The Gettysburg Area School District approved an increased budget proposal for Adams County Technical Institute and the construction of a new team room during its meeting on Monday, but the votes were not unanimous.
ACTI requested an additional $127,326 from participating school districts — Gettysburg, Littlestown, Fairfield, Bermudian Springs, and Conewago Valley — for the 2025-26 school year. GASD would fund $42,201 of that request, according to a proposal included with the meeting’s agenda. Board members Al Moyer, Kathleen Pratt and Michelle Smyers opposed the motion while Kenny Hassinger, Michael Dickerson, Tim Seigman, Alice Broadway, Jeremy Davis, and Ryan Morris supported it.
ACTI Administrative Director Shawn Eckenrode wrote in the proposal that the funds are needed to hire an additional Allied Health teacher ($57,630), collective bargaining negotiations ($24,532), superintendent of record stipend ($15,000), and office personnel salary adjustments ($30,164).
Eckenrode told the board that a second teacher is needed because a previously planned part-time lab assistant position was difficult to fill. He explained that qualified candidates do not want to work part-time for a reduced salary.
Since ACTI was created five years ago, the superintendent of record was a volunteer position that rotated among superintendents of participating districts. Eckenrode said the current superintendent of record, Dr. Sharon Perry, is dedicating more time to the job than her predecessors as the school moves to expand and build a new facility. Answering a question from Smyers, Eckenrode said removing the stipend once the new school is built would be a decision of the ACTI Joint Operating Committee.
Last year, the ACTI board hired Perry to replace Eckenrode as the school’s administrative director upon his planned July 1, 2025 retirement. Perry later rescinded her resignation and retained her job as Conewago Valley Superintendent before taking on the additional ACTI superintendent of record position. As a result, Eckenrode rescinded his retirement.
Team Room
The board also approved the construction of a $2.1 million team room on the middle school grounds, located near Warrior Stadium. The project also includes additional spectator access on the roof and related pathway, renovations to the visitor bleachers, and relocation of the flag pole.
Architectural renderings show the team room will include two whirlpools, a training/taping area, a storage room, toilets, and space for home and away teams to gather. Business Manager Belinda Wallen stated that the district did not consider adding lockers to the facility due to the additional space required.
Answering a question from Pratt, Athletic Director Kody Godsey said that the Gettysburg boys’ and girls’ track and field teams would use both rooms during their events, as they compete together. Away teams traditionally arrive dressed for competition.
Pratt and Smyers opposed the building’s construction, with Hassinger, Moyer, Dickerson, Broadway, Morris, Davis, and Seigman supporting it.
Featured Image: An artist’s rendering of the Gettysburg Area School District’s proposed team room.
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.