Students, parents and staff press William Penn SD over contracts, extracurricular cuts, Chromebooks and building conditions

Dozens of students, parents and staff pressed the William Penn School District board during public comment about the effect of an unsigned teacher contract and cuts to supplementals that have left clubs, mental‑health supports and some extracurriculars unfunded.

Student representatives told the board they are missing clubs, college trips and advisors that help students build college applications, and several students said classrooms lack working Chromebooks and sufficient chairs. “Our main worries right now is the lack of clubs, trips, and our societies,” said Morgan Askew Green, the 12th‑grade student representative. Eleventh‑grade representative Eli Faber described buses that have been repeatedly late and said “there are definitely few classes where students have to share Chromebooks.” Ninth‑grade representative Steven Nunez, who was appointed during the meeting, reported security checks at the Ninth Grade Academy are delaying students and marking them tardy.

The remarks expanded into a wider critique of district management. Parents and community members described missing counseling staff and mental‑health programs; students said heat and…