Property committee reviews year: contracts settled, facilities improvements, safety training, tech upgrades and grants

At the June 2 property committee meeting, William Penn School District operations leaders presented year‑end summaries across human resources, facilities, school safety, technology, food services and grants.

Tracy Gartner, the district’s HR lead, said collective bargaining agreements were settled this year: support staff received a five‑year contract, teachers and Act 93 groups received four‑year contracts, and the school safety officer (SSO) group received a three‑year contract. Gartner also reported an increase in student‑teacher placements (20 this year, up from 15) and said the benefits platform was redesigned to let retirees complete open enrollment online.

Facilities leader Mike Ross highlighted steady improvement in building condition scores (from 81.5 in 2024 to about 85.2 most recently) and said his team completed 923 of 1,079 work orders submitted since July 2025 (approximately an 86% completion rate). Ross listed recent projects including a new hot water heater at Bell Elementary, LED lighting installations, carpet replacement in the band room, and roof servicing at Colin Elementary.

Tracy Pratt, who oversees school safety, described continuous training for SSOs (threat assessment, CPR/AED, de‑escalation, bullying and suicide prevention) and a district vulnerability assessment performed with a state trooper. Pratt also outlined outreach to local police chiefs, a school safety officer‑of‑the‑month program, and a junior safety officer pilot at Conway Elementary.

On technology, Justin Falconee reported major reductions in IT ticket response and resolution times (response down from 2.1 days to about 4.7 hours; average resolution from 8.8 days to 2.7 days), a recent firewall replacement projected to save roughly $150,000 over three years, a media lab and hackathon/esports support, an e‑waste pickup event, and a one‑to‑one device distribution of about 1,100 high school laptops in under 48 hours. He noted ongoing plans for smartboard and Chromebook refreshes and the use of JF to manage Apple devices in special education.

Elise Rididgeway, food services leader, said the program generated more than $3.5 million in revenue (about $179,000 above the prior year), served roughly 874,000 meals (an increase of about 1,400) and improved net income to approximately $126,000 (margin up from 1.9% to 3.6%). Rididgeway described student feedback tools (StudentViewpoint) and targeted menu changes at the 9th Grade Academy.

Grants lead Briana Hefernon summarized grant work: a $200,000 award from PCCD, a pending RCAP application to the Office of the Budget, several DCED submissions (announcements expected in fall), a Dollar General Literacy Foundation award for a Penwood summer reading program, and a job‑training grant to renovate the high school weight room with a workforce readiness component. Hefernon emphasized relationship building with funders and learning from unsuccessful applications.

The committee did not take formal votes on new policies or appropriations during the meeting. Leaders were asked to circulate slide decks and personnel highlights to the full board and to provide additional documentation where needed.