[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6346850,"mediaKeyId","2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f","parentId",2246409,"title","Board hears 2025–26 spending overview, safety steps for evening events and updated facilities planning","audioSeconds",3232,"startMs",4656000,"endMs",7888000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f&start=4656&end=7888","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f/thumbnail_4656000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6346850/Pennsylvania/Board-hears-202526-spending-overview-safety-steps-for-evening-events-and-updated-facilities-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6346850-8879a8c15ed1b0341d71e1da0cafb875/orig.mp4?Expires=1773609201&Signature=HRejH1iDFxvcsBSsuJ~CB93huUTBRA9-Yi9d3rBWVpoiliVOm5T1A-rKSam11W9M2rtohY2I5rDpdBfXbCm9~7w-IDOSD3a6CW4ezz3iayIZzqMXM-~FSF86CJyOceqpCMzzqrwO24zP3a8nJc7Ep30dBhAUvvSnW~wt6R3sjRlN0QBfcQGPw1W3rfFM5-e4KnP76MG0qskirzsIxGpIWKG4LN8yDHWF8p49AsEvim9-gMJfDQ5LinDDI9GbcCxsiQw2Pj3tZOL4gDIVWfhY470rplo0hW71SksVbDb1Kbft5qxGaF4FzBvIUsdIA-OvJy7XWTpyxykuQH2pcAr2og__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Danville Area School District","date","2025-02-06T13:39:48Z","article","Danville Area School District’s administration presented a first view of proposed expenditures for 2025–26, safety measures for evening events, and updated long-range planning options for athletic fields and facilities at a board meeting where multiple operational items were discussed.

Finance overview: The district’s proposed 2025–26 budget totals were presented in departmental format as a first review. The finance director said an initial compilation of line items totaled about $47,999,000 and explained the packet reflects a budgetary-reserve (contingency) line set at $201,075.92. The administration described a year‑over‑year increase of about 2.93%, driven mainly by salaries and benefits: the presentation cited roughly $1.4 million of total year-over-year increase with about $1.1 million attributable to salaries; the district noted benefit costs add approximately $0.43 for each dollar of salary increase and said recent health-premium arrangements limit medical-cost exposure for the coming year.

The finance director explained the district will present revenues in greater detail next month and aims to present the preliminary budget in May and a final budget in June, following required Act 1-index-related decisions. The director also noted a correction to a prior-year line-item entry that will move funds into the contingency account and praised principals and department heads for aligning budget requests more closely with expected expenditures.

Safety at evening events: District officials outlined specific changes designed to tighten access and crowd management at evening activities such as performances and athletic contests. Measures include: locking interior classroom and office doors at the end of each day; limiting which exterior doors are unlocked and only opening doors that feed a staffed ticket table; adding three expandable gates for lobbies/gyms; clearer identification for game managers and event staff (high‑visibility shirts or lanyards); training for game managers in crowd management and de‑escalation; and coordination with custodial, facilities and local law enforcement. Administrators connected safety work to mental‑health programming and threat‑assessment tools used across buildings.

Facilities and long-range planning: The board received a facilities update reflecting revised cost options from the district’s long‑range planner. Alloy 5’s revised work proposes lower-cost variations for a seven/eight addition and an elementary‑campus option that would reduce scope and cost compared with earlier proposals. Administrators discussed using an access road controlled by the borough as a likely entrance for any new athletic-field project and said they will ask Alloy 5 to present drawings reflecting that approach.

Core sampling and athletics surfaces: The district discussed geotechnical core sampling for proposed field sites (primary fields across from the primary school, existing baseball/softball, and the parcel behind Liberty Valley). A vendor estimate discussed in the meeting suggested a full coring program could be substantial (the presentation mentioned a notional order-of-magnitude figure near $20,000 for multiple coring locations), and administrators said they would present a proposal for board consideration. On tennis courts, the district shared a revised geotechnical/engineering interpretation from Midlantic clarifying that visible cracking did not necessarily indicate a structural foundation failure; with those clarifications the district said it could move forward with bids or cooperative-purchase (CoStars) quotes for resurfacing.

