The Franklin school board congratulated the newly-formed Franklin Unified Bocce Team for a successful first season of bocce, a winter-sport ball game.
The team has garnered enough wins to qualify for the regional Unified Bocce tournament at Geneva College in early March, Superintendent Eugene Thomas said Monday at the school board’s formal business meeting.
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Unified Sports is a Special Olympics program that brings together students with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities to play together on sports teams.
“We congratulate them and thank the parents and the community for their support,” Thomas said, also commending the team’s coaches and referee.
The possibility of summer school was also discussed Monday. If enough students enroll, summer school will take place at the high school from June 9 through June 24 following the board’s approval of the schedule, including social studies, English, math, physical education and driver’s education classes. Cost will be $75 for a six-day course and $100 for a 12-day course.
In other business Monday, the board approved the updated purpose and responsibilities of its governance committee.
The committee’s orientation manual listed the committee’s purposes as reviewing policies and making recommendations to the committee of the whole (the entire school board), ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, providing orientation to new board members and supporting good governance in the district.
The committee’s specific responsibilities include reviewing and revising the school board’s operating guidelines and section 000 board policies, as well as other board policies referred to governance by the committee of the whole.
The governance committee will also post information on the district website to orient community members who are interested in running for the school board.
The school board also agreed to an amendment in the district’s school bus contractor agreement with Lepley’s Bus Service and Krise Transportation. Board member Alesha Hartsfield abstained from the vote.
The amendment will reassign the Lepley’s portion of the existing transportation contract to Krise Transportation as the two bus companies work out a transfer process for Krise to take over transportation entirely next year.
Lepley’s contract would have run out on June 30 anyway, Business Manager Kimberly Eaton told the paper.
Thomas said after the meeting that he wasn’t sure if Krise would be taking over any of Lepley’s routes before June 30 as the transfer process was worked out, but if that did happen, “they will be exactly the same bus routes with some provisions for fuel usage,” he said.
“We’re grateful for three generations of Lepley’s service,” he added.
Several students received the board’s blessing to travel to spring musical festivals and conferences.
Four students in the high school band are set to travel to United High School in early March for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Region Two Band Festival and six students in the high school choir will be able to travel to McDowell High School in Erie in late march for the PMEA Region Two Chorus Festival.
Seventeen students in the Franklin High School Madrigal choir were approved to travel to the PMEA All-State Conference in the Poconos in April and one student additionally will be attending the National Association for Music Education All-Eastern Division Festival Treble Choir in Connecticut in late April.
In other business Monday:
- Central Elementary multi-tiered system of support and intervention teacher Vickie Heath will be retiring June 4 after nearly 33 years with the district; Junior-Senior High School science teacher Janice Beichner will be retiring the same day after 32 years.
- The board approved the resignation of Board Treasurer Jennifer Hughes and appointed Michael Veloso as the new treasurer.
- Two contracts were approved with IntegraOne to purchase electronics equipment at a cost of about $61,180, for which the district would receive 80% reimbursement if approved.
- Thomas said that Jim Ellis of Jim Ellis Photography had announced his upcoming retirement, but that he will be available for 2025-2026 school yearbook photos and will additionally help the district find a new photographer. Ellis thanked Franklin for all the support it had given his business over the years.
- An executive session was held for matters of personnel and matters to be discussed in private to protect confidentiality.
- Those present at the meeting held an extended moment of silence for Herb Bigley, a long-time supporter of the Franklin Area School District and of youth sports at Sandycreek Elementary, who has passed away.
