001Next up, Next up we have another Eagle Scout, Rather McCaffry. Ratha was the third girl in her troop to earn Eagle Scout rank. She packed 10,000 meals in partnership with the organization Rise Against Hunger, which aims to alleviate food insecurity. With the help of friends, scouts, and families, they gathered, assembled, and assisted in packaging meals to be distributed. Next up, we have the Keystone State Literacy Outstanding Writing. The board of school directors would like to recognize the following students for being recognized by the Keystone State Literary Association foranding writing at their grade levels. They stories published in with all the other top performing students from around the county. The middle school is the only one in the participates each year. Sixth grade, Charlotte [Applause] Fremont, Rosalie Rim Thomas, Nikolai [Applause] Zusen, seventh grade, Avi Henrikig,
002[Applause] Sorry, Arcel Khan. and Lucy Slazarzik, eighth grade, Yuan Chang, Allison Homa, Thyman Kuski, [Applause] and re music. [Applause] Next up, we have a manufacturing award. The board of school directors would like to recognize the following AGP students who were honored by the manufacturing alliance of Chester and Delaware counties. In the What's So Cool contest, they won most creative for their video encouraging middle schoolers to learn more about careers in the field of manufacturing. The students are Bailey Blazier, Allison Hensinski, Finley [Applause] Horton, Ryan Kenworthy, [Applause] Key Schultz, Kaye Tang, and Aiden Tower. Congratulations to all of [Applause] [Music] you. I'm trying to to show the video that the students put together. Just working on the sound. Oh, robot. I hate robots. Stop. At one, robots and humans can work together. Why don't we just
003take a trip there and let them explain? [Music] I said that collaborative robots work alongside humans. Um, when I first got started with the company back in 2011, this technology was more of a pipe dream. It didn't exist yet. There were a few companies out there that were attempting it, but it was new. Um, now it's become one of the go-tos in industry for robotic automation because it's more cost effective. per se. And it's also easier to retool and readapt if something was to change. So they're meant to mirror the output of a human. So imagine somebody sitting on a line all day picking up a widget, putting it on a conveyor, picking up a widget, putting it on a conveyor. Costs a lot to do this. And a lot of times those people that
004have those jobs, they find something better to do. They leave their job and then that poor company that has expecting that person to come in, put that widget on the conveyor. So that's what collaborative robots were designed to do. automate the dull repetitive processes that are involved in manufacturing. My name is Brendan Grady. I'm a controls engineer at Wexia. Automation is important um just because it takes repetitive tasks away from humans and then their job can be transferred to uh maintaining the robot, maintaining um making sure the program's running. So you're not really losing jobs, you're sort of transitioning into different jobs. For collaborative robots, we like to think of human rates and human weights. So, a person can pick up packages of bottles and put it down at a moderate speed, then a collaborative
005robot is a perfect fit. engineer [Music] anorexia takes repetitive tasks away from humans and then their job can be transferred to uh do you want to walk down and and come to the microphone and just tell the programs running that way that way people out in cyerspace and thank you thrilled to introduce Miss Katie Melenich Katie is has been a longtime teacher in the district uh and she is a teacher coach Y so she's walking up to the podium. Give us a little overview of of what we've looked at, what we've seen. So, like I said, this wasn't originally a silent film, but you could see the great work that the students did. We got to go to Wexia, which is a manufacturer um out in the Malver area, and they make cobots, so collaborative
006robots that work with humans. And we got to tour the facility. The students took footage and we won the um outstanding creativity award. So, you could see from the beginning our super funny little robot intro. um and how robots and humans can work together. We don't have to try to fight against them. So, thank you so much for recognizing our students. They worked really, really hard on this. Thank you, Miss Me. Much appreciated. Okay, we will move on to the student liaison report. Hi, my name is Grace Moore and I will reading the reports for Glenwood Elementary, Indian Lane Elementary, and Media Elementary. Glenwood's fifth grade choir performed their spring concert on May 13th. The audience was packed as guests enjoyed the beautiful music. Additionally, Glenwood choir choir proudly performed the national anthem at the
007Wilmington Blue Rocks game to the to a stadium packed with Glenwood families. Glenwood art teacher Tina Nurell led another amazing art show this year. The theme of the art show reflected the schoolwide theme of brains, courage, heart, and kindness. Students brought their families at night to show off their work and did their own art in the glow-in-the-dark art room. In the 2024 2025 Glenwood Reading Olympic squad had two teams this year with 12 students each. On May 12th, they participated in the county competition. Each team competed against teams from other districts during three rounds. Both Glenwood teams earned the top prize of blue ribbons. Indian Lane just wrapped up one of the most heartwarming and cherish cherished events of the year, Poetry Cafe hosted by Miss Hatton in the library. During their library classes, students
