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Board selects Heritage Imagery for school photography after debate over exclusivity and quality
Summary
After complaints about a proposed vendor’s reviews and urgency to set a vendor before senior photo scheduling, the board voted to approve Heritage Imagery with a condition to remove or limit an exclusivity clause.
The West York Area School District board selected Heritage Imagery as the district school photographer after debate over customer reviews, commission terms and an exclusivity clause.
District staff presented three vendors: Legacy Studios (which offered higher commissions and a $1,500 annual payment to the district), a vendor described as local (Heritage) and another (Colleen) that required outside sports subcontracting. Several directors criticized online reviews for Legacy and said the company’s business model (hiring temporary photographers) risked inconsistent results. One director said, “You get what you pay for,” when describing concerns about low-cost, high-volume vendors.
Board members worried an exclusivity clause could block families or activity-specific photographers from working at certain events. After discussion, the motion to approve Heritage Imagery carried with the condition that the district remove or limit the exclusivity clause to allow other providers when Heritage is unavailable to cover specific events.
The district also noted time pressure: senior picture scheduling and yearbook photography require a vendor decision before the next full meeting. The board directed staff to confirm contract language to preserve the district’s ability to arrange activity- or event-specific photographers when necessary.
