Schuylkill Valley board approves advertisement for Act 34 hearing on proposed $24.9 million field house

The Schuylkill Valley School District Board voted unanimously to authorize advertisement of an Act 34 public hearing for a proposed athletic Field House project, a procedural step that begins the public-review period for a project whose Act 34 maximum project cost is listed in the resolution as $24,877,416 and maximum building construction cost as $16,819,564.

Acting Superintendent Dr. Winters told the board at the start of the meeting that the resolution published on the agenda omitted capitalized interest and thereby understated the maximum project cost by roughly $942,000. "I learned today from the architectural firm that the total number for the maximum cost that is on that resolution, is short by about $942,000 because it did not include capitalized interest," he said, and the district will correct the document before it is advertised.

Under Act 34 of the Pennsylvania Public School Code, a public hearing and a 20-day advertisement are required prior to construction or a substantial addition to a school building. The resolution authorizes the board secretary to publish notice of the hearing, which the resolution sets for Jan. 7, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the high-school auxiliary cafeteria at 929 Lakeshore Drive, Leesport. The resolution also names the district solicitor (Alicia Luke of Fox Rothschild LLP), the architectural firm (Schrader Group) and a financial consultant (Raymond James Financial Advisors) to assist with required steps and public materials.

Board discussion emphasized that the motion before members was to comply with Act 34’s notice and transparency requirements — not to approve construction contracts or to obligate the district to spend funds. Members repeatedly clarified that a "yes" vote would only authorize advertisement and the scheduling of a public hearing and would not authorize any change orders or final financing. The board voted to advertise the hearing and correct the resolution as needed; the motion carried 9–0.

Next steps outlined by district staff include correcting the resolution to reflect capitalized interest, posting the corrected advertisement for the statutory period, making project descriptions and financial information available to interested citizens and holding the January hearing at which the architect and financial consultant will present plans, schematic designs, costs and financing options.