008took turns stepping up to the microphone to read poems to the audience filled with classmates, parents, grandparents, and our other special guests. Indian Lane fifth grade students received showcasing their curiosity, creativity, and scientific thinking at the Indian Lane Science Fair. Families were invited to tour the displays and ask questions, and this young scientist did an amazing job explaining their processes and results. Thank you to the families and staff who supported this special event and helped make it a success. At the Reading Olympics competition hosted by the DCIU, Indian Lane had three teams participate, and all three teams took home blue ribbons. Students worked together to answer questions from a list of 45 books. Thank you to the families and staff who supported them every step of the way. This past Saturday, Indian Lane athletes and
009their buddies took part in the um county, sorry, AMBS Special Olympics track and field meet at Plymouth White Marshall High School. The team competed in their 100meter dash and the 4x100 meter relay with athletes and buddies running together. We are very proud of their team and grateful for everyone who helped them make the day happen. At media this month, media kindergartener discovered the importance of being part of a community and that community is a place where people live, work, shop, and play. Each student chose a favorite building from the community and created a model of media. To wrap up this exciting unit, the kinders to take a walking trip through media, visiting the media firehouse, media upper Providence Library, and Scooped Ice Cream Shop. The kindergarteners also have been working hard on popcorn words. The
010words they know so well, they just pop out of their mouths when they read when they read them. To celebrate, they had a popcorn word carnival with lots of fun games. Grades four and five at media participated in the 24 math challenge competitions and reading Olympics in the May. In May, math prowess and 24 champion was crowned for each grade level. These two grade level champs will represent Media Elementary in the DCIU on May 29th for the County 24 math challenge. And after months of reading and meeting as a team, media fourth and fifth grade students competed at the Delaware County Reading Olympics Challenge. Five teams represented media and did an outstanding job. In first through fifth grade, the students have been working hard in preparation for the annual MEES blue and white field day
011scheduled for Friday, May 23rd. The children look forward to playing various team games and activities so they can highlight their movement and teamwork skills to their teachers and families. Good evening. I'm Carara Doyle and I'll be reading the reports for Rose Elementary School, Spring Lake Middle School, and Penrest High School. Every year about 40 Rose Elementary students are showcased in the formal art gallery of the White Horse Village community. This year nearly 200 people came to the opening to view the spectacular artwork of the 40 selected artists. A cultural heritage celebration was planned and facilitated by the fair committee. There are more than 18 presentations focusing on approximately 14 different countries and cultures. Students traveled to different countries with a passport, adding points of interest on their travels. Many presenters were family members or extended
012family members of our students. Some presentations included a variety of instruments, dance, and other cultural artifacts. Two rotary teams competed at the DCIU's reading Olympics on Wednesday, May 14th. Both teams earned Blue Ribbons, the highest award, for their knowledge of this year's 45 books. Over at Springton Lake, Miss Susan How, eighth grade guidance counselor, organized and chaperoned eighth graders who have an interest in attending Delaware County Technical Schools to pursue a career in the trades. On May 6th, the students were taken on a school tour and allowed to interact with current students enrolled in the technical programs. Our eighth graders left with a rounded view of what the schools offer and options for how to begin thinking about their career goals. Springton Lake Middle School's spring sports teams have demonstrated remarkable dedication and teamwork throughout
013the 2025 spring season. Both the boys baseball and girls softball teams competed enthusiastically, showcasing their skills and sportsmanship in every game. The boys and girls lacrosse teams displayed impressive coordination and resilience, reflecting the hard work invested during practices. The track and field athletes achieved personal bests across various events, highlighting their commitment to excellence, and even new school records were achieved. The co-ed tennis team made significant strides with players improving their techniques and match strategies. The spring sports season at Springton Lake Middle School was a testament to the students dedication and the guidance of all coaches, fostering a strong sense of community and school pride. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students enrolled in the AGP STEM coursework throughout the semester to prepare for a challenge presented by the intermediate units in the state of Pennsylvania. The
014competition challenges students to devise a solution to a proposed problem after conducting research. Then they build their proposed solution with connects, create a blueprint, and present their ideas to a panel of judges. After the competition, awards are presented in various areas, including an overall winner. This year, as in the past three years, Springton Lake placed first. This year, they were one of the 405 teams in the six through eight division across the state. The team composed of Marcus Chen, Dylan Nelson, Connor Orof, and Claire SC Scanlin presented their windwater accelerated Tempest train on Friday, May 9th, and earned an impressive score of 90%. The Penrest Art Department held the 67th annual Celebration of the Arts here in the hallways of Penrest High School on May 7th. The hallways and many classrooms are transformed into a
