The West Chester Area School District board approved bids for a Rustin High School stadium light upgrade and high school lunch renovations at its Monday, Sept. 28 meeting.

Both capital reserve project awards were part of a consent agenda that also covered construction change orders at four elementary schools and two new literacy contracts totaling $59,000. Dollar amounts for the stadium lights and lunch renovations were not listed in the meeting agenda.

The lunch renovation project is labeled "High Schools Lunch & Learn Renovations" in district documents. The district has three high schools: Henderson, East and Rustin. The agenda does not specify which are included.

The board also approved change orders for ongoing construction at Exton Elementary School, where modular buildings are being demolished and a new addition built; Mary C Howse Elementary; Hillsdale Elementary; and Sarah Starkweather Elementary. Change orders at the first three schools also appeared on the Aug. 24 board agenda.

On the literacy side, the board signed a $45,000 contract with Engage! Learning, LLC, for a program called "Strengthening Evidence-Based Literacy Practices for Consistency & Cohesion" during the 2026-2027 school year. A separate $14,000 agreement with Reading Assist will fund reading intervention tutoring for students in kindergarten through third grade. Reading Assist places AmeriCorps fellows in schools as certified reading interventionists.

The meeting was held at the Spellman Education Center in Exton. Board President Daryl Durnell leads the nine-member board. Vice President Gary Bevilacqua chairs the Property & Finance Committee, which previewed the capital items at its Sept. 22 meeting. Vote counts were not available from the agenda.

Before the business portion, Hillsdale Elementary students Benjamin Isselmann and Zoey Stanton led the salute to the flag and shared an update on their school's activities.

Official minutes from the Sept. 28 meeting will not be finalized until the board approves them at its October meeting. The next Property & Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19.