Mount Pleasant Area School District board approves routine personnel, finance, building and policy items; appoints WIU representative

The Mount Pleasant Area School District Board of Directors approved a slate of routine personnel, finance, building and policy items at its Feb. 25, 2025 regular meeting, and appointed Don Cedar as the district representative to the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit (WIU) board of directors.

Board members voted on personnel matters including a family medical leave request, a sabbatical restoration of health motion (approved “pending final solicitor review” as recorded), and multiple supplemental personnel and volunteer appointments for athletics and extracurricular activities. The record shows one abstention noted during the supplemental volunteers item.

Finance and procurement approvals included a multi-year agreement with Berkheimer covering Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2027; a set of resolutions tied to that agreement taken together; and an E-rate‑funded purchase of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for technology after E-rate funding that left a district share of $19,780. The board also approved compensation for the tax collector for 2026–2029.

Under buildings and grounds, the board approved a sinkhole remediation project and a continuation of that work with Stefanik’s Next Generation Contracting. The board approved an agreement with Schneider Electric for a UPS system.

Policy and calendar items included approval of updated policies (listed in the record as policy numbers shown) and the 2025–26 school calendar. The board approved a policy to permit remote instructional days for conditional use once the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s five flexible instructional days have been exhausted, per the agenda wording.

On appointments and events, the board reappointed Don Cedar as its district representative to the WIU board of directors. The board approved use-of-school-facilities requests including three Sunday uses (student theater and Boy Scouts of America) and approved the spring musical, The Wizard of Oz, for April 2025. The board approved comp for a staff member to attend the PMEA Region Band Festival and authorized attendance at the Pennsylvania assistant superintendent’s forum spring retreat.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes for Jan. 8, 2025 (motion: Coppula; second: Seeder) — approved by voice vote. - Personnel: family medical leave request (item 3.1) — approved. - Personnel: sabbatical restoration of health (item 3.2) — approved, motion included a clause “pending final solicitor review.” - Supplemental personnel and volunteers (sections 4.1–4.4) — approved; item 4.3 recorded an abstention by one board member. - Finance 5.1 (consolidated finance items a–d) — approved. - Tax collector compensation (2026–2029) (item 5.2) — approved. - Agreement with Berkheimer (01/01/2025–12/31/2027) (item 5.3) — approved. - Resolutions tied to Berkheimer agreements (items 5.4–5.7) — approved together. - Buildings & grounds: sinkhole remediation project (item 6.1) — approved. - Buildings & grounds continuation with Stefanik’s Next Generation Contracting (item 6.2) — approved. - Schneider Electric agreement for UPS system (item 6.3) — approved. - Policies (item 7.1; specific policy numbers listed in the record) — approved; item 7.2 was a first reading, no action. - Technology: E-rate purchase of a UPS (vendor: Questivity) — approved; amount listed as $19,780 after E-rate funding. - 2025–26 school calendar (item 10.1) — approved. - Remote instructional days policy (item 10.2) — approved; wording ties conditional use to Pennsylvania Department of Education flexible instructional days. - Appointment: Don Cedar as district representative to the WIU board of directors (item 10.3) — approved (Cedar accepted the nomination). - Spring musical, The Wizard of Oz (April 2025) (item 10.4) — approved. - Use-of-school-facilities requests including Sunday uses (item 10.5) — approved. - COMP: staff comp to attend PMEA Region Band Festival (item 10.6) — approved. - Authorization: Pennsylvania assistant superintendent’s forum spring retreat — approved.

The meeting record shows motions were made and seconded for most items (several motions were initiated by board members identified in the record, including Coppula, Seeder, Seeder, Poole and Cedar). Most votes were taken by voice and recorded as "Aye." Where the transcript records an abstention, the item is noted above. The agenda listed no citizen comments during the public-comment portion.

The board adjourned after closing remarks.