Board approves facilities bids, multiple contracts, staffing actions and slate for PSBA voting

At the Sept. 8 Fox Chapel Area School District board meeting the board carried a series of motions that together approved facilities work authorizations, finance and instructional contracts, personnel actions, two operations agreements and the board’s PSBA leadership votes. All motions on the record were approved in roll calls with affirmative votes from the nine members present.

Key approvals

- Minutes: The board approved the minutes of the Aug. 11 combined agenda study session and regular business meeting (motion carried on roll call).

- Facilities and transportation: The board authorized the administration to request proposals from vendors approved by government purchasing cooperatives for the Fox Chapel Area High School sports lighting replacement project (LED stadium lights; one pole previously removed because of structural issues) and authorized advertisement for bids for the Fox Chapel Area High School tennis court renovation project (full surface replacement after repeated resurfacings). Board discussion noted timing constraints: the lighting work is tentatively planned for October or November after fall sports, and the tennis courts are expected to be scheduled for next spring/summer to meet curing-temperature requirements.

- Finance items (single motion approving six items): The board approved general fund disbursements (Fund 10) of $10,215,631.56 and capital reserve fund disbursements (Fund 31) of $1,280,964.18; acknowledged the July 2025 finance report for audit; authorized a new bank account for the 2025 general obligation bond fund with the Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust effective Sept. 2025 (no establishment cost); retained the district auditor for additional audit/consulting services at a cost not to exceed $5,000; and approved a renewal agreement with PowerSchool Group LLC for E Finance Plus software (period 01/01/2026–06/30/2027) at $65,261.96.

- Instruction contracts (single motion approving nine items): The board ratified multiple renewals with PowerSchool Group LLC for SIS hosting, enrollment registration, e-collect forms SaaS, and Schoology LMS (periods generally Aug. 13, 2025–June 30, 2027) at the costs listed in the agenda; renewed a Naviance subscription for middle and high school; renewed the JA BizTown program contract for fourth grade (estimated $9,000); approved agreements with the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania for K–4 and grade 5 environmental education programs (costs $34,855 and $91,850 respectively); and approved Camp Allegheny, Inc. for lodging and meals for the fifth-grade environmental education program (dates to be determined).

- Personnel (single motion approving nine grouped items): The board ratified multiple personnel actions including administrative and supplemental resignations (effective dates as listed), appointment of a school police officer pending court approval (start date to be determined), ratification of leave replacements and instructional hires, salary scale crossovers based on verified credits, and volunteer athletic appointments. Effective dates and individual names were presented on the record.

- Operations and cooperative services (single motion approving two items): The board ratified a renewal agreement with Omnigo Software LLC for a records management system for the district school police ($10,175.22, effective 06/15/2025–06/14/2026) and approved agreements with Mobile Communications Service, Inc. (Mobilecom) for purchase and installation of safety and security equipment ($13,925, effective 09/08/2025).

- PSBA leadership and Western zone representative votes: The board authorized the secretary to cast the board’s electronic votes for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) 2026 officer elections (the slate moved and carried). Separately, the board moved and carried a vote to nominate Antonio Perez as the Western Zone representative (motion carried on a roll call with all present voting yes).

How the board voted

Motions recorded with roll-call responses in the transcript show unanimous “Yes” votes from the nine members present for the motions described above. Where multiple items were bundled into a single motion, the board approved them together as recorded on the transcript.

What board members said

Board discussion included explanations and context for the facilities requests (end-of-life stadium lights, structural issues with a pole, and long-standing tennis-court cracking that requires full replacement rather than resurfacing) and a brief exchange about the district’s ongoing use of PowerSchool and whether alternatives had been sought. A board member noted the district’s continued investment in elementary environmental education and Camp Allegheny, and another noted the heavy cumulative cost of the district’s PowerSchool commitments.

Next steps and timing

- Facilities: Administration will solicit proposals and bids now to meet short construction windows; lighting work is tentatively planned for October/November after fall athletics; tennis-court replacement is likely next spring/summer depending on bids and curing-temperature needs. - Contracts and renewals: Vendors will proceed under the approved agreements and terms presented, and the district will retain the auditor for agreed-upon additional services.

The transcript records roll-call votes and the names of individuals approved, and all items noted above were approved in the meeting’s roll-call votes.