School Board Overview
School Board Overview and Meeting Dates
Pennsylvania public schools educate nearly two million students and nearly 7,400 are in the Seneca Valley School District. The nine members of each local school board are a key part of the district’s administrative team, making informed decisions that shape public schools and provide a pathway to success for every student. On average, school directors, who are unpaid, devote up to 10 hours per month to the challenging and complex responsibilities of board business, including adopting policy, voting on budgets, evaluating school security issues and reviewing hiring decisions. Learn more about Pennsylvania school boards at this link: School Boards 101 - What is a School Board?
The Seneca Valley School Board also has taken the step of adopting the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) Principles for Governance and Leadership – a framework of action steps designed to increase boards’ effectiveness. Many thanks to the members of the Seneca Valley School Board of Directors! To learn more about Seneca Valley's Board of Directors, click here.
School Board Meeting Information
Board meetings are open to the public and are held at 7 p.m. in the Intermediate High School auditorium unless otherwise noted. The agenda development (work session) meetings are used for discussion and are typically held on the first Monday of the month. There are some exceptions due to holidays. See dates below. The Board is allowed to take action on items at this meeting if it is necessary. The regular action board meeting is held on the second Monday of each month unless otherwise noted and the Board votes on most or all of that month's agenda items. School board meeting agendas and minutes can be found here*.
*Please note that board meeting minutes must be approved at the following month’s meeting before they can be posted.
Public Comment
These meetings are open to the public and allow for public comment.
The Board recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in Board meetings. The Board also recognizes its responsibility for proper governance of the district and the need to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner. Whenever issues identified by the participant are subject to remediation under policies and procedures of the Board, they shall be dealt with in accordance with those policies, procedures, and the organizational structure of the district.
Public Comment Guidelines:
- You must be a resident, employee, student and/or taxpayer of the Seneca Valley School District.
- Upon entering the auditorium the night of the meeting, please fill out the speaker request form (found on a table as you enter the auditorium) and turn it in to the Board Secretary prior to the start of the meeting. If you decide not to speak when called upon, you can defer to the next speaker or “pass.”
- Individual remarks are limited to four (4) minutes or less per speaker. The board president will tap lightly with the gavel when the speaking time for each speaker is down to thirty (30) seconds.
- As per School Board Guidelines, the Public Comment portion is limited to thirty (30) minutes.
- The Public Comment portion is just that – an opportunity for the public to provide feedback, information and opinions on upcoming board votes. It is not intended as a Question and Answer (Q&A) session.
- Please address the board with respect and civility, just as you would expect to be treated in your home or workplace, and just as we expect students to act in our classrooms. Seneca Valley reserves the right to remove those who do not act accordingly.
- Please do not speak over, yell or interrupt other speakers or school board members when speaking. Please see number six above for expected decorum.
School Board Policy 903 - Public Participation in Board Meetings, can be found at https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/sene/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=D2WJMT4DCA74.
For more information, contact the board secretary at (724) 452-6040, ext. 1638. If you require special accommodation to participate in the proceedings, please call the director of human resources at (724) 452-6040, ext. 1760.
School Board Meeting Dates
The School Board approved the following meeting dates (all meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the SV Intermediate High School Auditorium unless otherwise noted):
Please click the following to view the 2024 School Board Meeting Dates, July - December 2024: 2024 SVSB Dates
Please click the following to view the 2025 School Board Meeting Dates, January - June 2025: 2025 SVSB Dates