MTSD School Board - Work Session - 11/12/2026

At its November 12, 2026 work session, the Manheim Township School Board reviewed recommendations for its November 19 voting meeting; no procurement votes were taken during this session. The major purchase discussed was a $477,653.09 project with AHEAD Incorporated to replace the district’s virtual server infrastructure, backup appliance, and related deployment systems. The purchase would use the CoStars state contract and capital reserve funds. Administration recommended proceeding now, citing end-of-support deadlines and steep projected increases in hardware prices, and reported comparing VMware vSAN with Nutanix, Proxmox, and Microsoft Azure Local. The board also reviewed a proposed $6,000 TalkingPoints contract covering 6,000 students through the remainder of the 2026–27 school year, at a negotiated rate of $1 per student. Staff reported that funds originally set aside for other resources would cover the cost; the district will evaluate whether TalkingPoints could replace its Sapphire notification tool in a future year.

The board also considered first readings of policy updates, including changes addressing student dress and grooming, wellness, and bullying/cyberbullying, and reviewed second-reading policies for the upcoming vote. Administration said a policy will be developed to implement the state’s new restrictions on student internet-capable devices by next school year. A recommendation was presented to approve 13 overnight and/or out-of-state field trips, with funding, supervision, and transportation plans confirmed. These items were scheduled for action at the November 19 meeting.