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Kutztown Area school board approves personnel moves, contracts and new transportation vendor
Summary
The board approved personnel items, a two-year teachers’ collective bargaining agreement, multiple service and tuition contracts — including River Rock Academy and New Story Schools — and a five-year transportation contract with the Berks County Intermediate Unit after a long-time provider spoke during public comment.
The Kutztown Area School District Board of School Directors on May 21 approved routine personnel changes and a slate of vendor and tuition agreements, and voted to contract with the Berks County Intermediate Unit for transportation services beginning July 1, 2025.
Superintendent Till Chatham presented the personnel slate and thanked bargaining and leadership teams for negotiating a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the district teachers’ association effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. Board members moved and approved the personnel items and the collective bargaining agreement by roll call.
The board also approved contracts and agreements intended to serve students who require services beyond the district’s in-house capacity. Those approvals included student-services agreements with River Rock Academy for the 2025–26 school year, an alternative-education agreement under Act 48 for disruptive youth with River Rock Academy LLC, and a tuition agreement with New Story Schools. Chatham described those arrangements as “standard agreements for students who need services beyond what we can offer within our buildings.”
The board authorized a quote from IMR Digital to convert special education student records to electronic format and approved the district’s plan to sell a surplus 2011 GMC Savana van (vehicle #16) to the highest bidder. It also approved a five-year managed print-services lease with Frasier at $28,812.20 per year, a $199.80 annual reduction from the previous cost.
After the administration recommended a five-year transportation contract, the board voted to approve a contract with the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) for transportation services effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. During public comment preceding the vote, representatives of Ashland Transportation — the district’s provider for about 15 years — expressed disappointment at the administration’s recommendation to change vendors. Greg Ashwin, speaking for Ashland Transportation, thanked the district for the partnership and said staff and drivers were proud to have served students.
The board closed the item after the roll-call vote; all motions carried as recorded in the meeting transcript. The superintendent said updated online communications would provide additional details on affected services and timelines.
The board’s approvals are effective as stated in the motions; specific contract terms and attachments referenced in the agenda packet were recorded as the basis for each vote.
