[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,76,87],{"_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",6479914,"mediaKeyId","5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae","parentId",5692030,"title","Votes at a glance: Methacton board meeting, Aug. 26, 2025","audioSeconds",2024,"startMs",3760000,"endMs",5784000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae&start=3760&end=5784","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae/thumbnail_3760000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6479914/Pennsylvania/Votes-at-a-glance-Methacton-board-meeting-Aug-26-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479914-c31fe09e65e98c00c5c559fabd35c107/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176584&Signature=Uk82fL0PiX35LgZdVgsUH5-miZ-ZjzpFk6x1BSiYIoxhUKwm9d-uSqtZLm6T8be0umC5~Tmnz-wMTPhibnYvHosnY2HO~xDDjif-ZZr4JSJBTV9yMbtkN5-y60-GE565jDZm~PYOJrDynAPVbQqGIqBF~M2h5xO5E-a5PkJU~nOxPy5mxe-bn1V8k0yzegfK3SFOHnLS2W2b1iWUAD34qxaT51VlXaOQFe-p0G1pR508qfAd~DTgmC7bXTteYCoY43UMjeAc7nI~pqCCHbA4TNf3hjD7EuVEYztSxovazFM1nxcNcFTnjcCShEdm2QuUDo~XnqKlUA3L8gSPjmzzRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Methacton School District","date","2025-08-28T13:52:33Z","article","This is a concise summary of votes recorded by the Methacton School District Board of Directors at its Aug. 26, 2025 meeting. Tallies are taken from the meeting record and are summarized below.

- Minutes: The board approved the July 22, 2025 regular board meeting minutes. Vote as announced: 9–0 in favor.

- Fiscal items: Four fiscal items (including a settlement added the prior week) were approved as presented. Vote as announced: 9–0 in favor.

- Personnel items: The board approved the slate of personnel actions presented on the consent agenda with one item (10D5) removed for separate consideration. The consent personnel items passed as presented: 9–0.

- Personnel item 10D5 (Belonging and Climate Facilitator job description): The board voted separately and the job description was approved. Meeting count as announced at roll call: five in favor, four opposed, one abstention. Outcome: approved. (See separate coverage for details and debate.)

- Curriculum and programs: A set of educational-service agreements (six items listed on the agenda) were approved as presented. Vote as announced: 9–0 in favor.

- Other: The board approved superintendent goals for 2025–26 and added a transportation roster appointment; both items were approved by voice vote as presented (meeting record: 9–0 where roll call was recorded).

Notes: Tally counts are those recited during the meeting and recorded in the official meeting minutes. Where roll-call counts were read aloud, this summary uses those figures; the district’s official minutes and personnel records contain the formal roll-call tallies and will serve as the record of action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","August 26, 2025 - Regular Board of School Directors Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Key formal actions from the Aug. 26 Methacton School District Board meeting, including minutes, fiscal and curriculum approvals and personnel actions.","taxTitle","Methacton SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",55561,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":46,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6479919,"Methacton board approves 'belonging and climate facilitator' job description after divided vote",2320,3464000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae&start=3464&end=5784","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae/thumbnail_3464000.jpg","/articles/6479919/Pennsylvania/Methacton-board-approves-belonging-and-climate-facilitator-job-description-after-divided-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479919-97aa0593e0c8b449bc6d8c3f7326506c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176584&Signature=FrJ0-BDS16cN8KcwIbQp1Ww0P7AHfqa79tA5R3tApbxBZnxQGmGd2jg9SkZNdS~s9wJOU6ejvyJLTKXOFJvV0XJ775BZG5~dK4tAebJMLx3xg-PDkSX8GTxrp17~AtZCCVLmcTcPgrBZL9~JukACEqzpt-XjmFblCi0IV8cHkkNnU8Oncgrwu6tTPe5q20pATEMsFMKXLBLM2AZTuNxJW7WUiymjp83QLaowB6pF5see1Erx7b-PNKFAFa8lYeLdl9r3NKieZeC1vK2374e7GXb49QN3mtYw7thU3JbTw-ng45gHpx-crD2GzEp44uWT2JvB~Lz9xv1RuoIiU4kF0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Methacton School District Board of Directors approved a job description for a Belonging and Climate Facilitator during its Aug. 26 meeting after extended debate and a split vote.

Supporters said the role would help create inclusive school climates and could improve student outcomes; opponents and some board members said the description needs clearer priorities, measurable goals and stronger connections to district literacy and data-analysis work before being posted.

Board Director Alston said evidence supports the connection between belonging and academic outcomes: \"creating a sense of belonging does lead to increased academic performance,\" she told fellow members during discussion. Several board members urged the description be organized with clearer categories and measurable objectives; others said those details could be developed by the successful candidate after hire and that delaying the position risks slow progress on student supports.

The board recorded the motion as passed by a divided vote. The meeting transcript shows five votes in favor, four opposed and one abstention; the motion carried. The job will be posted as a Methacton Education Association (MEA) position and its salary will follow the MEA salary matrix, the board was told. A board member cited an approximate range of about $61,000 to $118,000 depending on experience and credits.

