I'd like to call the April 29, 2019 direct meeting of the Derry Township
Board of Directors to order and announce that this meeting is being audio recorded.
Mr. Friends, Roll call vote.
Mr. Abel. Here.
Dr. CRONIN Here.
Ms.. Drew Here is have her stick here.
Ms.. Mimi Here. Dr.
Shah Here.
Mercieca Here.
Mr. Singer Here.
Mr. Stoner Here. Nine present, zero Absent.
Please rise of Abel and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Please.
Allegiance to the flag of the United States of.
America and to the republic for which it stands.
One nation, under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
May I have a motion to approve the April
29, 2019 Board of Directors agenda so moved.
Second, Maria and Donna, as any discussion
here, this is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say aye. Aye.
All those opposed say no.
Here, the motion carries.
KAYE Tonight we have a presentation from the Dauphin County Technical School.
We have Dr.
Peggy Grimm, and we have a student, Abigail O'Shay of Shell.
She is a junior in the Veterinary Assisting.
Welcome, Dr.
Grimm.
Thank you for having us.
I really appreciate the.
Opportunity to bring back one of your.
Our our finest. For all of us.
So that you can hear
what's going on at Dauphin County TAC.
One of the things that's coming up at Dauphin County Tech is welding.
And I want to get a little plug for that this evening, because.
That took about three years for that to happen.
And we're actually going to be at Midtown Campus Hack.
So we got a nice new bus
and we're.
Going to be taking. Kids to the.
Midtown campus to use their state of the art facility.
So I'm anxious to see we're just now in the process
of accepting students for next year to see how many students.
Actually signed up.
Actually, they signed up by academy, so they'll be signing up for manufacturing.
But to see. How well we do.
With having what I would call a satellite campus.
But actually tonight.
I'm here to introduce I'm from and I'll just say it
my favorite program ever.
Veterinary assisting,
because, you know, if you're having a bad.
Day, all you have to do is get down there for a little bit.
In fact.
My secretary figured that out and she comes and finds me.
Just an
extraordinary program, an extraordinary teacher
and students also.
And so this.
Evening, I would like to introduce.
Abigail Urschel.
She is a junior.
From Derry Township and veterinary
assisting.
Good evening.
As mentioned, my name is Abigail Rochelle and I'm an A current 11th grader
at Dauphin County Technical School where I study veterinary assisting.
I'm here to discuss how important technical education
is and the impact that it's had on me as a student.
To begin, my interest in the agricultural fields began when I was very young.
I always enjoyed
spending time on my uncle's farm and being outside in the nature around me.
Then around five years ago, I made the decision to the best decision
of my entire childhood, and I decided to join Dauphin County for it.
It was actually my mom's idea, but I'm really glad that she had it.
It gave me the
opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and try some new things.
For those of you who don't know what for ages, it's a youth development program
that focuses on introducing leadership, citizenship and life skills into the lives
of members and building them into strong and hardworking adults.
I've had the opportunity to travel from various state and county events
and shows the activities I do and for it to allow me to excel
in agricultural fields and have given me the opportunity
to learn and grow as a showman and as an individual.
I have never applied. Or.
So when I began my journey in the agricultural field.
I was shy and quiet and I never applied myself
and I wanted to participate in meetings and events.
So I had the ability to connect with members from around the county
and utilize my skills of decision making, planning and goal setting.
I never imagined being here five years ago
and it has given me the chance to become focused, dedicated and self-driven.
My membership in 48 has created my extensive
passion and dedication for the agricultural industry.
The organization sprung my interest in the veterinary assistant program.
Upon my acceptance to the school, I was able to use the skills
I learned in four years to begin my training in the veterinary field.
An incredible and dedicated staff.
It's easy to encourage students to reach their academic and career goals.
My Shot teacher, Miss Tiffany House is an incredible
example of the staff members at our school.
She gives each and every student the chance to shine
as an individual and in the group setting with hands on tasks and projects.
Without her knowledge in the industry, I would be nowhere near as prepared.
I am to step foot into the industry as I am today.
In shop, we study a wide variety of topics ranging from basic health
care to grooming to breeds and even surgery and diseases.
Each day we're giving real life a real life look into clinical setting,
and we accept patients from around the community and provide grooming services.
Not only does this allow students to interact with clients,
but it also shows us
what to expect with the different animals that we'll see in the industry.
The shop provides a full lab setting as well.
We have the ability to use lab equipment such as microscopes, blood testing
machines and X-ray machines to carry out tests like those in clinic.
The various lab equipment is used very frequently in order to show students
correct procedures and to get the opportunity to view
the smallest of organisms that are viewed in the veterinary hospitals
along with work and shop.
We're in a regular classroom setting where we take notes
about various topics and then put them to the test.
We go out on field trips and tour various hospitals, farms
and even a trip to the Pennsylvania farm show where students learn and shop.
It's extremely beneficial
and it gives students the chance to kickstart their careers
in the veterinary assisting shops.
Specifically, we're granted the opportunity
to be certified veterinary assistants upon graduation.
In our series in our senior year, we take a series of tests.
That and the passing of these tests allows students
to go directly into the workforce.
As a veterinary assistant, we can either do this or we can.
Can you continue our education and use what we have learned in shop?
My time in the veterinary assistant program has fueled my interest
in the dairy cattle industry.
When I began to do, I had the intent of going to college to become a veterinarian.
And now, as my junior year comes to a close,
my plan is to attend the College of
College at the Penn State College of Agricultural Science,
where I'd like to major in animal science and minor in ag business.
My dream career is to become a reproductive specialist, specialist
for cattle, and own my own dairy farm.
I've been working in the dairy industry for the past two years
and my jobs have given me the ability to learn and grow in my passion.
I've had the ability to milk and care for dairy cows
and use my knowledge of the dairy industry to teach my peers
and younger for H members from treating cows to calf care
and even barn cleaning. I've been able to grow
closer to the animals that will one day be my livelihood.
Recently, I applied for the Pennsylvania School of Excellence
in the Agricultural Sciences, informally known as Governor School at Penn State.
I've been granted the opportunity to attend
the four week summer program at the college, and I'm so excited
to learn more about the industry and share with my peers upon my return
in my application for the program, I said.
As for which is instilled in me, I strive to make the best better,
and this program
would definitely provide me the chance to demonstrate this philosophy
and prove my dedication through hard work in the upcoming summer while allowing me
to benefit and help me reach my full potential for my education.
This quote was directly dedicated to its
because without my attendance to the school
I would have never had the chance to apply for something like this.
Do you see?
Yes. It gives me the foundation for my education and I am proud to say
that I'm representing our school body this summer at the program.
The education I've received at CTS has given me so many chances
to grow in a field I'm interested in,
and I'm forever grateful for the relationships
from students and staff members that I've been able to create.
To reiterate main points, the goal of DCT is to prepare students with the proper
skills and assets to succeed in the ever changing world we live in.
Students are given the knowledge in academic jobs
and ultimately to succeed in the workforce.
