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Board advances auditorium tech upgrades, BrainPOP purchase and music curriculum pilot
Summary
Committee recommended approval of a middle school auditorium touch-panel change order and substantial completion; the board advanced purchases and pilots including BrainPOP for the elementary school and a Quaver Music pilot for grades 5-8. IT equipment recycling was also proposed because older HP switches are end-of-life.
District officials told the Schuylkill Valley School District board on Sept. 23 that a small change order and a substantial completion recommendation will finish the middle school auditorium audiovisual work, and the curriculum committee recommended software and curriculum pilots for classroom use.
The committee recommended a change order of $2,984.33 to install an additional touch panel and related labor for the middle school auditorium project. Administrative staff said the additional panel creates two-zone control and adds a control point in the cafeteria so two groups can meet simultaneously with or without the partition in place; the committee recommended moving the item forward.
The committee also recommended substantial completion for the auditorium audiovisual work.
On curriculum purchases, the committee recommended a BrainPOP subscription for the elementary school. Staff said BrainPOP is a computer-based, interactive instructional program with short videos and activities; the district obtained consortium pricing through the intermediate unit, which staff said made it cheaper than the elementary school's prior single-school license.
The board also advanced a pilot of the Quaver Music curriculum for grades 5-8. Staff said middle school music teacher Mr. Santoro used Quaver last year as a supplement; the district paid for use from the middle school budget in the prior year. The committee proposed a year-long pilot while the board receives full curriculum documents for review.
On technology, the committee recommended recycling a list of end-of-life network equipment from the high school and middle school. Staff reported the equipment consists of older HP switches purchased before 2015 that are now end-of-life: "There is absolutely, positively no way that we will need these items," a staff member said when explaining why the devices were removed from inventory. The district has migrated to Cisco switches and said most devices are already replaced; two devices were retained for lab use but not production. Staff said cybersecurity concerns justify limited public disclosure of full inventory details.
The committee also discussed a potential donation of studio equipment from Berks Career & Technology Center (BCTC). Administrators said they are trying to confirm the equipment list and to understand faculty concerns; the donor reported the equipment had been approved to come to Schuylkill Valley but the district is verifying faculty interest and the logistics before accepting any transfer.
The committee advanced these items for board action; recorded roll-call votes were not shown in the transcript for the curriculum and technology items in the excerpt.
