At the Wyoming Valley West School District board meeting on Jan. 14, Superintendent Dr. Shoupon said the district is pursuing multiple grant-funded safety and instructional investments and will begin a districtwide feasibility study to plan long-term facility projects.

Dr. Shoupon told the board the district has taken delivery of a districtwide push-to-talk radio communication system "to allow for direct real time communication among administrators, maintenance staff, security personnel, and school resource officers." She said the units will be programmed and distributed to buildings and assigned staff in the coming weeks.

She also said the district approved purchase of two x-ray machines "that'll be utilized at the high school during morning entry procedures and athletic events" to work with the existing weapon-detection system; delivery is expected within four weeks and training will be provided to guards and designated staff after installation. The superintendent described PA-system upgrades planned at Dana, Chester and 3rd Ave to improve emergency announcements and supplement classroom phone systems.

Several items the superintendent described as "100% grant funded," including an additional safety and security scanner for the high school and an "animatage" table for the high-school STEM lab purchased with RTL block grant funds. She described the animatage table as a "digital cadaver experience" intended for biology, chemistry and physics instruction and said the district anticipates it will be operational by mid-February. The middle-school AV project — commercial-grade displays and sound systems — is likewise grant-funded, she said.

On facilities planning, Dr. Shoupon said CMTA and ICS will perform a districtwide feasibility study to evaluate buildings and identify major capital projects; Sundance will provide enrollment projections to inform long-term planning. Board members asked staff to clarify the contractor acronym and the superintendent said she would follow up with details and contact information.

Dr. Shoupon framed the investments as part of a broader effort to maximize external funding and reduce reliance on local taxes: "You have my word that we will continue to aggressively pursue funding opportunities... to ensure resources are invested directly back into our students, staff, and community." The board did not take formal action on the feasibility study selection during the meeting; related contract approval appeared elsewhere on the amended agenda.