Pottsgrove School Board approves personnel slate, accepts safety grant and signs education agreements; superintendent highlights US News ranking

POTTSGROVE, Pa. — The Pottsgrove School Board on Aug. 26 approved a package of personnel moves, accepted a stop-school-violence grant of about $50,000, and authorized contracts and education agreements while Superintendent Dr. Finney reported that opening week went smoothly and Pottsgrove High School moved up on the US News & World Report state ranking.

The board approved routine finance items, a set of personnel actions spanning new hires and resignations, and several education- and vendor-related contracts during a meeting that lasted under an hour. The board also scheduled an executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss personnel.

The superintendent opened with an update on the start of the school year, saying, "opening week has come and gone. We are off, to the races. We're very pleased with how opening week went. Transportation is much improved." Dr. Finney also noted a state ranking: "For the second consecutive year, Pottsgrove High School was named to the US News and World Report best high schools in Pennsylvania list," and described the move up in rank as evidence of continued progress.

Votes at a glance

- Accounts for audit: The board approved the high school, middle school and cafeteria accounts for July 2025 as presented. (Item 5.1 — motion passed.)

- Treasurer's report: The July 2025 treasurer's report was approved as filed and ordered filed for audit. (Item 6.1 — motion passed.)

- Personnel (Item 7): The board approved a slate of personnel items including: • 7.1 Appointment of Dr. Anne Marie Lucas as district safety and security coordinator (replacement for Casey Blanken). (Approved.) • 7.2 Leave-of-absence requests for professional staff. (Approved.) • 7.3 Appointment of four teachers. (Approved.) • 7.4 Resignation of one professional staff member. (Approved.) • 7.5 Resignations of three support staff members. (Approved.) • 7.6 Appointment of 14 support staff members. (Approved.) • 7.7 Change in assignment for one support staff member. (Approved with one abstention.) • 7.8 Approval of supplemental staff appointments. (Approved.) • 7.9 Approval of two non-athletic appointments. (Approved.) • 7.10 Approval of one supplemental athletic appointment. (Approved.) • 7.11 Approval of 11 positions for the evening academy. (Approved.)

- Business items (Item 8): The board approved items 8.1–8.5, including acceptance of a stop-school-violence grant for approximately $50,000 (8.1), renewal of a contract for a speech and language therapist (8.2), renewal of membership in a technology pool (8.3), approval to host a "Mind Your Mind" professional development session (8.4), and a tuition contract with Valley Forge Educational Services / The Vanguard School (8.5). (All approved.)

- Education items (Item 9): The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the PGEA (the local teachers' union) to permit an in-district Pre-K Counts classroom with a modified schedule (9.1); the hiring of four after-school math tutors at the high school (9.2); authorization for the administration to enter a tuition agreement with New Story for special education and related services (9.3); student-teacher and intern placements (9.4); and staff attendance at several professional conferences and trainings (9.5–9.8). (All approved.)

- Committee minutes: The board approved minutes from the June 10 athletics, co-curricular and community relations committee meeting; a date typo in the agenda item was corrected to June 10. (Item 10.1 — approved.)

Discussion and context

Most motions were moved and seconded as grouped items; no formal roll-call tallies were recorded in the public transcript for the approvals beyond verbal assent. The record shows one abstention on item 7.7 (change in assignment for one support staff member). Several board members offered brief operational comments: one asked if seating arrangements could be changed to improve face-to-face discussion in future meetings; others encouraged community volunteer support for parent groups and booster clubs and urged caution on local roads given many student drivers.

The Pre-K Counts memorandum of understanding was presented as a modification to the collective bargaining agreement schedule for one in-district Pre-K Counts classroom. The board discussed after-school math tutoring at the high school in the context of improving standardized-test performance such as the Keystone exams.

What the board did not vote on

The meeting included no formal votes on policy changes, bond issues, or land-use matters. An executive session to discuss personnel was announced for after the public meeting; no actions from that executive session were recorded in the public minutes.

Next steps

The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2025, at 7 p.m. The board adjourned immediately after announcing that date.