The Sto-Rox School District held its only school board meeting of December and reorganized as new members took their seats. Read on for more information about the updated structure of the board, along with issues discussed and voted upon. Click here for the complete meeting agenda.
Reorganization Meeting
With the oath administered by the Honorable Bruce Boni, the Sto-Rox School Board said hello to two new members: Frank McQuillan (Region 3 - At-Large) and Michael Vattimo (Region 1 - McKees Rocks). They were elected in November, while Kim Spriggs (Region 2 - Stowe Township) was reelected.
The board then re-elected Cameron Culliver as President and Adrienne Roberts as Vice-President. Following that, the board unanimously approved DaLisha Hoszowski to a seat in Region 1 - McKees Rocks approved her as Treasurer. Spriggs and was named liaison to the Pennsylvania School Board Association while Vattimo was named liaison to Parkway West Career and Technology Center. McQuillan was named the alternate liaison to both organizations.
RELATED: Sto-Rox School Board
Recovery Plan Update
With the new board seated, members got to work with the business for December. The board heard from Dr. Patrick O’Toole, the district’s Chief Recovery Officer. O’Toole complimented Superintendent Megan Van Fossan and the board for their work.
“We are getting on better footing and that will hopefully get us to a point where we get the capital projects brought up to date,” he said regarding the district’s budget and operations.
O’Toole also focused on the strength of the relationships with financial firms Public Financial Management (PFM) and JMA, saying “they are very dedicated and should be proud of the work that they do.” PFM will have a financial status report for the board in January.
New Hires
The school board also approved the hiring of several key positions:
Saundra Larcade (right) as Coordinator of Auxility Services. This is a key role that reaches into transportation, records management and other areas. Larcade said she’s excited about the direction of the district; she grew up in nearby Robinson Township and went to Montour and moved back to the area after living in Philadelphia for 20 years.
Lisa Rutter as Jr./Sr. High School English/English Language Arts teacher. She has 24 years of teaching experience from Pre-K to 9th grade. “I’m very excited to be here,” she said. “Actually I was here earlier than I was supposed to be to be in my classroom and getting things ready.”
Jayla Turner as Building Substitute (5th Grade). She’s scheduled to graduate from Duquesne University on December 15. “Honestly, my first thought was giving back to the students that I think need it the most,” she told the board. She also added that her parents went to Sto-Rox and her mother owns a business, Shell’s Sweets and Treats, in the community. “I’m just excited to be part of the team.”
Taylor Kirschner, already hired as the Girls Varsity Basketball Coach, was also hired as Registrar/School Counselor Secretary.
Michael Conrad as a K-3 Emotional and Learning Support Teacher. From West Mifflin, he said he can’t wait to get started. “I have taught at the elementary and high school level, and I taught at the collegiate level,” he explained on a video call, “but I wanted to come back…and get into the community. It’s a great community, there’s a lot of potential, and it’s a place that I can see great things happening in the future.”
The Efficiency Network Update
The board also heard from members of The Efficiency Network (TEN): Brinton Goettel, Project Manager; Bill Bunton, Energy Engineer; Joe Parris, Project Development Manager; Rob Campbell, President and COO. TEN has been doing work to update district buildings and infrastructure to make them more efficient.
Much of the work has focused on the Primary Center and Upper Elementary. Completed projects: Boilers and boiler controls, hot water heaters; Approved and will be completed in 2024: new hot water pumps, variable frequency drives, new classroom ventilation, new air handling unit. TEN officials said most of this equipment has gone past its useful life and must be replaced. It’s one of the areas the district is focusing on as part of its state recovery plan.
The change order is related to critical areas that need attention faster than scheduled. Dr. O’Toole and Superintendent Van Fossan have been meeting with Pennsylvania Dept. of Education officials to secure agreements and hopefully funding ($2 million empowerment grant) to complete projects in those areas: ghe gym portion of the Upper Elementary roof needs a replacement; the air cooler chiller at the Upper Elementary needs to be replaced; the Jr./Sr. High School has serious recurring plumbing issues that must be remedied inside and outside of the school, starting over the next few weeks.
Looking Ahead
The Sto-Rox School District will start its Winter Break on Friday, December 22. School will resume on Wednesday, January 3. The next school board meeting is an Agenda Review meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 18 at 7 p.m. in the Jr./Sr. High School Cafeteria. The entire Sto-Rox School District would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!