015gallery. As always, it was a packed event with students, staff, and community members taking time to admire the work of students. This event is the culmination of the entire year's worth of work through the various art programs at Penrest and puts all of the art pieces on display for the school and community to observe. Penrest Environ took first and second place at Delaware County Environ State Park. The gold team, Lucy D. Jeppe, Teddy Bashara, Kyra Sashawn, Eva Sanupo, and Ethan Crawl took first. And the red team, April Kim, Aaron Mcanini, Sabine Davitt Weldon, Docar Silia, and Hannah Bowen took second. The gold team now goes on to the Pennsylvania State Competition. Good luck to them. This year, Kim Rivier was recognized with the Citadel Heart of Learning Award. This award honors teachers who go above
016and beyond in their dedication to students in the classroom. Thousands of nominations are submitted each year by students, parents, and colleagues, and only a select few are chosen for the prestigious recognition of impact, compassion, and excellence. In demonstrating this, Kim and her department helped organize and lead the yearly world language FET celebration. More than 300 students were recognized for their outstanding achievements in world languages. On Thursday, May 15th, French, Latin, Mandarin, Chinese, and Spanish students in grades 6 through 12 award were awarded district medals. Nine Penrest students were recognized as PSMLA Global Scholars and 22 Penrest students earned the prestigious PA seal of biiteracy. The World Language Honor Society also inducted more than 80 new members. As part of the celebration, seniors and study abroad scholarship winners Jennifer Peralta and Shalin Gamble Sarfo shared highlights
017from their study abroad experiences. Also this month, several world language students took the national Latin exam. Penrest had nine winners. The 20th annual Laxa Palooa was on Saturday, May 3rd at Penrest High School. This all day communitywide event featured lacrosse games, food, and music. Palooa benefit the NK Smiles Foundation scholarship awarded to graduating Penrest seniors. NK Smiles memorializes Norman Kelly Jr. and elementary school teacher who exemplified patience, kindness, and believed in providing a healthy educational environment disciplined with love and respect. Thank you. Thank you. Hi everyone again. My name is Grace Moore and I'll be reading this month's student report. Hello everyone. It's such a joy to be here tonight for our final board meeting of the school year, reflecting on the amazing things happening at Penrest this month. Let's start with our incredible science
018national honor society students. Our students have shown remarkable dedication and enthusiasm to this group. They recently went to Glenwood to work on a project with its students. During their time there, they taught students about osmosis with a lab using gummy bears. The Women Empowerment Club has also been showing amazing dedication to service in our community. Members recently raised $1,000 for women's shelters. That money will go a long way in supporting women supporting women and families in need. This club has also had the opportunity this year to supply free feminine products to all the bathrooms in our school. Our final big schoolwide event is happening tomorrow. Pride Day is always a highlight of the school year. A time for students to come together, celebrate teamwork, and enjoy the outdoors. The class of 2025 is eager to
019win for the fourth time, fourth year in a row. Again, this again this year, the National Honor Society will be partnering with Alex's lemonade stand in their efforts to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer. Additionally, our AP French students are or have organized a book drive that will run on Pride Day with all donations going to the Chester Upland School District. Thank you for such an amazing year and we hope you have a great summer and Caris, I wish you the best at Notre Dame next year. Thank you. All right, we will move on to board liaison reports. Miss Hunt, do you have anything for DCCC? Sure. Real quickly, while the school is out for the semester, I just want to remind everyone that our sponsorship of Delaware County Community College as a sponsoring
020school district benefits not only our high school students for dual enrollment, but anybody in the community wishing to um get additional education or workforce training. um hitting very close to home that is that they um have been playing a key role in supporting those who have lost their jobs through the closure closure of the CROER health care system. Um and they have established a Croer transition center which is a dedicated temporary career link office for exclusively for um Croer employees who have lost their jobs to help them with career transition. So, if you know of anybody who is displaced by the closure of Croer, um please let them know that Delaware County Community College is out there um providing all sorts of resources um for those folks. Um, and if any of those folks would
021like to go on to um, a trade technology or advanced technology, Amtrak and ZKS, which is a manufacturing company, um, have been building an advanced um, technology collaboration with Delaware County Communic Community College, um, to look at employer engagement and trying to connect those students with real world pathways um, in the advanced manufacturing fields. Um, and other than that, if anyone has $969,000 laying around, or a company does and they'd like to have a named wing or classroom at the new um, Southeast Delo Center for Delaware County Community College, it's the old Archbishop Pendergrass School. Um, they are down to the last $969,000 of their fundraising. Right. The um we'll move to committee highlights and reports which are included in the agenda minutes. So we'll move to the superintendence report. Dr. Malashsh. Thank you Dr.