Several directors urged that the final posted description and the hiring process emphasize data analysis and alignment with the district’s ongoing literacy work; others stressed the role should remain rooted in school-based practice and be accessible to educators rather than written so narrowly that it limits the candidate pool.

Public commenters at the meeting also expressed views on the role. One asked about the position’s cost and metrics and urged broader district outreach on communications. Another speaker supported a clear problem statement for the job — for example, reducing bullying or harassment — and asked that success metrics be tied to the problem the board seeks to solve.

The board did not set specific measurable goals in the job description; several directors suggested a 30/60/90-day framework to let a new hire propose measurable objectives after assessing district needs.

Implementation steps noted at the meeting: the position will be posted under MEA terms, salary will be determined according to the salary matrix; the administration will continue committee-level work on role clarity and alignment if the candidate pool or hiring process highlights outstanding questions.","After divided debate, the Methacton School District Board approved a job description for a Belonging and Climate Facilitator as a district MEA position; members disagreed over scope, measurable goals and required qualifications.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6479924,"Methacton board hears updated high school design options; modular classroom cost reduced",1673,232000,1905000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae&start=232&end=1905","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692030-b7fa51879ec47fb9a8f0a7ca78113cae/thumbnail_232000.jpg","/articles/6479924/Pennsylvania/Methacton-board-hears-updated-high-school-design-options-modular-classroom-cost-reduced","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479924-3c532b7b1d0f0986a0bd53b2df94d1e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176584&Signature=gcdB49ykBueI-aOO8J2fnpWt7LkqEVbA8uepWWR3XvCFKAQE9j1~T1FVNwN95kKG9OcklwgS2gYO8z6tmCIeWTrEv4k68JB0O1-4U9C0ltG8YYf3kNCns4VYIniQvbhwhWiwUYBZG5hwaowQdK4iiO1TGsXYMqYIlCi4wFHSdQwSr-pHdqfB5rEaGlNqH0roOYOyZjszFULpdJmL6OOT9v5p39WXj691o6TaFob40URz3ppg2lVroO9qtFLehMi0JmhJYwYaeZj8PZ~WvxaVkXhxNAbKKA7RV5NK1pr~AehryzxyF9saADbDbkSqfoPpC8laf6Gk-iAjpzFmh8rC8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Aug. 26 Methacton School District Board of Directors meeting, district leaders and the project design team presented updated cost estimates and site configurations for the proposed Methacton High School renovation and addition.

The design team said it reduced the assumed modular classroom scope from 20 units to 10, bringing the modular-structure cost from $7 million to $3.5 million; an additional $2 million remains budgeted for temporary roadways, staging and utility phasing, leaving a combined phasing allowance of about $5.5 million instead of the previously discussed $9 million. The presentation also reclassified some technology and furniture costs as baseline soft costs rather than optional items.

Those revisions matter because they alter the hard-cost comparisons among the board’s four conceptual options and the site-development work that must accompany any new construction. With more new construction in the “option 2” scenarios, the design team said, some modular-classroom costs could be avoided by building swing space first and using it during renovation.

The design team described three site-cost items board members asked about: a site-improvement line that includes utilities, demolition and abatement (listed at about $4.66 million for options 1A/1B); a separate optional Lot 8 parking layout at $2.8 million; and a broader west-side parking and access scheme (site option 2X) priced at about $12 million with an optional Mill Road extension of about $2.8 million. The Mill Road extension would, the team said, allow separate circulation paths for buses, parents and students.

Board members asked for clarity about which items are baseline and which are optional. The design team said the site-improvement figure combines several elements — utility relocations, building-pad preparation and abatement — and therefore those costs may not appear as separate line items on the condensed budget slide.

Board members also discussed where the district’s central administration would be housed if the district demolishes the current administration building. The design team and superintendent said administration could be located on-site in a new building addition or housed off-site under a lease; the district estimated administrative needs at roughly 10,000–12,000 square feet. The presenters said putting administration on-site would generally require constructing that space during early phases of the project so staff have a place to move during construction.

The team reminded the board that Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements are included in the baseline scope: the plan calls for upgrading toilet rooms and classroom entry doors, reconfiguring locker rooms and other targeted accessibility work even in renovation scenarios.

The schedule presented would put a board vote in October to move into schematic design; if approved, schematic design would run through late 2025, design development through 2026, construction documents and bidding in 2026–27 and potential construction starting in early 2027 and continuing through 2029, the team said.

On public engagement, the administration and design team said they have social media and e-mail notices planned and would add targeted outreach — mailers and distribution at back-to-school nights were suggested by board members — to publicize upcoming forums in September and October.

The presentation did not include a final board decision on a project option; the design team said it will return with further detail as the board narrows choices.

Sources at the meeting: Superintendent Dr. Zerbe; representatives from the district’s design team (CHA and Schroeder); multiple board members who questioned scope, phasing and public outreach.","Design team updated the Methacton School District Board on revised cost estimates and site options for the proposed high school renovation, including a reduction in modular-classroom costs and a timeline that could put schematic design later this year if the board votes in October.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Methacton board meeting, Aug. 26, 2025

Methacton board approves 'belonging and climate facilitator' job description after divided vote

Methacton board hears updated high school design options; modular classroom cost reduced