Millersburg Area School District board approves teacher contract, multiple hires and property tax-exemption filing

The Millersburg Area School District board on Monday approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the district teachers’ association, accepted multiple personnel actions and authorized staff to pursue a property tax‑exemption application for land the district recently purchased.

The board voted to approve the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement after a months‑long negotiation process. The president said the bargaining process lasted roughly “seven to eight months” and thanked staff and committee members for their work, saying, “I think we ended up in a really good place.” The board also approved two resignations, accepted the retirement of Nancy Stanford (23 years of service), and confirmed several teacher hires, mentor-teacher assignments and a substitute appointment.

Business-office representative Mr. Petrie presented the June financial reports, describing the figures as “preliminary” and saying they look promising but that year‑end accruals and adjusting entries remain before a final close. The board moved to approve the financial reports and routine bill disbursements on the consent portion of the agenda.

On facilities and finance items, trustees authorized administration to file for tax‑exempt status on a property purchased on Berriesburg Road and approved paying the currently due property taxes while the Dauphin County exemption hearing is processed; administration said any approved exemption would take effect for the 2026 tax year. The district also approved a quote for water‑treatment services and permission to donate a surplus table instead of offering it for sale.

Trustees approved amendments to Keystone Collection contracts that revise required bonding amounts after Keystone advised the district that it does not hold the full collections at one time. Administration said the revised bonding limits—$500,000 for real‑estate collections and $200,000 for personal/occupational collections—will reduce bonding costs. Mr. Petrie described the change as a cost‑saving adjustment driven by the vendor’s payment practices.

Board members also discussed athletics coordination with neighboring districts, including a recent sports cooperative meeting and early conversations about a middle‑school softball club (presently proposed as a club, not a varsity sport). The president asked the board to consider the stadium and track field as the district’s priority capital project for future funding.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes: motion carried (consent agenda). - Financial reports and bill disbursements: approved (consent agenda). - Personnel actions: two resignations accepted; retirement of Nancy Stanford approved; multiple hires, mentor assignments and substitute appointment approved (motions carried by roll call). - Collective bargaining agreement with the Millersburg Area Education Association: approved (motion carried). - Policies (second reading for policies in the 100 and 200 series): approved (motion carried). - Pre‑K agreement for next year: approved (motion carried). - Tax‑exempt application and payment of currently due property taxes: authorized (motion carried). - Keystone Collection contract amendments (bonding limits revised to $500,000 and $200,000): approved (motion carried). - Water‑treatment quote and surplus donation: approved (motions carried). - Conference attendance and leadership/networking travel: approved (motions carried).

What’s next The transcript records approval of the motions listed; several items (the tax‑exemption application and athletic cooperation talks) require follow‑up steps by administration, including a Dauphin County hearing for the tax exemption and further coordination with neighboring districts on athletic scheduling and potential coop arrangements.

Attributions Direct quotes and attributions in this article are taken from the meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers as recorded in the transcript: the meeting president (identified in the record as the president, speaker 1) and Mr. Petrie (introduced in the agenda as the business‑office representative). Other roll‑call approvals and motions were entered on the record by the board via the clerk/secretary and are summarized above.