Our school is different because it offers students the opportunity
to receive academic success while also giving them
the base for the educational and occupational goals.
Attending tech will allow students to interact with students from around
the county who have similar interests and what they hope to do in the workforce.
Three periods of our day are dedicated to our short programs
and there is a wide variety of shops to choose from.
There are
countless benefits subjects has to offer, including Skills USA,
NHS and Student Ambassadors, FFA and many more.
It offers us a jumpstart in our career success
and it is an all day school that also provides academics and shop.
So the organizations I listed above, beginning with Skills USA, is a student
organization that allows students to use their knowledge of their shops
to compete with other students from a county, local and national levels.
At school, we have a National Honor Society and National Technical Honor
Society Program.
Both of these, which I represent very proudly.
Our best and most dedicated students are allowed
the opportunity to participate in these incredible organizations
and those with academic excellence in career and technical.
Technical shops represent our school very well through these programs.
The FFA program is offered at school for those in horticulture.
Invent the Future Farmers of America program allows us to learn
more about the industry we're working in and allows students the interests
to learn about interest for our careers.
Tonight, I'm not only representing D.C.
as a whole, but I'm representing D.C.
student ambassadors.
As an ambassador, I'm an advocate for the school.
I discuss the benefits of career and technical education,
and I share what a day is like in D.C..
Yes, I'm able to travel
to elementary and middle schools to explain what an amazing place
is and to encourage students to travel or to attend our high school.
When groups come to school,
the ambassadors lead
tours and we answer questions about schools and shops.
In conclusion, my decision to attend Dauphin County Technical School
has given me the chance to excel in my professional field
and ready me for the industry I intend to work in.
As stated on our website, the mission of DCT YES is to prepare
students to enter post-secondary education and industry with the attitudes, skills
and knowledge necessary
to be successful in a constantly changing and competitive world.
As a student.
And yes, I can most definitely say that this mission is completed
by the time we're seniors and receive our diplomas.
Each student leaves the school with every piece necessary
to excel in each of the industries that are highlighted at the school.
I'm so incredibly proud to represent such an amazing school,
and I would like to thank you all the school board of Derry Township
for funding the students to attend these seats.
I wouldn't have one in my high school career to happen any other way,
and I'm so thankful that Dauphin County Technical School has offered me
the relationships from the students I've met, the teachers who I work with,
and from the animals I get to work with on a daily basis.
Thank you for allowing me the chance to speak
about the school that has made my academic and career dreams come true.
Thank you very much, Abigail.
You're definitely a good ambassador for this school.
Yeah.
To I love your enthusiasm, but I forgot to.
I also like to thank you.
Yes, teacher.
Now, there is.
And they are shells.
Any questions?
Good to know.
I love your passion.
Your passion for what you're doing and for the school's just wonderful.
Your amazing representative for that school.
I mean, I love the school,
and you're just your love of it and just what you're doing.
Really comes out. And that's. It's wonderful.
And also, I'd love to hear about your summer adventure at one of the DC
board meetings next year, if that be great.
I just wanted to echo Judy's comments and Cathy's as well and say
that you just did a really wonderful job of presenting yourself
and representing the school.
And I think that the technical school is one of the most underestimated gems of
public education in central Pennsylvania, and we're so fortunate to have it.
And I know as speaking as my self, as a parent
with a third grader who wants to be a veterinarian,
that when I took a tour of the technical school last year,
it has been on my radar that I can't wait for him to get to go toward that
because it would be one of the best things if that's the path he chooses.
But thank you for bringing that and for publicly, you know, doing.
I wish more people could hear your story
and show what a great success you are.
As a Derry Township student thriving at the technical school.
Yeah, I would echo I spent many years
in for myself, so I can say it was a great was a great program.
And I think it's.
Really wonderful that the board hear from folks like you that are taking.
The technical try that, you know, there's technical track towards career.
And I also want to thank Dr.
for her very good work at the school.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
We now have the A320 to turf field replacement.
Mr. Friends and Mr. Scott govern
as always.
I get stuck behind the best presentation and now I'm going to put everybody to
sleep here. So we like turf.
Mr. Governor, with us today to answer any questions you might have.
But the
the 322 field replacement
is a project that has been on our our capital plan.
No, it was actually originally on the capital plan for this school year.
And due to some
some good care, we were able to get an additional year
out of that field and move that to next school year.
Our original plan was to purchase
this from the using the Co-star's program.
It's it's fairly a simple process.
It is almost like replacing carpet, just pulling up the old stuff
and putting down the new.
Unfortunately, when we got the price for that,
he was $524,000 to get that replaced.
As we started
to do some research to try to find out if that was a good price or not,
we got pricing information from the Hempfield's School district.
Now Hempfield school district went through the same process through costars.
They replaced three fields at one time instead of just one,
but their cost per field was about $340,000
through that same process.
So where we were going to talk about today, how the process was moving forward,
given the information that we were able to obtain,
we were going to make the administratively
making the recommendation that we'll have to
send this project out for bid.
I'm doing a bid process will require us to engage
someone to pull together the necessary plans for the bid documents,
be that an architect or an engineer.
But the main part of that is that the the field replacement
would not be able to be done until after the fall season is over.
So we wanted to
let the board know about that.
And once again, that's one of the reasons Mr.
Governance is here to address any concerns that you may have with that.
We do know that there isn't a
weather is not a huge concern in replacing the field.
So to the fact that it may be December
freezing those types of things as this work is being done,
we found other districts that have done it during that time and have had no issues
with their fields.
This is also going through the process
to see if we could get a better price than the $524,000 that was proposed.
We don't know that that's actually going
that we will actually get a better price.
However, only going into this with one price through the Coast
arts program, we didn't feel
that was something we could bring forth for a recommendation for approval.
Given all the information that we have.
So I don't know if you'd like to add anything else.
There is a
there's three main kinds of turf there is, and a turf
which is currently on the Hershey Stadium, and that's what we have now.
Field Turf is the company that
we use that and we just got that Costar Price with us.
I'm most familiar with that.
That's what I played on in a CFL.
That's what I had at Boiling Springs and that's what I had at Spring Grove.
The other one is
Sprint Turf, which is a newer company that's come out.
What attracted me
more to Field Turf was the type of grass, the blade that it is.
It's a tighter blade.
So for sports with soccer balls, field hockey, the ball rolls faster.
It's not sand based, it's the rubber pellet based.
But not to the extent that we have out here.
Because if you notice, if you go on these fields
and you walk across them, your shoes are filled with the rubber pellets.
Field turf isn't quite like that.
You don't get the pellets as much in your shoes.
It has an eight year warranty, which is the only
turf that has an eight year warranty for their product.
So that's why I went with them just because of their
my experience with them, their longevity and what they have to offer.
I feel it's the best turf out there.
But he gave us a list of references.
The sales rep that gave us his turf.
So we reached out to them because some of them are on our back yard.
And when we did that, we found out that
Hempfield, for example, had three turf fields,
resurfaced at the same time and their price was considerably lower.
