Gettysburg Area School District property owners will likely incur a 1% tax increase this summer, primarily to support funding a new career and technical education center. The increase follows a zero percent increase last year and, if enacted, would create an average .67 percent annual increase over the past 7 years.
During a recent meeting, Business Manager Belinda Wallen told the board the increase is necessary to fund a planned new facility for Adams County Technical Institute (ACTI). ACTI hopes to repurpose an existing building or build a new one to expand its offerings and meet demand.
Kenny Hassinger, Tim Seigman, Alice Broadway, Jeremy Davis, and Al Moyer supported the proposal. Cindy Ayers and Michelle Smyers opposed it. Mike Dickerson and Ryan Morris were absent from the meeting.
The board will hold a public hearing on the budget on May 20. The final adoption is expected to occur on June 17.
In addition to a tax increase, the $76 million budget will be funded by transferring $2.724 million from the district’s savings account. The transfer puts the account at $4.58 million, Wallen said, which is the lowest it can be per board policy.
The district is projecting cost increases in several areas, including salaries, medical insurance, ACTI tuition, cyber charter school tuition, transportation, technology, and capital funds. The district is also adding a fourth police officer, girls’ head wrestling coach, and assistant wrestling coach, Wallen said.
The district plans to spend less money on worker’s compensation, Lincoln Intermediate Unit services, property maintenance, and utilities.
ACTI
More students are applying to ACTI than the school can fit. To meet the demand and expand its programming, ACTI hopes to build a new campus. The school currently occupies a building on the Gettysburg Area High School campus.
ACTI Administrative Director Sean Eckenrode said previously that 212 students applied for 147 spots last year.
ACTI offers Culinary Arts, Allied Health, Criminal Justice, Building Trades, Early Learning Education, Computer Networking, and Diesel Mechanics. Eckenrode said that half of the school’s students enter the workforce immediately after graduation. He added that 120 graduates received 456 industry-recognized credentials and 231 college credits through the program.
ACTI currently plans to apply for a $10 million bond to support its expansion, Wallen said. Gettysburg, Bermudian Springs, Fairfield, Littlestown, and Conewago Valley school districts will be required to fund the payments. Wallen and board members support the school’s expansion but predict the cost estimate is low.
“If they have to build a brand new building, $10 million is not going to cut it to even have a quarter of a wing to have a facility,” Wallen said.
Hire questioned
Smyers said she believes the district could save money by cutting administrators.
“I want you to understand I agree with ACTI. What I do not support is growing the bureaucracy within the district,” Smyers said.
She specifically opposed the hiring of Kevin Kritsberg as a project manager with a salary of $86,000. Smyers said she believes Facilities Manager Josh Reynolds should do the job with no additional compensation.
Smyers’ comments drew a rebuke from her fellow board members. Seigman noted the district always has projects to manage so the position is necessary. Seigman and Moyer also said the district eliminated an assistant facilities director position to fund the project manager.
“The project manager title, compared to the assistant facilities manager, better aligns with what we are looking to do with our construction and renovation and capital projects,” Moyer said.
Wallen concurred and said the new position is budget-neutral since the other position was eliminated. Additionally, Wallen said, the district will save money by not having outside contractors manage projects.
“The responsibility of the project manager is to make sure the fox is not watching the fox hole,” she said.
Smyers and Ayers opposed Kritsberg’s hiring, while the others in attendance supported it.
New Auditor
The district is moving on from its longtime auditor, Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC.
Wallen said the district was pleased with the quality of its audit but frustrated with its completion time. She also cited poor communication and the audit’s cost as issues.
Next month, the board will vote on a proposal to contract with Boyer & Ritter for three years to audit the district’s finances.
Since the auditor is a contracted position, a request for proposals is not necessary, Wallen said.
(Featured Image: The pictured chart, provided by Gettysburg Area School District, shows the recent history of tax increases on property owners.)
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.
Where is the public hearing?
Is it still today?