[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6082309,"mediaKeyId","2938684-559dad2d71a20779f9f5fa559b42f367","parentId",2938684,"title","West York Area SD board votes 8-0 to restore NJROTC to proposed 2025–26 budget; district adds residency-check software","audioSeconds",665,"startMs",1407950,"endMs",2073020,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2938684-559dad2d71a20779f9f5fa559b42f367&start=1407&end=2073","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2938684-559dad2d71a20779f9f5fa559b42f367/thumbnail_1407950.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6082309/Pennsylvania/West-York-Area-SD-board-votes-8-0-to-restore-NJROTC-to-proposed-202526-budget-district-adds-residency-check-software","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6082309-48223d15b900ecd20bf67e0e1c422114/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178555&Signature=iv3rGqV9-W8IsP0mAwJNWlNAop5a4Z9w73JdHZTvQ4fDMPuoCaEtfPbhGKAz6v5VgHWhAIByqAoEak3PD-SdQrpn2Hw-sa40Us4jUws4G4jrBO5Ah3cGczALzzq3-HCySlw1EjNsUlOJw-WPWrEQ0PK7bWAmK~f1JMdPcsIDGkk93EeuBfcABaFx~hw6xIT0kOXjC49zOtZAuYVEitq6I5gSeODIArqsKCM-TF1oxdrzDbSqTE60VqvlQtyydkDW0bI-pKSW~X1SKQ~rTm1GB-gWOqx-Kc6rjwim78VS~WrqDcNUCSEeXAMX6kIqNcJk821cBVDU1NQL9FXWNpJlLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West York Area School District","date","2025-04-10T02:23:28.15Z","article","The West York Area SD Board of Directors voted 8–0 to add the Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) back into the proposed 2025–26 budget after board members said cadet testimony and program value warranted reinstatement.

The budget as presented by district staff totaled about $74,817,000 in expenditures and includes a proposed 4% tax increase. The administration also proposed adding a residency-verification service, Clear Software, which would increase people-services spending by about $6,000 to enable proactive residency checks and cyber-charter address verification.

Director Dugan, speaking in favor of reinstating NJROTC, said the board had heard compelling testimony from cadets and outlined three initial steps for restoring the program: (1) add the program back into the budget, (2) secure a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the association to make the position outside the salary grid, and (3) direct administration to find a certified instructor. \"There is a lot of moving parts to this, but I think the first thing that has to happen is us to put it back in the budget,\" Dugan said. He told colleagues the administration would seek a certified instructor and an MOU that would clarify compensation arrangements.

Board action and vote: A motion to add NJROTC back into the budget was moved and seconded; the board then conducted a roll-call vote. Directors voted as follows: Director Myers (yes), Director Harlacher (yes), Director Schopf (yes), Director Dugan (yes), Director Deardorff (yes), Director Geddes (yes), Vice President Helm (yes) and President Rice (yes). The president announced an \"8 to 0\" result and said the motion carries.

Budget context and next steps: The administration said restoring NJROTC will increase the proposed budget by approximately $119,000. District staff also noted that the formal, final budget adoption will occur at the board's May meeting after the required public notice period. The NJROTC reinstatement will require an MOU with the teachers' association and further action by the administration to recruit an appropriately credentialed instructor; board members emphasized that the position should not supplant existing contracted positions and sought clarity that it would be additive to the staffing plan.

Other related items discussed in the budget presentation included the proposed removal of a residency-check contract in favor of Clear Software to improve compliance with Act 67 and an update that the district had removed NJROTC from an earlier draft but was reversing that decision following public testimony. Board members also discussed concerns about other student programs that were reduced or removed and asked the administration to explore grants or foundation funding to assist students facing tuition barriers.

