The Seneca Valley School Board unanimously approved more than $7 million in combined expenditures and locked in new natural gas agreements during its October 14, 2024, action session at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School.

The board authorized $4,724,341.53 in general fund bills and $2,360,744.13 in construction fund bills. Susan Harrison motioned and Jeff Widdowson seconded the combined approval of the minutes, treasurer's report, and both sets of bills. All members present voted in favor.

In one of the evening's most significant financial moves, the board approved three-year natural gas contract extensions through the Western Pennsylvania Natural Gas Consortium. The Columbia Gas system contract carries a basis price of negative $0.267 per dekatherm, while the Peoples Gas system contract comes in at negative $0.50 per dekatherm, both running from September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028.

The board also approved a Certificate of Deposit Placement Program with the Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust, giving the district another avenue for managing its reserves.

Grant funding totaling $243,615.07 was accepted across four programs. The largest, a School Security Personnel Costs Grant of $232,668, will fund security officers across the district. A Living Laboratory and School Garden Grant of $7,447.07 will create hands-on learning opportunities in aquaponics, garden beds, and embryology. The Holocaust Curriculum and LIGHT Center Development Grant provides $1,000 for graphic novels and field trip costs, while $2,500 through the Heroes and Helpers Grant will support Haine Middle School's annual "Shop with a Cop" event with the Cranberry Township Police Department.

Four board policies received approval: Policy 612 (Purchases Not Budgeted), Policy 619 (District Audit), and Policy 812 (Property Insurance) all passed on second and final reading, while Policy 622 (GASB Statement 34) was introduced for first reading.

The meeting opened with student and staff recognitions. Mila Jaymes, a second-grader at Ehrman Crest Elementary, was congratulated for landing the lead role of Cindy Lou Who in the nationwide touring production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Mila was selected from thousands of children after multiple auditions and will appear in 18 cities from November through December.

Science teacher Tom Lavelle of the Intermediate High School was recognized for presenting at the Government eDNA Working Group Conference hosted by the Columbus Zoo. His talk highlighted student research in the SV Center for Biotechnology Research, including detection studies for hellbender salamanders and queen snakes and metabarcoding studies identifying fish species in local waterways. The conference drew more than 100 government conservation geneticists from agencies including USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and the Smithsonian.

Bus driver Peggy Bieber of ABC Transit received the district's October All-Star Award. Transportation Director John Demkowicz praised her for knowing students by name and being "extremely dedicated to her students and families."

During public comment, resident Aimee McGrath raised concerns about the transportation driver shortage and driver wages. Superintendent Dr. Vitale acknowledged her remarks and said they would be relayed to the presidents and owners of the district's transportation companies.

The board also approved instructional agreements with the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV for nonpublic Title I services, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for Title I non-public services, and The Watson Institute Education Center in Sewickley for student educational services, all for the 2024-25 school year.

Board President Eric DiTullio called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Clara Sipp, a third-grader at Haine Elementary, led the Pledge of Allegiance as part of the board's "I Led the Pledge" initiative. All nine board members were present: Leslie Bredl, Nick Brower, Eric DiTullio, Susan Harrison, Tim Hester, Mike Jacobs, Fred Peterson, Jeff Widdowson, and Kari Zimmer.