West Chester Area School Board approves staffing, contracts and capital projects in routine votes

The West Chester Area School District Board on July 28 approved a slate of personnel hires, contracts and capital-project expenditures after brief presentations and limited discussion.

The board voted to add two positions recommended by the district’s personnel committee: a districtwide English–Spanish translator and a Plumbing Mechanic I. The personnel committee previewed the translator job description at a committee meeting immediately before the board session. A staff member said the district currently contracts most translation work and that more than 70% of the district’s translations are Spanish; bringing a translator in-house would allow the district to staff a Spanish-dedicated phone line, support registration and keep translation of large documents such as evaluations and IEPs inside the district. A committee member asked whether the district would prioritize native Spanish speakers; a staff member said the job would be open and the best candidate would be hired.

The board also approved a Plumbing Mechanic I position. A district…