022Napson Williams. May has been a vibrant and productive month across the Rose Media School District. As the school year nears its conclusion, our students, staff, and families continue to demonstrate excellence, resilience, and a strong commitment to our district's core values. Throughout the month, classrooms have remained actively engaged in high quality instruction with students completing assessments and participating in culminating projects and academic celebrations. Our incredible teaching staff has continued to sustain a high level of innovation and dedication, keeping students motivated and supported as they finish the year strong. The arts have also taken center stage this month with impressive spring concerts and art shows across our schools. These events truly highlight the creativity and talent of our students and were met with strong attendance and support from the community. In athletics, our spring sports teams have
023shown great determination and teamwork with several penrest teams and individual track competitors advancing into postseason competition. We are proud of all of our student athletes for their commitment, discipline, and sportsmanship. As we look ahead to June, excitement is building for some of the most important events of the year, high school graduation and the closing ceremonies for our fifth and eighth grade students. We are only two weeks away from graduation eve. On June 6th, we will proudly honor the Penrest High School class of 2025 at their commencement ceremony, a momentous occasion that marks the culmination of years of hard work, growth, and achievement. In the leadup to these events, schools are also participating in transition activities to help students prepare for the next stage in their academic journey, whether that means entering middle school, high school,
024or even just moving up one grade. There are a number of facilities projects will be undertaken this summer. The new HVAC systems at Glenwood and Rose Tree. Elementary schools will be installed, providing schoolwide air conditioning as part of their functioning. The cafeteria expansion at Springton Lake is underway and classroom renovations at the high school will begin as soon as our students complete the year. We are excited to host our annual ESY and summer co summer summer camp programs again this year. Having students around throughout the summer honestly is good for all of us. This has been a month full of celebration, growth, and community pride. We are grateful to our educators, staff, students, families, and community partners for the continued support and commitment to excellence in the Rose Media School District. As we prepare to
025close out the school year and celebrate our graduates, we remain focused on creating a strong finish and a promising start to the months ahead. Thank you, Dr. Malash. We'll move to the solicitor's report, Mr. Kelly. Thank you, Madam President. The board has my written report briefly. Uh there are two tax assessment appeal arbitrations scheduled for a week from tomorrow. One is commercial and the other is residential. And then the end of June, there are several more arbitrations. I think one is commercial. I think three are residential. And that concludes my report, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Kelly. We'll move to the president's report. As we approach the end of another successful school year, I want to highlight some of the important work accomplished throughout the month of May. Tonight, the board will take
026a significant step forward with the adoption of the 2025 2026 district budget. This budget reflects our commitment to maintaining highquality educational programs for our students, supporting our staff, and addressing the growing needs of our student population. all while remaining fiscally responsible to our taxpayers. We are grateful to the administration and their team for their detailed planning and transparency throughout the budget process. We also continued productive discussions regarding the new fullday kindergarten and first grade center to address ongoing enrollment growth and to ensure our youngest learners have access to modern developmentally appropriate facilities. The board has engaged in thoughtful dialogue around the educational vision for this project as well as the positive impact on class size and student outcomes. The board began reviewing financing options for the construction of the new school to address a comprehensive
