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Altoona Area School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

1 h 01 min · 0 public speakers

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Altoona Area school board posts preliminary budget with 3% tax increase 53:45

  • The board also approved business operations items, including a contract for replacement of the junior high school boiler with a total cost not to exceed $540,000, including contingency. 27:01
  • The board discussed the general fund budget, with a district staff member saying a 3% increase would mean a loss of about $5.8 million and a 2% increase a loss of just over $6 million. 40:29
  • The chair said the vote was 6 to 3 and announced the motion carried to post the preliminary budget with a 3% tax increase. 53:45

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Item by item (12)
  1. Opening and executive session 0:00
    • The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call. ~0:00
    • The chair announced the board met in executive session before the meeting to discuss personnel issues. 0:42
  2. Student recognitions 0:42
    • The board recognized 2026 PMEA All-State musicians. 0:42
    • A district staff member said the department was recognizing 8 students for exemplary musical accomplishments. 3:40
    • The board also recognized the student representative, who was attending a final meeting in the role. 9:14
  3. Public comment and minutes 14:53
    • The chair opened the floor for public comment and said no one appeared to be coming forward. ~14:55
    • The board considered minutes of the April 13th, 2026 regular meeting and the April 27th, 2026 special and Committee of the Whole meetings. 15:19
    • The chair announced the motion carried. 15:51
  4. Finance items and memberships 15:57
    • The items included an $800 honorarium for the spring drama musical, renewal of the PSBA All Access membership and renewal of the BoardDocs subscription. 15:57
    • One board member asked whether the district got its full value from the PSBA membership and said it was a heavy price tag. 17:08
    • A district staff member said the district heavily used the organization's policy services and that BoardDocs is no longer included as an endorsed product of PSBA. 17:22
    • The chair announced the motion carried on items 6A through D. 19:23
  5. Education agreements and field trips 19:23
    • The items included a cooperative agreement with St. Francis University, a GED schedule, a volunteer list, a counseling agreement and field trip lists. 20:26
    • A district staff member said the district's nurse is listed as the certified school nurse of record for CPDLF but does not provide day-to-day services to it. 22:06
    • The chair announced the motion carried. 22:46
  6. Personnel items 23:24
    • The items included a memorandum of agreement with AAEA and an addendum extending a contract with ESS Northeast LLC. 23:24
    • A district staff member said substitute rates increase with the frequency of assignments taken and that an outside contractor lets the district draw from a larger group of substitutes. 24:25
    • A district staff member said new teachers now start at step 21 because the salary schedule runs in reverse order. 26:18
    • The chair announced the motion carried on items 8A through C. 27:01
  7. Business operations and boiler replacement 27:01
    • A district staff member said the photography base package would be $25.50 at the secondary level and $24 at the elementary level. 31:57
    • A district staff member said the junior high school boiler is nearing end of life after roughly 18 years, against a typical lifespan of 20 to 25 years. 33:27
    • A district staff member said the capital reserve fund holds just about $6.7 million and has sufficient funds to cover the project. 34:56
    • The chair announced the motion carried on items 9A through H. 35:35
  8. Student services agreements 35:35
    • The items included a speech-language pathology services agreement and a student assistance program letter of agreement. 35:35
    • A district staff member said the speech services are used on an as-needed basis to ensure services continue if the district faces a shortage. 36:40
    • The chair announced the motion carried. 37:27
  9. Facility use and labor agreement 37:27
    • The items included requests to use Mansion Park and the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2029. 37:27
    • A district staff member said the agreement covers maintenance, custodial and clerical staff. 39:41
    • The chair announced the motion carried to approve items 11A and B. 40:29
  10. Preliminary general fund budget 40:29
    • A district staff member said the current rate is 7.0877 mills and would rise to 7.2295 with a 2% increase or 7.3003 with a 3% increase. 41:54
    • A district staff member said a homeowner with the homestead exemption would see an increase of $10.17 at 2% or $15.26 at 3%. 45:10
    • A district staff member said the total fund balance, excluding capital reserve, is $33 million. 46:23
    • The chair said the vote was 6 to 3 and announced the motion carried to post the preliminary budget with a 3% tax increase. 53:45
  11. Student representative report 53:45
    • The student representative reported that many underclassmen were taking Keystone exams that week. 54:38
    • The student representative said seniors will graduate on Friday, June 5th at Mansion Park at 6 PM. 54:38
  12. Reports and adjournment 1:00:05
    • The chair noted a Technology Committee summary from April 8th and sought a motion to adjourn. 1:00:05

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “AASD Board of Directors Regular School Board Meeting”