💙💛 Board Highlights – November 10, 2025 Work Session 💛💙
Board Highlights is a quick recap of what happened at the latest LASD Board meeting. It’s designed to keep you informed at a glance — for full details, please see the official agenda, minutes, and recordings.
The Littlestown Area School District Board of School Directors held its Work Session on Monday, November 10, 2025. The meeting was conducted in person and livestreamed for public convenience.
🎓 Student of the Month Recognition
The Board proudly recognized the October 2025 Students of the Month for their academic achievements, leadership, and outstanding representation of our Thunderbolt community:
Alloway Creek Elementary School (ACES):
Kaden Lawlor (1st Grade), Cheyenne Daly (4th Grade)
Maple Avenue Middle School (MAMS):
Danelis Caban Cruz (7th Grade)
Littlestown High School (LHS):
Jocelyn Bauerlein (12th Grade), Jacob Glass (12th Grade)
The Board congratulates these students for their hard work and positive contributions across their schools! ⚡
🏗️ Middle/High School Building Project Update
Mr. Gil Tunney presented a detailed report on the continued progress of the Secondary Addition & Alterations Project. The project remains on schedule, with Phase II now complete and final completion anticipated in January 2026. Out of the 27-month contract duration, 26 months have been expended as of mid-October, with only minimal weather and power delays reported.
Since the last update, major visible progress has been made across the campus. The front athletic lot has been fully completed, and paving work has been finished on the Parkway Lot, where the asphalt base coat is now in place. The E Wing entrance canopy is complete, the kitchen loading dock is nearly finished, and the courtyard area has been graded, fenced, and is ready for final architectural features. Exterior bathrooms by the track are also 95% complete.
Inside the building, the transformation continues at a strong pace. The kitchen serving line is now complete, though the contractor had to remove and replace some countertop lighting fixtures. The kitchen and commons areas are approximately 80% complete, the cafeteria hall bathrooms are 90% finished, and the A-Wing classrooms and bathrooms are roughly 85% complete. The Gold Gym now stands at 90% completion, terrazzo polishing is finished in the main corridors, and the Set Shop and Choral Room masonry work has been completed.
The majority of the work that remains throughout the building involves final HVAC hookups, ductwork, ceiling installation, and ceiling lighting — key finishing steps as the project approaches substantial completion.
Mr. Tunney noted that a previous issue involving low gas pressure at the generator has been fully resolved with the installation of new piping, and that no outstanding issues remain.
Financially, the project continues to be well managed. To date, the district has approved $40 million in pay applications, with a total project cost of $57.3 million and $1.01 million in net change orders.
Photos shared during the meeting showcased the impressive progress throughout the facility — including the commons area, cafeteria, kitchen, gymnasium, and parking lots — highlighting the continued transformation of the new secondary campus into a modern, collaborative learning environment for Littlestown students.
🛡️ Safety Update
Dr. Eric Naylor shared several updates related to district safety planning and emergency preparedness. He and the School Officer met with the Alpha Fire Department to review the district’s Emergency Operations Plan, focusing on coordinated services and communication protocols in the event of an emergency. As part of this partnership, Alpha firefighters toured district buildings to familiarize themselves with layouts and access points, and the district is working with them to create opportunities for staff and student training in emergency procedures.
Dr. Naylor and the School Officer also facilitated tabletop emergency-response discussions with the administrative team. These scenario-based conversations allowed building leaders to walk through various emergency situations, assess response strategies, and strengthen preparedness across the district.
📘 Curriculum Update
Dr. Judy Berryman provided an update on instructional planning across the district. All buildings are currently preparing for Parent/Teacher Conferences on November 24–25, an important opportunity for families to meet with teachers, review student progress, and discuss academic goals.
She also shared that the kindergarten team received new decodable books funded through the ECRI grant, which will support early literacy development and structured literacy instruction in ACES classrooms.
💵 Finance & Operations Update
Mr. Thomas Showvaker shared several important updates:
📊 Annual Audit
The annual audit is about 90% complete.
At the conclusion of the audit, the district will begin allocating fund balances, which will be an important process for the Board to make financially sound decisions to address district needs and help prevent future tax increases.
🗂️ 2026–2027 Budget Development
Administrators have turned in their annual budgets for next year.
The Finance Committee will begin selecting budget priorities in the new year.
🏗️ MS/HS Project Funding
The district has exhausted all GO Bond funds associated with the building project.
The remaining work will be funded through the planned and allocated district funding.
⚡ Financial Highlight:
While the district originally estimated earning $1.6 million in interest from the GO Bond funds, it has actually collected $2.9 million — a $1.3 million increase, providing valuable additional resources for the project and district operations.
📋 Regular Meeting Preview
The Board reviewed the draft agenda for the November 17, 2025 Regular Meeting, which will include multiple items that the Board will consider for action.
⚡ Key Discussion Item:
The Board also discussed a very important change order related to the MS/HS building project. This change order would renovate a space not included in the original project scope to support middle school and high school Tech Ed courses, allowing students to participate in Career & Technical Education (CTE) directly on our campus.
Administrators shared the programmatic needs for this instructional space, and Board members emphasized that they completed an on-site walkthrough in October to better understand the requirements and educational impact of the renovation.
This proposal reflects the Board’s commitment to providing modern, future-focused learning environments that prepare students for life and career success.
🗂️ View Full Meeting Materials
Full agendas, approved minutes, livestream recordings, and public comment guidelines are available at:
🔗https://www.lasd.k12.pa.us/page/2025-2026-board-documents
The approved minutes are the official record of Board action.
📅 Next Meeting
The next Regular Meeting of the Board of School Directors will be held on
Monday, November 17, 2025, in the Boardroom.