Central Valley School Board approves payments, service agreements, personnel changes and a $554,483 site-improvements contract

The Central Valley School Board approved a slate of routine financial, personnel and service items at its May 21, 2026 voting session. The board confirmed April payments, including a general fund payment of $3,368,806.35, a cafeteria fund payment of $85,651.26 and a construction fund payment of $422,610.13, and approved the April Berkheimer report.

The board approved service and program agreements for the 2026–27 school year. Members approved a memorandum of understanding with the Central Valley Education Association to adjust health-care opt-out payments as reflected in the collective bargaining agreement and approved contracts to provide education and related services under student IEPs, including an agreement with MH Family Services for Longmore Academy placements, Glade Run Lutheran Services for Glade Run Academy, extended-year speech therapy at $90 per hour, and school-based mental-health services from the psychology and learning center provided at no cost to the district. "I just want to thank Miss Hicks for our Title I audit; we were recognized as one of only six districts in the state that obtained a perfect audit," said the Superintendent during public comment, thanking staff for their work amid renovations.

On facilities and capital projects the board authorized the administration to coordinate the 2026–27 busing schedule with Fry Transportation and to make necessary adjustments to school start and end times consistent with bargaining agreements; one member abstained from that item. The board awarded the summer 2026 site-improvements contract at Central Valley High School to GEM Building Contractors and Developers Inc. as the responsible bidder for an amount not to exceed $554,483, contingent on final contract approval and solicitor review.

Finance items included approval of a 2026–27 food service management agreement with The Nutrition Group pending solicitor and Pennsylvania Department of Education approval and adoption of cafeteria prices for 2026–27: adult lunch $4.00; adult breakfast $3.25; elementary lunch $2.45; elementary breakfast $1.25 (universal free); secondary lunch $2.70; secondary breakfast $1.25 (universal free); milk $0.75. The board also approved Highmark health-insurance renewal rates reflecting a 0.5% increase (single $1,003; parent/child $3,374; husband/wife $3,601; family $3,691).

Personnel actions approved included additions to the 2025–26 transportation substitute list (pending clearances), the resignation of custodian David Johnson effective April 16, 2026, the hire of Austin Lewis as a full-time second-shift custodian effective April 27, 2026 (pending clearances), the retirement of middle-school teacher Lawrence Polocak effective June 30, 2026, the resignation of a middle-school teacher effective May 29, 2026, extended unpaid leave for an employee through the end of the 2025–26 school year, extended-school-year staffing and contracted providers for IEP services, and intermittent FMLA for a middle-school teacher through April 20, 2027.

Athletics approvals included summer conditioning programs (June 8–Aug. 14, 2026) at a $10-per-hour stipend (not to exceed 60 hours), acceptance of the resignation of boys' varsity soccer coach Jack Shear effective May 4, 2026, a stipend adjustment for head boys' varsity tennis coach Roxanne Delon ($3,091), and approval of Medic Rescue as emergency medical transportation for an annual fee of $3,800 for 2026–27.

Board members also heard a report that the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit and New Horizon project received a $1,000,000 state community and economic development grant to help offset renovation costs. The Chair announced the board would return to executive session for additional discussion and adjourned the public session without further action.