Agenda 2024-05-28

22 Comments

1. Krista Wolfenberger on May 28, 2024 at 8:54 pm

   At the previous School Board meeting on April 29, 2024 an individual misrepresented the York Suburban nursing department and commented on activity in the middle school nurse’s office as well as the nursing department as a whole. This is a response to that comment.

   May 3, 2024

   RESPONSE from the York Suburban School District Nursing Department
   First, let us say that the comment posted on the School Board meeting agenda on April 29, 2024 was made by this individual nurse without the consent or approval of the York Suburban School District nurses. Our views were not taken into consideration. The district nurses were made aware of the comment after the Board Meeting, and we were greatly saddened by both the views conveyed and the negative spirit in which they were expressed. While some points are accurate, such as the nursing needs in all schools being greater than ever before and the higher demands placed upon school nurses, the comments are from this one nurse’s perspective. This nurse is not a district employee and her views are NOT the views of YOUR district school nurses. There is a time and a place for sharing important information with administrators. A public comment from a frustrated individual whose position in the district will be ending shortly is not the appropriate venue. In addition, your district nurses will continue to gain the trust of our school community by sharing data and situations that will demonstrate the need for additional help in all of our York Suburban schools. Please know that we appreciate the support from district administrators and the school board and value the collaboration between the nurses, parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and paraprofessionals as we strive to make our community a happy, healthy, and safe place for our YS students and staff.

   Thank you for your continued support.
   Your district nurses,
   April, Karla, Sam, Tammy, and Krista

   Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

   
   
   
2. Craig Egger on May 28, 2024 at 5:57 pm

   After quietly listening in person and to online video of many of the public comments It appears to me most of those making public comments are seeking affirming answers. They do not want factual answers. They want to have their views and beliefs validated. If the direction of the board isn’t what you like. It is a wonderful time to market your home. The offers are some of the most profitable in district history. That is great if your views conflict with others whom are allowing the board to carry out the business they were elected to do. Just because many aren’t seen in person. Doesn’t mean they are not following along. The community is aware and supports what is best for all stakeholders. Not just the money of a the unsatisfied few.

   Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

   
   
   
3. Chawna Griffith-Myers on May 28, 2024 at 5:57 pm

   Addition: Dr. Krauser please continue to vet and make professional decisions surrounding who should visit our schools, especially while students are there. I am not comfortable with the behavior displayed by Chris Sanders possibly being subjected to my child. When individuals are so unhinged, our children should feel protected at school and as a parent I should be made aware of community visits so I can make a personal decision if my child will be subjected to certain individuals by that visit. Now if an individual has current clearances on file with the district, I would support an after hours visit with school staff but not during instruction. Our schools are not props for any perspective of these proposed projects.

   I also agree with 3 minutes to keep our meetings productive and on schedule with respect to everyone’s time. If I want to be ambushed by community comments I will attend any community meeting for or against any school business. Board meetings should be about board business and not hidden political agendas surrounding neighbor’s son’s political aspirations or back door deals with political affiliates.

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4. Romanus Myers on May 28, 2024 at 5:43 pm

   I would also like to add that I have been following this project for over a number years now and attended most community meetings. Those new to this have chosen to ignore district communications via email to those who subscribe, social media posts, and post cards sent from as far back as 2017 when I purchased my 1st district home. This didn’t come out of no where. Again, where is this energy when we are at SGTWP meetings calling for more warehouses, tax increases, and burdens onto homeowners? Where is this comment to the County commissioners? Continuing to use the fixed income argument does not mean our school district should have to stall improvements or development due to your lack of planning or personal economic hardships. As social security builds inflation increases, we must all understand that our cost of living will increase and that includes the prices of goods and services.

   I have young children including a Special Education 3rd grader who currently attends EYES. East York and Indian Rock resemble prisons. They do not visually look like places of creativity or inspiration for developing minds. Please understand the Public School to Prison Pipelines. Our children deserve schools which spark creativity and are welcoming for all types of learning styles. Evidence Based Practices support the thought and intention behind the current design not to mention I’m sure neighbors on Erlen are tired of the traffic during arrival and dismissal. Erlen was not built to handle the type of traffic it now faces, allow our school administration and board to address this within their control.

