NOTE: Thursday’s (August 17) meeting of the Sto-Rox School Board of Directors will once again be held in the Sto-Rox Jr./Sr. High School Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.
The Sto-Rox School Board of Directors met Thursday night and discussed an array of issues facing the district and heard from a potential new board member. Read on for a quick recap of the issues that will be voted on at the next board meeting.
Vattimo, speaking before the board during his interview.
Board Member Hopeful
“Really, I just wanted to get involved.” Those were some of the key words spoken Thursday night by board member hopeful Michael Vattimo. The Sto-Rox grad, father of two, Uber driver and Sunday school teacher has also served on the McKees Rocks Planning Commission. He was interviewing for the vacant Region 1 (McKees Rocks) board seat. Vattimo outlined his vision for student recruitment, focusing specifically on raising math and science test scores with a goal of helping students attend trade schools so they can leave Sto-Rox “with the tools to take on the world.”
“You have to have an open mind and look out for our students. Whatever ideas you had in the past, some may work,” she said, referencing her preconceived notions during her service on the board. “But this is a new day, and a new district, and we are looking forward. If you (Vattimo) can do that, welcome.”
When asked by Superintendent Megan Van Fossan what his two most important issues were, Vattimo responded by saying he wants to make sure children are safe, and “making policies that make it easy for children to be educated.” Ultimately, Vattimo said he’s looking to take a more active role.
The school board took his interview under advisement with a decision coming as early as the Thursday, August 17 board meeting. The board currently has seven members. There is also a vacancy for a seat in Region 2 (Stowe Township). Click here for more information on the board and its operations.
Superintendent Van Fossan, Board Member Lucille Young and Business Manager Nate Fisher.
External Partnerships
The school board examined a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for before-and-after school programming at Sto-Rox Upper Elementary from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 - 6:30 p.m. “I’m really happy parents can drop kids off,” said Van Fossan, touting the benefits for parents and the school’s Smore active role in their child’s day.
Board members also looked at the “Bigs in Blue” program offered at the Upper Elementary by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. The program featured Port Authority of Allegheny Police last year. K-6 Principal Heather Johnston spoke highly of the partnership.
“They came during lunch and recess time, met with kids, did activities with them, bought them Christmas gifts,” she said. “They built a very nice relationship with kids throughout the year.”
The program serves four to six children depending on the week. Board Member DaLisha Hoszowski asked if the program could be expanded to the Jr./Sr. High School. While the answer is unclear, the general thought among several administrators was to continue seeking out similar programs. For example, Sto-Rox partner Pressley Ridge recently held a picnic - and according to Johnston - police were brought in to interact with families and build connections.
On the topic of mentoring, Jr./Sr. Principal Raelyn Day added that the district is pursuing a partnership with Deloitte to hold bi-weekly lunches as part of a Big Brothers Big Sisters program with middle/high school students.
Odds and Ends
The district also considered approvals of a number of other issues on its agenda, including:
• An affiliation agreement with PennWest University (formerly California Unniversity of PA, Clarion University and Edinboro Unniversity) for academic experience.
• An agreement with Bradley School for educational services for the 2023-2024 school year.
• MOU’s with Adagio Health for nutrition and stop-smoking programs.
For a complete reading of the agenda, click here.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the board will take place on Thursday, August 17 at the Sto-Rox Jr./Sr. High School Auditorium, instead of the Cafeteria. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m.