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The Mifflin County School District Board of Directors shared Thursday that directors will vote for a new board member to be seated at their next voting meeting. Directors also discussed the search for answers behind the March 10 power outage in addition to other business.
MCSD Board Directors will recommend approval of the resignation of School Board Director Don W. Wright effective March 3, 2025, at their voting meeting on Thursday, March 27.
Candidates who submit their applications to the application link on the home page of the MCSD website at www.mcsdk12.org have until noon on Tuesday, March 25 to do so.
According to the MCSD website, "the term of office [is] to conclude on Nov. 30, 2025. Applicants must be a qualified elector of the school district and a resident of the Mifflin County School District for a minimum of one year prior to appointment."
Interviews, nominations, and voting to fill the vacant seat will occur at the March 27 voting meeting. After this process, the chosen applicant will assume their seat on the board to participate in the meeting.
The Board will also appoint a director to fill Wright's seats on the Curriculum and Professional Development Committee and the Policy Committee.
Later during their Committee-of-the-Whole meeting, Directors heard Director of Buildings and Grounds Tom White share updates including the search for answers behind the school's March 10 power outage.
White said that the outage was not solar panel-related. He stated that one of the fuses blew and the cause has not been found despite checking every possible avenue.
Superintendent Vance Varner previously stated that MCSD called Williamsport Electric Inc. to assess the situation.
Varner previously stated that "a blown fuse going from Sixth Street to the high school" was the issue.
White said that during the process of restoring power to MCSD, he discovered that no equipment was lost and that the high school does not have a phase loss monitor.
White said that a phase loss monitor will be added. According to various online sources, a phase loss monitor helps measure a variety of electrical parameters in order to protect high voltage and/or high current electrical systems. This monitor detects the loss of phase and provides a signal to stop the motor.
Then, Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology Director Laura Hicks shared Academy updates. Hicks stated that Academy applications for next year have closed and that more than 275 individuals have applied.
She also said that the Academy is still actively recruiting for a new welding instructor. The Academy has no intention to close this program or any program as stated by Director Wright.
Earlier during the meeting, Varner shared the news that Christian McKnight, 9, a second-grade student at East Derry Elementary received help from MCSD staff and students to aid him in participation in sports activities.
Mifflin County High School Technology Education Teacher Aaron Specht and MCHS senior Hudson Sellers crafted a device to make McKnight's desire to participate a reality.
Varner then shared that Saxton & Stump and Stock & Leader are joining firms. These firms provide counsel to MCSD. It will be added to the voting meeting agenda to appoint Saxton & Stump as the district's special counsel due to the current solicitor, Stock & Leader, joining that firm.
The MCSD Board of Directors also:
•Recommended approval to exonerate Mifflin County Tax Claim Bureau from collecting 2024 delinquent real estate tax on parcel 15 ,16-0101D-,001;
•Recommended approval to exonerate Mifflin County Tax Claim Bureau from collecting 2024 delinquent real estate tax on parcel 17 ,12-0111–,023;
•Recommended approval for Varsity Wrestling to participate in the 25th Annual Turner Holiday Wrestling Classic at Conestoga Valley High School, 2110 Horseshoe Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601 on Sunday, Dec.28, 2025;
•Recommended approval for Varsity Girls Softball to play at PSU's Beard Field on Sunday, April 6, 2025, following the PSU-Rutgers Softball game;
•Recommended approval of the 3-year contracts with Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine for the Athletic Training and Physician Services for Mifflin County School District athletics;
•Recommended approval of the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit Budget in the amount of $3,793,033 for the fiscal year July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.