Now I reached out to the sales rep and asked this individual, he's currently
on vacation,
Did the price go down because you were there with your equipment,
was all there and that way was cheaper
because that makes sense for three different fields?
Or why is our fee so higher for just one field getting surfaced?
So he has yet to get back to me
for the exception, alerting me that he's on vacation.
So that's what I can tell you with our product.
When you look at the drawing and I showed you what it is, is
the orange is the outside border.
I thought it made our field look more prominent.
So that's why I did that in Orange.
And the National High School Federation
has also put out what it's called a unisex field for lacrosse.
So you can use the same lines for boys and girls.
Across the less lines you have means less seams you have, the less seams
you have, the less you have for tearing and parts of your field separating.
That's what happened to the current field you have out there
now as the boundaries were brought in
because they were too far extended when that happened.
That means you have to cut lines in the turf and replace it
and then add new lines.
When you do that, you're more susceptible for tears and rips in your seams.
So you guys afford us the opportunities to take care of this field.
You're afforded the opportunity to have maintenance max testing.
So we are taking care of our fields on a regular basis and we appreciate that.
But we're at the point
now with that field where obviously something needs to be done.
So what's the life.
Expectancy of the field turf product.
You're talking about? It's all about ten years.
If you take care of it, you can get more out of it.
How long we had that field.
When I think when oh seven is when they were installed.
Right. And we say, go ahead.
So you get to the point and it's just my own ignorance is
so you get to a point in turf field.
It's not repair, it's replace. Yes.
Because what happens, Donna, is what you do
is you do what's called a G max test.
And what that does is it's a basically shock absorber
to see how much give you have in the field.
The harder it gets is usually when your turf is older
because it gets impacted and pushed down.
And when that happens, you're more susceptible for injuries.
So that's why they'll tell us.
If you look at the big H and he noticed that it's a brighter strip in the middle,
the reason it is is because that's where the face off is.
That's where the start of lacrosse face off is.
That's where field hockey is starts.
So that area after the G max testing, it was ruled unsafe last year in spring.
So we cut that piece out and replaced it
with a new piece, new padding, the whole thing.
And that keeps it going.
This earlier this year in the spring, we had one of our creases
right in front of the girls lacrosse line, which happens to be the 18
inch soccer line.
It came apart and there was no way to repair it.
We had to lay pellets down below it.
So we're actually at the point we're backdating this thing right now and
we don't want to do that.
I thought the capital plan had two turf fields for 500,000.
Now that's just one.
They were each going to be 500.
But we were basing that on.
The second was a
a study that we had done, I believe it was
fanning Hawaii,
and that was our interpretation.
Unfortunately,
that report wasn't
the best in terms of the how it was given back to us.
And so that was our interpretation of what it said as we went out and gathered
these prices.
There was no way in the world that we were going to get a field done for $250,000.
That just is not within the realm of possibility. So
one thing we have discussed is the the
the track field turf is gets used
much, much, much less than the 322.
So I think this provides us an opportunity to to stagger
these
the replacement of it in doing this one next year.
And then we really don't have a timeline set for the for the other field.
Similarly it would be tested as it is yearly
and the company has given us a couple of years warning.
You know, by the time of it, you know, you're
probably going to need this in three years, two years.
We haven't been getting that from that field.
But obviously from the the 322 field that has much more use.
It is at the end of its useful life.
Hey, thank you.
Well, we are going to take a look at the capital plan at the next finance meeting.
So we'll have to take a look at if would you put that football turf and.
That would obviously be in years.
I think we can safely say we can at least get three more years out of that.
And I think that's being conservative.
There's probably more more than that at this point,
but that'll kind of fit nicely in the plan
if we're able to push that out that many years.
And not to give you more bad news, but you got to remember when you did that
track is when you did that turf field.
So the track is due for a resurfacing.
That means it gets sprayed. Okay.
And then they repaint the lines, but it's due to.
So it came in the same time, the turf field itself.
You can do the math and see where like at 12 years now with that.
So it's it's also coming.
I know I've told you this before, but field hockey likes worn turf,
so they're not going to be upset about their fall season on old turf.
Right. I don't know how soccer feels because they'll be in the fall, but
they're not going to be upset with you. Now,
I have a question about the types of turf again.
So we have the rubber with the rubber beads.
And you're saying this this this other turf is more,
more, more percentage of sand with the beads mixed out.
Some of the turf we have at the existing field has more sand on the bottom of it.
And the reason they did that, because the because they were playing field hockey.
So that pushes your pellets up further.
Okay. Field turf doesn't use sand.
Oh, okay. So you're talking that field turf that.
It only uses the black pellets.
Yeah, but they're they're a larger grainier
and they are smaller at the base and they get bigger at the top.
Okay.
That way you don't have as many coming up and your shoes and all that stuff.
So I've never experienced the fields like I have in turf where you walk
across it and you're constantly taking
the amount of pounds of it.
So it. Gets correct.
It gets in every shoe you have. Yes.
And what's the difference.
Of like water turf, like water, something.
Okay. Water turf?
Yes. Water turf is very it's tight.
So the negative would water turf is if I if I fall on it in my arm
drags on it, you're going to get a carpet burn just like you would here.
So the other turf would be trying to replicate as much as, again, grass.
Water turf is only field hockey.
Yeah, I like soccer.
Those guys don't want that. Yeah.
Okay.
You guys have any questions?
All we wanted to do is make sure the board was aware of that
and what that was going to mean for that replacement.
So just one question, Mike.
So we're not clear yet on on who would do the installing or what
the price would be.
That's correct. That is correct. We
will be looking
for the company to pull together the
the necessary documents to take this out, to bid
one place that does that is the company that already services the field
perfect track.
We're prepared to to to do that already and this is something else
they would do as well.
Thank you.
So when you're you're questioning them about the apparent discount that Hempfield
got, maybe a package deal, probably should at least get a two field quote.
Mm hmm. I mean.
Although it was 50% more poor, there is not a
I expected a per field discount because of doing three.
Not the information.
And here is not something else is going on.
Okay.
Thank you very much for coming. My pleasure.
For reporting the news, by the way.
Remember, I was here for baseball
and I said I believe we beat lowered often five three in the last thing.
You just put that out there.
Awesome. Thank you. Good news.
Hey, I would like to announce the board met an exact session prior to this meeting
to discuss matters of personnel, and the board will also meet
in post as well.
This is recognition of citizens.
This is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers to address
the board on matters related to the agenda.
Those who speak are asked to come to the microphone
and state your name and address for the record
to provide other residents with an opportunity to speak.
Each speaker during the public comment portion
is limited to 5 minutes of speaking.
Time once recognized and limited to one opportunity
to address the board during each of the public comment periods.
If necessary, the board may set a maximum time
for the public comment portion of the meeting.
Speakers are asked to review the protocol for addressing the board,
which can be found at the sign in table prior to speaking.