027plan to address the athletic fields and long-term facilities needs at our six existing schools. We are committed to strategies that allow us to move forward in a sustainable manner, balancing investment in our facilities with long-term financial stability. These conversations will continue at the June 5th work session. May has been a month of thoughtful decisionmaking and forward momentum and I look forward to the important work ahead as we close the school year and prepare for a strong start to the next. Next up, we have scheduled presentations. Janette Verdor, RTMA. Thank you and good evening everyone. It's great to see you all again. Uh, RTMEA just concluded our general membership meeting about an hour ago and we have updated our constitution and bylaws and we have also ratified theou that you are prepared to approve tonight. So,
028I'm very pleased to report that. Um, congratulations to all of our retirees. Uh, thank you for hosting them a little bit earlier. A lot of them pregamed with us at 4. So, I hope it was an enjoyable evening. um from PSEA. We are currently advocating for support of House Bill 777, which would ensure a livable wage for par professionals throughout the state. So, we're encouraging members of the community to contact their legislators and support that bill as it goes through the process at the state house. Rose Media Education Association is proud to also support the educator pipeline. And we will be awarding three scholarships next week to graduating seniors who have chosen to pursue education uh as their as their career goal. And we're we're not going to share the names yet. We're going to
029save that for next week. But I'm very very excited um to be able to award those scholarship monies. And then finally, we just want to wish our teachers and students a great end of the year. We have a lot of things happening. A lot of field days happening in the next few weeks. Media's field day is tomorrow. I think Mr. Nolan will need to send an extra cleaning team down to media after we come off the field because we're going to be muddy. That's the way it's going to be. And that everybody has a productive end of the year and we get the kids out the door with a smile on their face. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is unscheduled presentations. District residents and taxpayers wishing to address the board are encouraged to do
030so at this time. Written items are strongly suggested. Speakers will state their name and their municipality for the record before commenting. Comments are limited to three minutes. The school board may suspend the public comment period after a reasonable amount of time. Use of profanity, shouting, or personal attacks are discouraged. Please note that the public comment period is intended to pro to provide an opportunity for citizens to address the board. However, it is not an opportunity to participate in public debate or a question and answer dialogue. Therefore, contact information should be provided to the administration and board so that the school district can follow up with citizens concerns following the meeting. Right. First up, we have Joseph Ward, Middletown. Thank you. Um, I am fully in support of full day kindergarten. I think it's it it
031gives the first graders a big leg up. I know my own children uh I actually did private uh school so they could have full day kindergarten when they were younger. I cannot support the location of the K1 school. I can't understand why this this board would consider placing that building which I fully fully understand is needed in one of the most heavily traffked areas in the in the township. Uh you have uh you have the high school traffic that comes in and out. You've got a major shopping center there. You have uh upcoming uh construction on the Cloverleaf which is going to be a big mess. Um it if you lived where I live on Vanlier Avenue, which is adjacent to the school and actually but they're they're also going to build a church at
032the corner of Van Lear and Middletown Road. right next to the uh the K1 property. Um I am asking the board to please reconsider the location. The the traffic in that area is already beyond uh acceptable and adding another 800 children coming to that that location each and every school day will make it completely unbearable. And that's that's all I have for my comments. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Next up, we have Lorraine Stavold Middle Stavola. My name is Lorine Stavola. I live at 680 West Rose Street Road in Middletown Township, which is two houses from the park and almost directly near where they want to where you guys want to put this school. I have quite a few objections, but besides the traffic, pattern, because there's no shoulder on Rose, there's no sidewalk.
