Boyertown district consultant recommends turning planetarium into multiuse learning dome

A consultant told the Boyertown Area School District Board of School Directors on March 11 that the district’s existing planetarium is structurally sound and could be converted into a full-dome, multi‑curricular learning space with expanded capabilities beyond astronomy.

Joyce “JT” Town, a planetarium consultant, told the board the Middle School East dome is about 33 feet in diameter, that the dome itself is “in excellent condition,” and that an upgraded, full‑dome digital system would let the district show immersive astronomy programs and a wide range of curriculum content from geology to multimedia arts. Town said modern systems use a single center projector fed by one or more computers and remove much of the older mechanical equipment.

The consultant said some districts keep their original planetarium branding, while others rebrand (for example “Learning Dome” or “Brain Space”) to emphasize multidisciplinary use. She listed likely funding sources she has seen elsewhere — educational foundations, corporate donations, local or state grants and alumni giving — and recommended starting with an expandable system rather than a lowest‑cost fixed system.

Superintendent David Heizer said the district had asked for a needs assessment after an earlier board discussion. He said administration and the consultant met with school and foundation representatives to review options. Heizer told the board the district had been contacted by the consultant through media coverage and that the district had accepted the offer of assistance.

Board members pressed on cost, expandability and next steps. Board member (board member) Arwater asked whether the Worton Educational Foundation had discussed specific equipment; Michelle Stout (district staff) replied that foundation conversations had started but the foundation had not yet chosen a unit. Board member Naima (board member) urged staff to pursue state STEM grants quickly, saying a representative had signaled support for grant applications.

Town warned that schools sometimes overtrain staff: “It really didn’t work out at all … it was kind of a big mess,” she said, describing one district that trained 15 teachers and found a smaller core team worked better. She recommended starting smaller and scaling as staff and audiences grow. Town also listed curricular uses beyond astronomy — geology, ocean science, full‑dome documentaries and student multimedia projects — and said some premade dome shows cost only a few thousand dollars while others are free.

District staff said the next steps will be (1) produce a prioritized, itemized menu of upgrades and equipment options based on Town’s needs assessment, (2) return with estimated costs and possible funding sources, and (3) continue preliminary conversations with the educational foundation. Heizer asked Town to help prepare the itemized list.

Ending: At the March 11 meeting the board did not vote on funding or a contract. The board instructed administration to work with Town and the Worton Educational Foundation to produce a more detailed, itemized proposal and potential funding plan and to return to the board for action at a future meeting.