The Oxford School Board approved several school administrative assignments at its July 21 meeting, continuing the effort to assemble administrative teams for schools in advance of the 2015-2016 school year.

At its last meeting in June, the school board approved Lisa Yingst as the new principal of the Nottingham School, filling a vacancy that was created when William Vogt resigned from the position.

Matthew Hovanec also transitioned to the assistant principal position at the Nottingham School.

On July 21, the school board approved the transfer of Lisa Stenz from the position of principal at Penn’s Grove School to the position of district-wide Special Education Director. James Canaday is moving from assistant principal of the Penn’s Grove School to principal of the building.

In other business at the meeting, Dr. Margaret Billings-Jones, the assistant superintendent, reported on some of the activities that are taking place over the summer. One of the activities that has attracted the most interest from students is the district’s title reading program, with 175 students participating.

Oxford also offers a number of free summer academies for students. Billings-Jones said that 118 students have participated in the Art Academy, while another 40 students took part in the Music Academy. The district introduced several new academies this summer, and they were beneficial for students as well, with 20 students enjoying the Fitness Academy, 17 students enrolled in the STEM Academy, and students in the 15 Young Authors Academy.

Billings-Jones said that the Math Academy, one of the district’s first academies, which was introduced to give students a boost in their math work, was very effective. She said that district personnel received emails from parents saying that the students really found the math instruction to be helpful, and they enjoyed doing math in the summer more than expected.

School board member Richard Orpneck offered a legislative report that focused primarily on the unresolved state budget, which has a large impact on the district’s own budget.

“As we all know, there has not been a budget approved to date,” Orpneck said.

Orpneck noted that in Pennsylvania public schools, about $15,000 is spent per student, on average, but the state’s contribution to the overall school costs is approximately 36 percent. That leaves local taxpayers carrying a heavier burden when it comes to the funding of schools.

School board member Lorraine Bell was appointed to serve as the board’s PSBA voting delegate at a conference in the fall.

The school board has meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Tuesday, Aug. 18. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building.