033There's no street lights. I've had many neighbors animals killed on that road. Last year, some kids were coming from the mall to Upper Derby. They jumped onto our property, wiped out our mailbox, wiped out our trash corral, wiped out several mature bushes trying to get down our road. That's how dangerous this road is. Number two, I question what my school tax is going to be because it's already $9,800, which I also have to pay township and county tax. So, uh, they're two of my biggest complaints, but there's also other things. Obviously, uh, I question and you guys send out a, uh, census every year, so you people all know where these 700 kids are coming from, and this is not your problem. It's landed in your lap. But when um um the Franklin Mint was
034dissolving and they were the properties were separated, we were assured by the township there'd be no large development anywhere there. And also we were told at the time that when uh in a in a township or u a city, if you reached a certain cap, the state would require private police and private fire department, which right now we have state police and public. So that's another question that I have that nobody questioned Toll Brothers is bringing this debate did developing and it could really harm everyone else in the township. So, and I also wondered why all of a sudden right now you want to go to full day kindergarten, which if you have four elementary schools and there's 25 kids in each school for for half day kindergarten, that would cut off at least a
035hundred new kids coming in that they would have to go either AM or PM to their p to their neighborhood school. And my other concern is if you have other children in elementary schools, the uh younger kids are going to say, "Well, why can't I go to that school with my sibling? If I walk there, my sibling could take me if I'm uh have to drive on a school bus with other kids that I don't know. And as uh the doctor said, um we don't have we're going to have to get new buses. We're going to have to get new drivers. And I'm also questioning if you have four and five and even six-year-olds, they have to be in a car seat. So, who's going to supply these car seats to these children? So, that's
036just some of my questions. And I'm sure I've probably ran over three minutes, but that's all. I mean, as I said, I've been here 40 years and I've seen a lot of changes, but I think this is really asking too much of the people that live nearby. Thank you. Next up, we have Mary Anne Wolf, Middletown. down. Good evening. My name is Maryanne Wolf and I live at 7-Eleven West Ro, right next door to your school. I want to make sure that you understand I'm not against the need for additional school fees and the need for a good education. There are numerous ways to attain this in a full day kindergarten. I'm against the ill-thoughtout plan in the location. This location is one of the worst intersections in the township. As stated before, traffic, the
037traffic is unbearable during rush hour. Rose is uses a cutthrow from 352 to 252 for people to get to the route one bypass, the blue route and to 95. Traffic at times is backed up for a quarter mile down at Ridley Creek Road, which by the way floods in heavy rains. The community is paying the price for this already. You propose a school for 800 kids plus staff, buses, pickup, drop off, hundreds of vehicles, and floating on Rose as well as a district office. I understand. And like Lorraine said, all these children should be in car seats. So it's not an easy drop off like Penrest, get out of the car. You have to buckle in. You have to unbuckle. Congestion is already stated. The cars and buses are currently on 352 cause backups every
038single day as well as accidents. The infrastructure to support the new school is not there. In the morning and afternoon, it's impossible to make a turn off of 352. Pendot doesn't even propose to work on this spot till 2030. Safety is the biggest issue for the people that live on Rose Road. It's become unsafe to walk down the road. The Long View Park has added trouble to this. The location for the school's main entrance will be directly across from the park. It's busy. No one drives at 25 to 35 miles an hour. This month alone, this is what I saw. I know for a fact Rose was closed twice for two accidents. I personally visit witnessed one, a Ford F-150 truck that flipped with two passengers in it. This is all in the newspaper. The
039road was closed. There was one on Van Leard Tuesday night, a week ago, that hit and flipped. hit a utility pole and flipped. I was a witness last weekend and behind through a threecar fender bender on Middletown Road and Pendle Road. And just this morning at 8:05, two SUVs collided coming out of Vanier and 352. And that road was closed after 8:30 this morning. Pendle wrote, "This is not a good idea for to put the school. These are all intersecting streets where people have to go through to get to a school, putting residents and children at risk. There's no sidewalks. It's full of blind curves. It has hills. There's lack of sight lines. The environmental impact on this proposed school in a semi-ural residential area are significant. It will have severe impact on the quality
040of our lives. 16 years ago, when an 88 car parking lot was planned for Rose Road to accommodate the new Penrest Fields, Middletown Council listened to the residents and they denied the parking lot because it was unsafe for the residents and the travelers of Rose Road. The same engineers are working on this project. Rose Road has been traveled for well over 300 years. It's one of the oldest roads in the township and it's not changed. What makes you think this is a good idea now? Thank you. Uh next up we have Colleen Jansik Middletown. Hi, just repeating my concerns about the K through1 on Rose Road. Number one, it contradicts the desires of community members based on the own study by the district and also is heard in numerous Edgemont Township meetings for the whole
