The Board of School Directors of the Shaler Area School District held a Committee of the Whole Meeting on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, in a hybrid format, in person at the Shaler Area Administration Building, Glenshaw, PA, and on Zoom, a virtual meeting platform, with Dr. April Kwiatkowski, School Board Vice President, presiding. This meeting began at 9:31 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 

Not Present:	Mr. James Tunstall

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

Notice of this meeting was posted as required.

•	Dr. April Kwiatkowski called the meeting to order at 9:31 p.m.

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

ITEM
#	
EDUCATION ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL	SUP
#	ACTION 
TAKEN	
				
A.1	Approve the IDEA Section 619 Pass-Through Funds from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for the 2021-22 school year in the amount of $5,607.  Funds will be used for contracted services for Kindergarten students who have an IEP.	A.1		
				
A.2	Approve the addendum with Pressley Ridge Autism effective July 1, 2021, which extends and keeps the original contract originally entered on July 1, 2017.	A.2		
				
A.3	Approve the Day Student Education Agreement with Glade Run Lutheran Services for the 2021-22 school year.	A.3		
				
A.4	Approve the adoption of the textbook, The Practice of Statistics, Updated 6th Edition ©2020 for use in the Honors Probability & Statistics class.  Student texts 100 @$153.81 and supplemental materials @$3,600.  Total cost to the district $18,981.	A.4		
				
A.5	Approve the adoption of the novel, Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah ©2019 for use in the World Literature 10 class.  Student books 200 @$7.21.  Total cost to the district $1,442.	A.5		
				
A.6	Approve the second reading of the following new policies:
a.	Policy No. 137.1 – Extracurricular Participation by Home Education Students
b.	Policy No. 150 – Title I Comparability of Services	A.6		
				
A.7	Approve the second reading of the following revised policies:
a.	Policy No. 810.1 – School Bus Drivers and School Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers
b.	Policy No. 810.3 – School Vehicle Drivers	A.7		

•	Mrs. Petrovich asked about Item A.3 and the program. Dr. O’Black explained that it is a placement program for special education students. Dr. Graczyk clarified that the voting item is the annual contract for a student placed in the program through their IEP. Mrs. Petrovich asked if Glade Run was contracted to come into the schools. Dr. Graczyk said Grade Point Resources provides services in school. She said three of the four behavior specialists are new this school year. They evaluate student behavior when there is an issue in the classroom and also help with social skills, small group lessons and other services. There is one at every level. They do not provide one on one counseling but they do check on students throughout the day. There also is school based mental health services that provide in-school services. Mrs. Petrovich asked why the special education teachers can’t provide these services. Dr. Graczyk said they are not qualified to do that work. After additional discussion on special education services, Mrs. Petrovich requested additional information be provided to board members. 

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski asked if there was any additional information about testing for the policies in Item A.7. Dr. O’Black said additional information was shared via email. With the policy, the district will establish procedures. Mr. Hoffman indicated that the language is relevant but the transportation provider is prohibited from sharing drivers’ records. 

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

Information Items:

1.	Student Representative – Catherine Clark provided a report earlier in the evening.
 
2.	Shaler Area Education Foundation – Mrs. Phillips said the Foundation’s previous meeting was very productive in setting goals and working on external stakeholder relations. The Foundation is looking to formalize the Shaler Area Alumni Association and partner with alumni to raise awareness and within five years they want all SASD staff to know about SAEF. The Foundation also is looking to make the application simpler and partnering with the district to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Dr. Aiken added that the Foundation is interested in doing an annual service project to help the community know it is out there and what it is about. 

3.	Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Aiken provided an update on the summer programs in the district to help students. Dr. O’Black said there is a credit recovery program at the middle school and high school and about 200 students are enrolled in the kick start program at the primary and elementary level, which focuses on literacy and math. Dr. Aiken said the district is working on a history display for Homecoming as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. He also reported that the district has started a project to set a vision for the school district over the next five years. It is being done in partnership with AASA and the Grable Foundation. 

