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Butler Area School District board approves consent agenda, hears operational updates and a $500,000 BOOST grant award
Summary
Board members approved the consent agenda and policy items April 20 and heard operational updates from Dr. White, including a $500,000 BOOST grant for out-of-school programming, a completed traffic study for McQuistion Elementary, and notice that PSBA will end its BoardDocs contract June 30, 2026.
The Butler Area School District board on April 20 approved the consent agenda of routine minutes, finance and business reports, contracts, personnel items, student hearing and waiver recommendations, and multiple overnight student trips.
Dr. White provided operational updates: a sewage problem at the Senior High School was resolved; Gateway Engineers completed a traffic study for McQuistion Elementary that Dr. Slamecka will review with Butler Township Police before sharing results with parents and guardians; several schools will participate in Remake Learning Days; and the district received interactive play centers donated by the Andrew Effect Organization for kindergarten and specialized classrooms. Dr. White also noted legislative developments: House Bill 41 recognizes structural differences between boundary and non-boundary schools for athletics, and the Pennsylvania Senate passed a proposed bell-to-bell cell phone ban that may require district policy updates if the House approves.
Dr. White announced that the district was awarded a $500,000 BOOST (Building Out-of-School Time) grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to support programming at Broad Street Elementary and the Intermediate and Senior High School.
The consent agenda approved included: March 9, 2026 regular meeting minutes; April 6, 2026 special meeting minutes; the February 2026 Finance and Business Reports; multiple contracts and agreements (most renewals for the 2026-2027 year, including a Pittsburgh point-of-sale agreement and an ATM management agreement for Pullman Park); a personnel report; a conference report; a transportation agreement; a waiver for the Musicians Concert Band; overnight field trips for FBLA to Hershey, PJAS to Penn State, and the band trip to Gatlinburg, TN; and student hearing and student waiver recommendations. The motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Jennifer Daniels and seconded by John W Conrad and carried by recorded vote.
On policy matters, Dr. Slamecka presented updates to Policy 852 (School Police Department Policy and Procedures Manual) as a first reading, describing revised language, updated equipment references, mandated training, and an updated definition of "less lethal." Dr. Slamecka also described the required attachment to Policy 918 (Parent and Family Engagement) for federal program compliance. The board then voted to approve Policy Items 4.01'4.03 as presented (motion by John W Conrad; second by Jennifer Cummings).
Before adjournment, Mr. Zimmerman of the Butler Eagle asked for clarification about district capital projects; Dr. White said projects had been reviewed and prioritized. The meeting closed at 7:57 PM.
