Whitehall-Coplay School Board committee meetings were held June 13.

During the education committee meeting, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Tatiana Berrios presented the Whitehall-Coplay School District’s three-year equity plan, which is described as a result of a yearlong equity audit conducted by Berrios in partnership with various stakeholders, including staff across the district.

The group, according to Berrios, “gathered and analyzed current qualitative and quantitative data in regard to current district practices embedded in the mission of serving a diverse community through the provision of educational opportunities intended to challenge students to strive for personal excellence and responsible citizenship.”

Berrios discussed the three pillars of the equity plan, which include trauma-informed care, social-emotional learning and culturally responsive instruction. During the completion of the equity audit over the course of the 2021-22 school year, Berrios said they focused on school culture, relationship building, community connections and the curriculum.

WHS science teacher Justin Tice was doing an internship under Berrios and gathered data for the audit.

According to Tice, the number of early language learner students at WCSD grew by 200% over the past six years, as did the number of Hispanic and Latinx students.

Tice said there was an overrepresentation of Hispanic and Latinx students identified as special education students, and Hispanic and Latinx students were underrepresented in advanced courses.

There was an overrepresentation of white and Asian students in AP courses and an underrepresentation in core courses. State assessment comparisons showed Hispanic and Latinx students showed the lowest growth, with students with IEPs and economically disadvantaged students close behind.

Berrios said some of what they are implementing is specialized professional development in areas of cultural sensitivity and trauma-informed care, as well as introducing inclusion programs. When staff were surveyed on their opinions on culture and climate in the district, they were divided.

Berrios is examining code of conduct adjustments, with year one focusing on the review of codes, referrals and infractions. Minority and economically disadvantaged students reportedly received a higher number of referrals. Berrios wants to explore why some groups of students are referred more than others.

Berrios also wants to review academic procedures and practices and find ways to encourage minorities and economically disadvantaged students to participate in after-school enrichment activities and advanced classes.

In other business, Dr. Robert Steckel, WCSD superintendent, covered the 2022-25 comprehensive plan, available for public review at whitehallcoplay.org.

According to the plan, WCSD’s goals by 2030 are to “revise assessment, grading and reporting to ensure students and families understand their progress and are able to identify their own learning; design and implement future-ready classrooms in all schools K-12; implement a K-5 comprehensive MTSS structure that remediates student needs and enriches student growth; implement a 6-12 continuum of educational opportunities that remediates student needs and enriches student growth to produce college and career-ready graduates; and implement universal pre-K programs for all 4-year-old students in the WCSD.”

The plan is broken down into goals for the 2022-23 school year, three-year goals and the creation of the profile of what a Whitehall High School graduate should be. The plan will be recommended for approval at the July 25 board meeting.

Committee members also reviewed the Annual Community Services for Children Inc. Pre K Counts Program agreement for the 2022-23 school year at Steckel Elementary School.

Also discussed was the annual agreement between Lehigh Carbon Community College and WCSD for the dual enrollment program, which is set to run Aug. 1 through July 31, 2023.

During the operations/transportation meeting, the board discussed the IP phone conversion at Steckel Elementary, the only building still using analog phones. The committee is working with Cisco to have software upgraded and all new phones put in.

The committee briefly talked about the Lutron software upgrade and maintenance agreement for Zephyr Elementary. Lutron controls all of the lighting, and the software is out of date.

The committee also discussed the Whitehall Township Public Library LED replacement project. The library building is owned by Whitehall-Coplay School District and is leased to Whitehall Township.

WCSD is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of 426 lighting fixtures. The committee wants to look at converting all of the lights to LED, which would require one bulb per light instead of two, providing cost savings over time. The library will cover half of the cost, per an agreement with library board members.

The committee reviewed the renewal of the network management agreement with Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit for the day-to-day management and large-scale projects of the technology department with an IU representative on campus two-and-a-half days a week for the 2022-23 school year.

A facilities plan will be forwarded to the board for approval at the June 27 meeting regarding space used by the IU in the district.

The committee reviewed the Pro-Vision transportation camera proposal, which will fit all current and newly purchased buses with one system and one set of cameras. There will be full coverage of the insides of the buses, along with cameras on the side arm to capture traffic.

The current camera system is reportedly obsolete, and the new system will allow building principals access from their own buildings.

The funds for the cameras will come out of the technology budget for the 2022-23 school year.

All operations/transportation committee items will be moved forward to the June 27 board meeting.

During the finance committee meeting, Peter Dooley, of Myers, Benner Corporation, reviewed different options for the 2022-23 insurance renewal, providing members with benefits and drawbacks to the main insurance companies used by Pennsylvania school districts. Dooley recommended Liberty Mutual, along with Amtrust for workers’ compensation insurance and Chubb for cyber liability insurance.

There will be no increase to lunch prices for the 2022-23 school year, although a la carte costs may change and will be brought to the June board meeting.

Business Manager Michael Malay discussed the Portnoff Law Associates amendment to agreement and resolution. Portnoff is the tax collector for delinquent real estate taxes, and there have been changes to the collection laws since the past contract was signed in 2002.

There is a new model validation notice that needs to go out before the tax collection notice is sent out to the taxpayer, and Portnoff is increasing some fees.

The committee also discussed the proposal for the 2022-23 student accident insurance, which covers any student injured in interscholastic sports, football, band, intramurals, conditioning, weight training, cheerleading, offseason sports, special activities or gym classes up to $100, whether or not they have insurance.

After that, the parents’ insurance kicks in, and any amount beyond that is covered by this policy. The catastrophic policy portion coordinates with PIAA if medical bills reach those limits.

In other business, the financial committee reviewed annual June board agenda items, such as designating Wells Fargo, Fulton Bank, Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust and Pennsylvania School District Liquid Asset Fund as depositories for WCSD’s funds and appointing Portnoff Law Associates as delinquent real estate tax collectors and G.H. Harris as delinquent per capita tax collectors.

Also at the meeting, the committee authorized the administration to transfer $1,000,000 in unspent funds from the general fund to the capital reserve fund.