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Jenkintown School District studies adjacent church property for classrooms, preschool and mental-health space; church seeks to add affordable housing
Summary
The Jenkintown School District held a town-hall with Salem Baptist Church to explore using church-owned land to expand school facilities — including classrooms, a tuition-based integrated preschool and a counseling suite — while the church said it wants to build subsidized housing. District leaders said the idea is exploratory, funding would rely on grants and donations, and no land has been purchased.
The Jenkintown School District convened a public town-hall to solicit community feedback on a potential project involving property owned by Salem Baptist Church that could allow classroom space, a tuition-based integrated preschool and a mental-health counseling suite, Superintendent Dr. Jill Tacos said. The district and church described the concept as exploratory and emphasized that no land purchase or formal votes have taken place.
Pastor Mitchell of Salem Baptist Church told attendees the congregation is considering how to respond to an aging church building and countywide shortages in subsidized housing. "Salem wants to build additional units of subsidized, affordable, veterans, and workforce and specialized housing," he said, framing the effort as an attempt to "replenish the affordable housing stock, if this even happens." He said the church has experience in housing projects and would seek options that protect current residents.
The district’s initial concept, presented by Dr. Tacos, would likely require demolition of the existing church building if it cannot be adapted for school use, followed by either an addition attached to the high school or a more expensive freestanding facility. The superintendent described a possible phase 1 that includes renovated locker rooms, new high-school classroom space, an integrated preschool serving typical and special-needs children (tuition-based to generate operating revenue), STEAM classrooms, and a mental-health counseling suite intended to expand services for students. Dr. Tacos said those plans are flexible and depend on architectural and engineering feasibility.
Board president Dr. O'Brien underscored the exploratory status: "Nothing has happened. There's been no land purchase. There's been no plan," she told residents, and she said the board wants to hear community concerns before any decision. The board reiterated a preference to fund any work through grants and donations rather than a tax-funded bond: "We don't want to put this on the taxpayers," Dr. O'Brien said.
Officials and attendees discussed site tradeoffs and athletic fields. The superintendent said an addition on the high-school side would likely use some field or tennis-court space and require regrading or relocating athletic facilities. She noted the district currently rents off-site athletic fields and pays substantial daily transport costs to external sites. Board and church leaders said architects and engineers will be needed to assess grading, slopes and feasibility before any plan advances.
No formal actions, purchases or votes occurred at the meeting. District officials said next steps include another community meeting in late February or early March and a district survey to gather broader feedback while staff pursue potential grant and donor opportunities.
What’s next: The district will solicit further input, commission feasibility work if warranted and report back; timing for any construction — if it moves forward — would be long-term (officials described the project as multi-year), and actual scope depends on fundraising and technical reviews.
