Altoona Area School Board approves contracts, personnel hires and budget items; tables one new-business item
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Summary
The Altoona Area School District board approved minutes and multiple consent items including a van purchase (not to exceed $65,000), Title I vendor agreements, a $70,000 nonpublic services contract and several personnel hires; the board tabled one new-business item and honored a longtime member.
The Altoona Area School District board approved routine business and several contracts during its regular meeting, and tabled one new-business item that will return later for consideration.
Board members approved minutes of the Aug. 4 meeting and consented to items 4a–c, which included a list of payments, student activity club balances and administration’s request to purchase a replacement athletic van for an amount not to exceed $65,000. During discussion on preliminary 2025–26 nonresident tuition rates, a board member asked whether the rate would increase for nonresidents; an administrator responded that “they were pretty level last year to this year,” that the state sets the base rate and the district had only added a nominal increase tied to salary adjustments.
Under education items 5a–j the board approved several agreements and allocations: a Devereaux PA Children’s Behavioral Health Services agreement covering 07/01/2025–06/30/2026; Title I letters of agreement with Ignite Education Solutions for Arrows Christian Academy (not to exceed $15,000) and Great Commission School (not to exceed $10,000); and a nonpublic Title I services contract with Lindsman (limited liability services) for Bishop Guilfoyle Academy and Saint Patrick Catholic School not to exceed $70,000 for the 09/01/2025–08/18/2026 year. The board also approved the 2025–26 pre-K counts flexible instruction plan, the attached new teacher induction completion list, the fine arts boosters agreement for 2025–26, volunteer lists (with required clearances), secondary field trips and an academic contract listed under Haley Flegal’s file for doctoral course credit.
A board member questioned why the allocations for Bishop Guilfoyle and Saint Patrick were larger than for other nonpublic schools. An administrator explained that the Title I allocation is determined by the number of students attending each school: “The money allocation is determined by the number of students that we have attending those schools,” and that schools with more students receive larger allocations.
On personnel, the board approved a large personnel agenda and accepted the retirement notice of Director of Technology Bryce Kossiter, who will retire in December (year not specified). The board also approved the hires of Justin Arthur as Director of Technology and Dr. Nick Caminiti as Director of Instructional Technology; the superintendent described both as experienced and as returning or joining the district’s administrative team.
The board approved a service agreement with Honeycomb ABA Therapy covering 08/06/2025 through 08/01/2026 and approved business operations items including a repository bid, capital reserve payments and a slate of STA bus drivers for 2025–26 contingent upon required clearances. The board reiterated at least once that new-business item 9a was being tabled and would not be voted on at this meeting.
The meeting closed after other routine reports and a motion to adjourn was called.
