Central Valley SD board reviews preliminary 2025–26 budget, personnel changes and routine consent items

Central Valley School District board members met in workshop session to consider a preliminary general fund budget for 2025–26 and a series of routine consent items, including personnel appointments and resignations, audit and contract proposals, and facility and extracurricular approvals.

The board discussed a preliminary general fund budget for the 2025–26 school year that included $46,210,175 in revenues and $47,000,000,489,915 in expenditures as presented on the agenda. The board also received an audit proposal from the firm Cipher and Cipher for auditing services for the years ending June 30, 2025, 2026 and 2027, and reviewed monthly payment and tax reports submitted for approval.

The superintendent opened the meeting by thanking board members during Board Appreciation Month, noting, “The pay is not real great, but you do a great service for the community and for the students and staff at Central Valley, and we appreciate everything you've done.”

Nut graf: The workshop covered the district’s near-term fiscal planning and routine governance tasks. Several items were placed on the consent agenda — personnel additions and resignations, vendor and facility approvals, and standard reports — while the preliminary budget and audit contract were highlighted as the principal fiscal matters for further action.

Among routine fiscal and administrative items listed on the agenda were confirmation of December 2024 payments from three funds (general fund payments of $1,206,201.20; cafeteria fund payments of $65,587.81; construction fund payments of $0) and approval of November and December 2024 Berkheimer reports. The board also placed a motion to ratify a settlement agreement identified in the agenda by student number 11624, subject to solicitor review, and to appoint district representation to the Beaver County Career and Technology Center Joint Operating Committee for three-year terms expiring Dec. 31, 2027; a board member stated he would remain the representative and Mr. Ambrose would serve as alternate.

Personnel items listed for approval included additions to the 2024–25 substitute list and transportation bus driver/aid list pending clearances; approval of Audrey Timchuck as a professional at an $18-per-hour rate effective Dec. 16, 2024 (pending clearances); the retirement of Beth Smith, paraprofessional, effective Feb. 21, 2025; resignations of Sherry Pfeiffer (building monitor, effective Dec. 5, 2024), Jack O'Neil (custodian, effective Jan. 30, 2025) and Mark Graeter (maintenance, effective Jan. 8, 2025); and approvals to hire Susan Arsenovich as a cafeteria general worker at $15.95 per hour (effective Jan. 2, 2025) and Caitlin Bickerstaff as a building monitor at $10 per hour (effective Jan. 13, 2025). All hires were listed as pending receipt, review and acceptance of required clearances where noted.

On student services and contracts, the agenda included a motion to approve Smile Dental to provide preventive and restorative dental services for students at no cost to the district, pending final contract language approval by the solicitor. The athletics agenda included approval requests for conditioning programs to run Jan. 9–March 1, 2025, at $10 per hour for up to 60 total hours, and for the Central Valley Middle School swim team to practice at Beaver Area High School pool this spring at $50 per hour, pending approval from the Beaver Area Board of Education.

School staff also reported regular instructional and extracurricular activity updates: high school participation in a December regional FFA event; ongoing Keystone and final exams; middle- and high-school concerts; MAP assessment administration and midyear behavior reviews; upcoming Plans for Success conferences; fundraising totals (a candy-cane-gram effort raised $400 for the Wicked Warriors Special Olympics Polar Plunge; a winter-wonderland dance raised $9,128.39 in total, with a court raising $5,686.64); and athletic achievements (the district’s competitive cheer squad qualified for the state championship in Reading, Pa.). The superintendent and staff noted safety and security grant work, cybersecurity training through the BVIU, and preparations for online PSSAs.

The board also reported progress on the superintendent search committee and scheduled initial interview rounds. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn, which was carried on an aye vote recorded on the audio transcript.

Ending: Many of the items on the workshop agenda were routine consent matters presented for board approval or further review; for several listed motions the transcript does not record a roll-call vote or final disposition on the record. The district listed application instructions and staffing vacancies on its website for community members interested in employment opportunities.