001Good evening. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct the business of the Gettysburg Area School District. Board of Director's meetings and committee meetings are open to the public but are not public meetings. All school district residents who wish to make public comment should sign in prior to the start of the meeting and request to speak during citizens participation. Public comment is welcome and all issues will be referred to the appropriate board committee or administrator. Comments will also be summarized in the official board minutes which will be made available by contacting the business office. Jeremy Davis is excused this evening and so is Kathleen Pratt. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
002indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. So before we jump into the rest of this, uh some housekeeping. The board held an executive session prior to the start of tonight's meeting related to a personnel/legal matter and the board will go into executive session immediately following this meeting uh related to a mandatory annual act 44 safety and security update by our chief of police. So at the end of the meeting, if people could kindly exit, um this board will stay in this room for the second executive session. Any notices or communications? No notices or communications this evening, which brings us to citizens participation, and I'm seeing none. Brings us right into routine approvals. Uh there's a separation of 5.4, which is a personnel um from a roll call vote. So, I'll entertain a motion for 5.1,
003which is the agenda, 5.2, the financial report, and 5.3 approval of meal prices. May I have a motion, please? So moved. Second. Question on the motion. Hearing none, roll call. Ryan, yes. Tim, yes. Al, yes. Mike, yes. Alice, yes. Michelle, yes. And I vote yes. Final item on routine approvals is 5.4. It's the HR. May I have a motion? So moved. Second. Question on a motion. I don't have a question but um on this uh report is the act 93 for administrators and we've met several times about this and all of us have had questions but I I can't vote for this simply because we're we're going to be paying way more than I think what our taxpayers can afford. 4% raise across the board, almost 4% raise across the board is just I don't
004know any other business that's paying that and I just I can't I can't go for it. And that's No, and I understand. Um, but it's my it's my choice this evening to bring this to a vote unless there's a motion to table it. Again, it's going to go for a roll call. So, is there any additional questions on the motion on the floor? Hearing none. Roll call. Michelle, no. Alice, yes. Mike, yes. Al, yes. Tim, yes. Ryan, yes. And I vote yes. Items for board action 6.1 is adopt a general fund budget. If you look at this particular item this evening, the first motion that I'm going to ask for is the administration recommendation to adopt a 2526 general fund budget at 1.5% real estate tax. May I have a motion? So moved. Second. Question
005on the 1.5. Not a question, but a comment. Uh Mr. Mr. President, uh I do think that the 1.5 uh based upon the administration's recommendation helps us for the future uh to build what we need to to be able to make reasonable decisions for the next few years uh in the future. My my fear is if we don't go the 1.5 uh we will certainly pay for it next year and have to possibly have a spike of a tax increase and I'd rather avoid that. Thank you. Kenny, I also say a quick thing. Um, I I also appreciate, you know, we've been getting these updates um for any of the public that wants the the the back kind of history of of working through this budget. Um, we've been getting updates for months about it
006and I do appreciate all the efforts that the business office and admin team have done in order to kind of cut back some costs and just just make it as I I I believe it's as lean as possible in order to kind of make those similar kinds of changes um as Al's talking about in terms of keeping programming but also committing to the to the um tech voc. So, thank you. Um, we're going to do a vote roll call and the way it's going to work here this evening. If it does not pass, we'll move on to a second motion that I'll present to the board. If it passes, obviously that's obsolete. Um, I appreciate Alice and Al's comments. My vote obviously is going to be where I stand. I I support the ACTI at
