Pleasant Valley School District’s new superintendent thanked the school community and the public at his first school board meeting as superintendent Thursday night.

“I want to take this time to thank the administration, the faculty and staff for stepping up to help our families in need knowing that they could become infected with the COVID-19 virus. Our school community truly cares about our students and families. For the Pleasant Valley employees, please accept my sincere heartfelt thank you for all you do in what you do,” said Superintendent Lee Lesisko.

“Parents and students, thank you for your understanding and patience with the online learning that we are going through.”

As for the closure of school for the rest of the school year, Lesisko said the district will be contacting parents as soon as they get more information from the state Department of Education, and make some decisions regarding topics such as cleaning out lockers, prom and graduation.

“We don’t know yet how this is all going to work out,” he said.

School Director Laura Jecker encouraged parents to reach out to their school’s principal if they have any questions about online learning.

“They will get back to you,” she said. “Everybody’s new at this. Just work with us, because we want to work with you. We are very proud of what you’re doing for your children.”

School Director Daniel Wunder added, “Our teachers are working very, very hard in uncharted waters to get materials to your sons and daughters. Please be patient, and we’ll pull through this together.”

Since the school board meeting was online, the board opted to not read the reports, but instead provide them for the public to read.

School director Susan Kresge, Pleasant Valley’s legislative liaison to the Pennsylvania School Board Association, stated in her report that the PSBA is asking school districts to contact their legislators. She said there is a misconception among state legislators that school districts are saving money since the school closures.

“This crisis has brought new costs - technology expenses, sanitizing buildings, teacher needs, while still paying all of our normal expenses required under Act 13,” she said.

Mark Fitzgerald, the district’s solicitor, said Act 13 governs “a number of issues with regard to the school functioning for the rest of the year, regarding continuity of education, payment of employees, as well as negotiating vendor contracts for the remainder of the year. There’s a lot of moving targets.”

Fitzgerald also said the state is looking at a potential freeze on property taxes.

“We don’t know if that’s going to be what comes out of Harrisburg or potentially something which might be less devastating,” he said, such as a longer period of time for residents to pay. “We are in a truly unprecedented time.”

In other business

Several educators decided to accept the retirement incentives from the school district. The school board approved the retirements of Stephen Ayars, math teacher; Kim Baer, remedial reading; Ronald Bielecki and Stephen Bitto, music; Sandra D’Agostino, gifted education; Judith Dondey and Debra Stewart, special education; John Gesiskie, driver education; Tierney Myers, health and physical education; Jeanne Paulin, speech; Erin Pekurny, fourth-grade teacher; George Pekurny, STREAM; Romaine Streit, STREAM and art; Monica Williamson, instructional support; Mary Ann Pitts, science; and Kathleen Balch, nurse.

Other retirements include: Deborah Anderson and MaryAnn Kohberger, paraprofessional assistants; Vicki Camaerei, confidential employee; and Danuta Jackiewicz, administrative secretary.