Athletics and extracurriculars: Administrators provided a coaching‑staff breakdown and noted some programs with atypical assistant-coach counts (for example, girls lacrosse had three paid assistants on historical staffing lists). The board was given coaching ratios (players per paid adult) for spring and fall sports and was asked to consider whether to adjust staffing in a few sports; administrators also described volunteer-coach approval procedures. The high school also asked the board to formalize three provisional student clubs (fly-tying, game development and newspaper) and to keep student ambassadors at provisional status pending expanded evening activities.

Foundation and grants: The finance director said he is drafting bylaws for a district foundation (a 501(c)(3) vehicle) and expects a three- to four‑month timeline after bylaws are approved to secure final Commonwealth and IRS actions; the district noted interim partnerships could accept philanthropic gifts in the near term. The board was also told a teacher’s fly-fishing grant will be presented for approval the following week; the administration is preparing a grant‑guidebook to clarify review steps and matching-fund concerns.

No formal budget vote or final facility authorization occurred at the meeting; administrators said multiple items will be on next week’s consent or voting agenda.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","DASD Committee of the Whole Meeting 02/05/25","oneSentenceSummary","The district finance director presented a draft 2025–26 expenditure plan showing a proposed 2.93% increase driven primarily by salaries and benefits; administrators also outlined new safety steps for evening events and updated plans and cost options for athletic fields and tennis courts.","taxTitle","Danville Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",38791,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6346855,"Danville High School program-of-studies update adds required personal finance, expands dual-enrollment and AP options",921,2808000,3729000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f&start=2808&end=3729","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f/thumbnail_2808000.jpg","/articles/6346855/Pennsylvania/Danville-High-School-program-of-studies-update-adds-required-personal-finance-expands-dual-enrollment-and-AP-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6346855-b909a815f3f490cff82f673245f38562/orig.mp4?Expires=1773609201&Signature=DeXJbtj1XnXa7eVLV6K7iHPRxjeyoVNdxviDTyhxqKbqmzTlT3cN5UhMuWtrFp2b6S1pD0tVsnCc3-HZk4TY2Hq7DdkPeZEh-AChavlx-a2I0iL3YZ1vW6dW2QGcmtbuXT1ipIDpGcNgKygUxhGwDhj3mdrEyHZlVNnscqS7ZsqfWD~auvvYf06WioMKXRys5kdYsxUW0YLDFhEy-tbjXdqNG9Moao3vSz3Ztpg90mg~0k4nBuadAGN47dmO8f5f3sMbWjvjFbMWLSXLENQ9uruHEaPxm1YVvz9z2Lj9n604Ad3GoNCmlpItOCDVixZ32R7ngGvxf-~bka7BK-GFPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Danville Area School District administrators reviewed proposed changes to the Danville High School program of studies, including a new required personal finance course tied to Pennsylvania Act 35 of 2023, expanded dual-enrollment partnerships and adjustments to grade-weighting for advanced college experience (ACE) courses.

District officials said the program-of-studies document runs about 72 pages and will be presented for board approval at the next meeting. The board packet and the presentation named the addition of a personal finance requirement mandated by Act 35 of 2023, to take effect for the school-year cohort expected to graduate in 2029 (current eighth graders). The district intends to satisfy the requirement by using an existing Financial Management (course number 503) as a half-credit course and to keep the overall credit cap at 24.

Administrators outlined an expansion of dual-enrollment agreements that allow students to take courses at Danville High School taught by DHS teachers that may carry college credit. Existing partnerships cited in the presentation include Lackawanna College, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College) and Delaware Valley University; the district said it is pursuing agreements with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and Luzerne County Community College.

On ACE course weighting, the administration proposed creating a new transcript-weighting multiplier of 1.03 for college courses offered through Commonwealth University that the district judges to have rigor between honors and AP-level classes. The presentation said the district will include a grade-conversion chart showing how letter grades from partnering colleges convert to percentage equivalents and then receive the 1.03 multiplier for GPA weighting.

New course offerings highlighted in the draft program include AP Research (completing the AP Capstone sequence), a GIS/drone-science course tied to an instructor certified as a drone pilot, and Foundations of Biology II. The document also proposes a new algebra sequence (Keystone Algebra 1A/1B or Keystone Algebra 1 Accelerated) to provide multiple pathways for eighth‑grade students entering high school.

