Athens Area SD board approves financial items, contracts, policy readings and curriculum changes including a reduction in graduation credits

At its March meeting the Athens Area School District Board of Directors approved a package of routine financial, personnel and curriculum items and voted to adopt a three‑year special education plan and a dual‑enrollment agreement with Lackawanna College.

Financial and personnel votes: The board approved the evening’s financial business, which included bills, general fund checks, cafeteria bills, the earned‑income tax report, treasurer’s reports, student activity reports, a proposed summer rec rate schedule (subject to staffing the program) and an oil‑and‑gas lease with Expanded Energy. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote with the following recorded as voting yes: Mr. Bishop; Mr. Charsnansky; Mr. Frisby; Mr. Johnson; Mr. Jones; Mrs. Minnick; Mr. Owen; and Mr. White (Mrs. Mart was recorded as not present for that roll call).

The board also approved personnel actions presented that evening, including support resignations and new support contracts, athletic resignations and volunteer approvals; the personnel motion passed by recorded roll call with the same affirmative board members.

Special education and dual enrollment: Dr. Seager explained the district’s required three‑year special education plan (2026–2029) and the board voted to adopt the resolution after it had been publicly displayed for 30 days and revised with stakeholder input. The board also approved a Lackawanna College pre‑college (dual‑enrollment) agreement for 2026–2027 intended to allow students to earn college credits while taking high‑school courses.

Curriculum and policy moves: The board voted to add a late committee request (agenda item H) to change graduation requirements from 26 to 24 credits and then approved agenda items A–H as a package. Those items included the 2026–27 school calendar, course booklets, several overnight trip requests (regional band and FBLA state leadership conference), a class‑trip memo for the Class of 2027 and the graduation‑credits change. The recorded roll call on A–H showed unanimous support among trustees present at that vote.

Instruction and technology direction: Superintendent Dr. Stage told trustees the district will retool summer school as an in‑person credit‑recovery program for grades 9–12 and that it will no longer be offered free of charge; a fee schedule will be developed to be roughly cost‑neutral. Dr. Stage also said the district will step back from K–8 one‑to‑one devices next year (classrooms will retain access to carts of iPads or Chromebooks for instruction and testing). He estimated E‑rate eligible infrastructure work would cost about $300,000 with an anticipated 85–90% reimbursement rate (district share roughly $45,000 at 85% reimbursement). Board members discussed safety bollards to be purchased with PCCD grant funds and noted the grant spending deadline of June 30.

What the votes mean: The action items adopted are procedural but bear on classroom schedules, summer offerings and district capital planning. The graduation requirements change (26 to 24 credits) was added and approved on the record; any operational or transcript implications for students will be implemented through curriculum and counseling processes the district develops.

Votes at a glance: financial business — approved (yes: Bishop; Charsnansky; Frisby; Johnson; Jones; Minnick; Owen; White; Mart not present); personnel — approved (yes: Charsnansky; Frisby; Johnson; Jones; Minnick; Owen; White; Bishop); special education plan (2026–2029) — approved (yes: Frisbee; Johnson; Jones; Minnick; Owen; White; Bishop; Czeresnak; Czeresnak recorded during this package vote); Lackawanna College agreement — approved; curriculum package A–H (including graduation credits change 26 → 24) — approved by roll call. (The transcript records the votes by name; counts reflect trustees recorded on the roll calls.)

The meeting concluded with board communications, including a superintendent description of a planned student trip to Wales for late June and a reminder to complete annual ethics forms; the board adjourned with the next meeting scheduled for April 14.

Note: the transcript contains a number of short name variants and a few typos in speaker names (for example, "Dr. States" in one place vs. "Dr. Stage" elsewhere). This report uses the spelling and titles stated clearly in the meeting when available and notes absences recorded during roll calls.