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Whitehall-Coplay board approves calendars, solicitor reappointment, budgets and e-rate network; public commenter urges 10% cuts
Summary
At its March 24, 2025 meeting the Whitehall-Coplay School District board approved multiple routine and budget items — including the solicitor appointment, school-year calendars, several partner budgets and an e-rate network contract — and heard a public commenter call for 10% budget cuts and detailed digital-scoreboard cost information.
The Whitehall-Coplay School District board met March 24 and approved a package of routine and fiscal items while hearing a public plea for greater transparency on spending.
The board voted to approve meeting minutes and then, by roll call, accepted the treasurer's report and several executive-committee and finance items. Among the approvals were an extension of Fox Rothschild LLP as the district solicitor; approval of the 2025–26 school-year calendar and a related resolution; a revised 2024–25 calendar and an updated organizational chart; capital tax exonerations/refunds and the 2025–26 budgets for LCTI, CLIU and related partner budgets; policy revisions on second reading and an AnthroMed education agreement; approval of field trips as attached; and a campus-wide network project through Integrity 1 funded via the federal e-rate program. The board approved personnel agenda items, affidavits and residency acknowledgements by roll call.
Public commenter Bruce Charles urged a 10% reduction in all budgets for fiscal 2025–26 and criticized what he described as wasteful spending on office rentals, demolition and athletic department expenses. Charles also asked for the "total dollars we've spent lifetime to digital scoreboards" and the revenue generated from scoreboard advertising. "Transparency is paramount," Charles said, urging the board to provide the requested figures. Board members and staff responded that the district will present detailed budget information at April committee meetings and offered to provide the scoreboard figures to Charles directly.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of minutes (motion, voice vote): carried. - Treasurer's report (motion, roll call): carried (roll call recorded eight yes votes). - Executive-committee items a–f including extension of Fox Rothschild LLP as solicitor, MOU with the Lytle Copley Educational Support Personal Association, 2025–26 calendar, a 25–26 resolution, revised 2024–25 calendar and revised organizational chart (motion, roll call): carried (8–0). - Finance committee items including capital tax exonerations/refunds and 2025–26 partner budgets (motion, roll call): carried (8–0). - Policy revisions (second reading), policy form update, AnthroMed education agreement and field trips (motion, roll call): carried (8–0). - Campus-wide network project through Integrity 1 using e-rate (motion, roll call): carried (8–0). - Personnel agenda, affidavits and residency acknowledgements (motion, roll call): carried (8–0).
Why it matters: The calendar and budget approvals set the district's schedule and spending priorities for the coming school year; the e-rate network project commits the district to a vendor and a technology upgrade that the district said is supported by federal E-rate funding; the solicitor appointment extends legal counsel for district business. The public-comment request for scoreboard costs and advertising revenue raised questions about athletic spending and transparency ahead of the district's formal budget presentations in April.
The board also announced meeting dates for upcoming committee and regular meetings and adjourned after routine closing remarks.