0071%. I'm not I don't think this evening that.5 I'm not uh I'm not going to land that direction. Everybody can vote their conscience but the 1% understanding the reason behind it in terms of the bond and moving forward for the taxpayers makes sense to me. Any additional roll call? Roll calls on 1.5. Michelle, no. Alice, yes. Mike, no. Al, yes. Tim, no. Ryan, no. I vote no. Second motion uh having 1.5 not passed is the board to take action on a 2025 20226 general fund budget of 1% real estate tax increase. May I have a motion? So move second. Question on that motion? not a question, but just to follow up um since I feel like it's a little odd, you know, I want there to be a budget that passes and also given numbers
008that I'm seeing and ideas that I think people are holding, um just stating that I I will probably vote no because of wanting the 1.5, but I do support the budget in general, um and funding our schools. And also just an additional comment of of what I'll have to vote no on that. But besides uh looking at the future and and the fact that I'm going to be here next year and I'm hoping several of you will be here as well. Uh but a 1% uh going towards ACTI, which I support 100% means that then there's really uh for the general population here of the school, we're not really uh doing anything. and we just supported an increase for our act 93 team and the other contractual agreements that we have. If we agree to
009those things, I'm not sure how we can't agree to provide the resources to make that happen. That's confusing to me. All right. Thank you. Well, just for some clarity, and I'm not saying you're speaking to anyone in particular, but in the last prior meetings, this board and the audience has listened to this great unknown that comes back from the audit. And the audit comes back with a windfall every single year. And unless I don't want to put words in someone's mouth, if you do the math and you're down 200, it makes $230,000, whatever, and your windfall 600700, you're paying back X, and you're still coming out at the next year's audit. On the plus side, we have also received information quite often about how that is not, you know, that's not just free money that
010is not used that has gone into the next into reconciling the budget for the next year. So part, correct me if I'm incorrect, but part of those funds that look to be more money than we were maybe anticipating from the audit are then going into ensuring that this next budget is, you know, is able to be lowered a bit. Any additional revenue or less in expenditures rolls into the following budget year's preparation. Um, we have not historically uh advanced counted revenue for the oncoming budget year. And I would just like to say to kind of support what President Hasser said, I mean this I'm going into my sixth budget cycle. Um, and and I will say the business office and Belinda and everyone else has been fabulous at at projecting kind of the district's needs.
011And then also when we come in and there's been several of us that met with Belinda and Dr. Pin and Dr. Matzner several times um during this budget cycle in particular and they've been really creative on on being able to reduce expenditures without impacting students or programs. And I think with just like the teachers contract negotiation and the act 93, Blend and her team have probably been very careful on on budgeting with what they think that that they can pay for. Um and and like President Hassinger said, every year we kind of get this surplus or we ended up getting more from the state than we anticipate. And I think we've made it clear in this case that that we're going to we're going to hedge our bets and um borrow some funds from capital
012improvement and 5-year project stuff um to not have to put the burden on the taxpayers and and we'll be able to pay that back, I think, on once we get our funding from the state when they settled their budget. I'm glad you mentioned the capital projects fund. But I think it's important to keep that in mind should this vote go through that that is something we will have to keep our eye on in case that doesn't get replenished. Um cuz that is you know a future thinking endeavor that is necessary for maintaining maintaining our facilities. Um yeah thank you. Um, yeah. And I' I've, you know, thought pretty hard about this as well because I don't I don't want to raise taxes at all, but I also understand that the cost of everything for the
013district goes up all the time and and I know we get this surplus, but this uh and we don't know what the state's going to send us, but you know, we just uh we just voted on the Act 93 contract. We have a teachers contract and I and I actually don't know what those assumed potential raises in those contracts amount to as a whole for the district. So I don't know what that impact's going to be on the district for next year and the following year. I I just don't want to get into a spot where now we have to go 2 and 12% or 3% because we've only we went zero and 1% for so long that now we end up like some of these other school districts that are doing five and 6%.
