Board debates ACTI/CCTC land, timing and withdrawal risks tied to budget talks
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Summary
Board members discussed the regional ACTI/CCTC project, including a potential land purchase, a $75 million facility vision, the consortium's multi-district voting requirements and the financial risks of withdrawing (multi-year notice and shared cost responsibilities).
The study session included an extended discussion of the district's role in the regional Colonial Career and Technology Center (ACTI/CCTC) expansion, prompting board members to weigh local affordability against long-term workforce and career-education goals.
Administrators described the current plan: the consortium's vision includes land acquisition now and a potential $75 million building; the district stated an internal comfort ceiling for Conewago Valley district contributions of roughly $35 million, with the larger vision requiring additional outside funding and partner participation.
"If we back out, they can't have it," one administrator warned, describing the consortium governance and the threshold of participation needed by all member districts. Dr. Perry explained that withdrawing could expose the district to contractual and fiscal obligations: a five-year notice period and responsibility for costs during that period were cited as potential consequences, and any withdrawal would require agreement among the other districts and would likely increase the district's share of costs for certain capital items.
Board members asked whether the district could slow down participation, buy land only (not construct immediately), or seek grant dollars and other partners to reduce the district share. Administrators said purchasing land does not force immediate construction and that timelines would include a design phase, an Act 34/approval period and roughly two years of construction after approvals, making the earliest realistic opening around 2029-2030 if the current schedule holds.
Administrators also described alternatives if the district chose to withdraw: developing a district-owned CTE option at lower cost and different partner configurations, but noted that the project scale requires broad cooperation among all participating districts to be fiscally viable.
The board did not adopt a formal position during the study session; discussions will continue as part of the budget deliberations and follow-up meetings.