Western Center seeks two instructors as Spring-Ford contribution falls under five‑year ADM formula
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Summary
Dave Livingood, executive director of the Western Montgomery Career & Technical Center, told the Spring‑Ford Area School District board that higher applications and program demand support hiring two instructors (carpentry, health/intro to med). He said Spring‑Ford's contribution next year would be $2,566,466 under the 5‑year ADM allocation.
Dave Livingood, executive director of the Western Montgomery Career & Technical Center, told the Spring‑Ford Area School District board during its Feb. 17 work session that rising student demand at the center supports hiring two new instructors — one for carpentry and one for an introductory health/medical program.
Livingood said the center is seeing historically high interest: applications total 331 district‑wide, with 82 from Spring‑Ford middle school and 51 from Spring‑Ford high school. He explained the center’s five‑year average average daily membership (ADM) calculation, which reduced Spring‑Ford’s share of the center’s costs this year. “Your overall contribution to the Western Center next year would be $2,566,466,” Livingood told the board. He described the center’s overall budget as increasing about 5.56% from last year, with a smaller net impact to districts (about 3.3%) after Federal and grant subsidies.
The two instructor requests respond to program demand, Livingood said: the introductory medical careers course had 49 applicants while carpentry had 23 applicants but room for only 10 students under current staffing. “There is a real need,” he said, arguing the programs have physical space to add teachers without major facility changes.
Livingood also highlighted career‑and‑technical extracurriculars and competitions, saying 28 students will advance to SkillsUSA state competitions and describing longer‑term feasibility work to determine whether the center must expand. He promoted a culinary showcase on Thursday featuring guest Disha Dreier and locally sourced PA Preferred ingredients as a community event.
Why it matters: CTE programs funnel students into workforce careers and reduce the need for out‑of‑district placements; the board’s budget decisions for Western Center tuition and staffing influence program capacity for Spring‑Ford students.
The board did not take a final vote on additional funding that night. Livingood said the center is conducting a feasibility study and expects a report in May; any formal budget commitments would appear during the district’s normal budget process.