Those wishing to present private concerns or questions
needing follow up outside the board meeting
are asked to fill out a comment card which can be found at the podium.
Completed cards may be turned into members of the administration
to facilitate a reply. Are there any citizens or taxpayers
who would like to come forward at this time?
Okay.
Now, as citizens, the Finance Standing Committee met today.
Mr. Singer, do you have a report?
Yes, I do.
We discussed
several things, including revenue and expenses
for the year were in as well as projected for next year.
And at this point and I want to make sure I report this correctly, Mike,
and correct me if I'm wrong, we came into the meeting today
with a projected increase of 2.3%
property tax for school year 1920.
And as of today, the recommendation
by our business manager is 1.4%.
Is that correct? Okay.
So that's one
outcome of the meeting that secondly, the
committee and hearing all of the information and discussion
with Mike feels comfortable
with the preliminary budget as as constituted.
It'll be up to the board to make its own decision when the time comes.
But we did want to let you know that
the four Finance Committee members were very comfortable
with where we're at with the the preliminary budget.
Again, Mike, correct me if I'm wrong on this,
the board will be expected to approve the preliminary budget on May 28th.
And then our final budget would need to be approved on on June 24th.
And Mike, could you just give a brief
synopsis of what they will have to review between now
and then what you'll be sending?
Sure.
We'll be sharing the information that has, of course,
been reviewed at the Finance Committee meetings.
But also we are required to put the budget information into the PD format.
PD 2028.
That is the form that's required by law for us to be
put out for public inspection.
I don't like it the form as a communication tool
to the public because the form was created for accountants
and obviously not everybody is is an accountant. So
we'll be
pushing putting that forward for the board to approve the PD document will match
a number for number exactly what we've been presenting to the committee.
I'll just be in a little bit different format and that's the format
that the board will be required to approve.
We will have all the other
sister information for that in the ways that we've been showing it.
In terms of a breakdown, which I believe is a little bit better for communication.
So everybody's on the same page.
But as Mr.
Singer noted, the rest of the school code that's left for us is to approve
a preliminary budget, which has to be done before May 30th, May 31st,
and then approve the final budget, which has to be done by before June 30th.
And there has to be at least 20 days in between
those to those two approvals for for public inspection.
So that's what we have left in front of us.
Okay. Thank you, Mike.
Just as a reminder, we discussed this, I believe,
at the last meeting that Mike was proposing, moving,
I believe, 1.5 million out of the the Pacers
stabilization fund into our insurance fund for next year.
Is that correct, Mike?
Yes, our medical insurance fund.
Okay.
So that that's not going to be voted on separately.
It will be just it'll be included in the budget that you review.
Next thing I wanted to mention is this.
The speaker asked if we could have an opportunity
to take a look at the capital budget, which we haven't looked at in a while.
And so at our next meeting, in addition to looking at some of these
final numbers, we're going to be taking a look at the capital,
the capital budget for going forward.
And I think that's it for the
Finance Committee
for the discussion about the numbers anyway.
And before I move on, does
any of the other committee members have anything to add about the budget?
Okay.
Thank you.
We discussed very briefly
the the vendor fair that we've talked about holding
that would provide an opportunity for local businesses to learn
more about the services and goods that we produce
and the timeframes within which not nothing we produce,
which we purchase, and the timeframes within which we make those purchases.
We talked about a timeframe of maybe December, January,
December 19th, January 24, possible opportunities
to build our business for school year 2021.
And Mrs.
Drew suggested that one of the things we want to do in relation to
that would be to have a a website presence with some basic information
about our procurement practices.
So going forward, it wouldn't just be one single event
where they have an opportunity to learn about our procurement practices,
but they would be able to go on to a website and
catch up with where we are, what we're up to,
and if they're qualified, put in some bids.
That's the end of my report.
Thank you.
Any questions?
Mr. Singer, do you have an athletics
and activity standing committee report yet?
Yes, very briefly.
We spent the hour just talking about some some possible tweaks
and revisions to policy 122
related to extracurricular activities.
No, there's no no recommendations to make at this point.
We'll work with Jason going forward to see if there's any tweaks
that may be valuable and useful going forward.
And if so, they would then come back with our recommendation
probably in the June meeting for subsequent consideration
by the Policy Committee next year.
So that's what the athletic activities let's everybody else wants to
offer anything.
I would just like to add that I think Terry did a great.
Job in taking steps. To try to.
Make sure that the. Activities.
That we have at the school are actually serving the students well.
They're not just resume patters, they're actually activities
where the students are being charged to be leaders, project managers
and just involved involved in following their passion and actually
taking the lead over the sponsors and that we really provide.
It's not debt.
Dauphin County Technical School, but it's a certainly a way of making
students have real life opportunities via clubs and other organizations
and not having them be hollow.
So thank you for that.
Any other comment about athletics and activities?
Okay.
Student representatives report We have Mr.
Maisha and Ms..
Cross go and see Patrick of Oz.
He's not here.
I wanted to congratulate him on his Apollo Award, but.
Yes, we will be also talking about that.
Okay, before.
But good evening, madam President.
Board members and public, we're reaching the times of standardized testing
and close to the end of the school year with pieces happening apps and Keystone.
So it can be a little bit of a stressful time,
but there are still some awesome things happening throughout all the schools.
We just wanted to start off by giving a shout out to some individuals
that performed at the Regional Business Challenge on was Angie Boo, Olivia Falco,
Alex Rapp, Hannah Bliss and Erin Flanagan, who created a little product,
or I think they designed a little product where it was your workout
can be channeled into some sort of energy that then charges your phone.
So it's really cool to hear about
and they sort of presented it like it was on a Shark Tank show
and they got first place, which is really awesome.
So congratulations to them and being in the mood of a competition.
The middle school and high school Science Olympiad teams
headed over to junior out of college where they competed
at the state level of the competition and the middle school did really well.
They placed top ten in the state and they had lots of students
placing in the individual events as well.
Hi, everyone.
Unlike the high school, the middle scores and elementary scores,
I mean, just elementary.
So so they got to learn a little bit like outside the classroom.
They went on field trips to the fourth graders, went to the Barnes Health
Education Center in York, and they got to learn a lot
about innovative
and high quality and effective ways to learn about health education.
The first graders went to the museum of Natural History
that features over 40,000 specimens.
So that was that was kind of cool.
And they also got to go to the home of the collection of Amazonian African
and North American animals, minerals, fossils, and many more.
So that was kind of cool.
I'm on the note of field trips.
Last Friday, eighth graders and some high schoolers
headed over to Mount Gretna, where they did
the Gold Leadership Development program that they had at the middle school.
It's really cool.
I had a lot of fun when I went in eighth grade
and this year the eighth graders had the same opportunity.
The weather wasn't as nice, so they couldn't really go outside and play.
But anytime they had the opportunity, that definitely took advantage of.
And it was nice for the eighth graders to get a little information on like what
to expect about high school juggling those two extracurriculars and athletics.
But the high schoolers were definitely there to support them,
and it was a really fun activity from what I heard.
