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Sto‑Rox board approves facilities, program renewals and donations ahead of school year
Summary
The board approved multiple operational contracts (backflow testing, fence repairs, HVAC maintenance, landscaping, fascia repairs), accepted donations including backpacks and Chromebook covers, and approved curriculum and program renewals (NWEA, Lexia, McGraw Hill, Eureka Math, STEM coding lab MOU funded by PA Smart); several retroactive service approvals for special‑education supports were also ratified.
At its Aug. 21 agenda‑review meeting, the Sto‑Rox School District board approved a series of routine operational contracts and program renewals designed to prepare facilities and instructional programs for the coming school year.
Operations and facilities: Zach Simpson reviewed vendor quotes and the board approved annual backflow testing, repairs to the parking‑lot fencing and tarping, a high‑school HVAC maintenance plan (two full checks per year with monthly service follow‑ups), landscape mulching at multiple schools and fascia/downspout repairs at the upper elementary. Simpson noted many systems are beyond expected service life and vendors are in short supply.
Programs and curriculum: The board approved a STEM Coding Lab memorandum of understanding for grades 2–8 for 2025–26 with costs covered by a PA Smart grant; administrators reported a makerspace in the upper elementary already in use. The board also approved renewals and purchases for instructional and assessment tools, including NWEA MAP Growth (K–12 universal screener), Lexia Core5 and PowerUp reading interventions, McGraw Hill math supplements and Eureka Math materials; professional development was included in some vendor packages.
Donations and retroactive approvals: Trustees accepted donations including backpacks from Verizon and 40 Chromebook covers from Gallagher Insurance and accepted donated classroom items from the AIU program (with administrators noting storage limits). The board retroactively approved Crossroads speech services to complete required IEP work and a PACE invoice for ESY/PCA services for one student.
Special‑education consultative support: The board approved extending an agreement with the AIU for consultative services by Lucy McDonough through Dec. 31, 2025, to assist with compliance and paperwork cleanup as district staff work through IEP audits.
Legal/property items: The district’s legal staff requested authorization to prepare an invitation to bid to sell the Foster School with a minimum acceptable bid of $250,000 and requested authority to file annual tax‑assessment appeals where properties appear undervalued; the board authorized both administrative steps.
Votes: The transcript records approvals and administrative authorizations but does not include roll‑call vote tallies in the public portion of the meeting.
What’s next: administrators will schedule follow‑up vendor work, complete program‑renewal implementations and continue special‑education compliance work as the district prepares for the school year.
