Board approves personnel slate including SRO pilot partnerships; one board member votes no on SRO items

The Ambridge Area School District Board of School Directors on Aug. 20 approved personnel items that include pilot partnerships to place part-time school resource officers (SROs) at Economy, Highland and State Street elementary schools for the 2025–26 school year and approved a series of coach and staff hires and a resignation.

Staff presented personnel items that recommended pilot SRO partnerships for the coming school year. The agenda listed the Economy Elementary SRO as a partnership with the Ambridge Area Police Department and the State Street item as a partnership with the Beaver Valley Regional Police Department; each SRO pilot was presented at a cost not to exceed $35,000 and contingent on solicitor review and municipal commitment. The vote to adopt the personnel slate carried; the roll-call shows one member, Mister Zacci, voted no on items 1–3 (the three SRO pilot items) and the remainder of the board voted to approve the full personnel packet.

What the personnel slate included The personnel items adopted included: approval of three pilot SRO partnerships (Economy Elementary, Highland Elementary and State Street Elementary) at costs not to exceed $35,000 each pending solicitor and municipal review; approval of multiple 2025–26 coaching appointments (stipends listed in the agenda); the hiring of paraprofessionals and Activity/club sponsors; and a professional hire — Emily Lentz at Highland Elementary, learning-support (salary listed on the agenda as $50,981, step 1, master's). The board also ratified a mentor-teacher assignment and accepted the resignation of Kathy Ray, Ambridge Area Middle School full-time secretary, effective Aug. 11, 2025.

Discussion and fiscal context Board members and staff discussed the relative costs of contracting with borough police departments versus hiring district-controlled officers, noting that contractor arrangements are a flat fee to the district and often include benefit and administrative costs managed by the municipal employer. Administration said the district typically pursues grant funding that can offset a portion of SRO costs; the agenda materials and public discussion noted typical grants ranging between roughly $40,000 and $60,000 when available to help offset expenses.

Vote and immediate effect The board approved the personnel package on a roll-call vote (motion carried). The roll call recorded one no vote — Mister Zacci — on items 1–3 (the three SRO pilot partnerships); the personnel motion otherwise passed and the remainder of the hires and the resignation were approved. Several items were explicitly contingent on receipt of required clearances, drug screening, TB testing, Act 168 screening responses and PDE certifications where applicable.

Provenance Topic introduced: transcript block starting at 2909.02, excerpt: "Personnel. All new hires pending receipt is satisfactory and current clearances... It is recommended to approve a pilot partnership with the Ambridge Area Police Department to place a part time school resource officer SRO at Economy Elementary School for the 2025–26 school year at a cost not to exceed $35,000 pending solicitor review." Topic last discussed: transcript block starting at 3195.725, excerpt: "I'll move for the adoption of items 1 through 9. Second.... Motion carried."