Now, my favorite part,
Saharan Junior Prom, was this Saturday, and everyone looked so good.
I saw all the pictures on Instagram and all the
it's just really nice to see, like the whole student body at this,
the people that go, like, dress up and might get ready and do their hair
and makeup and stuff like that.
So our own little fashion week, everyone says, like, best dress, like, whatever.
So that's really nice to see.
And they, they just always have a great time.
Like the lodge is really nice to have it
because I went both year, I went to, I went to, to prom last year.
But I don't know, I just love all of it.
Like I love all that. So it's really fun.
And this past Thursday and Friday there was a production of the screenplay,
which was the act of a bunch of two acts that also featured
a short film from the film club at the Hershey High School.
So one of the act was about terrible dates,
and then the other act was about customer service, and it was really funny.
I really enjoyed laughing throughout the whole night.
I really enjoyed the whole production, and the film was also awesome.
But the third pool on the at the Hershey High School.
And for the Apollo Awards.
So as I'm sure you all remember a few months ago, the high school
put on a wonderful production of Anything Goes.
And as a result of it, there was a lot of awards that came out of that. So
outstanding Student Orchestra, outstanding
dance number, outstanding musical set that they are awarded.
They are
Maya Cofer was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress actress in a musical,
and our own Patrick Abbasi was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress
in a musical I'm sorry, outstanding support of actor, my dad.
And congratulations to Tori Moss for earning an honorable mention
for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a musical and Kristin Morgan
for Honorable Mention for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a musical.
Brandon Chrysler earned the Spirit of the Theater
award and Josie Gamez earned the Achievement Achievement.
Award for the.
Constant dedication and continual
work in their productions behind the scenes processes.
So that was really nice.
There was another awesome achievement that was earned by the high school students
and the Brain Busters team.
Under the advising, Mrs.
Sylvester and the students were able to make it
the semifinals of the tournament, which is really awesome.
It's the first time they've gone there since 2013.
So Mrs.
Sylvester helped them out with all of the questions
or random knowledge questions that they need to help them.
And the students had a lot of fun.
The four students were Jonathan hated Abby, Luke Archer, Mailman and Jason.
Surprisingly, they all had their own individual specialties that they
but they definitely worked together on those challenging problems,
and they found it very fun to be involved with the program.
They could make jokes but also be serious at the same time.
And lastly, we
just want to give a little shout out to Grace Harris.
She's in the community service class and CASA Mrs.
Kazakhstan Iconoclasm.
So she does a great job with this class like I'm I'm a student
and in her community service class and it's like honestly great.
I've loved doing it all year.
And Grace has actually planted really beautiful flowers.
And if you guys drive by the high school, they're in bloom right now.
She did that during the fall, so they're really nice and pretty now.
And it's just a great, like way to make the atmosphere
of school better, like walking and seeing all the flowers and seeing them
bloom, just knowing that it's time for school to be over.
So that's really nice to see.
No fancy.
You guys want to stay in?
No offense.
Yeah, I guess your job is done to that.
I guess so.
That's pretty much it. It is.
I guess it's.
I'm sorry I didn't want to offend you, but
that wraps overhead sports.
And as always, thank you so much for your time.
And if you have any questions, you ask now,
how many more days of school are left for you?
You have it down to the counted.
2028 was in my right.
I don't know. But I thought, Why would you ask?
I thought maybe you had it.
No. 28, I think because there is there was a sign up that said
29 yesterday and Friday.
If we knew and you didn't know it.
It's such a reversal.
I guess.
I guess you can ask any. Questions and.
Thank you so much for your report.
The listed items are on the proposed May 13th, 2019
Board of Directors Meeting Agenda.
Okay.
Unfinished Business.
Granada.
Granada Property Update.
Mr. Friends.
Thank you, Mr..
Just wanted to review on the agenda
today is the proposal to reject
the bids received for for this building
for the roof and exterior work.
I wanted to just review
a couple of pieces of information
and just start with a reminder to
the architect that we are using for this project.
We switched our architects
kind of midstream, not midstream, but before we went out to bid.
And so the prior architect firm was the one that developed the budget
approximately $3.1 million that we were working from.
So one of the first things I had asked
Warehouse to do was
to take the bid information and compare it to their industry standards.
As all architects have either a book of business or industry standard
pricing for the part of the country that they're in.
And that really
brought back for for me anyway,
that was the initial information
that was reviewed or sent to you over the weekend was that they believe
this project will be about $5.9 million, not 3.1.
So that was
a little bit of a
a note there that while the bids we got were not the best and we probably
still want to go back out to get to see if there's more competition out there.
Maybe they weren't as far off as we had originally felt.
Bids came in about 6.2 million for the project,
which as I noted, we're we're recommending to reject at this point
further went through a breakdown
of what the roofing estimate was
and through the back of the document, you can see how they in more detail
compare that roofing estimate to what their industry standards were
and noting that, you know, the price we received for
the roof was a little higher than than they would have expected.
What we've asked them to do
is come back and see if it would be possible for us
to break this into two separate projects,
one being a roofing project.
And part of that we received two bids
for this project when we had it as a whole
and that was basically because it was treated as a general contract.
So we had two general contractors come in and provide those bids.
For the most part, general contractors do some of the work
themselves, but they outsource much of it.
And as you can be aware, they're getting prices from somebody else.
They're putting a markup on that and moving forward.
And so one of the things we discussed, because this was,
for the most part, a straightforward roof replacement,
there were some unique parts of it,
but that maybe we would get a better price if we pulled that out
and took it directly as a roof for that replacement and then getting
roofing contractors to bid directly rather than going through the general.
The general part of that.
So that's what we've asked warehouse to do to
to pull the bids together in in a different way so that that could happen
as well as identifying maybe some things that we wanted to have done
that maybe had a little bit higher price tag than than we were willing to accept
one of those we're looking at throughout the
the alley of the building, there are various
buildings, outcrops
that were once used for heating heat
and ventilation was
the those parts of the building are archaic.
There are no way to use the new ventilation systems
that we currently have, do not use those areas.
And so in a true renovation standpoint,
we had asked we said, well, we would like those taken down
and reworked so that the building looks like it almost never there.
I think some of those places
that demolition work was a lot more expensive than we had anticipated.
And so I asked them to
bring forward a
recommendation as well as to what some of those things are.
And if,
you know, demolishing a small portion of the building
was going to cost $100,000, we may be okay since it's in the back of the building,
just leaving it there and not paying for the demolition.
Like I said, these are just small outcrops that are by four
or five of them throughout the
if you walk down the alley of the building that are set through.
So that's another item that I've asked them to to bring forth
some recommendations on how we can move forward.
I think another part of the discussion, though, is
that $3.1 million was not enough to get the project accomplished.
And so we'll also
need to start talking
about additional money that we may be able to take from the capital fund
to meet
the needs of this project once it's reworked.
I think we have plenty of time to do that.
As we noted, we're breaking this.
