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Franklin Area board schedules PSBA training, assigns mentors and agrees to stream public committee meetings
Summary
The Franklin Area School District governance committee agreed to schedule board training through the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, assign mentors to two newly elected directors and proceed with live streaming public committee meetings (except personnel), pending scheduling and PSBA availability.
The Franklin Area School District governance committee voted on routine consent items and spent the bulk of its meeting organizing board onboarding and training options and expanding public access to committee work.
Superintendent (S4) told the board he had contacted the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to coordinate training and suggested a four-hour session with a working lunch. "They send a survey to everybody on the board to fill out, gather information, and base the training on some of the items that would be needed," he said, describing PSBA’s role in facilitating the session.
Board members agreed the entire board would benefit from outside facilitation. "I think this board as a whole could use a little training, myself included," one board member (S2) said, supporting a focused session for both new and returning members. The group discussed in‑person and virtual formats and settled on proposing a February date, with February 7 and March 21 listed as potential alternatives while the district checks PSBA availability.
The committee also assigned informal mentors for two new board members. Several members volunteered to pair existing directors with the newcomers; the chair and superintendent signaled support for the arrangements to help new members acclimate faster.
On public access, the superintendent proposed live-streaming operations committee meetings and other public committee sessions, citing higher remote viewership compared with in‑person attendance. "I think if it's public, if it's open, we should stream it," a board member (S2) said. Members agreed to begin setting up streaming for public committee meetings while excluding personnel sessions, and the superintendent said staff would start coordinating the technical setup.
The board did not adopt formal policy changes at this meeting; members agreed to return with finalized training dates once PSBA confirms availability. The committee then moved to routine consent business and later adjourned into executive session to discuss negotiations.