   Lastly, I find it absurd that a very small minority of neighbors would threaten to sue over progress. You DO NOT represent most of us with current district students. You are serving as a distraction for our children’s education. Our students deserve access to Fair, Free, and Equitable education. You all are operating selfishly for reasons that do not represent the interest of students or teachers. To our School Board, continue to assist our administration in moving our district forward in hopes that we can hang the banner of being an inclusive district that has infrastructure which addresses the needs of all of our district learners. Kids should not have to be outsourced to other districts who can provide education in more adequate infrastructure.

   I did not buy a house to have my kids education derailed by angry elite neighbors using other neighbors to Spread misinformation. They can afford their tax hikes and a few of their supporters’ as well.

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5. Chawna Griffith-Myers on May 28, 2024 at 5:26 pm

   I want to be clear that I wholeheartedly support the proposed project to fix the infrastructure of our buildings. The feedback from recent graduates and other parents is the desperate need of functioning and sustainable infrastructure. If others would engage with the same students and teachers they claim to prioritize, they would see the dissatisfaction from our High School students surrounding their school and its features. While I know the HS is Stage 2, understand that these students have valuable feedback from their lived experience. We must not ignore this feedback. I have done the due diligence of speaking with 2017-2024 graduates and received actual, factual, feedback. I also want to applaud the district for the concentration on infrastructure specific to our Special Education learners who will have classrooms specifically designed for their needs. Residents must understand this is an area where we were lacking and failing to York City School District in addressing the increase in need for our social and emotional needs population.

   I also want to state that the group against the project featuring Shawn Schenlz is committed to shutting down citizens who are trying to voice support and/or objective information. For the record I would like it known that questions directed to Joel Sears and the group, or sharing of editorials providing a different prospective have lead to me being blocked in 2 Mt. Rose neighborhood groups by Shawn Schenlz. Neighbors must understand that if you are for this project, the opposing group WILL and IS finding ways to only have their narrative shared. They have even deleted posts of neighbors sharing the district direct information or meeting information, replaced with their meetings and information. This is direct censorship. In my opinion Mr. Sears and others of more means, are using residents in housing assessed more that 2x lower than theirs, like Shawn Schenlz’s home assessed for $67,000- which would equate to a $18 monthly increase or $215 a year increase by year 6, to continue to spread misinformation for tax hikes that will equate to less than most of our Starbucks bills monthly.

   Lastly, I would like to point out during Spring Garden’s latest budget which calls for tax hikes to property owners, I have yet to see a single sign, petition, or ruffle surrounding this. If this group is for students, where is the outrage surrounding warehouses over parks and green spaces students can utilize? Ask this group what is their real agenda? Why is the target our schools and the infrastructure we know needs to be updated? Where is the outrage towards more students leaving our district for York Catholic and York Academy? Actually take the time to engage students, teachers, and those residents who continue to choose YSSD for the quality of education. $215 yearly, over 6 years, is a very small drop in the bucket for quality infrastructure.

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6. Melinda on May 28, 2024 at 4:13 pm

   So they will be voting to approve the 3.5% tax increase tonight irregardless of the many calls for a town hall meeting, opposition, and requests for answers to the many questions proposed at every meeting. Plus another 3% next year, and again the following year … we will rapidly moved from the 3rd highest school tax bracket in York County and become the highest. Look how that district honor has impacted York City real estate values. It concerns me when a school board member is denied access to tour the schools they represent. I also have concerns that the academic needs of ALL students will be met, not only those who need help to meet benchmarks. Math PSSA scores have nose dived. 4 years ago, with double the number of students requesting the class (15), Calc 2 was cancelled because of an influx of students and the teacher was needed elsewhere. Maybe there is a reason for such a large increase in cyber charter – the YS schools are not meeting these students academic needs so they and their parents have sought better alternatives. Before more bells and whistles are added, a true balanced budget and a return to academic fortitude would be a good start to returning YS to its once highly respected status.

   Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

   
   
   
7. Chris Sanders on May 28, 2024 at 2:11 pm

   Please be advised of the following information: After the 4/29/24 school board meeting, I was alarmed by the statements Lori Ehrlich made about the condition of some of our schools. I was also alarmed by a public comment a nurse posted about the York Suburban Middle School.

   I called Indian Rock, East York, and York Suburban Middle School twice that week requesting a tour to see if these were true, and the risks the students were being exposed to. I also left a message requesting to meet the new Director of Communications. No one called me back. I did receive the following email from Dr. Krauser on 5/3/24.

   Hello Ms Sanders,

   It is my understanding that you have expressed interest in visiting two buildings to follow up on some public comments made at this week’s Board meeting. For a variety of reasons, visits from community members are restricted to specific, purposeful engagements. As such, your request will not be granted.

   Please know the administration shares your interest in learning more about what is mentioned during public comment by our families and follows up on concerns expressed. Unfortunately, this week there were some statements made that were not true. I will address those inaccuracies at an upcoming board meeting where you, and the entire school community, will have the opportunity to learn more about those topics.

   Regarding your inquiry into Mrs.Rhonda Fourhman, our incoming Director of Communications and Community Relations, she will be joining YSSD prior to the end of the school year. However, upon arrival, her immediate focus will be on essential transition elements. Once she has settled into YS’s operations, she will contact you directly to set up a time to meet. For your planning purposes, I would expect to hear from her mid-June at the earliest.

   My follow up email sent to Dr. Krauser 5/6/24

   Dr. Krauser,

   You indicated that visits from community members are restricted to specific, purposeful engagements. As such your request will not be granted. I am listing below the specific, purposeful reasons why I must insist on visiting the buildings I requested.

   At the 4/29/24, School Board Meeting, Lori Ehrlich said the following:
   – there is no working adult toilets in East York school, and Indian Rock had raw sewage backing up into the building.
   – a corner of the library had to be converted into class rooms at Indian Rock to accommodate special needs children. It is not a place for a special needs classrooms. Three special ed classes share this space.
   -currently at Indian Rock, speech and language classes are held in a converted closet. I assume it has no windows and is outfitted to accommodate these students.

   A nurse wrote on public comments an extensive letter about the dire conditions of the nurse’s office at the Middle School.

   I have looked at the school board policy manual on visitors and do not see why, as a concerned resident, I cannot visit and see if these things are true or not.
   You indicate you will address this at an upcoming board meeting. Please confirm the date of the school board meeting where this will be addressed.

   5/8/24 email from Dr. Krauser

   I have reviewed your request under Board Policy 907, accompanying regulations and the School Code. Based on that review, I am denying your request to visit our schools for the purposes you have outlined and to maintain the orderly presentation of education. This denial is consistent with other such requests we have received from individuals who are not parents of students in the District or invited visitors for a District event. An informational update will be provided at the May 13, 2023, Board Planning meeting.

   ***My request for a tour was denied twice by Dr. Krauser. Dr. Krauser never addressed the above issues at the May 13, 2023, meeting.

   Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

   
   
   
8. Rebekah on May 28, 2024 at 11:55 am

   My family has recently moved to the area over the past year, and we specifically picked this district for quality education. The buildings have not been renovated in a while, compared to other districts. I can understand the need and want for renovations now, and how they can help provide a better environment for all children within the district.

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9. Judy Barker on May 28, 2024 at 11:37 am

   On the basis of 1. Diametrically opposing statements concerning who public comments must be directed toward (Policy Comment section, sentence #1 and sentence #7), and 2. The overly restrictive nature of the new time limit; given the history of a longer time and the well articulated desire of the Administration/Board to have robust two-way, collaborative, responsive dialogue and decision making communication with the stakeholders (YSSD Policy Code 910), I am instructing the President of the Board and the remaining Directors to reject the proposed revisions to Policy 903 by removing it from the approval process or voting “NO” at the appropriate point in the process. I am giving these directions to you as the general agent of the residents, on the basis of and “In Accordance With” this relationship between the residents of the District and the School Board, as delineated in the YSSD Policy Code 002, Powers subsection, paragraph #2, sentence #1. Hopefully, each of you will resist the temptation to take offense at this guidance and thereby be found to be disingenuous in regards to your Policy Code 910. I only mention this in light of concern recently voiced by an Administration employee in a discussion concerning questions over missing data on the Tax Impact Calculator, and the fear that it would be disingenuous to include that data.

   Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

   
   
   
10. Bernadette Whittaker on May 28, 2024 at 10:09 am

    continued from my first comment …… Policy 903 would be in the best interest of all to keep it at 5 minutes instead of 3 minutes. I feel that what will happen is that if people dont feel like they have had enough time to speak they will come back up for another 3 mins and now thats 6 minutes and it will be much more time in the long run for the speaking process for all. Also the comment is suppose to be UNINTERUPPTED while they are speaking and asking questions. Cut out the person saying we only have 1 minute left and use a small bell of some sort that will ding at the very end …* Question #3 What are your thoughts on the process of keeping 5 mins to speak and only using a small bell of some sort at THE END OF THE COMMENT,

    thank you

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11. Donald Bahn on May 28, 2024 at 9:57 am

    The old building on Ogontz Rd is still in use as a Church and Christian School, that was replaced with the High School at 1800 Hollywood Drive. My question is WHO dropped the maintenance ball on East York and Indian Rock buildings which did not exist when the building on Ogontz Rd was being used by York Suburban, I went there in 1963 for 6th grade. Since the Ogontz Rd building is still viable for use, Why are East York and Indian Rock is such poor repair?

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12. Bernadette Whittaker on May 28, 2024 at 9:56 am

    Hello everyone i going to ask a few questions and i would really appreciate it if each board member could email me back with some answers. I have lived in the school district for 25 years and my children all attended and graduated from YS. My husband also graduated from YS. Since my children are gone and grown i have not had many reasons to either go to or pass by any of the schools in YS. though im in the school district my work path takes me up the 83 highway. Also i do not subscribe to local newspaper. So when something is happening in my school district i am unaware or out of the loop, Apparently several years ago there were signs placed around the high school and other YS schools talking about Future Focus Planning. Which i presume means that people came to a meeting to talk about a future plan and project. Then this FFP turned into Construction and Renovation. which means its past the planning stage and now and onto the C&R stage. Now i HEARD that there were post cards sent out in our mail alerting us to these events, so * Question #1 when did you send out the post cards informing us the YS TAXPAYERS…was it in the mail.? I do not have any reason to go onto the YS website anymore so when you communicate in that fashion again Im out of the loop. I receive my TAX BILL from the school that comes no problem getting there, Solution my be to attach upcoming future projects and planning to tax bill. * Question #2 Why in the world arent we having a town meeting to answer the tax payers questions and concerns? When i ask my children who ate the cookie and they look down and dont answer, they are hiding something. Be transparent and answer our questions and do not refer us to a website.

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13. John Posenau on May 28, 2024 at 9:53 am

    First a little history:

    Taxpayer-funded public education in Pennsylvania has a rich history that began with the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790 and the identification of a need for general education. This was followed with the Common Laws of 1834 and 1835 that set up a more formal system of public education, funded by taxes.
    The “School Act of 1834” provided the authority while still allowing residents of individual school districts to vote to adopt its requirements.

    This act at once created conflicts across the state with those in favor of public funding of education and those against. After three years, only about three fourths of PA school districts voted to accept the measure. This conflict evolved between those in favor of the democratic ideal of the right to education for all and those wanting to restrict through exclusivity, segregation and discrimination, or simply not wanting to pay for equal education.

    While the York Suburban School District reaps the benefits of quality education and all the benefits for our community (high property values, educated work force…) we still endure those who are anti-public education.

    Individuals will never present themselves as anti-public education, but their actions speak otherwise. Mr. Sears, who the community recently voted off the School Board, spent over 10 years voting against the funding necessary to meet the obligations of the district. Mr. Sanders, who is still currently on the Board, has skipped the budget votes one-third of the time over the past six years and voted no on all school budgets on all but one. Equally concerning is these individuals’ stand on teachers and quality. Both have consistently voted against teacher contract provisions including salary, health care and contract benefits. These are the individuals arguing for teachers over buildings (spoiler – we need both). Most troubling was when both individuals took part in a vote to accept the teacher contract but then voted against the funding to pay for it.