We would like to break this down into two bids, one being the roofing project,
that as soon as we could get the
specs done for that.
Now most of the specs are done, but the warehouse will have to go back through
and specifically pull some of the things out
that they had in general contracting that really no need to go into a roof.
Now if there are two separate, two separate projects,
they estimate that
that will be about $1.3 million to get the roofing work done.
And so we have the money to do that as well as that was the main need of
getting those replaced to make sure we're keeping the water out of the building.
So that's
basically where we're at at this point in time.
As I noted, on the agenda for today is the rejection of bids.
I hope to come back by our next meeting and have a definite proposal
of what we're doing and moving forward.
Warehouse was was doing the work associated
with pulling all these numbers together.
And so we have not had a chance to talk about
exactly what those next steps are because part of
for me, part of the decision making was in the numbers.
And if something was much more expensive than we ever thought, it would be
like pulling down some of those portions of the building
that maybe we would just pull them out of the project
and thus maybe reduce the cost somewhat as well from there.
But that's where we're at today with with the Granada Project.
Mike, when you say it's
two different prices, you call one part the roof.
What do you call the other part?
Everything else. Is that. Just.
Yes, Yeah, I would just General General Construction.
But yes, it is windows, doors, facade, brick, Repointing
and those types of things that would be included in there.
They have it broke down as masonry work,
windows, hardware and door and then just a catch all at the end.
And that brick repointing doesn't need to be done with the roof.
That doesn't leak also in any way.
The brick portions of it are down further.
So while it needs to be addressed, it is not as major part.
If we some of what we're dealing with now is the water isn't going where it needs
to go.
Redoing the roof will get some of that to drain
so that it won't be going back down on the sides or anything like that.
Still be an issue, just not as large
as we have as we have now.
We'll definitely also be bringing forward a plan to get those accomplished.
But like I said, the roof will just be first in that
and then look at
look at the rest of the work.
In a subsequent meeting in June.
So the $6 million was like soup to nuts.
We're going to break it down and probably prioritize it in a way that
like the roof and then like you said, all of the other parts
that are adding to the deterioration.
So we will evaluate that in order of importance.
Well, and also asking,
I think
it's our my feeling, our thought that
having this as a roof bid will get better prices for the roof itself.
We're we're still kind of bouncing that back and forth with warehouse
they do believe there
and one of the reasons they put it in the detail that they did
are just some of the things that they were identifying to me as well.
This isn't part of a normal roof.
So your expectations are maybe this should be a little bit more expensive.
I wanted them to show me, well, what were those bid parts?
We have not had the chance to to
to go back and talk with warehouse on this information.
We just received this on Friday.
And that's our next step is to to really dive in
to see what this is and the goal to have a recommendation by the May
13th meeting of how we actually need to proceed.
Thank you.
Are there any other questions?
I had a question I should know this.
I remember having some.
Discussion about financing these improvements through a bond or otherwise.
So that that process, obviously, how does that impact that process?
Michael, We have that money.
So we have $3.1 million that we had originally done to for this project.
There's a three year, essentially
a three year window on those dollars.
And so none of that has really started for us or wouldn't
be a concern at this point in time about spending those dollars
specifically, since we do know that it's probably going to cost us more that
we'll have to chip in at some other way to make up the difference.
I'm not recommending at this point that we borrow any of those dollars.
I think that we have in our capital plan
enough money to fund this.
I think part of it is also knowing that we have another large project
coming up and we want to make sure that there's plenty of funds there.
So I can't speak in a lot of deference just because there's
some of those things open.
But I do feel that we do have the funds to take care of it
once we get this sorted.
Mike All of this is still within the current scope of services for our house.
Yes. Any other questions?
Okay. Thank you, Mike.
Our content agenda items, the consent agenda contains routinely adopted items
and items that normally do not require public deliberations on part of the board.
A board member may put items which can then be voted on separately,
may have a motion to approve the consent agenda items as listed. Mrs.
Seger, I just need to pull
the Jury of Sports Foundation out of Item G
and abstain
from the vote.
Okay.
So may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda items as listed
except for item the item Joya sports under g
so moved K, maria and Donna.
Is there any discussion
here? This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say aye.
All those opposed say no.
All right, moving on to item G,
page ten.
Okay.
May I have a motion to approve the listed
requests for the Joya Sports Foundation
for the use of school facilities with a waiver.
So moved second.
Okay, that was Donna and Maria.
Is there any discussion?
I would just like to state that due to reasons of a business relationship
in which I am compensated and I'll be abstaining for a vote
for any potential conflict of interest.
Okay.
Thank you, Mr.
Friends.
Rock Although,
Mr. Able. Yes.
Dr. Cronan?
Yes, Mr.
Epstein.
Mr. Ariston. Yes.
Ms.. Mary. Yes.
Dr. Shah.
Yes. Mr. Looker? Yes.
Mr. Singer.
Yes. Miss Stoner?
Yes. Eight. Yes. One Abstain.
See the motion.
Passes.
Okay.
We have new business.
Get resolution.
Mm hmm. Okay.
Resolution supporting Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
for school districts providing their own cyber learning programs.
Mr. McFarland.
And pardon me, I'm going to read it.
So it's on record.
Whereas the Commonwealth is the sole authorizer
of cyber charter schools, yet the tuition costs for students
attending these schools are borne by school districts and local taxpayers.
And. WHEREAS,
the majority of cyber schools have consisted only placed in the bottom
5% for educational performance in the state.
Further, graduate graduation rates of cyber
charters are consistently and substantially below state average.
And. WHEREAS, a growing number of school districts across the state are responding
to the need to successfully operate high quality, full time cyber
education programs within their traditional district, programs
that provide flexibility and personalized options as a choice
for students and families.
And. WHEREAS, school district cyber programs include curriculum
aligned with the state academic standards and taught by a properly certified
teachers, and school districts can provide their cyber education
students with regular
and special education instruction and services, tutoring, career counseling
and other support is necessary, and students may graduate
in district ceremonies and receive a district diploma.
And. WHEREAS,
The current funding formula for cyber charter schools is based on school
district expenditures with no relationship to the actual instructional costs.
And. WHEREAS, the Derry Township School District's Cyber Charter school
expenditures for the past three years reflect extraordinary costs
that were borne by US taxpayers as followed
and are listed, they're averaging a half a million dollars a year,
whereas school districts that operate high performing cyber programs
can do so at significantly reduced costs, enabling them to retain
critical funding in the district for the benefit of all students.
And now therefore, be it resolved that the Derry Township School Board support
Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
to eliminate the diversion of a public school district's tax revenues
and education subsidy to cyber charter schools
not operated by the local public school district.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution
be submitted to the elected Senators and representatives of Derry Township
School District in the General Assembly and to the Governor of Pennsylvania.
May I have a motion to approve the resolution supporting
Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
for school districts providing their own cyber learning programs.
So those second.
Okay, Terry and Tricia,
is there any discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say.
I. Was opposed. Say now.
Okay, the motion carries.
