Could Avon Grove’s championship-winning lacrosse team one day play at Dansko Stadium? Will Tower Health Field be the scene of some great games on the gridiron under Friday night lights?

Avon Grove School District officials discussed the possibility of updating policies regarding advertising on school district property, including the potential for naming rights to be offered to companies in the area, at a school board meeting on April 25.

The discussion at the school board meeting was brief, but the process for the school district to reach a point where the naming rights to a stadium, field, or auditorium could be sold off will not be. Everyone seemed to agree that the school district should proceed with caution.

“This is something that people can have strong feelings about,” explained school board member Bill Wood.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese said that a move toward offering naming rights shouldn’t be made too quickly without having good policies and plans in place.

“There should be an opportunity to evaluate what is happening regionally,” Marchese said.

Following a lengthy discussion, the school board approved a five-year contract with Hobsons, Inc. for Naviance software and professional development to support college and career readiness grades 6 to 12.

Several board members wanted the policy committee to review the change from the software that the district currently uses. However, Marchese explained that the Naviance software offers many benefits for students, and he would like to see it implemented in time for the start of the new school year.

“This is the industry-standard tool for the college process,” Marchese said, explaining that many public and private schools in the four-county region utilize Naviance.

The school board ultimately unanimously supported the approval of the contract.

The school board approved a resolution on the Chester County Intermediate Unit's budget for the 2019-2020 school year. Each member school district signs off the Intermediate Unit's budget. The board also authorized a contract with Terraform Engineering, LLC to provide a traffic impact study for the new high school. The study is required by both PennDOT and Penn Township as part of the process of securing the necessary approvals for the construction of the new school.

In his superintendent’s report, Marchese updated the school board about enrollment, which currently stands at 5,066 students district-wide.

Marchese also noted that the final day of school for the current school year is scheduled for Friday, June 14.

In his Facilities Committee report, school board member Jeffrey Billig provided an update about a number of different facilities projects—most notably improvements to the track at the high school. Billig explained that recent soil tests showed that the district would be able to move forward with a project to put down turf that will have a longer life.

Billig said that the total cost of the project will be approximately $308,000. Work will begin on May 24 and continue throughout the summer.

“It's a big project,” Billig said.

The school board has a Committee-of-the-Whole meeting slated for May 16 to focus on planning and construction. The school board will meet next on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m.