Gateway School Board unanimously voted, 9-0, on March 23 to approve a letter of intent between the school district and Pennsylvania Roofing Systems for roof repairs and replacement at Dr. Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary School in the amount of $1,490,000.
Initially, half of the funds were set aside in last year’s budget, and the board was going to wait one year to have the repairs done. However, severe weather made the 26-year-old roof repairs more urgent.
Superintendent Guy Rossi said a grant will be submitted for the roof expenses; however, there is no guarantee they will receive the grant money since it is a competitive grant. If it is approved, Gateway is permitted to use those funds to reimburse themselves for monies paid to Pennsylvania Roofing Systems.
The board also unanimously approved conferences for the following district employees:
• Michael Brown: March 31-April 2; Keystone State Skyward User Group, Poconos; $1,1784.85
• Jennifer Czyzewski: March 31-April 2; Keystone State Skyward User Group, Poconos; $1,530.61
• Jesse Smillie: July 7-10; PSU MacAdmins 2026, State College; $2,776.90
• Jennifer Czyzewski: July 7-10; PSU MacAdmins 2026, State College; $2,781.96
’Digital World’ workshop
Shape the Sky LLC will conduct an adult workshop, “A Digital World: Youth, Social Media & Mental Health,” which is being funded through Title I federal programs.
Ryan Klingensmith, founder of Shape the Sky, is a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified counselor. Klingensmith will discuss topics such as social media and youth behavior, AI-generated images and videos, social media platforms, cyberbullying resources and proactive prevention steps, managing content and drug-related online materials and recognizing mistakes made by youth in digital spaces.
The workshop, scheduled for 6 p.m. April 14 in Gateway Middle School’s auditorium, is open to all district parents and guardians. Registration is not required for this adults-only workshop.
Get Up summit
Resident and Workforce Development Global Alliance member Marilynn Cole reminded everyone about the Get Up summit, which is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 27 at the high school.
With the assistance of Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Rhonda Threet, WDGA worked with the Black Student Union last year and this year on the summit. Cole said she and WDGA want students to know they are important and they have a voice.
She hopes students will take advantage of the educational opportunities available for them at Gateway. Director Anthony Mock also thanked Monroeville’s Chick-fil-A for providing food for the summit.
Backpack Program donations
The board accepted food donations from a list of 15 vendors and businesses for the Backpack Program.
Vice President Valerie Warning said there are 42 scheduled pickups per week that she and two other volunteers get. Last school year, they totaled 1,963 miles picking up donations. Currently, 225 students in the district take home backpacks filled with groceries each Friday.
Upcoming meeting
The Finance Committee will meet at 6 p.m. April 15 in the administration building board room.
The meeting is open to the public. Business manager Mike Zourelias said the meeting will revolve around keeping expenditures down and revenue up. Auditors also will review the 2024-25 budget.