4.	Enrollment Update – Dr. O’Black reported that the kindergarten class is now at 267 students. He said it is the time of the year that the district starts to look at attendance boundaries between the primary schools and consider administrative exceptions. There are 15 sections of kindergarten next year. Mrs. Donahue asked if any classes are close to 25 students. Dr. O’Black said Scott Primary is close, however the district will look at exception requests. Mrs. Donahue asked what the next step would be after looking at boundary exceptions. Dr. Aiken said the district hopes to have even more kindergarten students enroll. 

Ms. Ludwig then announced the following Finance Items:

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	 	
B.	Cafeteria – Schedule of Bills	C.1B		
C.	2019 Bond Proceeds – Schedule of Bills	C.1D		
D.	Year-to-Date Financial Reports	C.1E		
E.	Fund Profiles and Investments	C.1F	 	
F.	Student Activity Funds & Investments – High School, Middle School and Elementary School –April 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021.	C.1G		

C.2	Cafeteria Operating Statement	C.2		
 	 		 	
C.3	Approve school of attendance exception applications for the 2021-22 school year (pending final enrollment). 	C.3	 	
 	 		 	
C.4	Acknowledge receipt of the lists of unpaid taxes as submitted and further, the Board charges PA Municipal Service (PAMS) with the responsibility for delinquent tax collections. 

Background Information:
The tax collectors responsible for collection of the real estate taxes have submitted lists of unpaid 2020 taxes for exoneration from collection and appointing PAMS for collection. 

The following represents unpaid taxes as of 06/30/2021:

Municipality	
Properties	
Amount	

Etna Borough	
198	
$153,249.81	

Millvale Borough	
318	
$432,987.98	

Reserve Township	
243	
$180,001.37	

Shaler Township	
642	
$1,106,689.45	

	C.4	

	
				
C.5	Approve ABC Transit, Inc. Bus Drivers for the 2021-22 school year.                 	C.5		
				
C.6	Approve the bus stop addition/removal for 2021-22 school year.	C.6		

•	Mr. Romac confirmed that the bus stop change was an elimination of a stop. Dr. O’Black said the district can reinstate it if it makes sense. 

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski asked about item C.2. Ms. Ludwig said the statement reflects a profit of $32,000, which is exciting to accomplish.

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski then invited the board to speak on any other business.
o	Dr. Kwiatkowski commented that even though everyone comes together with different opinions, at the end of the day, regardless of whether we argue or not, everyone is here for the best interest of students.
o	Mr. Romac asked if the district can introduce A.W. Beattie to students in 9th grade. Dr. Aiken said he will check with high school principal Dr. Tim Royall for additional information. He said A.W. Beattie presents a program to all 5th graders at the elementary school and the district is not lacking for students who attend Beattie. Mrs. Donahue asked if there can be a focus on the three-year programs in 9th grade so students know. Dr. Aiken said one three-year program is cosmetology. Mr. Fisher said right now there isn’t room for one more student. 
o	Mr. Gapsky asked about masking at Beattie. Mr. Fisher said Beattie usually follows the majority of the 9 sending schools’ recommendations. 

•	Dr. Kwiatkowski then recognized the public to speak on any other items:
o	Eugene Cawley, of Redstone Drive, asked if the meetings are recorded and archived. He expressed concerns with sharing controversial concerns. He also suggested that the public be given the ability to address the board privately.
o	Jodi Poniewaz, of Iola Street, said a son’s friend graduated from Beattie and is not doing as well as if he had started in 10th grade because of certification limitations. Dr. Kwaitkowski asked if the district opened enrollment to all 10th graders if the district would then have to limit the number of students who can enroll. Dr. Aiken said he would like to include the high school administration in a deeper conversation about the topic. Ms. Poniewaz suggested that the district also speak to recent graduates about how a third year may have benefited them in their program. 

After no further items were presented, final adjournment occurred at 10:16 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted,

Bethany Baker
Assistant Board Secretary