The Board Bulletin October 2023

A Monthly Summary of Board Discussion and Action

October 19, 2023

About The Board Bulletin

Welcome!

The Bulletin is published monthly on the Thursday following the voting meeting of the Board. The Bulletin is designed for informational purposes to keep the West York Area School District Community informed of Board happenings and is not intended as an official record of meetings. To view official meeting minutes, please visit BoardDocs and click on the specific meetings of interest. Each meeting's minutes are presented to the Board for approval at the following meeting. For questions or comments about this Bulletin, please contact trkeeler@wyasd.org.

Board Meeting Highlights

Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Board Voting Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. by President Lynn Kohler.

The minutes from the October 10, 2023, Board Work Session were approved.

Ms. Alyssa Murray, HS Student Council representative, shared updates from the High School.

Dr. Davies shared a letter of appreciation for the hospitality shown by our athletic staff to a visiting football team.

Mr. Ken Phillips from Raymond James spoke to the Board about project financing.

Discussion was held regarding the proposed athletic complex project. Mr. Brian Bingeman from Turf, Track, and Court was on hand to answer questions from the Board.

Please see a message below from Dr. Davies regarding a community survey about this project.

There was public comment regarding non-resident tuition before the Board took action on the items presented.

Action was taken on the following items:

Christmas' Learning Development Program Emergency Evacuation Agreement
New Story Schools Agreement
Bus and Van Drivers
McClure Cost Estimate for HVAC projects
Non-resident Tuition Student Admissions
NRG Building Services Annual Agreement
PA Counseling Services Letter of Agreement
Rainbow Junction Emergency Evacuation Agreement
Board Policy 255 (Retirement of Policy)
Four Student Expulsions
UPMC Employee Assistance Program Agreement
Two Use of Facilities Requests
Wellspan Philhaven Referral Agreement
Personnel Items
Monthly Financial Statements

Informational Reports, including the monthly enrollment report and district rentals, were shared.

Lifetouch Photography Services was discussed under Other Matters. Ms. Schlemmer, CFO, will meet with Lifetouch representatives regarding the quality of their products.

President Kohler adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m.

A Message from Dr. Davies Regarding the Proposed Athletic Complex Project

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During Tuesday’s Voting Meeting, the West York Board of Directors requested additional input from our community regarding the ongoing Athletic Fields Accessibility and Updating projects. The input that is being requested at this time specifically focuses on whether a renovated West York High School Stadium should feature grass or synthetic turf.

Background:

The West York Area School District has embarked on a significant project to enhance our athletic fields. This project initially took shape in the 2018-19 school year when we began exploring options to improve the accessibility of our main stadium. In February 2020, we sought your valuable input through a community survey to gauge your support for the initial plan to enhance the accessibility of the main stadium. The responses to that survey demonstrated community support for the goals of that stadium overhaul.

However, after pausing the project for two years, the Board revisited it last year and, in doing so, recognized the need to update not only the main stadium but also most of our athletic fields, both at the Middle School-High School Campus and the Trimmer Elementary School Campus.

The Current Project:

Our vision is to create a better experience for our athletes while making our campus and venues more accessible to the community. In pursuit of this goal, we plan to install two synthetic turf fields. One of these fields will be at a new multi-purpose "mini-stadium" where our existing field hockey and softball fields are located. The second synthetic turf field will either be integrated into the completely renovated main stadium or another field on the Middle School-High School campus.

Your Input is Important to Us:

We value your input in making this crucial decision for our community. Our new survey focuses on a pivotal question: Should the new main stadium field be grass or synthetic turf? To assist you in providing feedback, the survey will include a section outlining the pros and cons of each option.

Next Steps:

In the coming days, you will receive the survey in the same manner you are receiving this Bulletin, which will consist of just a few questions. Please participate and share your thoughts with us. Your input will be instrumental in guiding the future of our athletic fields.

Thank you for your continued support of the West York Area School District. Together, we can create a vibrant and accessible athletic environment that benefits our community and athletes alike.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Davies

Work Session Highlights

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, Work Session of the Board

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by President Lynn Kohler.

President Kohler announced that an Executive Session was held prior to the meeting to discuss personnel and legal matters.

President Kohler called for a moment of reflection about the current conflict in the Mid-eastern region of the world.

The minutes from the September 19, 2023, meeting of the Board were approved.

Mr. Ken Phillips and Ms. Lauren Stadel from Raymond James shared a financial presentation with the Board.

New Agreements Discussed:

Christmas' Learning Development Program
New Story Schools

Renewal Agreements Discussed:

Rainbow Junction
PA Counseling Services
Wellspan Philhaven Referral Agreement
NRG Building Services
UPMC Employee Assistance Program

2023-24 Bus Driver Recommendations

Two Board Policies were presented

McClure HVAC projects were discussed

The Athletic Complex project was discussed

Two Use of Facilities requests were discussed

Other Matters for Discussion

Lifetouch Photography service was discussed
A reminder to the Board about the Saxton & Stump Law Breakfast
A student expulsion will be on next week's agenda for action

Personnel Recommendations

Recommendations for approval at the October 17th meeting include new hires, resignations, retirements, volunteers, etc.
Recommendations for approval at this meeting were presented

Personnel Action Items

There were a few time-sensitive personnel items approved

Committee Reports:

Note that internal committee minutes are attached to the Work Session agenda in the month following the committee meeting.

Internal Committees:

Budget and Finance Committee
Cocurricular Committee - Director Rice noted the next meeting will be on November 21st
Educational Programming Committee - Director Herman noted the next meeting will be held on November 14th
Facilities Committee - President Kohler mentioned the minutes from the September 26th meeting were attached
Foundation for the WYASD - Director Myers had no report
PRIDE Committee - Director Shope reported that the PRIDE Committee met just prior to the Work Session. Highlights were

Changing the name from PRIDE to Communication and Engagement Committee (CEC)
The flagpole banner samples are in and will be displayed at Lincolnway for a final decision regarding ordering for other buildings
The Bulldog logo will be discussed at the next meeting in January

Wellness Committee - Director Dennis was not present

External Committees and Boards:

West Manchester Township Recreation Committee - Director Dennis
York County School of Technology - Director Harlacher
York County School of Technology Authority - Director Rice
York Adams Academy - Director Herman
York/LIU Joint Authority and LIU Board of Directors - Treasurer Gettys

Public Comment (both prior to action items and at the conclusion of the meeting)

There was no public comment.

President Kohler adjourned the meeting at 9:34 p.m.

Click Here to View Meeting Agendas and Approved Minutes

Upcoming Meetings

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Meetings are held in the Administration Boardroom for in-person attendance, via Zoom, and live-streamed on our District YouTube channel.

November 9th Wellness Committee Meeting 3:15 p.m. (Admin Boardroom)
November 14th Educational Programming Committee (EPC) 5:30 p.m. (Admin Boardroom)
November 14th Work Session of the Board 7:00 p.m. (Admin Boardroom)
November 21st Cocurricular Committee Meeting 5:30 p.m. (Admin Boardroom)
November 21st Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. (Admin Boardroom)

Click to Learn How to Attend a Committee Meeting, Work Session, or Board Meeting