    The community is currently experiencing an assault on our education and student opportunities. The history of the district action are fully visible as well as attendance records and votes on key issues over the past ten years. I would encourage all members of the community to take the time to see what is happening and not listen to a few shouting individuals.

    Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

    
    
    
14. Danny Barker on May 28, 2024 at 9:36 am

    This is what I see; keeping in mind it is limited by the refusal, on the part of the Board at-large, the President of the Board, and the Superintendent, to have COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION, or A RESPONSIVENESS TO THE COMMUNITY.
    Note: This is being restated from the May 13 Agenda comment section, because it was EXCLUDED from the printed copies handed out at the meeting.

    When driving through East York these days, one can’t help but notice the numerous yard signs, calling for the looming tax increases to be halted. Many of us ask ourselves when we see these signs; what tax increase? I haven’t heard anything about that! In a few short months school board attendance has risen from a handful of residents to nearly a hundred. Dig a little deeper and it’s discovered that the administration has been working on a multi-million dollar Renovation and Construction planning option for several years. How could this be, I’m a taxpaying resident? How could I not know this? In order to answer that question, we need to ask a different question.
    What kind of a system could have the authority to plan and spend that kind of money without the taxpayers at large knowing it was happening. The Commonwealth System of Public Education Is the answer and it is a very well-designed system. But, the system is only as good as the commitment, of those in charge of operating it, to implement a Successful Operating Strategy. This strategy pivots on excellent leadership, which is the most important of eight elements. As the great American expert on leadership John C. Maxwell often explains, everything rises or falls on leadership.
    The first element of the strategy is an Underlying Philosophy, which in this case is the Public School Code of 1949. This document, in excellent fashion, lays out the general principles or laws of this activity. Among other things, this document defines those principles and laws for the operation of a local school district. It is bedrock.
    The next element of the strategy is Reliable Equipment and Facilities. This is where a systematic and regular program of maintenance and upgrades is created & implemented. Also, at York Suburban School District this element happens to be one of the five fundamental failure elements which seem to be leading toward a system crisis. Claims of wholesale system failures indicate a failed maintenance approach.
    The third element of the strategy is having Well-defined Operating Boundaries. While there are some constraints external to the district, it is easy to identify three significant boundaries which prudence would dictate that the local board would determine and adhere to. Graduation and scholastic performance minimum targets along with a logically developed debt load limit do not seem to be present. This is the second of the five fundamental failure elements.
    The fourth element of the strategy is Valid Procedures & Policies. This element of the strategy is definitively strong and an inherent strength of the system.
    The next element of the strategy is an Effective Operating Structure. As with the above element, this structure or backbone is strong. It is comprised of the board, committees and the superintendent with his staff.
    The sixth element of the strategy is Alert Well-informed Stakeholders. This element includes primarily the students, the administration, and the residents. And it should be obvious to the most casual observer that without the residents, there is no system at all. For reasons which will be unwrapped in the final two elements of the strategy, this is the third of the five fundamental failure elements which seem to be leading to a system crisis.
    The next element of the strategy is A Collaborative Approach (Teamwork). This element is made up of an ongoing collaborative process, two-way communication, community engagement, a responsiveness to the community, dialogue, and inclusion in decision making. This element places a tremendous responsibility upon the administration to ensure that communication is received by the residents and is inextricably connected to the Alert Well-informed Stakeholder Strategy Element. It is the fourth of five fundamental failure elements in the operation of this school district.
    The eighth and final element of a Successful Operating Strategy is Superb Leaders. In the context of the local school board these leaders are made up of the school board directors of which one is the President or Executive Officer and the Superintendent. I argue that the most culpable of these leaders is the President of the board and the Superintendent. This is the fifth and final failure element in the operation of this school board. Also, it is the one operating element in the strategy that directly affects the effectiveness of the other four fundamental failure elements. Just as the grounding of the supertanker Exxon-Valdez was attributed to five fundamental failure elements and the Captain bore great responsibility for the failure, so is the course set before this district leading. Even as the Board President and Superintendent are clearly most culpable, the remaining board members will do well to remember that by emulating sheep instead of analyzing, questioning, and taking a strong stance for prudent decision making they too are strong candidates to give an account.

    Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

    
    
    
15. Nick on May 28, 2024 at 8:41 am

    I’ve seen a lot of signs around the neighborhood protesting the proposed taxes, but the increases I see on the districts tax calculator seem very reasonable to me. I think an extra $5 per month for the sake of our kids is well worth it. Nice things cost money, after all.

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16. Kathy Pindzola on May 28, 2024 at 7:53 am

    Several of these below items are not on the current agenda, but my hope is that the board and admin can keep them in mind to address in the future. 1. Where are we with the HS Resource Officer position? I understand this was on hold due to the Chief Schwartz retiring. Is this still a position that the administration is recommending? If so, is this in the current proposed budget? If not, can you tell us what has changed at the HS to make you feel it is not necessary? 2. I’m eager to finally hear the presentation (next month?) for the proposed changes to the HS math curriculum. HS students have already registered for this new Integrated Math progression for the upcoming school year prior to this very significant curriculum change having been presented to the board or voted on. While I anticipate that the presentation will address the rationale for the recommended change, it is my hope that it will also address how this program will provide improved differentiation for students of ALL ability levels, not just focusing on the students who are struggling to meet benchmarks. While I understand that YS has seen some challenges with meeting achievement scores in Math in recent years, I do not necessarily agree that it is a failing of our current curriculum. 3. Has an alternative to Chromebooks been considered? They seem to be of poorer quality each year. I can only guess that the cost of upkeep for the district is significant, even with the insurance policies that families purchase. 4. Re: the revision of Policy 903. It seems that while passions are high and community members are feeling unheard (and unaccustomed to procedures), this is not the best time to put forth new criteria that could be perceived as stifling dialog. While I think 3 minutes is adequate for a comment, I suspect that the policing of the sign in and the need to specify the agenda item in advance will be cumbersome and problematic. 5. To the admin, please present your responses to the most frequently asked questions in a paper format that the non-computer-savvy folks can hold and read at their leisure. I have been following the progression of this project for years and am adept at finding answers that I seek online, but many folks do not know where to begin. So much of this misinformation that is being presented by certain community members/groups could be minimized by respectfully presenting the well documented and well researched answers to the most frequently asked questions/comments. The general community often misunderstands the Board’s role vs. the Administration’s role and too often misdirects their ire/confusion at the sitting Board. 6. Finally, a small point about online comments. I suggest requiring both first and last names.

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17. Shane on May 28, 2024 at 7:33 am

    Let’s talk about the word SELFISH.

    /ˈselfiSH/ adjective

    “Devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one’s own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.”

    Most of the people that are protesting this project are selfish. “Why,” you might ask.

    Let’s look. The vast majority of people that are voicing their arguments against this project have no care about who this project will benefit. They don’t have kids that will benefit from new classrooms, so why would they care about the project. We don’t see many – if any – young families with children disagreeing with a project that their children will benefit from.

    I wonder how these people will explain to the family that moves in across the street with young children. They just bought their first house, and made sure it was in York Suburban because they wanted the best education for their family. And there you are. How are you going to explain to them that you are saving them $100 a year and that you don’t care if their children have the best schools possible? That’s selfish.

    Some of the people with signs outside their homes moved to this district years ago so that their young children could benefit from a great school district. Now they do not want to help provide the same for new young families.

    I personally want that new neighbor to know that I want their children having the best schools and education possible.

    Let’s look at one more thing. And not “fixed income”; that’s a story for another day.
    Let’s look at the group that disagrees with this project. They are concerned about taxes? If that was factual, would they not have been as concerned when Spring Garden raised taxes 14%, or when York County raised taxes 17%? They were not.
    This group has manufactured an issue solely to promote their own agenda and create distrust in the current school board. In trying to make this board look bad, they can promote themselves at a later election.