041length of that process. Instead of now instead of having some kids on a long bus ride, that's what which is what the community complained about so much. Now, the majority of young kids will be on that ride. In the two two in the 213 work session, one school board member said, and I quote, "We see these K through ones popping up all over, but if you talk to some of them now, they say if they had to do it again, they wouldn't. That seems like a valid concern. Was that that ever investigated?" Three, traffic. As mentioned, PennDOT PennDOT has cited this area as a traffic issue on the September 19th presentation to Middletown Township. So much so that it plans to alter the path of Rose Road itself. How then is it possible to say
042this area is okay to add cars to accommodate an over 800 capacity building on the same road? The next road, Ridley Creek, is just as bad. And what happens when Pendot wants to start its project in 2030 at the earliest? Most importantly, safety. The location's terrible due to safety issues as evidenced by the numerous caution signs and the windy roads and blind turns and steep slopes. I personally almost witnessed a t-bone accident on for Friday 413 of someone trying to make a left onto Hunting Hills and as Marian mentioned the flipped uh Ford F-150 and our teens. You said in a previous meeting that you want to be good stewards and good neighbors, but it doesn't feel that way to us. We the locals feel in this area feel steamrolled and disrespected. No one asked
043us how we felt about this. We bought into lives here based on one type of environment and you're turning it into something else we didn't ask for. Personally, when moving from our previous middle town home to our current one, one non-negotiable point for my husband and I was we would not move past the traffic light at fair acres as that would add significantly to our work commutes. But you're imposing on the this on us and others anyway. We have no say in our livelihoods now. We also want great conditions for the kids. I myself was one of the first ones to go to one of the early meetings with Dr. D. Marino Linen in the basement of Middletown library years ago. I too wanted to know if full day kindergarten was on the horizon and
044was disappointed that it was pushed off due to the influx of people. I also went through the district myself and went through the period of overcrowded. Indian Lane was open the year after I went out got out of elementary school. So I too went through that. We have heard you say, but you know what? It went it it got pushed off and I dealt with the kindergart I dealt with the overcrowded myself. I dealt with having to put my kids in half day kindergarten. And we have heard you say a million times, they aren't just coming. They're here. But guess what? They too will soon be gone just like I and my kids were. And a year or two of less than ideal circumstances until the best solution is found. Thank you. Uh Joanne Dockerty,
045Middletown. [Music] Good evening. Thank you. My name's Joanne Dockerty. I live on Rose Road also. And my concern is the location of this K through one school with I'm going to re reiterate what others have already said about the traffic issue. I don't see parents putting K through one children on buses. They're going to be coming from all over the district, adding to the traffic, not only in Rose Road, but throughout the school district if they have to bring their children for K through one to this facility and their other children to their local neighborhood schools. I don't think that this is the appropriate place for this facility. I agree you may need to have a another facility, but this is not the appropriate location for it due to the same traffic concerns. Um, Rose
046Road, as you well know, is a bypass for the bypass. Everybody takes it to get from this end of town to the other to from 252 to 352, 352 to 252. They use that instead of using the bypass. I live on it. I see the traffic every day backing up especially around school times. And the other thing I have um that is a point is taxing people that live in the area for these school raising the school taxes for having the children come to these schools. You're taxing the older residents that are on fixed incomes making it more difficult for them to stay in their homes. Thank you very [Applause] much. Next we have John Gray Middletown. Just one second. We'll get you get it to you. You can come to the table. [Music] is
047on now. Okay. My name is John Gray. I live on Little Lane in Middletown Township. Been a Prattton a resident here 47 years and taxpayer in this district for 47 years. I sent all three of my kids through plus my grandson through the schools at Indian Lane. I look at this uh thing neighborhood schools for the last 50 years and I used to be a teacher also uh have been the thing that is necessary. You should keep the schools in the neighborhood. It makes more sense to expand Indian Lane, Rose and Glenwood. Obviously can't do anything with media. Uh and it makes more sense. You as a school board are responsible for our taxes and to be good stewards of our taxes. This K1 school K1 school in the location it is does not make
048good common sense and you should take and expand Rose Tree Indian Lane. Indian Lane's got plenty of room and Glenwood and put additional schools in there. I like the idea of a full day school for kindergarten. It helps them learn. But again, my taxes right now are about 5,400 for school. I don't mind paying taxes. I'm retired for goodness sake, but I don't mind paying I have the money to do it. But you need to use the money more judiciously and with common sense. Thank you. Are you okay? Do you need some help? Uh, next up we have Michael Straw Media. Good evening, Rose Media School Board. I would like to speak specifically about the proposed K through1 center tonight and voice my concerns about this proposal. My thoughts stem from the estimated costs and
