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Upper Dublin schedules tours, open house and online feedback as part of Jarrettown evaluation
Summary
Consultant ICS proposed a six-month timeline of stakeholder tours, staff input, a community open house and an online ThoughtExchange to gather public feedback before the district considers a decision on Jarrettown.
Phil Solomon, a consultant with Integrated Consulting Solutions (ICS), told the Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee on Jan. 22 that the district should proceed with in-person tours, staff stakeholder sessions and a community open house to inform any decision about the future of the Jarrettown building.
Solomon and fellow ICS presenter Megan Sarsonello outlined a timeline that begins with building tours and staff input in February, a community open house and ThoughtExchange survey in March, aggregated financial analysis in April and May, and possible deliberation in June if the committee wants to move forward.
The consultants said the process is intended to give committee members and community members firsthand exposure to identified building issues and to surface priorities and common ground. “We typically then at that point have what we call community input,” Solomon said, describing an open-house format with escorted tours, a short presentation and stations for finance and educational questions.
Megan Sarsonello described ThoughtExchange, an online platform ICS uses to gather open-ended input and let participants rate ideas so the highest-priority items surface. She said the tool has produced large response volumes for other districts — as many as 2,000 respondents in a recent Abington referendum — and can be used anonymously via QR code or web link.
Finance staff signaled they will prepare a financial evaluation of any options and post materials on a central web page or microsite. Committee member Aleema Redding asked whether ThoughtExchange requires an app; Sarsonello said it is web-based and accessible by phone or computer via a QR code.
District administrators said they will work with Director of Communications Mrs. Yoder to reach beyond parents and ensure neighborhood residents and other community members are aware of open houses and tours. “We want to make sure that we get as much input as possible,” a committee member said.
The consultants emphasized messaging: at this stage the district is in information-gathering and said no decisions have been made. ICS offered to assist the district with communications and best practices based on its work with neighboring districts.
The committee did not take a formal policy decision on Jarrettown at the Jan. 22 meeting; the presentation closed with committee members agreeing to the proposed outreach steps and scheduling work outlined by ICS.
