Mill Creek board approves routine personnel, policy and finance items; rescinds 2024 Title IX rule

At its Feb. 24 meeting the Mill Creek Township School District Board of Directors approved multiple routine agenda items by voice vote or unanimous consent, and the board adopted one legal recommendation from its solicitor.

Key approvals and outcomes

- Instruction and student services (5.01–5.05): The board approved the 2025 spring athletic schedules (track and field, tennis, baseball, softball, lacrosse and volleyball), a three‑year Canva for Education subscription to be used by students and staff (no cost to district), an articulation agreement with Community College of Beaver County for dual‑enrollment opportunities (costs borne by participating students), the district taking over the alternative education program (expanding seats from 12 to 24 with estimated soft costs of about $15,000 to house the program at Ridgefield), and the annual notification of the student code of conduct for 2025‑26. These five items were moved to the floor and approved as a group.

- Personnel and policy (6.01–6.03): The board approved final reading and adoption of Policy 9.16 (volunteers), accepted the personnel board report (recommendations, resignations, leaves and hires across schools), and approved revised job descriptions discussed in committee.

- Monthly financial and operational items (7.03–7.07; 8.01; 8.03–8.09; 8.1): The board approved a block of items including student activity officers, budget transfers, bond summary and treasurer reports, and the financial reports for January. Finance and operations approvals included Presque Isle pool water testing contracts for 2025–2027, an extra work authorization for CHH ($19,800), an E‑Rate‑eligible purchase of wireless switches, UPS and networking equipment (vendor purchase $283,307.92 with approximately $169,009.84 to be reimbursed via E‑Rate), accounts payable and payroll reports, acceptance of the annual comprehensive financial report and single audit, and subgrant contracts for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) implementation (including pass‑through amounts of $1,507,703.80 and $16,060.80 cited in the agenda). The Erie County Technical School budget was forwarded as presented.

- Superintendent travel: The board approved travel for a district representative (Kyle Buckholtz) to visit Washington, D.C., March 4–7 for an NWIRC event; the district estimated the cost to be approximately $3,000.

- Solicitor recommendation (11.01): Acting on advice from the solicitor, the board approved rescission of the district’s Feb. 2024 Title IX policies (listed in the agenda as 02/2024 Title IX Policies 103 and 104) and said the district will continue to operate under the 02/2020 Title IX rule following a U.S. District Court decision in the Eastern District of Kentucky that vacated the 02/2024 rule in whole.

How votes were recorded

Most routine approvals were completed by voice vote with “aye”/“nay” calls; the transcript records no roll‑call tallies for those items. The camera project (agenda item 8.02) was separately debated at length and resolved by recorded roll call to adopt a five‑year license (see separate article). A few individual dissenting “nay” voice votes were noted in earlier blocks (for example, one speaker identified as “Vince” was recorded as a nay on a financial block vote), but the transcript does not show comprehensive roll‑call tallies for those routine items.

Why it matters

The approvals move several staffing, program and capital items toward implementation, including the district’s plan to assume direct operation of its alternative education program, multiyear technology and subscription agreements that affect classroom tools, and significant IDEA grant pass‑through funds cited in the finance package. The rescission of the Feb. 2024 Title IX policies responds to federal court action and returns the district to its prior Title IX rule until the legal landscape changes.

Next steps

Staff will proceed with implementation for each approved item (hire processing, program setup, contract execution and grant administration) and will present installation bids and contract language for the camera project under the five‑year license approved by the board.