Despite rain and a return to colder weather, construction on the Williamsport High School stadium is proceeding with an expected completion date for the upper part of the project of May 29, in time for graduation ceremonies to be held on the field. The bottom portion is slated to be done by Aug. 21, around the start of the fall sports season.

In his report to the board, Dale Crans, supervisor of maintenance and facilities, said that things are moving rather fast.

“Everybody’s working hard to make it happen,” Crans said.

Prior to the beginning of the meeting, Barbara Reeves was sworn in as the latest member of the board at this month’s meeting. Reeves, who formerly served on the board but did not seek re-election last year, was approved to serve the remainder of the term of Tom Adams which expires Jan. 1. Adams resigned last month due to moving out of the district. Judge Eric Linhardt was on hand to swear in Reeves.

Under personnel, the board approved the following resignations: Gregory L. Hayes Jr., Executive Director of the WASD Education Foundation & Public Relations; Heather L. Folmar, full-time 4th grade teacher at Lycoming Valley Intermediate; Emily A. Cumberledge, head cheerleading coach at the high school; Michael Pearson, full-time 6th grade teacher at Curtin; and David R. Heller, Head Coach Golf, stipend position only.

The board accepted the retirement of Jeanette A. Bower, part-time aide at Jackson Primary after 14 years.

Under personnel, the board approved hiring the following persons for the positions and rates of pay listed: Curtis C. Liddic, full-time weekend custodian at the Warehouse, $21.41 per hour; Michael P. Tewell, full-time custodian/equipment manager at the High School, $21.41 per hour; Tammy R. Adams, part-time aide at Jackson Primary, $19.95 per hour; Diane E. Welsh, certified retiree substitute teacher, $160 per day; Joseph I. Havrilla and April N. Line, non-certified substitute teachers, $125 per day; Amy E. Fessler, substitute health room technician (RN), $32 per hour; and Haylee R. Marucci, Mia G. Rhoads and Alyssa K. Tucker, student teacher substitutes, $125 per day.

Jamie “Rocky” Miller was approved as high school golf head coach with a stipend of $3,420 and Kevin J. Brown was approved as head high school football coach with a stipend of $9,000.

Bids and contracts okayed by the board included: a five-year agreement between the Enel X North America Inc., Andover, MA, for participation in the Emergency Load Response Program; a proposal from Johnson Controls, Inc., New Cumberland, for the labor and materials required to perform an O-ring overhaul at Jackson Primary; a quote from Sands Ford of Red Hill, for the purchase of two 2026 Transit-350 Passenger Vans for district wide use at a total COSTARS Contract 026-E22-164 price of $113,198; the purchase of SendPro MailCenter mail machine from Pitney Bowes at a cost of 10,743, with a MailCenter Meter cost of $119 per month and a maintenance cost of $1,020 per year; the proposal from Weatherproofing Technologies (WTI), Subsidiary of Tremco Inc., Beachwood, Ohio, for the labor and materials to repair window dormers at the high school at a cost of $11,367; and WMWA/WSA applications and costs associated with the high school stadium project, including water connection, water tapping, and fire service connection fees to allow the project to proceed without delay and ensure compliance with applicable safety and infrastructure standards.

Curriculum items approved included: a letter of agreement with Merakey to ensure continuity of care for students receiving mental health services through their agency; a subscription for Sapphire Software: School Nurse Health System for a district-wide license for three years at a cost of $10,905 per year; up to 1,115 summer professional development days K-12 for curriculum development, data team meetings, technology integration, new teacher on-boarding, SWPB, and QBS training as per the Williamsport Education Association agreement, teachers will be paid $150 per full day and $75 per half day; awarding the bid for the Welding System Simulator to Airgas USA, LLC of Allentown, for the purchase of a Miller AugmentedArc Augmented Reality Welding System simulator at a cost of $32,529; the purchase and adoption of the Amplify ELA core program for Grades 7-8 in the district at a cost of $164,845, which includes six years of licensing, student and teacher materials, and professional development; and the purchase of sixteen (16) APC Smart-UPS 3000 w/network cards, sixteen (16) APC External Battery Packs SRT96RMBP, nine (9) APC Smart-UPS 5000, twelve (12) External Battery Packs SRT192RMBP, and nine (9) APC Step-Down Transformers from Trebron IT and Cybersecurity, Lancaster, at a cost of $214,114.58 and was competitively bid through the E-Rate PEPPM Mini Bid process, and all equipment is eligible for an 85% discount rate after acquisition of all equipment.

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. on April 14 at the District Center Board Room, 2780 W. Fourth St.