By Imari Scarbrough
The Conewago Valley school board voted to keep its president and vice-president but debated the need for a finance subcommittee on Monday evening.
No new members joined the board.
Board president Jeffrey Kindschuh was reelected as the board president by a vote of 8-1, with board member Lindsay Krug voting against him.
Vice president Eric Flickinger was also re-elected as board vice president, but by a narrower margin. Board members Krug, April Swope, Meredith Miller and William Getz voted against him.
The board also voted 8-1 to approve the 2024-25 meeting calendar, with Krug voting against it.
Subcommittee appointments also remained the same as the previous year, with board members serving on subcommittees for areas such as athletics. Board members also voluntarily took on the job of bringing items within assigned topics, such as property and personnel, to the board for action.
“Thank you all for volunteering for those extra duties,” Kindschuh said. “It is appreciated.”
Kindschuh said he will continue to be the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) liaison. Board secretary Lori Duncan agreed to continue in her role as the earned income tax collection agency representative and was approved for the role in a unanimous vote.
The board voted 5-4 against Krug’s request to consider setting a finance subcommittee. Board treasurer Michael Buckley, board member Melanie Sauter, Flickinger, Getz and Kindschuh voted against it while board member David Thad Meckley, Krug, Swope and Miller supported it.
Kindschuh said the entire board has the opportunity to attend the finance as a whole committee.
When Krug said the budget warrants a ‘deep dive’ in a subcommittee, Duncan said finance sessions to help provide answers were offered to board members 45 minutes prior to meetings last year, but no one attended.
Krug said 45-minute sessions did not allow sufficient time.
Duncan also said detailed breakdowns of specific areas such the library book budget are not always necessary or immediately available as purchases such as office supplies or individual books may not be selected until partway through the year.
With her request to form a finance subcommittee voted down, Krug said she will “probably say no to every finance thing from now on” until she is satisfied with responses to her queries.
Cost to transport CVSD ‘walkers’
Superintendent Sharon Perry followed up on previous board discussions regarding the number of students within a one-mile radius of their schools, who are considered to be walkers, as well as the potential cost to offer them district transportation.
Perry said that during the 2020-21 school year, the one-mile radius was changed to a 1.5-mile radius due to a combination of federal law changes and the need to social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2021-22 school year, the walking distance reverted to one mile.
There are currently 295 walkers who fall within a mile of their school, according to Perry. Offering them transportation would cost the district about $295,000.
There are 79 walkers at the high school, 43 at the middle school, 10 at the intermediate school, 62 at New Oxford Elementary and 101 at Conewago Township Elementary, according to Perry.
With so many young walkers, even offering transportation to those in grades K-6 alone would cost $173,000.
Board members suggested solutions the district could consider, and the board indicated interest in providing a survey to families within a mile of their schools to see if they would be interested in the potential offer of bus transportation.
Elementary renovations, comprehensive plan updates
Perry said Dr. Lorrie Hrycek, supervisor of special education and student services, recently offered a presentation for new teachers within their induction period. The presentation focused on parents and guardians.
“Dr. Hrycek stressed the importance of family engagement and communication as parent-teacher conferences were being held just prior to the holiday,” Perry said. “I’m really happy about that as this is a key strategic goal for year three of our comprehensive plan for family engagement.”
Work on the district’s new comprehensive plan is nearly complete. The comprehensive plan strategic committee held their final meeting in November and the draft of the plan should go before the board in January, according to Perry. It is due to be submitted to the state by the end of March 2025.
Perry also provided a brief update on the planned renovations of Conewago Township Elementary and New Oxford Elementary schools.
Perry said the board will learn more about potential financing options for the Conewago Township Elementary renovation project during a meeting next Monday. The meeting will focus on financing and is a necessary precursor to the Act 34 presentation and resolution scheduled for January and the Act 34 hearing planned for February.
The board will also hear from Anthony Colestock, a representative of architectural design firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates who has been working with the district on preparing options for the elementary schools project.
Additionally, in response to interest from Krug and Swope, the board agreed to hold a discussion in a future meeting about whether board members should be able to review potential additions to the school library before they are purchased.
No date was set for that discussion.
The board’s business on Monday was conducted in a series of meetings including a reorganization meeting, an executive meeting, a study session and a regular voting meeting.
The next meeting will be a special voting meeting and a committee of the whole to learn about financing options for the Conewago Township Elementary updates beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9.
Imari Scarbrough is a freelance journalist.
Imari Scarbrough is a freelance journalist. She was a staff newspaper reporter for five years before becoming a freelancer in 2017. She has written on crime, environmental issues, severe weather events, local and regional government and more.
You can visit her website at ImariJournal.com.
Congratulations Jeff and Eric!