Board weighs future of Chambersburg Engagement Center as lease nears expiry

Andrea Mills, the district’s ESL supervisor, told the board the Chambersburg Engagement Center (CEC) has been open a little over a year and has become a one-stop hub for registration and family services. "We've been open a little over a year now," Mills said, and staff tracked roughly 1,353 families visiting through March. Mills described partnerships (notably with Keystone Health), bilingual staffing, WIDA screening and services for McKinney-Vento students.

Board members focused on access, cost and timing. A board member asked whether the center’s users are concentrated downtown or come from across the district; Mills said she has not yet collected origin-address data and agreed to provide it. Several trustees raised lease timing: the current lease expires June 30. "Is it possible for a 6-month lease?" one member asked; administration said the owners are open to flexible terms, including month-to-month arrangements.

Discussion turned to possible relocation sites. Some members favored the Armory for visibility, parking and integration with other district facilities; others worried about moving the center twice if Buchanan becomes available in several years. Members criticized the current site's wayfinding but praised Keystone Health’s on-site case manager and the time saved for ESL teachers.

No formal motion was made. Trustees asked administration to return with data on where users live, cost estimates for moves, budgeting implications and a recommendation on a lease length that balances savings and operational disruption. The board agreed to keep item 5.01 (a major budget decision) and related facility planning as discrete votes at the upcoming voting meeting.

The discussion concluded without a vote; the administration will supply the requested location and cost analyses ahead of the board’s next action.