    If it was truly about community and taxes, they would have been fighting this same fight with the county and townships recently. But they did not.

    They are using people that are vulnerable and sensitive to tax hikes. They are instilling fear in these people to get them to help promote their personal agendas.

    The proof of this will be the next election. At the 2/26 board meeting, Mike Park threatened that “they” would stop the project by backing their own school board candidates next election. Who is “they”? What values do they hold, and what will their priorities be? This group has been inflating the truth about the building project for months; surely they will lie to residents about their candidates as well. These candidates will be backed by a group that regularly lies to the public, artificially inflates tax increases to create fear tactics, and publishes blatantly incorrect and misleading data. Let’s not forget that one of these group members was already voted off the board this past November.

    Think about your neighbor. It’s not always about you. There is a large benefit to living somewhere that values public education. Trust the numbers. Trust the board. These numbers impact them as well.

    Be able to look at your new neighbors and tell them their child will have the best school and education possible.

    Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

    
    
    
18. Amber on May 27, 2024 at 11:46 pm

    I am not able to physically attend many meetings. However, as a parent of a student in the district, who has been following this project for years. It has been maddening to watch these meetings and listen to people asking for letters to have been sent, town halls, and questions answered when there has been sign after sign around the townships and meeting after meeting asking for opinions.

    People keep asking for more options than the one that was approved, when we had 6+ at the start of all of this? It is not the school board’s, or honestly even more importantly the students in this district’s, fault that people weren’t paying attention. These kids deserve a well-functioning and safe building. Any parent I have talked to feels similarly.

    Please complete the following information to provide an electronic public comment for the Board agenda posted above.

    
    
    
19. Lori Ehrlich on May 27, 2024 at 10:47 pm

    The accusations toward the board by the Teachers Not Buildings (TNB) group have been appalling. And the social media memes created to disparage the board members are absolutely juvenile. These board members were elected by a large majority for their expertise in areas such as economics, finance, mental health advocacy, community service, and education. The disrespect they are receiving is childish and unfounded. This is NOT how respectable adults behave.

    Those of you who are supporters of this TNB group — those of you who have been lied to with false data, and egregiously inflated dollar amounts — do you think that the leaders of that group honestly care about you? They are simply trying to sow division in the community. You are being lied to, and you are taking the bait. You are putting their signs on your lawns because they’ve convinced you that you’ll lose your home. But you won’t. The REAL data tells the truth.

    The reality is, that this project NEEDS to happen. It’s not a question of YES or NO . . . it’s a question of WHEN, and the WHEN is NOW. East York and Indian Rock are going to continue to degrade, and the longer the project waits, the worse the conditions get and the more expensive it gets to build. How will YS retain quality teachers when the conditions become intolerable? What happens to your home value then?

    Those of you who support TNB who are cheering at the childish memes, but are laughing when people post actual factual data, and who walk out when the administration presents answers to all of your questions at a meeting, aren’t really interested in benefitting the students of our district. You don’t really care at about students or their education, and that’s sad. Very sad.

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20. Brian on May 27, 2024 at 9:35 pm

    I support the building projects, you can’t keep “fixing” old buildings and throwing good money after bad. The tax increase will be minimal, way cheaper than a reassessment. The numbers being presented by a certain group are not accurate, but I guess it better fits their narrative. To the board members who voted for the building projects, thank you. To those, present or former, who voted against and continue to be disruptive, stay classy.

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21. Rebecca Schmehl on May 27, 2024 at 7:36 am

    When a school board treats our hard-earned, confiscated tax payer money like Monopoly money and then tries to limited the time we can object to it, that is unconstitutional, manipulative and cowardly. If the comments at meetings were not opposition, but instead fawning adoration, Policy 903 would never have come up. This is a blatant way to try to squelch opposition. I oppose Policy 903 and the distraction it is from the real problems, which are taxation without representation and reckless spending. This all needs to stop.

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22. Kathy on May 24, 2024 at 9:34 pm

    What is the surplus going to be used for? Why not for the construction/repairs that should have been done 10 years ago. Tax increases for a senior population whom have no children in Surbaban schools is uncalled for.

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