Renovation & Construction Updates
York Suburban School District
Construction / Renovation
Frequently Asked Questions
Contents - Updated - 04/15/2024
Academics | Financial | Miscellaneous | School & Classroom Structure | Staffing | Transportation
This FAQ has been developed to answer commonly asked questions or inquiries regarding the District’s construction and renovation projects. This renovation and construction updates website provides additional resources, including feasibility studies, mechanical studies, presented and refined options, cost projections, committee work, criteria for decision-making, and a complete project timeline progression from the beginning of this work to the current date. This comprehensive site serves as a resource for additional and more in-depth analysis of the development of projects' past, current, and future work. This is a running document, with question themes being added as developed.
Do you have a question not currently covered by the FAQ?
Impact Calculator
To help our community understand the projected costs of the York Suburban School District construction/renovation projects, a calculator has been developed for your use.
If you are a taxpayer in the District, enter the assessed value of your home in the yellow box. The green values are the estimated amounts per year and per month that will impact your school taxes based solely on the renovation and construction projects. Please note, these are costs due to the projects only. Additional funding for operational needs may be needed.
This calculator is a tool for tax estimation only. This result should not be considered a final tax figure, and is intended only as an approximation.
Stay Informed on the Progress of the Renovation & Construction Projects
(Latest Updates First)
On February 26, Mr. Seth Wentz of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates presented the monthly update to the Board of Directors and community.
Updates on the second Intermediate School Advisory Committee meeting from January 29, which included a visual listening exercise, were shared. Additionally, an updated site plan for the Intermediate School was presented. The site survey was recently completed, causing revisions to the location of the building on the East York site. The result will be a complete separation of bus and car traffic and a reduced traffic impact on Erlen Drive. This site plan will continue to be refined.
In the Board update presentations, Mr. Wentz also shared that conversations continue regarding the two options for the High School pool. One option includes a newly renovated pool within the current pool location. The other option is a new pool within the site plan, repurposing the current pool location into planned program use.
On February 28, a personalized public engagement opportunity regarding the Intermediate School Project was held at East York Elementary School. After a presentation from Dr. Scott Krauser and Mr. Wentz, the draft designs, including floor plans, site plans, and three-dimensional modeling, were shared in an open-house format. Participants could engage with how the planned program will impact students, enhance safety experiences, and increase additional community use of the school and site. Also, participants could engage with the finance office to better understand the tax implications necessary for funding the Intermediate School, High School renovations, and additional 2-4 year capital projects. This station was available for taxpayers to ask specific questions regarding how the funding plan will affect them individually.
February 20, 2024
COMMUNITY UPDATE: Letter from Superintendent Dr. Krauser
The Board and the public were provided with a comprehensive update on ongoing projects during the January 22 Board Meeting presentation. The session centered on the extensive renovations planned for the High School, incorporating discussions on a potential pool option within the existing natatorium space, as well as the overall design enhancements for the school. It’s important to note that the inclusion of a pool is a proposed option at this stage, and various design alternatives are actively being explored.
To facilitate community engagement, a public meeting dedicated to discussing the plans for the Intermediate Center is scheduled for February 28 at 7:00 pm, to be held at East York Elementary School. We extend an invitation to members of the community to attend this session, providing an opportunity to gain in-depth insights into the proposed building and participate in the ongoing dialogue surrounding these transformative projects.
Mr. Seth Wentz of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates presented the monthly update to the Board of Directors and community. Monthly updates occur at the second Board meeting in each month. With three new Board members who joined the team in December, Mr. Wentz reviewed the overall building design process and progress to date. The presentation can be found here.
In the past month, the focus has remained primarily on the Intermediate Center to maximize the site at East York. Four of the six proposed Authentic Learning Labs were eliminated, leaving two of these spaces. This lowers the overall proposed square footage from the November meeting.
In January, the York Suburban team will be working on design development documents and modeling, as well as continuing to refine the site and building layout. There may be equipment on site at East York to begin some investigative testing of the area and communication will be coming to notify the community.
Concept for Intermediate Center design
On November 26, 2023, Mr. Seth Wentz of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates presented the monthly update to the Board of Directors. In the last month, representatives from the administration visited two sites with recent projects to help better understand sizing and a concept proposed for the Intermediate Center. Our design team met several times to refine a possible floor plan and site design to maximize field space on the East York site. The current proposed design uses a main street concept in which the public use and classroom spaces are on different sides of the building which allows for better security while allowing public use to key areas of the building. The current concept is over our desired square footage and the team will continue to make adjustments during the design process to minimize that value.
