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Belle Vernon Area SD board debates options after PSBA separates from BoardDocs
Summary
Directors discussed the district's options after PSBA announced it would stop using Diligent/BoardDocs and move to Keystone; members flagged concerns about policy ownership, solicitor review, delegate attendance for PSBA assemblies, and a June 30 transition deadline.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the April 14 work session discussing policy-management options after Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) announced plans to separate from Diligent/BoardDocs and introduce a Keystone platform.
The meeting chair told the board the district must decide whether to remain with BoardDocs, move to PSBA's Keystone agenda option, or pursue an alternative. The chair said the district's contract renewal date is June 30 and urged staff to gather contract details. "If you look in there, there's four documents," the chair said when describing the materials provided on PSBA membership and the Keystone option.
Directors recalled prior litigation over policy ownership involving PSBA. One member said PSBA had previously asserted sample policies were PSBA's property, but that when a district adopts a policy it becomes the district's. Board members noted the solicitor should review any contract language addressing ownership before renewal. "Once you take action and approve them, they're owned by the district," a director said when recounting that litigation experience.
The board also discussed the practical benefits of PSBA membership, including accident insurance that covers board members at district events and mandated training for new board members. Members stressed that the district should download and maintain editable backups of its policies before any PSBA cutover; the chair recommended having the tech department produce word-document backups so the district could continue to revise policies internally.
Attendance requirements for PSBA's delegate assembly drew attention: members said the assembly will require in-person attendance this year (no virtual option) and typically runs several hours. The chair and other directors suggested appointing two delegates and considering who would travel for the November assembly.
No formal decision was recorded in the work-session transcript; staff were asked to return with contract language, cost comparisons, and options for policy development and hosting so the board can make an informed choice before the June 30 transition date.
