Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Decisions Votes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Pennridge board approves hires, health premium increase, IU budget and other items
Summary
At its February meeting the Pennridge School District board approved two director hires, a full‑day kindergarten pilot, health‑care premium changes and district contracts and budgets; several votes passed by voice without roll‑call tallies.
The Pennridge School District board approved a slate of personnel and operational items at its February meeting, including two district director hires, the Bucks County Intermediate Unit budget and an 18.5% rise in employee medical/prescription premiums for 2025–26.
Major approvals included the hire of Dr. Jennifer Bloom as director of teaching, learning and assessment, and Craig Bramble as director of operations. The board approved Bloom’s appointment for June 12, 2025, through June 30, 2028, at an annual salary of $175,000. The district noted 48 applicants for the position and 12 interviewees in the pool. Bloom thanked the board and said she will emphasize “being authentic, building relationships, and having good communication.”
Craig Bramble was approved as director of operations effective Feb. 10, 2025, at an annual salary of $125,806. Bramble has served in district operations roles since 2020 and addressed the board briefly after his approval.
Other approved items included: - A memorandum of understanding between Pennridge School District and PESPA establishing a summer work schedule (motion passed by voice vote). - Health‑care premiums for 2025–26, with an 18.5% increase in medical and prescription costs for employees; no change to vision or dental plans. - Revised transportation job descriptions (bus driver, van driver, bus driver instructor, special needs bus aide, mechanic and related classifications). - Approval of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit 2025–26 programs and services budget in the amount of $2,199,731. - Approval of district contracts and the advertisement of bids and RFPs for 2025–26 (details listed in the meeting packet; motions passed). - Curriculum improvement proposals for unified art, unified music and seventh‑grade wellness. - Disposal/obsolescence approvals for books and school equipment across several buildings to make room for replacements. - The phased full‑day kindergarten pilot (see separate article for full coverage).
Most motions passed by voice vote; the public minutes recorded “Aye” and “Motion passes” and did not include roll‑call tallies or individual vote records for those items. Where the meeting provided specific contract or budget figures, they are recorded above.
The board also announced personnel‑related operational items discussed in committee: a guaranteed first‑round interview policy for Pennridge graduates applying to the district (beginning March 2025), extended HR hours on board meeting Mondays for volunteer clearances, and a bus‑driver recruitment fair tied to the district’s paid CDL training program.
