Residents press Pennsbury board on finance turnover and high school bids

Several residents used the public-comment period at the March 19 Pennsbury School Board meeting to press administrators and directors for details about recent turnover in the business office and perceived gaps in high school project bids.

Andrew Dell of Falls Township criticized the district for continuing turnover in high-level finance positions and said that recent resignations raised doubts about whether the district can steward a large project without going over budget. Dell also questioned the district’s priorities in expanding mental-health services and other programs while investing heavily in capital projects.

Jennifer Metzger (Falls Township) described attending the finance committee and raised specific procurement questions: she said some alternates in the submitted bids showed wide price variance between contractors, that critical site work (for example, a sanitary line relocation she said is under the building) was not clearly reflected in bid totals, and asked how alternates and missing line items would be handled. She also queried the board about the resignation of the business administrator (Mr. Gorski) and the district’s plan to use external CFO services and EDM management, asking how the district will manage the added cost while addressing pension and capital liabilities.

District officials acknowledged the bids have been received and placed on the agenda for board consideration and said administration and architects will continue to review alternates and change-order risks. No final procurement decisions were announced during public comment; board members invited continued engagement and noted that procurement and financing steps remain pending.

The public-comment period also included other speakers; the board closed public comment at 9:13 p.m. and moved to the business portion of the agenda.