i.  Meeting Minutes from January 27, 2025

ii. Hires

a.  Issela Navarro, 6.5 Hr Para at Columbia Ridge 

b.  Casey Miller, EHS Assistant Fastpitch Coach 

c.  Samantha Bair, 7.25 Para at Grant School 

d.  Larry Redfield, EHS Assistant Boys Golf Coach 

e.  Lauren Rathbone, EHS Assistant Girls Golf Coach

iii. Donations

a.  BSN is donating new dumbbells for the weight room, value of $954, because the current weight room equipment we ordered through the grant is delayed. 

b.  Weinstein Beverage, $5,273.57 to purchase a new scoreboard for the JV baseball field.  The current JV scoreboard is 30 years old and in need of replacement.  

c.  Tiger Boosters, $2,400 to help purchase new backstop padding for the baseball and softball fields.  Total estimated cost is $5,145.21.  The remaining will be covered by EHS Extracurricular.

iv. Surplus Items

EHS Track Pole Vault:  Complete pit with all pads including top cover, condition of pit is in poor condition
EHS Track High Jump:    Complete high jump pit will all pads including top cover, condition of pit is average and can used for competition
EHS Wrestling Mats:    Condition of wrestling mats is poor and have been taken to the dump
Transportation:
Buses: 

 ·    Bus 2 - 2006 Blue Bird - Type D (estimated value $1500) Miles: 264,174 Vin: 1BABNBKA26F234376 

 ·    Bus 3 - 2004 Thomas - Type D (estimated value $1500)   Miles: 268,704 Vin: 1T7YT4C2241137250
 ·    Bus 34 – 2000 Blue Bird - Type C (estimated value $1200) Miles: 238,196 Vin: 1HVBBAAL8YH355359

    Vehicles: 

 ·    #126 - 2005 Chevy Suburban (estimated value $2500)   Miles: 190,225   Vin: 3GNFK16Z55G120807 

 ·    #132 – 2001 Dodge Intrepid (estimated value $500)   Miles: 122,558 Vin: 2B3HD46R11H707059

v, Accounts Payable & Payroll

Parkway LEGO Robotics coaches, Rachel Boruff and Julie Jenne, along with 10 students representing Parkway School, requested approval to attend a national competition in New Jersey on May 17-18, 2025. This event will provide students with a valuable opportunity to visit the Liberty Science Center, home to the largest planetarium in the United States. Beyond robotics, the LEGO Robotics program emphasizes STEM education, teamwork, and future readiness.

Five parents have volunteered as chaperones to ensure student safety throughout the trip. Funding for the coaches and students is available through the Extra-Curricular budget, while chaperones will be responsible for covering their own expenses.

At the October 2024 regular meeting, the Board approved quotes for electrical upgrades at Grant Elementary, Parkway Intermediate, and Ephrata High School. During the High School project, it was discovered that the existing electrical panel needed full replacement, as its breakers were obsolete and irreplaceable. Holmes updated their original quote to include the new panel, increasing the cost by approximately $5,000.

The Technology Department requests approval for renewal of the district firewall and content filtering through Cruxial Technology Group. This is an annual recurring expense for Primary and Secondary Fortigate 600E Firewalls as well as the 200F FortiAnalyzer which handles all the analytics of the firewalls. The total renewal cost is $17,043 + Tax. The renewal was quoted using the OMNIA cooperative purchasing agreement.   

Ephrata School District was recently awarded $20,000 to develop or upgrade high-demand career and technical programs. These funds will be used to update one of the four business labs at Ephrata High School. The grant was written to address equipment upgrades to the Computer Science program that offers courses such as Cybersecurity, Video Game Design, and Intro to Computer Science. In the 2025-26 school years, students will also have the option to enroll in two new courses, including Introduction to Engineering and AI Essentials. These courses address workforce needs in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industries. According to labor market projections, IT careers such as information security analysts, software developers, and computer and information systems managers are growing at rates of 20-30%, significantly above the national average for job growth. 

The Ephrata School District was recently awarded $30,000 through the Perkins Reserve Grant to support approved CTE activities. These funds will be used to support Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO's) in the district. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Clubs such as Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Future Health Science Professionals (HOSA), Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), National FFA Association, Technology Student Association (TSA) & Skills USA empower students to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Funds will be used to pay for registration and travel expenses to state and national conferences in 2025.   

This computer lab will replace one of the four business labs at EHS in the CTE Department. Career and Technical Education (CTE) plays a critical role in preparing students for high-demand careers by providing hands-on learning experiences that mirror real-world industry settings. To maintain the highest level of career readiness, it is essential that CTE programs have access to up-to-date equipment and technology that align with current industry standards.  This lab will be acquired through the NASPO purchasing contract, eliminating the need for additional quotes. Funding will come from CTE funds, supplemented by the High Demand CTE Grant.  

The district recently was awarded a $95,000 Expanding Health Science in Health Science Grant and the Health Science Department would like to purchase some human body models for their classrooms with these funds.  They would be purchased using the Sourcewell Purchasing Contract.  Director Fleurkens made a motion to approve the purchase through the Expanding Health Science in the High School Grant for $18,32917.

The IT Department would like to order 600 student Chromebooks with Hard Cases and 3 Year Warranties (Including Accidental Damage) for the coming school year. These Chromebooks are part of our annual refresh to support the district learning model. The district needs to replace approximately 25% each year to maintain the 1:1 device program for students. This purchase was quoted using the WSIPC Purchasing Contract.