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Board of School Board Trustees for Reading High Schools approves consent agenda; finance report flags higher utilities and water costs
Summary
At its April 20 meeting the Board of School Board Trustees for Reading High Schools approved the agenda, minutes, consent items and claims. The superintendent reported March operations expenses rose about $50,000 and flagged an unexplained increase in water costs requiring further review.
The Board of School Board Trustees for Reading High Schools on April 20 approved its agenda, minutes and consent items and heard a March finance report that showed higher operations spending and a notable rise in utilities, including water.
The board carried a motion to approve the agenda and, later, approved the April 6 minutes and the consent agenda by voice votes. Consent items included a separation in the transportation department for Leo Emerson effective April 15, 2026; approval of an out-of-state professional development leave for Jackie Stewart to attend a show choir intensive in Orlando, Florida, July 4–9; and recognition of a donation and the retirement of Mr. Coopman after 35 years of service.
During the superintendent’s report, the superintendent highlighted recent TED-Ed presentations by students and described plans for a May 16 event featuring student and adult speakers, food trucks and swag bags for the first 300 attendees. “The kids ... got up on stage and gave their TED Talks in front of their student body,” the superintendent said, adding the district is recruiting volunteers and will publish speaker graphics in the weekly message.
On finance, the superintendent presented March 2026 operations figures, saying overall operations expenses were up about $50,000 compared with the prior month. Line-item changes included bus-contractor costs down roughly $24,000 (the superintendent noted the category includes fuel and employees’ insurance), janitorial up about $8,000 (timing of invoices), maintenance up about $16,000 (snow removal and related bills), professional services down but expected to increase in April (timing of billing), and technology up by about $10,000 after two copier lease payments posted in the same month.
The superintendent singled out utilities for attention, noting higher propane bills after recent fills at Helmsburg and Sperry Nica and an unexplained increase in water costs that the district will investigate. The superintendent said staff has not identified a leak and will “dig a little bit to see some trends.”
The board also approved claims that had been circulated by email. Before adjourning trustees questioned why certain legal and background-check services appear under different ledger labels; the superintendent explained examples (legal fees, shredding, background checks) and said those payments were posted in March.
The meeting adjourned after the board carried a motion to adjourn.
