she knows there is a larger number of students eligible than the number who participate. Mr. Aiken said the conversation will have to happen with high school staff. 

After no further items were presented, on a motion by Dr. Kwiatkowski and second by Mrs. Donahue, the Business Meeting was adjourned at 9:48 p.m.

Mr. Tunstall then recognized the public to speak on any non-agenda item:
•	There was none.

When no one approached the podium, the meeting’s Final Adjournment occurred at 9:48 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Bethany Baker
Assistant Board Secretary