014I I I don't want to be that person. Um I'd rather do a little bit and make it easier on everybody to take it than slam everybody at one time. But um it's it's uh I mean it's only half percent and you're like I'm stressing that but I'd be I'd be stressing more if we were voting at 4 and a half%. No. Agreed. I mean I think that's one of the reasons I won't put words in Al's mouth but based off of what we've both been talking about tonight that that is one of the reasons to advocate for the 1.5%. Uh because that is going towards operating funds outside of ACTI. you're looking at 0.5% which is is small not negligible. I acknowledge that. Um but that is effectively out of that the only amount
015that is going towards general operating um of the school district rather than ACTI. Um I I also just you know just to remind I think it's important tonight to just think of all of the summary of things that we've talked about that you know for the near future thankfully um federal funding is still secure for us but that is also something that is potentially on the table for revisiting the budget not next school year but the following school year in terms of something that may not be as um available to us. So may may end up and again an unknown may end up in some necessary increases there as well. Um so lots to think about always for the budget. Um but just to remind people of kind of the specifics there. No, I I
016totally get what you're saying, but but I will say in closing that that it's actually Belinda, Dr. Pin, Dr. Matner and her their team that's kind of given me the faith and confidence to be able to to go for the 1% because they've they've done a great job and forecasting and budgeting and doing what they need to do. So, I I think that we're going to be fine after their the state approves their budget. Mike, I I'm going to echo what you say. I we haven't sat in any of these meetings where we heard that the district was recommending taking away by our vote money from do to donations to school resources to anything. I haven't heard it in any of our meetings. I know there's been some suggestions of it, but I haven't heard
017that that's what we have to do. I mean, we've sat through budget cycles for seven years now for me and we've been zero and still had a surplus. So, that's just where I land on that 1%. Belinda, can I ask? We are taking the 25 away from GAF, correct? Yes, that's a uh recognized as a deduction. So we are we are taking money. We are where was that recog that was that was a board question not not a motion where the board directed the district to do that. I mean the board the board could have ultimately said whatever that donation is instead of cutting them off at the knees you you give half of that or or a percentage of that. Unless I missed that in any of our board meetings that is not at
018all what I came in here expecting to hear. That is what she said last meeting. That was that was on that was on one of the slides. Yeah. One of the cuts off made. Are you tell are you I got to are are are we also saying if we would have voted for the 1.5 you were doing the same thing? That's correct. Yeah. Okay. I do not support that whether no matter whether we're voting on 1.5 or 1%. I don't think you do that in any program arbitrarily across the board. I'm just one. So I do I do also agree with this. I said that I think the night that it was on the slide. Um my confusion now lies in what where that leaves us for a vote when that was information that was
019presented to us. um because that was not something we discussed at that time. I am in favor of that. Um maybe I'll direct this question towards somebody else. I'm I I need I kind of need the board to be paying attention so we can figure out what we're going to do about it. um if if that is something that people didn't that people took issue with um that people would like to support, I'm well, as as a GAF board member, I support this. I mean, I've spoken about the the benefits that it provides to the school district. Um but I also know that that was very clearly put up as a as an item to be taken off and then we didn't discuss it at that time. Well, I I can make this in I
020can make this very simple. It doesn't matter whether we voted 1.5 or 1%. We got the answer that that was going to be done and the board directs it as a budget. I'll put it up as a vote whether we support or don't support. And this and everybody in here can publicly make their stance on whether they support it or they don't. Whether they support it as a whole or whether we can meet and come up with an appropriate figure instead of taking the legs out from underneath a program that's been here. My question is more about the process for this evening because if I'm correct, we're voting on the budget that as it stands being presented to us, which means in order to make a change to that, we would not be able to
021vote on that document tonight. Am I correct in assuming that given the procedures for how this usually works? I Yeah, I mean I I only know what the motion is. I don't know, Belinda, you can explain that impact. I wasn't here at the last meeting. So, cuz it would change it would change a line item in the budget is what we're talking about. So, that would require new documents to vote on. Correct. New documents to vote on. It's a change of $25,000. An increase in expenditures um and which would decrease the fund balance by 25,000 and it would change the appropriation of the numbers on the forms that we have prepared either for the one and a half or the 1%. But for purposes of substance, right, if the motion were on the table were
