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 humidity in classrooms make learning difficult; and music, theater and marching‑band participants said they have been unable to rehearse or compete because supplementals and season planning came too late. “It feels like our senior year will be over in a blink of an eye,” said senior Rekaya Clark, urging the board to explain how sudden cuts have removed events and opportunities seniors normally expect.

Board leaders and staff responded that the district has been working through multi‑year budget shortfalls tied largely to special‑education expenditures. At the meeting, board member Jen (budget and finance chair) said the district had “underestimated the cost of special education two years in a row,” which created the roughly $11 million gap residents have been discussing; she added the district is separately pursuing a long‑standing claim that it is owed about $28 million in state funding related to Fair Funding litigation. The board reiterated that an outside audit and corrective actions were undertaken after the budget errors were discovered.

Superintendent (name not specified in the transcript) told the meeting that the district follows a long‑range facilities master plan and that many projects are contingent on funding. He said supplementals were prioritized with principals and that some supplementals were posted the weekend before the meeting; the superintendent also said he would direct principals to hold assemblies or information sessions so students get clear, consistent updates. He did not announce a timetable to restore all programs.

Multiple speakers said communications from the district had been inconsistent, and parents asked why some school‑level notices — including one they took to mean that prom or other senior events were canceled — had reached students before district officials could correct the record. The superintendent and board president said there would be follow‑up meetings and that they would meet with student leaders and school principals to explain supplemental listings and the process for approving after‑school positions.

What this means: Students and families said missing activities and supports are affecting day‑to‑day learning and college readiness. District officials acknowledged the budget gap and said it resulted from higher special‑education costs and a multi‑year funding mismatch; they pledged further outreach and to re‑examine supplemental postings in light of the public comments. Board members repeatedly urged parents and students to attend committee and budget meetings where financial details are discussed.

Votes at the meeting included routine approvals of meeting minutes, the appointment of the newly selected ninth‑grade student representative and a board motion adopting a resolution titled “Defend Our Students” (see separate article on formal votes and committee items). Several speakers asked the board to accelerate work on classroom air and furniture, to audit Chromebook distribution so devices assigned to students are available in classrooms, and to restore onsite mental‑health staff and specific extracurricular advisers. The board said it would continue negotiating with the teachers’ bargaining team and would work to expedite any supplemental contracts that could be posted and approved without harming the bargaining process.

The board president closed the meeting by promising additional in‑school meetings with student leaders and by saying district leaders would provide updates at the next board meeting.