I just want to say I didn't get a chance before the vote was called.
But thank you, Joe, for your work on this and putting this together to send.
Approval of Hershey Elementary.
Jim Vasey Baird Mr. McFarlane.
The administration recommends the board award the bid for Jim HVAC
units at the Hershey Elementary School to LaBolt, Inc.
in the amount of $124,800.
May I have a motion to approve the Hershey Elementary Jim HPC bid.
So moved Second.
Maria and Lindsey, is there any discussion?
It is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I always opposed say no hear The motion
carries approval of the Granada chiller replacement bid. Mr.
McFarland administration recommends the board award the bid for replacement
of the chiller at Granada to leave board incorporated in the amount of $51,575.
May I have a motion to approve the Granada chiller replacement bed?
So moved. Second.
Maria and Lindsey, is there any discussion?
Hey, a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I and all those opposed say no to the motion.
Carries
Granada property bid rejection.
Mr. McFarland.
The administration recommends the Board reject all bids received for the Granada
Property Project and approve the administration
to work with Warehouse LLC to rework the bid specifications.
So moved it May I have a motion to reject the Granada Property
Project bids and approve the Administration work
with Warehouse LLC to rework the bid specifications.
So move Second.
Chip and Maria, is there any discussion?
Okay, this is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I was opposed.
Say no.
And a motion carries approval of in-service workshop.
Speaker agreements. Mr. McFarland.
Thank you.
The administration recommends
the board approved the listed Speaker agreements for the listed workshops.
May I have a motion to approve the listed workshop?
Speaker Agreements so moved.
Second, Patricia maria Is there any discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I those opposed say no.
Okay. The motion carries.
May I have a motion to approve the listed resignations?
So moved dollar
second.
Lindsay, is there any discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I was opposed.
Say no.
Here The motion carries personnel. General.
Mr. McFarland.
The administration recommends the approval of the listed personnel.
May I have a motion to approve personnel?
General served second,
Lindsay and Donna,
is there any discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I was opposed.
Say no to the motion carries RMS, ma'am, do you have a I?
You report. It's attached.
Thank you.
Hey, Dr. Shaw, do you have a hack report?
Delegate report was included in your packet.
And I have.
Nothing to add to what was provided.
Thank you.
Are there any board members
who would like to give a report,
Marcia?
I do, yes. Thank you.
I just wanted to report that I, in addition to Mr.
Macfarlane, attended the PSB Advocacy Day today down at the Harrisburg
Capitol Building, and we met with Representative
Mahaffey and Senator DeSanto speaking about
issues relating to the sorry, the cyber charter funding
and reference to the resolution that we passed
as well as asking for support for general funding,
special education funding and city funding
and plan con support.
So it was it was a very productive day.
There's a lot of good conversations and
it was it was great.
So it's always great event.
But the SBA provides us an opportunity to
to speak to our representatives and give public education a voice.
So I'm happy that I was able to participate.
Okay.
Thank you.
Trace, do you want to talk about the better together?
Oh, yes. Thank you. Yes.
I also wanted to give a brief report about
the Better Together Derry Township Coalition.
We had our first
steering
committee meeting where we invited members.
We had a really good turnout from members
that we invited, so that was really exciting.
And we split out and split up and met
and saw our different groups.
The four groups that we are focusing on
is physical activity, nutrition and food access,
mental and behavioral health and diversity wellness.
So we, you know, met together in groups
and identified
gaps within our township of ways
we can improve on those areas and expand upon them.
Everyone was given a question, if you've got a 10,000,
if you received a $10,000 grant, what would you do with it?
How would you improve those type of services?
What can we streamline?
What can we piece together to make it better and more accessible
and put the information
out there so that people know that the services are available?
So there are a lot of good ideas.
It was it was there was so much good discussion that we had a hard time
reining in.
And so that was a good that was a really great thing.
And we're going to meet again
probably the next month or so to invite more members
to be a part of this, to be more members, to be part of these these teams.
So if anybody out there listening wants to be a part of these teams and
we're up to just
improve upon these services so that we make these things
more accessible for all the residents in Derry Township,
please reach out to myself or Judy
Haverstock or Terry Singer, who are also on the Better Together Coalition.
That concludes my report.
Thank you very much.
And the other board members.
I just will make a comment.
I know the students touched on it, but they focused more on gold
in the STAR program.
Also was last Friday
and all the eighth grade girls got to participate in what was part
two of their program, Part one being in the fall.
And it really focused on girls leadership, development and self-esteem
and they had the trolley ride and then they had
they did very various workshops with the high school students,
and they had identified certain women role models that they were able to discuss
and overall, I thought it was a very well organized, once again program.
Thank you very much,
Mr. McFarland.
Give us superintendents report.
I do. And I always like going after the students. Because they usually take.
Half of my superintendent report, which is it's fine.
It's great.
But there are a few things that I'll add to that.
First of all, I want to congratulate our first grade teacher, Caitlin Clark,
who received a smart grant for her coding in first grade grant submission.
And as part of that, grant shall receive four days
of Apple's Everyone can code professional learning
for 9.7 inch iPads and for Logitech crayons, which I had to look up
and see what they are, but they allow you to write right on the iPad.
Also, congratulations to fifth grader Caleb Tinsley, who was honored
last Thursday
at the Hershey Stories Business Partner and Education annual Breakfast
for his first place rating in the junior fiction
category of the 19 Daniel History contest for young writers.
His piece was titled Battling for Glory My Time with Alexander the Great,
and it was selected from many writing pieces across the Midstate
and they had a portion of it in there, and you can read the whole piece,
but it was amazing the writing that he did.
And so I encourage you to read that.
Also, I want to congratulate
the high school team who competed in and won Pen Dodd's Innovation Challenge.
Remember, I spoke to that a little while ago,
that they were competing in that this was for their solution.
That was to relegate the speed of cars into construction zones.
They actually won that competition.
Congratulations.
The high school student, Kennedy White, who received an honorable mention
for NPR contest entry titled The Reality of Racism.
Her submission was one of almost 6000 entries submitted nationwide.
Finally, in the Congratulations category, I want to congratulate our Hershey
memory team, who won the national title for the 10th time this past weekend.
I have a hard time remembering this weekend, let alone
all that they memorize.
I also just want to echo that Mr.
Steiner and I had the privilege
of advocating for public ed today at the Capitol with over 200 other
superintendents, board members and IU representatives.
A large focus was around cyber charter funding.
And as I appreciate the board's support
of that resolution, we did talk extensively about that
and it's been something that we've been advocating for for years.
And just to help the public understand a little bit of
why we're advocating for that,
whether you realize it or not, when a student chooses to go to an outside
cyber charter, we have our own, we call it Hola.
But when they choose to go out to any of the other
cyber charters in Pennsylvania,
what goes with them is the total
per student cost that it costs to educate a student in Derry Township.
So for us it's around $12,000.
It only we can educate students
in our cyber for about 5050 500 total.