Administrators described an implementation timeline that, if approved, would begin student course selection, parent nights and the online scheduling timeline in February–March with a March scheduling day and ongoing information sessions. The district said it will continue to notify families and publish final agreements once dual-enrollment contracts are executed.

No final board action was taken during the presentation; administrators said the program-of-studies item will be on the consent or action agenda at the board’s vote next week.","Administrators presented a 72‑page program-of-studies draft that adds a state-required personal finance course, expands dual-enrollment partners, proposes a new ACE weighting band and several new courses and pathways for students.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6346860,"Danville Area SD reports midyear gains in early grades; math growth strongest at middle school",1914,561000,2475000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f&start=561&end=2475","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2246409-31e571051e378f7c74dcbca3085a341f/thumbnail_561000.jpg","/articles/6346860/Pennsylvania/Danville-Area-SD-reports-midyear-gains-in-early-grades-math-growth-strongest-at-middle-school","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6346860-b2d17ae435ef1dc8815858b737ce5752/orig.mp4?Expires=1773609201&Signature=mbNhb87bVjim2-mBkJzX0sTVVs53hl4pqp-5eSKBZ05w-0TJxtlq9dwzGVb7ehRpmmp3GtypdujMuk7MhMU9iqZUOZ6lPJaFV6R3qEWXfkBme27mg4shPA8tVWHKijI8rSUJqQowxkuuKZgb099Cfl35RsKEZIeWtzOEpfd~CVIS5a2hHdQYs78wH-zEoDnHaGw~WOvAqcOf4XtMfNWavXC5etZ2xDhMABTu8-W1RwAKuSWIwqabNPeTaLZaw22~ZvCeKQMmKFzX0rxCSYaQNXoLJ1JRtA394J0o3a1ueS87h~hV0hwaKUkUdfCdM6tJHWm6PzFpdEjWRnuqypHRtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Danville Area School District administrators presented midyear assessment data showing gains in early-grade reading and mixed results across later grades at a board meeting where principals outlined classroom interventions and next steps.

The presentation said kindergarten students at Danville Primary School who were independently reading rose from about 1% at the start of the year to roughly 5% at midyear. First-grade independent reading grew from about 10% to between 25% and 30%, and second-grade independent readers increased from about 40% to about 65%, the report said. District staff attributed early-grade reading gains to focused core instruction, Title I reading supports and small-group interventions.

At Liberty Valley, administrators reported midyear MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) percentiles that rose in several grades in math but showed more modest movement in ELA. Liberty Valley leaders said they are expanding reading-support practices and revising interventions to pick up students in the 25th percentile band as well as the lowest performers. The school reported that reading-support caseloads had declined in some grades as students ‘graduated’ off specialist supports.

Danville Middle School administrators said math growth was especially strong districtwide at midyear, with overall school achievement percentile rising from the low 50s to the low 70s and a growth score in the 90th percentile. The middle school presentation showed consistent improvement across sixth, seventh and eighth grades in math achievement and growth; ELA achievement dipped slightly and will be a focus going into spring instruction and testing.

Administrators identified specific supports being expanded: continued use of Study Island and I-Ready diagnostics in math, UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Initiative) elements and Title I targeting in reading, ongoing professional development for teachers, and monthly data review meetings to translate assessment results into classroom practice. Building leaders also said they are monitoring tiered supports (MTSS) so students leaving specialist interventions continue to receive tier 2 classroom supports.

The board discussion that followed touched on socioeconomic factors outside school and the district response. Administrators emphasized focusing on the “locus of control” — the instruction and supports the schools can deliver during the school day — while also naming mental-health and basic-needs resources as complementary services used to level the playing field for students.

Looking ahead, district staff said they will use spring MAP/CDT results and the continuing monthly review cycle to target instruction, expand small-group supports where needed, and refine curriculum pacing where particular standards (for example, multiplication fluency) were identified as gaps.","District administrators told the school board midyear results show reading gains in K–2 across Danville Primary School and increased math proficiency at Liberty Valley and the middle school, with program adjustments to keep students progressing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board hears 2025–26 spending overview, safety steps for evening events and updated facilities planning

Danville High School program-of-studies update adds required personal finance, expands dual-enrollment and AP options

Danville Area SD reports midyear gains in early grades; math growth strongest at middle school