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Board advances draft ACT 34 booklet for York Suburban school project amid taxpayer concerns
Summary
The York Suburban School District presented a draft ACT 34 booklet and timeline for an intermediate/high school project; administrators said the booklet is a draft and public comment (Dec. 17–Jan. 17) will guide decisions, while residents pressed for fuller cost disclosure and questioned timing and mailing of promotional materials.
The York Suburban School District presented a draft ACT 34 booklet and a multi‑step schedule for its proposed intermediate and high school project at the board’s Oct. 28 meeting, prompting detailed questions from trustees and sustained public criticism about overall cost and transparency.
Administration representative Mr. W (project lead) summarized the ACT 34 statutory process, noting that the booklet defines the project need, outlines options considered, and sets an ACT 34 maximum building construction cost that the board will be asked to adopt at a Nov. 11 meeting. He said the district plans to publish the required 20‑day hearing advertisement after board action, hold the required public hearing on Dec. 17, and leave a 30‑day written comment period open through Jan. 17 before taking procurement actions on bids opened in early January. Mr. W said the district selected the higher of two conservative cost estimates for the ACT 34 maximum to avoid underestimating potential expense and that construction documents will be available to the board by Nov. 15 for review.
Board members pressed the administration for more detail about cost estimates and which study options were included in the booklet. One trustee noted the draft lists three options (renovate both buildings; renovate at East York; raze and rebuild), while other members recalled additional scenarios studied in past years. The administration said the draft booklet summarizes a multi‑year study process (dating back to earlier feasibility work) and can be revised to include a more comprehensive list of options if the board requests it.
Residents used the public comment periods to press the board for fuller financial disclosure. Multiple speakers cited large total project figures they said were on district documents and called the booklet and recent mailings “promotional.” Mary Bello said the district must stop and re‑evaluate the work, citing earlier studies that showed the 2019 estimate was already unaffordable. Other commenters asked how the district will pay escalation and change orders, whether reserve levels and debt service projections have been modeled, and why the public comment window spans the winter holidays.
Administrators responded with operational detail on the comment process: in‑person oral comments at the Dec. 17 hearing (three minutes each), a website/email portal for written comments during the 30‑day period, and an option to hand‑deliver written submissions to district offices; all submissions will be provided to board members prior to any awards. Mr. W explained that concurrent procurement steps (advertising and allowing contractors to prepare bids before the public comment period closes) are designed to preserve the construction schedule and limit escalation so work can begin in spring 2025 and conclude in a summer window to minimize student disruption.
The board did not take final action on the ACT 34 booklet at the Oct. 28 meeting; administration said the board will be asked to adopt maximum project costs and the booklet at its Nov. 11 meeting. Trustees said they will continue to markup the draft and that they expect additional documentation of options and costs to be added to the record. Several speakers urged the board to publish a full, itemized spreadsheet of costs related to the project (feasibility study fees, bond issuance fees, legal and planning costs, architects’ and contractors’ invoices) rather than only those expenses paid directly from bond proceeds.
Votes at the meeting were procedural and unrelated to final project approval: the board unanimously approved routine minutes, an overnight Model UN trip, five policies, a pool‑pack replacement contract, and the consent agenda. The ACT 34 process remains in the draft stage, with formal public hearing and comment scheduled before final decisions on bids or awards.
Procedural next step: the board is scheduled to revisit the ACT 34 booklet and request a formal vote to set maximum building and total project costs at the Nov. 11 meeting; written public comment on the draft will be accepted through Jan. 17 following the Dec. 17 hearing.