022to be revised, we just say for the sake of it, we have the one point zero on the on the table with the impact of GAF. And you could vote, you could revise the motion to be the 1 uh% real estate increase, but directing at the same time that that $25,000 impact not be realized. You can make the motion if that's right, Melinda. If that's how the the paperwork is currently draft would reflect the 25,000. I I'm just We would not have the paperwork this evening to sign for the 25,000 because we would need to make the change into the software and so forth, but you would have the ability to make a motion on the impact. That's what my question is not on the paperwork itself, but you can make the motion on Yes,
023the motion on addition of $25,000 of expenditures. You could revise the motion only because you've got to get it passed soon before June 30th. That's correct. Yes. Right. I'm just And I believe you would also need public comment on that. Correct. Because that's not a motion on the table. They're just revising the motion. Can I clear this up real quick? Because if not, I'm going to I'm actually going to take I'm going to entertain an executive session. I I I just fundamentally don't understand what's happening here. We vote on a budget. that says a 1% or 1 point doesn't matter what we vote on. We vote on a budget. The district gets the budget and the allotment of money that they're to use. We are not voting on line items. If the board wants to
024keep a certain program or a directive or donation, whatever it is, we direct the district to keep that. They figure out how to do that within their means based upon the budget that we voted on. So, I don't think it calls for another motion. It doesn't table this motion. we can move forward and the board can give a directive like we've done before and said the board wants to keep a donation of X. Let's figure out how we're doing it. Is that correct? Understood. I just for that's fine. Just want to make sure everyone voting to Michelle's point is aware of the impact of what this vote would have been and understand that you can the board directive can can change that account back to the 25,000. I I totally agree with you. I'm just
025trying to make sure everybody voting understands what that is helpful to me because I think what I was thinking you were saying was like here's the budget here are all the numbers we've been looking at add $25,000 which in my mind would change I mean it's not that's a small part portion of the overall budget but in my mind that would change the impact to taxes and all but you're saying keep it at 1% and then somehow that will be reallocated. I'm telling you, a vote this evening doesn't change whether or not the board supports any type of expenditure. There's a budget as a whole. We're not voting line item by line item. No, but I think I mean I do think that is important. I'm not going to I'm not going to split hairs
026further than that. I'm asking a question so that I can understand what the impact is to the overall budget. we have been looking at it in great detail in terms of what's there and what's not. So I, you know, I do think it matters a little bit of understanding. I I'm just asking for more information. I genuinely um agree with what it is that you are aiming to do in terms of, you know, wanting to support GAF. So I just feel like that's an important thing to understand. I I think my I think my question has been addressed. I believe I understand now what that would look like. I just I just don't know how it you know if that changes the vote at all. Um the impact would either be capital reserve them then
027funding less to capital reserve or reduction of the uh contingency budgetary reserve. The expenses can stay the same. It's one of those two accounts that are going to change. Okay. Thank you. That's helpful. Thank you. Any additional before roll call? The vote this evening is on 1.0 0 20225 2025 Alice um this is for the 1% yes um I will vote no Tim yes Mike yes Ryan yes Michelle no Al no I vote yes it's it's not enough to pass five I There's no other options. I mean, I'll go back through 1.5 again if you want. I'll go back through 1.0 or we'll be back in here in two weeks with additional board members and we'll go back through the vote and it'll have to be prior to two weeks because it has to be
028before I'm just a special meeting. Just making sure. That's fine. Yep. I if I may, the special meeting would have to be within this week simply because of vacation schedules and things of that nature. I I apologize for that notice. Um unless you want to have additional other support from the business office. Can you give us uh recess? I'm going to take a fiveminute recess. We may be able to track down a board member for a vote. Sure. Sorry about the delay. Full transparency. Um Jeremy Davis was unavailable to attend in person. Um we've not had a discussion other than is he available for a vote. In all fairness, he wasn't watching the meeting or hearing anything about the meeting. I'm going to entertain a motion as from the start for 1.5. If that fails,
