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Tunkhannock Area School District board meeting, Aug 13, 2026

32 min

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 32 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Tunkhannock board weighs $847,859 administration building boiler replacement and grant application 22:43

  • A question was raised about the Chromebooks, and in remarks the superintendent said the district received an additional $40,000 in basic ed funding in the recently approved state budget. 3:06
  • Roll-call votes were taken, including one on a motion to approve items M and N as a package. ~12:40
  • The board discussed replacing the administration building boiler at a cost of $847,859 together with a resolution to apply for a $635,894.25 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for the work. 22:43
  • A district staff member said the boilers date from 1989 and that a repair to one boiler was estimated at $20,000 to $25,000 with no guarantee. 24:28
Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and executive sessions 2:27
    • Holly Arnold called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call. 2:27
    • Holly Arnold said the board held an executive session before the meeting on personnel, legal matters and collective bargaining updates, met in executive session on legal issues on the 11th, and held a board leadership workshop with PSBA. 3:06
  2. Superintendent's remarks 3:37
    • The superintendent said the first faculty day is Thursday, August 20th, and students return to classrooms on Monday, August 24th. 4:10
    • The superintendent said basic education funding was proposed at about a $53,000 increase but the district received an additional $40,000, and that state funding rose 8.7% over the previous 4 years combined. 5:56
    • The superintendent said the September meeting was rescheduled to Wednesday, September 23rd. 8:25
  3. Agenda public comment and minutes 8:38
    • No one spoke during public comment on agenda items. ~8:38
  4. Business and finance items 9:30
    • A district staff member said the district bought 712 Chromebooks through a Co-Stars procurement contract after learning prices would rise, and typically buys 300 to 400 a year. 9:51
    • The staff member said the district saved at least $100 per Chromebook, and a speaker said the devices were bought at about $240 each and now cost $350 to $450. 10:56
    • A speaker said a Google license of about $35 is a one-time fee needed to manage each device. 12:16
  5. Personnel report and conference attendance 13:06
    • Governance and leadership principles 14:07
      • Holly Arnold said there were no committee meetings outside of negotiations and no unfinished business. 14:07
      • Holly Arnold said the principles for governance and leadership were not new, that the board was renewing its commitment to them and would probably start doing so annually. 14:07
    • Bus and van contracts and drivers 15:15
      • Informational documents including right-to-know listings and district Visa account information were presented with no action required. 15:15
      • Motions were made to approve bus and van contracts and the school bus and van drivers for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year, with a reminder that the drivers are employees of the bus and van contract holders, not the district. 15:23
    • Agreements with teachers association 16:38
      • The board took up 2 memorandums of understanding with the Tunkhannock Area Education Association, one on the school calendar and one adding a healthcare option. 16:38
    • Handbooks, school plan and donations 17:17
      • Holly Arnold proposed voting together on student handbooks, the high school ATSI non-Title I plan and the acceptance of donations. 17:17
      • Asked about handbook changes, a district staff member said the handbooks were updated for minor changes only. 17:53
    • Agreements and contracts 18:33
      • The agreements included a dual enrollment agreement with the University of Scranton, services contracts with River Rock Academy and a meals agreement with Luzerne County Head Start. 18:33
      • A district staff member said the district has contracts with almost every university and they are approved as they come in. 19:23
    • Field trips and grant representatives 20:15
      • The board took up an 8th grade jazz band trip to Niagara Falls in May and an FFA trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the FFA National Convention in October. 20:15
      • A district staff member said the FFA trip is FFA funded. 20:47
      • The board took a roll-call vote on a resolution appointing authorized district representatives on grant applications. 21:20
    • Welding shop exhaust payment 21:50
      • The board took up payment application number 4 to Scranton Electric and Heating and Cooling Service, Inc. for $113,387.20 for the high school welding shop exhaust. 21:50
      • A district staff member said the public would be invited to an open house to see the welding shop. 22:07
    • Administration building boiler and grant 22:43
      • Holly Arnold said the boiler project and the grant application were separate items voted on together, and the grant had not yet been approved. 22:43
      • A district staff member said the engineering firm projected $1.2 million, and a speaker said other bids came in at $1.6 million and $1.2 million and asked where the building would be in 3 or 4 years. 25:11
    • Switch from debit to credit cards 29:56
      • Holly Arnold said switching student activities and cafeteria accounts from First National Bank debit cards to credit cards provides increased fraud protection. 29:56
      • A district staff member said the bank recommended the change and that board approval is needed because the district would be assuming debt. 30:26
    • Public comment and adjournment 31:42
      • Holly Arnold opened the floor for public comment on any topic before a motion to adjourn. 31:42

    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 “TASD School Board Meeting August 13th, 2026”