The Sto-Rox School Board met on Thursday night for its final meeting of September. Read on for details on new faces, a financial update, and a birthday surprise! You can read the complete recap of the meeting by clicking here.
Recovery Plan Update
Sto-Rox School District’s Chief Recovery Officer, Dr. Patrick O’Toole, provided an update on the district’s finances as it navigates the second year of its five-year recovery plan. O’Toole touched on the district’s recent changes in personnel and certain services. For instance, Nate Fisher and JMA have taken over the district’s financial services and Erica Taylor has shifted from Central Register to coordinator of Auxiliary Services.
“Superintendent (Megan) Van Fossan has been on top of these changes and a lot of moving parts,” he said. “I’ve been in constant communication with her throughout this, because we know important it is.” He added that, in his view, things have been going well, give the circumstances.
O’Toole also spoke about closing out the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Public Financial Management (PFM) will soon present to the board on the previous fiscal year and how Sto-Rox performed. A key issue will be the district transitioning away from the influx of Covid relief money and working on generating other sources of revenue, along with finding and maintaining continued cost savings.
Dinner Service
The district will now offer dinner for students from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Jr./Sr. High School and the Upper Elementary. The district will also look into expanding that service to five days per week, if possible.
New Hires
The district welcomed several new faces to the Sto-Rox team on Thursday night. Check out a brief update on the people who joined the district:
Martha Hoover: She will serve as the Chief of Staff to Superintendent Van Fossan and as Board Secretary. She will replace the outgoing Susan Gratton, who served the district for 13 years. We wish her well!
Crystal Givner: A former employee of Allegheny County Children Youth and Families, this mother of four and local homeowner will be an Emotional Support Teacher at the Jr./Sr. High School. She formerly worked for the Pittsburgh Public, Woodland Hills and Wilkinsburg School Districts and has experience working with children in a non-profit capacity. “This is perfect for me. I’m able to engage with the children that I’m in the community with. I’m able to learn with them, learn from them, and teach them.”
Trevaun Hairston: The board is getting very familiar with him; he will now coach the Middle School (7th and 8th Grade) Girls Basketball Team. Hairston is already leading the undefeated MIddle School Football team and is a coordinator the Varsity Football team along with being a building substitute for the district. “I love what I’m doing here, I love the kids, it’s exciting being a building sub and getting a real chance to engage with the kids on and off the field.”
Makenna Marino: She will be the incoming K-6 STEAM Teacher for the district. A graduate of PennWest California in May, she said, “I’m here because I really want to make a difference.” She said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Apparently, it runs in the family - because both of her parents are teachers (Brentwood and Bethel Park).
Brianna Frashure: She will be a full-time building substitute teacher for the Primary Center and Upper Elementary. A graduate of Geneva College (2020) who most recently worked in Quaker Valley as a paraprofessional, she also has experience teaching second grade. “I’m extremely passionate about education,” she told the board. “I think as educators we have the ability to be the best eight hours of a kid’s life, or day.”
Happy Birthday, Lucille!
Other News & Notes
• Makayla Borda returns as the student representative on the school board. Now in her junior year, Borda is back in action delivering updates on the student perspective in Sto-Rox. This month, she covered the start of the school year and all the latest happenings from the classroom to the athletics department.
• Happy Birthday to Board Treasurer Lucille Young! Lucille was surprised by the board with a cake and flowers ahead of Thursday’s meeting, and she was clearly delighted by the honor (that’s her second surprise in as many months).
Looking Ahead
There will once again be two school board meetings in October. The board will meet Thursday, October 19 and Thursday, October 26. Both meetings will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Sto-Rox Jr./Sr. High School Cafeteria.