Conewago Valley board approves consent packages as public raises concerns about construction budget

The Conewago Valley School District Board of School Directors on June 9 approved a series of consent packages covering finance, ways and means, personnel and property and supplies, and accepted the treasurer's report, while public commenters urged the board to re-examine construction soft costs and enrollment estimates before proceeding with a classroom expansion project.

Jamie Fitzpatrick, an Oxford Township resident who spoke during the agenda-related public comment period, said the district's enrollment forecasts used to justify added classrooms were inaccurate and that current bids leave the project over the Act 34 construction estimate. "We are 8.5 over the Act 34 estimate," Fitzpatrick said, adding that some line items could be reduced. "The Crabtree estimates for inspection and construction testing were wildly overestimated and three quarters of a million drops right off of them." Fitzpatrick asked the board to "halt the process, go back and review the finances" or at minimum include escape clauses in vendor contracts so the district is not locked in if a future board majority decides otherwise.

Board action: The board approved finance items 1'8 (moved by Mr. Buckley), ways and means items 1'13, personnel items 1'54, and property and supplies items 1—. The board also accepted the treasurer's report, which reported a combined balance across six accounts of $46,279,615.28. The board appointed Dr. Dahlgren as temporary board secretary by voice vote early in the meeting and approved the minutes from previous meetings.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dahlgren and Superintendent Dr. Perry gave routine reports. Dr. Dahlgren said staff had worked on curriculum items and that standards-aligned unit overviews for social studies, arts, health and physical education, world language and family and consumer sciences were on the agenda for approval and are part of a four-year curriculum cycle. Dr. Perry thanked curriculum staff and noted planning for a curriculum summit and an administrative retreat.

During a later public-comment period, Fitzpatrick returned to urge that the board review planned furniture purchases tied to the project before they are executed, saying "there are multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, in new furniture in that cost" and that the board should ensure soft costs are reduced before proceeding.

The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Monday in July at 7 p.m. at the district office and adjourned at 7:26 p.m.

Votes at a glance: finance items 1'8: approved; ways and means items 1'13: approved; personnel items 1'54: approved; property and supplies items 1—: approved; appointment of temporary board secretary: approved. The meeting record shows some individual "no" votes on subsets of the finance package after public comment, but the full packages passed as recorded in the roll calls.