029we go to 1.0. We're just having a complete doover, not only for Jeremy's sake, but for full transparency. Any problems or questions with that? May I have a motion for 1.5 budget increase? So moved. Second question on 1.5. Uh perhaps I I just it just popped into my head and I'll be quick about it and concise, but perhaps given the fact that Jeremy was not able to be in attendance earlier, I'm going to state for the record why why I am in support of 1.5. Um and anyone else who feels moved to do that um that that you know 1% is going towards ACTI. So really that's looking at a 0.5% that goes towards other general operating costs for the school district that are necessary for maintaining programming now and in the future and to
030avoid later bigger tax increases. I think that that's valuable um as we head down the road. Thanks Jeremy. Are you on board? Do you hear that? I didn't quite hear you. What did you say? I'm sorry. I just want to make sure Alice said given why she's supporting 1.5. Yeah. Yeah, I got the I got the gist of that. Thank you. Okay. Any additional question on 1.5 before roll call. Uh not a question but a comment and I like Mike uh really appreciate what the administration has done is that we have a budget regardless of which one we go with. Uh we are not cutting uh programs or people and that's encouraging. Uh I had mentioned previously about the family na nav nava n n n n n n n n n n n n
031n n n n n n n n that we would like to make a full commitment to them at some point since they've been with the district for three years and according to the pupil personnel services advisory committee they found them invaluable. I'd like for us to maybe hopefully at at least next year maybe make that full commitment. But I but but I would also say and uh Kenny I I appreciate your remarks that we typically come back with a surplus but Belinda and her team and being a public school uh government entity we cannot overspend. We have to budget conservatively and we need to continue doing that. And as La Alice has pointed out whatever surplus we do have goes towards the next year's budget. So, so I I just think it would be
032uh a little bit irresponsible if we didn't at least uh part of this increase towards our general budget uh to meet contractual agreements and again we just uh voted on an act 93 agreement and teachers agreement where they are getting some increases and then we need to provide the resources to fulfill that or we put Belinda and the team here uh in a tough position and especially for the coming years. Thank you. Any additional question on 1.5 motion on the floor hearing? None. Roll call. Alice, yes. Tim, no. Mike, no. Ryan, no. Michelle, no. Al, yes. Jeremy, no. I vote no. May I have a motion for one point? I'm sorry, Ryan. I You did I call you? I thought I did. Uh, may I have a motion for 1 point a tax increase of
0331.0? So moved. Second. Question on the floor. Hearing none. Mike, yes. Al, no. Ryan, yes. Michelle, no. Tim, yes. Alice, no. Jeremy, yes. I vote yes. Is that five? Motion carries. Motion carries. Jeremy, we have several more items if you're available to vote on. 6.2, the establishment of taxes. May I have a motion, please? So moved. Second. question. Roll call. Ryan, yes. Tim, yes. Al, yes. Mike, yes. Alice, yes. Michelle, yes. Jeremy, yes. And I vote yes. 6.3 resolution homestead and farmstead exclusion. Question. May I have a motion, please? So moved. Second question. Roll call. Jeremy, yes. Michelle, yes. Alice, yes. Mike, yes. Al, yes. Tim, yes. Ryan, yes. And I vote yes. 6.4 year end transfer of capital projects fund. Motion, please. So move. Second. Question. Roll call. Alice, yes. Tim, yes. Mike, yes.
034Ryan, yes. Michelle, yes. Al, yes. Jeremy, yes. And I vote yes. 6.5 Unity Park Boy Scout project that uh the young man is in attendance and spoke to us about. Thank you. Yeah. So moved. If we do have a question, I am going to call on you though. But thank you. No, it's No. No. All good. I have a motion, please. And second, do we have a question on this? Just circling back to thank you for your presentation last time and for kind of waiting waiting through the process for the vote tonight. Kenny, I have a um Mr. Sellers, I want to thank you for coming up with the the plan. And while I think it's a very nice plan, um I'm not really sure that there is a purpose or a use for this
035at the school. And along with that, once it's built, then all the maintenance and everything else are going to be on the district and on the taxpayers. And as you saw, I'm not one for raising taxes. Um, so while I appreciate everything that you've done, I mean, the location, it's on school property and we already have an issue there with parking and if you were doing it anywhere else, I think it would be great, but I I can't support it on school property. But I do appreciate the fact that you did it and I I commend you for for bringing it to us to do it. But unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to approve it. My vote. Everybody else can do what they want. But that and that's the only reason why is