Updated Project Schedules as of October 2023
Mr. Wentz returned on October 23, 2023 to provide the monthly update for the Board of Directors. The teams working on programming and design needs have met three times to discuss the Intermediate Center and and other two times to review the high school programming needs. Mr. Wentz presented a revised timeline for the YSHS renovations that will better meet the extensive design process needed to meet the programming needs. This will also permit the District to focus on one design at a time for the bulk of the project. A copy of the presentation can be accessed here.
Design Process presented September 26
On September 26, 2023, Seth Wentz of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates presented the monthly update on the construction of an Intermediate Center and renovations to York Suburban High School. Both projects are in the design and planning phases. Mr. Wentz explained the design process and will be provide monthly updates for the Board of Directors and York Suburban Community. The update also included a preliminary timeline for construction of a new Intermediate Center and two possible timelines for the High School renovations. This presentation can be accessed here.
Over the 2022-2023 school year, the York Suburban administration and the Board of School Directors continued a review of the needs of the District facilities and academic programs. This robust process included reviewing multiple studies completed over the past decade and looking at the current condition of buildings and the academic programs they support. Over months of review and discussion, the Board identified and prioritized criteria to evaluate against possible renovations and construction options that may best support the District’s challenges in meeting student needs in an evolving world.
During the school board voting meeting held on Monday, August 28, 2023, the Board of School Directors provided authorization for the administration to proceed with the planning and design phase for:
- New Construction at East York Elementary School for a grade 3-5 consolidation.
- High School renovations and a new pool.
Video of the August 28, 2023 can be viewed here. To stay engaged, please visit the school board website for meeting agendas and minutes.
The District has spent the last year revisiting the Future Focused Planning (FFP) work to address York Suburban School District’s facility and educational programming needs, along with the finances needed to address these.
- For a comprehensive review of the work done to date, please refer to this document.
- We invite you to explore the following links which encompass the detailed information that has been shared with the YSSD community throughout the entirety of this process.
We value your engagement in this process and encourage you to stay informed!
Over the last decade, York Suburban School District has invested in a series of feasibility studies to assess our facilities and planned programming. These multiple studies showed a great need for changes to our aging facilities to meet the needs of our students and operate the necessary educational program.
During the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, Dr. Scott Krauser led the Board of Directors and the York Suburban community through an in-depth series of analyses exploring possible paths to address the facility needs of York Suburban School District. The current plans to build a new Intermediate Center and renovate York Suburban High School directly stem from this Future Focused Planning work outlined below. Here you can find the information presented by Dr. Krauser during this time period to address the facilities and educational program in a financially responsible way.
Presentations to Board & Community
| April 11, 2022 | Video | Slides (Board Update) |
| April 7, 2022 | Video | Slides (Community Meeting) |
| February 28, 2022 | Video | Slides (General Update) |
| February 23, 2022 | Video (Virtual Community Meeting) | |
| February 14, 2022 | Video (Virtual Meeting Update) | |
| January 24, 2022 | Video (Next Steps Update) | |
| December 20, 2021 | Video | Slides (Final Recommendation) |
| December 6, 2021 | Video | Slides (Planning Recap & Cost Savings) |
| November 22, 2021 | Video | Slides (Facilities Review, Project Phasing, & Financing) |
| November 8, 2021 | Video | Slides (Study Options 4, 4B, & 5) |
| October 25, 2021 | Video | Slides (Study Options 4 & 5) |
| October 11, 2021 | Video | Slides (Study Option 1 & Probable Maintenance Costs) |
| September 27, 2021 | Video | Slides (Planned Educational Program & Study Review) |
| September 13, 2021 | Video | Slides (FFP Overview & Projected Enrollments) |
| August 9, 2021 | Video | Infographics (FFP Update & Infographics) |
| July 12, 2021 | Video (FFP Update & White Papers) | |
| June 28, 2021 | Video (Projected Enrollments, Building Capacities, Facility Assessments) | |
| May 10, 2021 | Video (FFP Process Updates) | |
| April 12, 2021 | Video (FFP Process Overview) |