Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published March 24, 2025 9:15 P.M.

(New Brighton, Pa) The New Brighton School Board heard the report on an audit of the district finances to start off their meeting Monday evening. It was revealed that the district has been doing well financially in recent years.

Superintendant Dr. Joseph Gaurino noted that Covid funding was helpful over the past few years but the district was wise not to use that money for regular recurring expenses. Some of that funding was instead used for building repairs such as for the HVAC systems.

Guarino also noted that their cafeteria fund has been profitable enough to fund cafeteria equipment replacement for the district without affecting the standard budget.

During the public comment section of the meeting, the board heard concerns from parents regarding safety and communication.

Middle school students recently walked to the high school to see a demonstration of the high school musical. One parent said that their child was endangered because they did not wear a coat for the walk and nobody from the district told them to do so.

The parent would like to see a policy put in place to ensure that children are properly dressed for weather conditions when going outdoors. It was also noted that children allegedly thought they were only going to the gym.

Another parent added that they also were not informed that the walk would be taking place. They said they would have expected to sign a permission slip to allow such an activity.

The board acknowledged the concerns but did not comment.

Also on the agenda was the approval of bids for a repair project on the district tunnel. The high school and elementary have a tunnel that connects them underground for multiple uses and in recent years has seen additional use for elementary student pick up.

The tunnel was inspected recently and it was revealed that it does not have any structural issues, although leaks have been an ongoing problem. HVAC and electrical issues are also to be repaired.

Most notably though, a more proper entrance and canopy will be installed on the outside entrance to the tunnel, where the elementary pick up takes place. A concrete stairway will also be removed from this area.

The project will cost around 2.1 million dollars and is set to start in early June.