049also the impact that it will have on our community. I'm concerned with its over $80 million price tag when previous solutions to over to address overcrowding via creating a new elementary school were far less. I believe the district could still construct another neighborhood school or perhaps as others alluded to additions and renovate existing elementary schools with less cost to taxpayers and still be able to get the district the additional space necessary to implement what we want. full day kindergarten. Also, this district has already spent millions for designs on the Edgemont Elementary School. The blueprint is already there. You'd need a different location, of course, but I don't see why we need to go back to the drawing board in terms of design. I ask that the board reconsider moving forward with this project and seek
050a more cost-effective solution to address overcrowding. Thank you. Next up, we have Cynthia Sabatini, Upper Providence. Good evening, Cynthia Sabatini, Upper Providence Township. At the May work session meeting, I asked the question whether the estimated price tag of the new school, that is at this point 81 a.5 million, is in compliance with PA Act 34. Mr. Shrader, the architect, responded by stating that the requirements of Act 34 will be worked through. When I probed further as to whether the construction costs of 81.5 million were currently in compliance with Act 34, he said yes. For those unfamiliar with this act, PA Act 34 of 1973 applies to all new buildings and buildings with substantial additions. The act is applicable when a project becomes substantial enough in scope to require public meetings and further cost calculations. Maximum
051building construction costs, school building capacity, and aggregate building expenditures are all items examined via this process. The aggregate building expenditure standard equals the project's 34 building capacity times the applicable per student cost limit. The per pupil cost limits are adjusted each fiscal year using the building cost index history. The act 34 per pupil cost limits effect of July 31st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025 are as follows for grades K through 6, $25,116 per pupil. Using the formula described above, 81.5 million the estimated cost of the new K to1 center divided by the total capacity of 819 as noted by Mr. Schrader and Dr. Malo. The per pupil cost is $99,512 which is four times the act 34 limit of 25,116. I request that at the next working session meeting in June that Mr. Schrader demonstrate
052in writing how the proposed new school is indeed currently in compliance with Act 34. Interestingly enough, PA act 34 is also referred to as the Taj Mahal act. After seeing the schematic of the K through1 learning center, I have to ask whether the taxpayers of Thank you. Uh, next up we have Michael Risser, Edgemont. Mr. Risser. Thanks. Thanks for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Michael Risser. I'm from Edgemont. And uh I guess I've been through this with the Edgemont school that we we felt we didn't need for multiple reasons. Now we're talking about a K1 center. The Edgemont school, the reason they chose that location was they wanted neighborhood schools for the children. Now we're totally changing our direction and going to a K1 or center for the whole school district, which
053is the youngest kids in our school district, spending the most amount of time on a bus to get to a school in a very busy area with traffic issues and safety issues. What changed? Why are we getting away from the neighborhood schools? We could renovate all four schools, put additions on three of them, not add classrooms, and have classroom space for our kindergarten first grade students and have full day kindergarten and do that a lot quicker than building a school on Rose Tree Road in 352. And we're keeping our our neighborhood schools. A number of people at MEES have stated they love being able to walk their kids to school. Are they going to want their kindergarten, first graders to get on a bus and to have to go to school and take a nice
054long bus ride over to the K1 center? No, they don't want that. We've already heard it. We've seen it online what people are saying. Yet, they want neighborhood schools. So why are we all of a sudden switching from neighborhood schools to our youngest students, our K first kindergarten and first grade students and sticking them on buses for a long bus ride and taking them out of their neighborhoods. They want to go to school with the kids in their neighborhood even if they're second, third, fourth, fifth grade. That's a comfort zone for them. They're they're walk, you know, they're getting to school with the kids in their neighborhood. I didn't just hang out with kids in my grade. I had kids with multiple grades that were in my neighborhood. So, I think we're missing the we
055we've taken years to get to this point and now we're changing direction. I'll tell you, we could have solved this problem by now for for a quarter of the cost. If we just did what we were told by the consultants in 2018 when they said renovate the four schools, put additions on three of them, we'd be done. We wouldn't be having this conversation. Now, we're doing it again. But we could renovate the schools and put additions on three of them and get it done in two years, two and a half years and be done and keep our m maintain our neighborhood schools. Why are we changing direction? Why are we taking away what you preached to us with the Edgemont school? We want neighborhood schools. Well, let's go with neighborhood schools. Let's expand and renovate
056the four schools. They all need renovations and updating. I I just think we're missing the picture here. what what what you told us now you're changing it. Thank you. All right. Um we don't have any superintendent comments. We have uh old business. We have policies for a second read and vote. Uh, is there a motion? So moved. Second. Discussion. All in favor? I opposed. Motion passes. Step.