And I don't know if you realize it or not, but all those wonderful commercials
that you see on television that advertise a free public education
in Pennsylvania, those are your tax dollars.
One cyber charter that I had the letter that we gave to our representatives
once charter spends eight and a half million dollars
on marketing and advertising a year.
And when you look at their data, and I will preface with
anything in the future ready index and is a lot of it's one time snapshots.
So we understand that not all, you know, an assessment is one piece,
but when you look at that and you compare any of the cyber charters,
the one that I have in the letter, they did not meet even come close to
to reaching the out of the state average.
For example, in math, 16.8%
proficient or advanced in Hershey High School, 83.2%.
The state average, 45.5%.
And it was shared today that
who would hire a company
or a business to do something and give them double or triple what you would
normally pay for a high quality education
and get some PA standards like that.
That's why we're advocating it's our tax dollars.
It's your tax dollars, and we're looking at fair
and equitable funding and accountability.
And it's not
that in my.
Report, just you mention the Music award or the music recognition
for the school music program
there is that maybe for next month, the Apollo Awards.
Was the national. What about the last time?
Oh, did you mention that? Was it?
I thought you did. Okay.
It was attached this time, so I didn't know
that. And that's okay.
You could do it next year.
Board presidents report at your seat.
Tonight is a ballot for Dauphin County Tech School
duty and other representatives.
And we are recommending that you approve
everything here.
And thank you, John, to come in to the the all members meeting.
It was nice you too to make it.
On with thing. Oh, yeah, go ahead.
I'm sorry, I forgot to ask while I have the pulpit for a minute here.
We've been advocating districts have been advocating,
school boards have been advocating for this.
We need the public to advocate with our representatives
and our senators right now it is in committee.
And what we've heard is they don't even anticipate to go to committee.
There are huge lobbying dollars spent
by cyber charter that have thwarted
fair funding and oversight for cyber charters and charters for years.
They need to hear our representatives need to hear from us,
every individual parent and community member.
These are our tax dollars
going for these things,
for advertising and other things.
Thank you.
Okay.
So that the Dauphin County type of school they are,
we are approving their budget for next year on this event.
Just make just approve and sign your name please.
If you have any questions you can ask us.
And I did want to thank all the staff and administration for working with Mr.
Friends in his business office on the budget.
We had a good finance meeting today, and I know it takes a lot of hard work
to look through your budget
and scour through it and get to this point in the year
where we're coming down to the preliminary budget.
And I appreciate that. And thank you for all your work, too.
This is time for recognition of citizens.
This is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers to address the board on
matters related to the agenda or matters of district governance, not on the agenda.
Those who speak are asked to come to the microphone
and follow the same guidelines outlined
at the initial public comment portion of our meeting.
Are there any residents or taxpayers who would like to come forward
at this time?
I have the sidewalk.
Hi, my name is Laurie Miller Peterson.
I believe I'm supposed to state my address, which is 190 Jacob's
Creek Drive in Hershey.
Unfortunately, my agenda
item didn't make it to the agenda
because I guess there was a snafu
that there was a cover letter necessary
for a musical theater or a musical club at the middle school.
And I know some of you know a little bit about it,
but I would like to start
and hopefully it makes the next one.
It wasn't up there, but
I pulled this off the website and this is the overview
of the Derry Township School District's
Sports
thoughts.
Derry Township School District believes that sports
not only offer students the opportunity to take part in an activity
they enjoy, but also provide students many lifelong benefits,
such as character development, goal setting and friendships.
Athletics teach participants lesson in lessons
in teamwork, discipline, leadership and overcoming adversity.
As such, the district offers an array of athletic programs
for high school and middle school students.
And I would like to put forth that if you substitute
the word theater for sports and athletics, you get the same thing.
You get students taking part in activity.
They enjoy lifelong benefits, such as character development, goal setting
and friendships, teamwork, discipline, leadership, and overcoming adversity.
The American Alliance for and Education
points out that students involved in
drama, performance, coursework or experience outscored
arts students on the SATs by an average of 65 points
on the verbal component and 34 points on the math component.
Drama can improve skills and academic performance
in children and youth with learning disabilities.
Drama activities, improve reading comprehension,
both verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
Drama improves academic performance.
Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama, involvement
and academic achievement, in addition to having higher
standardized test scores.
Speaking of being in the midst of processes,
then their peers who do not experience the arts.
Students who participate in drama often improved often experience
and reading comprehension maintain better attendance records
and on and on.
93% of Americans
believe the arts are essential to a complete education.
79% feel the arts should be a priority in education reform.
79% Consider the issues facing arts education to be significant enough
to merit their personally taking action, which is why I'm here.
Jude Peterson, who happens to be my son
and a group of really cool
middle schoolers who aren't involved in the sports programs
felt like there wasn't an outlet for them.
There's a middle school play club and they all got involved in that
for the one performance that they're that they're able to put on a year.
He circulated a petition in the fall over 60 signatures
were were signed by the students
but no staff would take it on
because.
It's a volunteer position and it's at least as big
a time commitment as almost any sports coach.
So I became a staff member and I got myself a job
with the Derry Township School District, and now they have a staff
person signed on to their petition to do a middle school musical.
So these these kids, most of
whom don't have a chance to utilize their talents in a school setting
because they don't do sports,
are hopefully with your support, going to be able
to do a middle school musical.
The other schools in the area
that do middle school musicals, Palmyra,
these are
these are ones off the top of my head because I've got students involved
in these Palmyra lower Dauphin, Central Dauphin, Elizabeth Town, Cedar
Crest, Cornwall, Lebanon, Efford a middle school, St Joan of Arc
and Angela Cliona even involves their middle schoolers
because they're a junior and senior high school.
So what qualifies me?
I went to Northwestern. I'm a theater major.
I was a theater major.
I teach theater above,
but it's about the kids.
It's about giving them an opportunity to shine.
We've got sixth, seventh and eighth graders,
you guys, they are so talented and they have nowhere to show it.
When this finally comes to
the agenda.
Please, please just give this to these kids.
And oh, and I have information
about the actual show that I'd like to pitch
the costs associated with it.
But I'm at five or four.
Thanks. I just have to say.
Yes, we do have that because the club is looking to handle funds.
It has to be board approved and there is additional paperwork we need yet for that.
So That's why it has not come to the board at this point.
It was given to me.
It was Mr.
Valentin didn't let me know that anything else was necessary.
I don't know.
His middle school clubs don't typically handle funds, so it was a different.
So we he's working with the high school to figure out how they do that.
Okay. But it's coming. All right. So anyway,
thank you for.
Your support. Thank you.
Thank you.
You had me at Hello? Yeah.
And then
the next public board of directors meeting will be held
May 13th, 2019, starting at 7:00 in a district office board of directors.
We will be adjourning to post exac.
May I have a motion to adjourn this.
Meeting some second?
Donna and Maria,
we are adjourned at.
Oh, all those in favor say aye.
I was opposed. Say no.
Okay. We are adjourned at 827.