No final vote on the full 2025–26 budget occurred at this meeting; board members noted the budget will be advertised and a final vote is scheduled at the May board meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","West York Area School District Board Work Session and Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The West York Area SD Board voted unanimously to restore the NJROTC program to the 2025–26 proposed budget, adding roughly $119,000 in expenditures. The draft budget totals about $74.8 million, includes a 4% tax increase and a $6,000 increase for a residency-verification service (Clear Software). Final budget adoption is scheduled in May.","taxTitle","West York Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",40053,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6082314,"West York Area SD board pauses 2025 bond pricing amid volatile muni market; district weighing $10M–$15M draw",1279,56910,1336630,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2938684-559dad2d71a20779f9f5fa559b42f367&start=56&end=1336","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2938684-559dad2d71a20779f9f5fa559b42f367/thumbnail_56910.jpg","/articles/6082314/Pennsylvania/West-York-Area-SD-board-pauses-2025-bond-pricing-amid-volatile-muni-market-district-weighing-10M15M-draw","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6082314-4c0f902258a6466c76f568a1eb182e58/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178555&Signature=iTtBHm~1ZU22Q~WAxTTryxANF4a9o1mKSQN-Lf94l9Lsq2-fN1B~xK-C5mAWqqGDc59T3QRnZR-Gfi5dwrBdsXrvnP9m2u7gamRXAW~fA8PGs0MJABjSag6arWnJnnRoOfd9~IEzP9ptcdy5Cqz1f4ekBDW6Ju54J9j8UERaiYtUTqaDw2foepeKgPYEaAff8HGGZ0~fbXuYE8mLWa8k1cWreSyelgW-x0KarYXJiuR7ZhbYKRV9KyUoJh2b7u44Kh9QuUT1X1yhrivY1KRtnkKe~a9IEqdYYFfEqU3ql44Rg8xYtK1jpVfogqTrfO7YXnVuLU483ULQIVpBgUtvoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","West York Area SD Board of Directors members heard a market update on a planned 2025 bond issuance and agreed to delay pricing as volatility in the municipal market continues, district staff and the financing team said at the board's recent meeting.

Lauren, a municipal finance adviser with Raymond James, told the board Moody's affirmed the district's existing credit rating and that all issuance documents are in place, but market swings this week made pricing unfavorable. \"It would be our recommendation that we do not price this week unless we see, for some odd reason, a whole lot of stability over the next 48 hours,\" Lauren said. She described a recent move in which muni rates fell about 30 basis points last week, then rose roughly 50 basis points through the next days, leaving the market about 20 basis points worse than where it started.

The presentation reminded the board that it has the authority, under a 2023 resolution, to authorize district administration and the financing team to select the final sale date and execute the bond sale without a further board vote. Sherry (district staff) said the district's proposed 2025–26 budget was prepared assuming the full $15 million draw.

Why it matters: The board must decide how much to borrow for remaining capital projects and when to lock in interest rates. The discussion framed two common issuance thresholds: $10 million and $15 million. Keeping issuance at or below $15 million avoids certain arbitrage considerations tied to how interest earnings on unspent bond proceeds are treated; keeping it at or below $10 million shortens an early-call window on refinancing. Lauren said those thresholds affect call provisions and tax rules but that \"there's no right or wrong answer\" beyond aligning borrowing with project needs.

Moody's and fiscal context: The district received an affirmed rating from Moody's after agency staff reviewed the district's finances and projected liabilities. According to the financing presentation, Moody's described the district's financial position as \"satisfactory,\" cited rising health-care, charter and special-education costs as headwinds, and said the district's leverage is expected to grow but remain manageable. Moody's listed two factors that could support an upgrade: (1) stabilizing the available fund balance at or above about 15% of revenue and (2) moderating long-term liabilities to below about 25% of revenue. Moody's also noted that an operating deficit in fiscal 2025 that reduces the fund balance or a material increase in debt could prompt a downgrade.

Market timing and tax-exempt status: Lauren warned the market is \"extremely volatile\" and many muni issues this week were postponed because investors are sitting on the sidelines. She also noted one policy risk: proposals in Washington to limit or remove the tax-exempt treatment for some municipal bonds. \"There is a threat that the administration in Washington could take away the municipal bond market tax exemption,\" she said, adding that such a change would raise borrowing costs for issuers unless it excludes school and municipal debt.

Process and next steps: The financing team said everything is ready — offering documents, legal papers and the rating — and that the credit opinion is typically valid for about 90 days. If the board keeps $15 million as the target, the team will wait for market stability, open an order period (usually two hours), and then finalize pricing; settlement of a sale typically follows about four weeks later, at which point proceeds would be placed in the district construction account and invested until drawn for projects. Sherry said the district's budget includes debt-service assumptions for the $15 million scenario and that the board will vote on the budget at its next formal meeting.

No formal board vote on the bond amount was taken at the meeting; board members said they expect to formalize any dollar amount through the administration and the financing team under the prior resolution or via a vote at an upcoming meeting.","District finance advisers told the West York Area SD board that Moody's affirmed its credit rating but municipal bond market volatility and a potential change to federal tax treatment warrant delaying a bond pricing. The board and staff will decide whether to draw up to $15 million; the budget is prepared assuming the full $15 million.","actionData","errors"]

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West York Area SD board votes 8-0 to restore NJROTC to proposed 2025–26 budget; district adds residency-check software

West York Area SD board pauses 2025 bond pricing amid volatile muni market; district weighing $10M–$15M draw