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Dallastown Area SD board weighs staffing proposal, signals support for multiple positions and advances behavior intervention specialist
Summary
The Dallastown Area School Board spent most of its March 13 meeting reviewing the administration’s 2025–26 staffing recommendations and provided direction on which positions to prioritize, including advancing a K–3 behavior intervention specialist into the hiring plan.
Board members spent the bulk of their March 13 meeting reviewing administration staffing recommendations for the 2025–26 budget and giving guidance on which positions to prioritize. The administration presented a Phase 1 package that it said was budgeted at $671,536; after the board’s guidance the administration reported a new tally of $674,627 that it would try to accommodate.
The board approved its meeting agenda at the outset and passed consent items unanimously.
Positions the board indicated support for (by show of hands or roll-call guidance during the meeting) included: - a full-time assistant principal for a K–3 building (the board reported eight members in support), - an assistant athletic director for the high school (majority support after discussion of program size and staff workload), - two part-time paraprofessional positions at the intermediate school, - a high-school academic intervention (AIS) teacher, and - continuation/memorializing of a third school resource officer (SRO) position for the district (several board members voiced support while one expressed a preference for exploring contracted armed security as a lower-cost alternative for the intermediate school).
Board members debated and split on several items. On the proposed permanent security-support monitor for a secondary campus doorway, some board members said morning coverage already existed and preferred reallocating funds to classroom supports; others said they were concerned the main student entrance lacked continuous coverage and urged administration to ensure the door would be monitored either by staff reassignment or an approved new hire.
Several members argued that classroom-facing positions — special-education teachers, paraprofessionals and behavior supports — should be prioritized over administrative or noninstructional hires. That concern echoed public comments earlier in the meeting from parents and community members.
Behavior intervention position advanced into Phase 1: During deliberations the board identified about $153,000 freed by positions that did not win support earlier in the review and — after discussion of priorities and district needs — directed administration to advance a K–3 behavior intervention classroom/specialist into the hiring plan. The board discussed a projected cost for that position at about $158,000 and asked administration to rework remaining Phase 2 and special-education items and return with options.
Process and next steps: Board president Nicholas Pantano instructed administration to return with a balanced budget proposal and to explore whether the remaining Phase 2 items could be accommodated by reallocation in the draft budget rather than exceeding the budgeted total. Administration said it would present the formal 2025–26 administrative budget next week for board review, with the proposed budget scheduled for a first board approval (PDE filing) in early May and a final adoption on June 12.
No final formal vote to amend the district’s adopted budget occurred at the March 13 meeting; the board provided direction and counts of support for individual positions, and administration said it would attempt to accommodate the will of the board when preparing the budget documents for future meetings.
