On Sept. 11, the Salisbury Township Board of Directors met for the first operations and finance committee meeting of the new school year. Discussions centered around the master facilities plan, a new text based mental health program for students and reports on food services as well as bond expenditures.

Andrew Mather, senior project manager from D’Huy Engineering, started the meeting with a presentation aimed at clarifying the Logic Matrix for Assigning Priorities chart which guides the district in their usage of the master facilities plan. The tool assigns projects a weighted priority rating according to a chart containing 10 categories ranging from safety, curricular impact and educational value to energy and sustainability impact.

Mather provided clarity for the board by explaining, for example, the difference between curricular value and educational impact as it relates to a specific project.

During his presentation, Mather informed the board the roofing project at Salisbury Middle School and the drainage project at Salisbury Elementary School have recently been completed.

Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten noted an updated facilities plan will be ready before the next operations and finance committee meeting. The revised plan will eliminate completed projects and include newly prioritized projects.

Next on the agenda was a detailed report from the Director of Child Nutrition Adam Sawchak from Southwest Food Excellence. Sawchak provided a financial review of the 2023-2024 school year noting food services saw an increase of the total number of meals served to nearly 30,000.

This, in turn, translates to a profit of $30,000 which is used to purchase equipment such as steamers, ovens and a blender to offer smoothies and other fresh food options to enhance the food service program for all students.

Sawchak reported a significant increase in meals served in the first weeks of school have also been realized this year as well. He attributes these increases to listening to students preferences and changing menus accordingly while continuing to follow dietary guidelines and regulations. Additionally, breakfast and lunch is provided to all students at no cost due to the Community Eligibility Provision. Sawchak had high praise for his staff who work hard on a daily basis preparing plenty of fresh food throughout the lunch periods in all schools.

Continuing with the operations committee portion of the meeting, Ralph Lovelidge, coordinator of human resources, presented an in-depth look at a text based mental health program for students in the high school entitled Kooth. The goal of the Kooth program is to “provide users with proactive tools to navigate daily challenges” through a multitiered support system utilizing self directed resources, peer support and professional support. Professional support is provided by certified health professionals through live chats or 24-hour messaging. All chats are moderated and there is never direct peer-to-peer contact thus providing a safe and confidential space to boost mental health accessibility for students.

The program would be funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services at no cost to the district.

The finance committee portion of the meeting included a summary of the bond expenditures for the 2019, 2023 and 2024 bonds. All money from the 2019 bond has been fully expended and a total of $4,500 remains in the 2023 bond. After all balances for recent projects are paid, the board will receive recommendations for projects on the master facilities plan to be completed using funds from the 2024 bond.

In closing, Chief Financial Officer Dawn Nickischer reported the status of the annual audit is right on schedule and by November she expects to begin work on the annual financial report for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The next meeting of the operations and finance committee will be 7 p.m. Oct. 9.

A curriculum and technology committee will take place 7 p.m. Sept. 18 followed by a regular school board meeting.

All meetings will take place in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.