By Imari Scarbrough
The Conewago Valley school board agreed to replace its broken, 21-year-old stadium sound system during a meeting on Monday.
Recently, one of the speakers in the sound system broke. While the administration investigated the option of replacing the single speaker, it ultimately decided replacing the system would be more cost-effective.
“When we begin replacing speakers that don’t play nicely in the sandbox with one another, especially our newer speakers that don’t communicate with 21-year-old speakers, the recommendation is to redo the entire stadium and put that and place that back on our capital improvement plan,” Superintendent Sharon Perry said. “It’s well outworn its life. These sound systems typically last 15 years, and so we’re at 21 years.”
While the district could replace the speaker, the aging system may have other parts fail, ultimately making repairs a pricey, piecemeal effort.
Perry asked the board to approve the purchase during the July meeting to ensure the system is ready for the new school year. The system is used for athletics as well as events such as graduation.
The new system will cost $42,068.29 through Eslinger Lighting, Inc.
Board member Lindsay Krug pushed back on the purchase, asking whether the broken speaker had been thoroughly investigated.
Perry said quotes to replace the entire system went well over $100,000, and the quote the district selected was the lowest one. Replacing a single speaker would likely mean it would not be compatible with the system, as it is 21 years old and could result in audience complaints due to feedback, Perry said.
Nick Zepp, director of technology for the district, said a single speaker would run about $3,000 to $5,000 but agreed it would be better for the district to replace the entire system than face predicted additional failures and incompatibilities due to its age.
Krug said the issue should have been brought to the board before its July meeting in order to allow additional time to consider options.
“It’s not true that there was that time,” Perry said. “This came well after our last board meeting, and it was a very quick turnaround that we were able to accomplish within the past week, as we were attempting to do the research on it. I don’t want the board to feel that we’ve been sitting on this information for weeks.”
Zepp said the athletic department did have outside companies look at the speaker to determine whether it was repairable.
“Well, I think it’s logical to assume that a company who’s trying to, you know, if Anderson Windows comes out because I have one broken window, Anderson Windows is certainly going to try to get me to replace all windows in my house,” Krug said. “That doesn’t mean it’s not a viable option. It means that it’s beneficial to the company to replace a system all at once.”
Board member Jeffrey Kindschuh defended the administration and the speaker vendor, Eslinger Lighting, Inc., which the district has worked with on other projects.
“I actually did talk to Anderson, and they did not recommend changing all – when they came and looked at my house, they did not recommend changing all,” Kindschuh said. “That’s the importance of dealing with a reputable vendor, which, in this particular case, the quote is from someone we’ve worked with and have a relationship with.”
Krug’s motion to pull the sound system from the agenda did not pass.
The board voted 6-3 to approve the purchase of the sound system, with board members Krug, April Swope, and William Getz voting against it.
Student handbook discussion
The board member also debated whether the board was given sufficient time to review the student handbook before being asked to approve it during the July meeting.
Some members felt the changes should have been provided to the board more than a few days ahead of the meeting.
Krug made a motion to pull the handbooks from the agenda, but this sparked concerns that delaying the vote would delay posting the handbook online for families.
Kindschuh explained the board’s handbook process, saying the board was given the links to the prior handbook months in advance, as it is over 100 pages. The changes the board is being asked to present are highlighted, in the case of changes or additions, or crossed out, in the case of deletions, in order to make reading the new changes easier and faster.
Kindschuh said the full handbook did not need to be read immediately before the changes were approved as reading the full handbook ahead of time, as well as the noted changes days before the meeting, would provide a more relaxed reading schedule.
Krug’s motion to pull the handbook vote did not pass.
The board further discussed how to handle handbook review in the future to allow more time and discussion from the board.
Congress delays federal funding
Dr. Wesley Doll, assistant superintendent for the district, apprised the board of potential issues with some federal funding.
Due to the U.S. Congress reviewing Title II, Title III, and Title IV money, Doll said the funding could be delayed.
“So, Title II, we utilize that money for class size reduction [to hire teachers when a school needs smaller class sizes],” Doll said. “Title III is ESL services and things of that nature that help students who speak a different language. And then Title IV is things like safety, mental health, educational technology, and being well-rounded. So, there are a number of areas that fall into that category.”
Doll said the district should receive the Title I funding, but the other money was less certain.
“We will still get the Title I money,” Doll said. “There’s a pause on this as the federal level is reviewing it. We’re very hopeful that once they have reviewed it, it will pass through, and then we will receive that money. We’ve already talked internally how that will impact us. We feel it will have a minimal impact here in the district. We will be able to continue to provide some of those services at this point.”
In all, the district receives about $200,000 from the combined Title II, Title III, and Title IV funding.
CTE, NOE construction updates
The district has had two pre-construction meetings regarding the Conewago Township Elementary school project with contractors, according to Perry. Once the supervisors of Conewago Township sign their copies of the paperwork, the project will begin in earnest late next week.
New Oxford Elementary School is also on schedule, although it is intentionally behind CTE.
Perry said upcoming discussions and meetings for NOE will mimic the process the board went through during the past several months to approve the CTE construction.
Faculty with NOE will participate in another meeting in September to ensure the district has heard feedback about all areas, Perry said.
On Sept. 6, the architectural design firm the district has contracted with, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, will provide an update to the board on the NOE project.
In response to discussion regarding a Right to Know request filed for specific construction and furnishing costs, Perry said the exact figures are not yet available at this stage of the project.
Krug made a motion to add a discussion to the August agenda regarding the board’s receipt of financial details for furnishings before voting on the expenditures.
While construction figures are already provided to the board as they are received, Krug voiced concerns regarding specific, detailed furniture costs for the new schools.
Perry said she does not have specific item requests at this stage of the project, but will gain more information later on.
Additionally, Perry said the budget for furnishings used in the Act 34 hearing for the CTE project was based on the standard calculation of 7% or higher of the total construction costs, and she slashed that percentage in half to 3.5% for budget purposes.
That 3.5% left for the budget is about $1 million, but it is based on the Act 34 estimates rather than particular priced items.
Perry said the budget goes to more than just the eight new classrooms.
“We are furnishing damaged equipment that, again, is well over 20 years old,” Perry said.
Perry and Kindschuh, as well as two audience members, thanked business manager Lori Duncan for her service to the district. Duncan is retiring from her position.
“Lori, your many years of service – 23, I think you had shared with us – is just phenomenal,” Kindschuh said. “It reflects your dedication, and we are very grateful for all you have done.”
The board agreed to discuss the building projects during the August meeting.
Prior to the open meeting, the board held an executive session to discuss personnel.
The board will hold a study session and voting meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4.
A regular voting meeting will follow at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11.
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.