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Parents and alumni press Upper Dublin board on Latin program, transparency and furniture disposal
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the board to explain changes to the district’s Latin program, questioned transparency and raised concerns about classroom furniture disposal and recent contracts; the superintendent said the Latin staffing line remains in the budget.
Public commenters used the meeting’s public-participation periods to challenge the district on a pair of related concerns: proposed changes affecting the long-running Latin program and what some residents described as a lack of transparency in recent curriculum and staffing decisions.
Jenny Vitella Ambler, who spoke during the action-item comment period, questioned whether the district had considered reasonable alternatives before cutting what she described as a more-than-40-year Latin program. "What message are we sending to our students when they advocate for a program they love and feel unheard?" she asked, citing a teacher who resigned effective June 16 and students who had spoken at prior meetings.
Anita Brister told the board she was "fixed on" last month’s student speakers and urged that the curriculum-review process be restored to public view. "There was a huge lack of transparency," she said, adding she was frustrated that discussions appeared to happen outside visible public processes.
Alumni speaker Donna Zach Beal framed Latin as a long-term educational value, arguing classical-language study signals analytical skill and cultural literacy for graduates. "You put Latin on your resume, people understand that you know how to think," she said.
Commenters also raised operational complaints: Jenny Vitella Ambler and others described mounds of discarded furniture outside Fort Washington and urged the district to consider donating or offering usable items to the community. Ms. Ambler additionally questioned a contract approved in a prior meeting that she said hired a consultant at $650 per day and asked why the board had not discussed that contract in public.
In response to several comments about Latin staffing, Superintendent Dr. Smith said the district’s budget still includes the Latin position and that "$45,000" for North Hills staffing also remained in the budget but shifted to a staffing line. She urged stakeholders with ideas for programming at the community center to work with the township, which controls the facility.
The meeting record shows intense neighborhood interest in both the North Hills programming proposal and broader concerns about process, leaving unresolved questions about the Latin program’s future and the district’s disposal practices. The board did not take immediate action on curriculum policy at the June 22 meeting.
