Summary of the latest meeting of the Board of School Directors of the Abington School District issued March 12, 2019.

Honors

• Dr. Jeffrey Fecher wished good luck to the Abington Senior High School chess team as they advance to the national competition in Illinois.
• Dr. Fecher also congratulated the Abington Senior High School Garden Club on winning first place in the “Gardens” exhibit category at the Philadelphia Flower Show.
• Mrs. Tyheshia Carmichael, Elementary Curriculum Specialist at Roslyn Elementary School, shared a 6abc Action News video of Roslyn Elementary School students performing during Abington-Jefferson Health’s annual service celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Orientations

Secondary Program Changes – Dr. Kelly Murray, Assistant Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning, Mr. Angelo Berrios and Mr. Daniel File presented the proposed additions, deletions and modifications in courses for grades seven through 12 for the 2019-2020 school year. The Board of School Directors approved the changes proposed for Abington Junior High School and Abington Senior High School for 2019-2020, and authorized the printing of the Abington Junior High School Course Selection Guide, 2019-2020, for grades seven through eight, and the Abington High School Let’s Look Ahead, 2019-2020, Course Selection Guide, for grades nine through 12, as the official statements of the programs of study for grades seven through 12. The Board approved the courses listed with the understanding that scheduling of the courses is subject to sufficient enrollment and adequate budgetary provisions.

Budget Update – As requested by Raymond McGarry, Esquire, at the February 5, 2019 meeting of the Board of School Directors, Dr. Fecher and Mr. Christopher Lionetti, Business Manager, provided a budget presentation that illustrates the impact of the Governor’s proposed education subsidies and the impact of no tax increase on the 2019-2020 Preliminary Budget. Mr. McGarry requested that the Proposed Final Budget presented at the April 23, 2019 meeting include the zero tax increase.

Personnel

The Board approved the retirement of Ms. Lynda Kelley, a fifth-grade teacher at Highland Elementary School, who has served the District for 28 years.

Advertisement for Bids

The Board authorized advertisement for bids for security upgrades at McKinley, Rydal East and Rydal West elementary schools.

Award of Contract

The Board approved a change order for an increase in the contract with Boro Developers, Inc., for general construction work as part of the Abington Senior High School Additions and Renovations project. Mr. Thomas Schneider, Director of Facilities, provided an overview of the need for a change order, which includes the removal and replacement of unsuitable soil where the main addition foundations are to be built.

Miscellaneous Items

The Board also approved the following:

• The authorization for the Administration to enter into a contract with Reynolds Energy Services as the District’s Energy Services Company (ESCO). Reynolds will provide turnkey construction upgrades and energy related efficiency measures at Abington Junior High School.
• The submission to the Department of Education of PlanCon Part I (Interim Reporting Change Orde