Property/Policy committee posts revisions to budget, facilities and maintenance policies for public review

The Property/Policy Review Committee of the East Stroudsburg Area School District voted unanimously Feb. 24 to authorize administration to post proposed revisions to several operational and facilities policies for public review, with final board action to follow in March.

Committee members spent the meeting reviewing language changes in budget preparation (policy 06/2003) and a bundle of facilities- and operations-related policies — 701 (property/facilities planning), 703 (sanitary management), 704 (maintenance), 708 (lending of equipment and books), 710 (use of facilities by staff) and 716 (integrated pest management). The committee discussed clarifying who is responsible for particular duties, eliminating or rephrasing obsolete role titles and resolving potential conflicts with other district policies.

The committee chair moved to authorize posting the listed policies for public review during February, with subsequent board consideration in March; the motion was seconded and carried. Committee members present for the vote were George Andrews, Jason Goldstrand and Keith Carcutt. David Kulick was absent.

Why it matters: the posted revisions change how the district documents and communicates preparation of the budget and how it plans and maintains facilities, maintains records of pest-control treatments, and handles district equipment and staff use of district resources. Those changes affect how staff, parents and the public will interact with district operations and how the board receives and reviews facility and budget information.

Key details from the discussion: - Budget preparation (policy 06/2003): Committee members reviewed language added to give the board an opportunity to adopt a resolution “pursuant to section 311” indicating it will not raise the rate of any tax by more than its index when applicable. The proposed language also clarifies that the superintendent and/or business manager (CFO) will provide related budget information about tax rates and equity payments at least 210 days before the primary election.

- Property/facilities planning (policy 701): Proposed edits add that the board shall engage in short- and long-term facilities planning and emphasize involvement of staff, community and parents. The draft removes phrasing singling out “resident students attending private schools” and replaces it with broader enrollment projections; it also alters wording from “assigned” to “enrolled or belongs.” Committee members debated whether the committee’s role should be described as recommending work to the full board (several members stressed that the committee cannot make final approvals and exists to develop recommendations for the whole board).

- Sanitary management (policy 703): The draft clarifies that the superintendent or designee shall supervise inspections and the cleanliness program and removes specific job titles (for example, references to “director of environmental services” and “director of grounds”) to preserve flexibility in assigning responsibility.

- Maintenance (policy 704): Committee members discussed removal of a requirement to maintain a “critical spare parts inventory.” Staff explained that just-in-time procurement practices and variation across building systems make a centralized critical inventory impractical for a district this size; members asked that critical parts and lead times be documented in job descriptions or operational plans and be available if requested.

- Lending of equipment and books (policy 708) and use of facilities by staff (policy 710): The draft narrows permitted removal of district equipment to district business (for example, school-related travel or events) and prohibits personal removal of equipment for private use. Members raised a concern that the change might conflict with existing technology-related obligations (policy 8-15 was specifically cited) and asked staff to coordinate with the technology director before forwarding the policy for final board action.

- Integrated Pest Management (policy 716): The draft designates an IPM coordinator (the role will be filled through job description) and requires maintenance of detailed records of chemical pest-control treatments for three years, consistent with the referenced code. Committee members confirmed the three-year retention period is based on the applicable state code and the district’s records-retention schedule.

The committee also agreed to continue reviewing remaining district policies; staff said about 20 policies remain to be reviewed and discussed whether the committee should reduce meeting frequency once the current set is finished.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to adopt the meeting agenda (Feb. 24): approved (ayes recorded; motion carried). - Motion to approve minutes of Jan. 27, 2025 meeting: approved (motion seconded; carried). - Motion to authorize administration to post revisions to policy 06/2003 (budget preparation) and to post policies 701, 703, 704, 710 and 716 for public review during February and for subsequent board action in March: approved, unanimous among committee members present (yes: 3; no: 0; abstain: 0; absent: 1).

Next steps: The administration will post the proposed language for public comment and return the items to the full board for action in March. Committee members asked staff to coordinate any inter-policy conflicts (for example, technology-related financial responsibilities) before final board consideration.