036because I just maintenance and and I don't know what the school would actually do with it. So, but I I appreciate the fact that you did it. I have a couple of question if you want to step up. I actually have a couple of questions. Um, both of my sons were involved in scouts. Um, and a lot of what I'm familiar with, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. Um, as scouts take on projects and they do things, um, you guys have different, uh, groups and organizations that come together that that do maintenance and cleaning and just like with the cabins and everything else. I'm assuming you have a contingency plan in place that if if there needed to be repairs at some point or if it needed to be painted, the scouts would
037be more than happy to probably put something together to take care of that. Am I wrong? No, you are not wrong, sir. In fact, um this kind of circles back to what your concern was. Um because this is an Eagle Scout service project, there is kind of a condition that it is more of my responsibility to sort of maintain that as it is my project. So the district should not be as concerned with that. They however there should be a specified amount of time for which I am required to maintain it. Um that is just up to the district whatever they feel is necessary. But since it is my project that is my responsibility that you know that I am should be assigned to do for as long as is required. I don't have any
038additional questions. Just thank you for for answering that. You're welcome. Can we can we add that to the the conditions that we had as part of the agenda? Is that something that we can can add before we approve or I mean I'm glad to to know that there is a contingency plan. Is that something that we can put in writing? the problem and council can help me but from my years of experience I think where we're at here is this vote's going to happen this evening and for us to discuss or belabor what the contingency plan is I think ent trust the administration understanding what Miss Meyers uh concerns is whether that's board concern or as a whole or not um we're going to vote yes or no on it and and trust the administration
039and this young man came in here and repres represented what was right. Um, I have nothing but I'm proud what you're doing. I'm you you deserve to be commended and I trust that you're representing the truth here this evening. Thank you, sir. Yeah, it's not an unprecedented thing. I believe I remember you mentioning that one of the other um structures in that same park is from an Eagle Scout project as well. Correct. Unity Park was in 2015 was originally done as a Boy Scout project. Yes. Right. So there is, you know, that relationship there in um already stands. Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. Yep. I have no worries. I know Boy Scouts are always come prepared. So Okay. Thank you. Certainly. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much, sir. Yes. Absolutely. I greatly appreciate your
040cander. Absolutely. Any additional questions? Hearing none. Hold on. I have one other question. I'm sorry. We didn't look left. Does harb need to approve this? Does who harb the historic architectural review board are they? I I didn't know I was because I know that's in the school hysterical. I think you're safe now. All right. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. And again, congratulations. We look forward to seeing your final project. Thank you very much. Thank you. Roll call. Ryan, yes. Tim, yes. Al, yes. Mike, yes. Alice, yes. Michelle, yes. Provided that he maintains it. Jeremy, yes. And I vote yes. Congratulations. Congratulations. 6.6. The unified indoor um program. Um the botchi ball for lack of better words. May I have a motion? So moved. Second. Question. Roll call. Jeremy. Yes, Michelle. Yes, Alice. Yes, Mike.
041Yes, Al. Yes, Tim. Yes, Ryan. Yes. And I vote yes. 6.7 High School sewer pump station renovation. May I have a motion? So moved. Second. Question. Roll call. Jeremy, yes. Alice, yes. Tim, yes. Mike, yes. Ryan, yes. Michelle, yes. Al, yes. And I vote yes. Uh Jeremy, that concludes our our um voting items. If you want to stay on for um theformational items, you're welcome. If not, we can touch base at a later time. It's your choice. Thank you. Theformational item 7.1, the 620, capitalization of assets. Um uh anything there? That uh policy was just reviewed at our policy committee this last week and we were just changing the uh number from 5,000 to 10,000. Thank you. Board committee reports, program reports. Yeah, just a couple of things quick. Um, our free summer meal program
042has started uh actually just started today. Runs through August 7th out of uh Gettysburg Middle School. It runs Monday through Thursday. Involves grab-and-go breakfast and in-person lunch for uh students that need that. Um, also camp invention for our elementary schools, which is also going to be held at uh the middle school runs from July 7th through July 10th. And as was mentioned earlier, this is our uh last board meeting basically for the summer. Our next meeting is in August. Just for the sake of the public, in terms of the board committees, I'm assuming that those are also not holding meetings in the month of July. That's correct. Correct. Thank you. Thank you. That brings us to our next meeting is August 4th, 2025, 7 p.m. here at the U administration building hearing. Nothing further. May
043I have a motion to adjurnn, please? So moved. We stand adjourned. Thank you. I just remind everybody