(Editor’s note: the following is part one of a two-part Letter to the Editor, submitted by North Penn School Board Director Jonathan Kassa. The views expressed in this editorial are his own.)
Essential Context
Over the past year and a half, as chairman of the Facilities and Operations and Safe Schools committees for North Penn School Board, I’ve learned about the status of each of North Penn’s facilities through monthly community meetings, site tours, expert reports and community forums (NPSD Facilities Community Information Page). We identified and prioritized the dozens of capital improvements that are needed just to maintain the district’s current operations.
The Ten Year Facilities Plan is an extensive list of deferred facility needs that have accumulated over the decades, and balances the district's budgetary constraints with the longstanding logistical needs of our buildings and grounds, and ultimately, student success and safety. This led to multiple projects being initiated, the most significant being the redesign and current renovation of Knapp Elementary.
One clear fact is that North Penn High School’s Crawford Stadium is an outdated, nearly 50-year old facility that serves thousands of students from across our district each year—not simply athletes. It is also a major center of the community that welcomes additional thousands of visitors each year, with well over 8,000 for graduation alone. The longer we delay fixing Crawford and developing a genuine multi-purpose complex to better serve our community, the more expensive it will become. The diverse needs, safety and security of every single student and person that attends community-wide events at Crawford must be addressed and should not be ignored.
We must modernize Crawford to meet the needs of the 21st century, not 1972.
Sorting Competing Priorities
We have significant district-wide priorities to address that take time, planning and funding to accomplish, including air conditioning in the middle schools, which is a much more expensive and complex issue. The estimate for adding only the air conditioning units at the three middle schools is a minimum of $30 million-plus, not including the necessary renovations to the buildings themselves. The same cost inflation that we've witnessed with Crawford's estimate of $8.5 to $9.5 million will surely apply to an air conditioning estimate that is almost two years old.
I want air conditioning in all of our schools, and this must be done in the proper strategic sequence. The district is reviewing options regarding the 9th grade center at the high school and other funding needs that are directly tied to the design and installation of air conditioning at each site, such as the renovation options for Penndale Middle School and long-term removal of modular units from all facilities. The earliest vote I recall taking as a new school board director was to fund the millions of dollars in air conditioning systems for Gwyn Nor and Oak Park elementary schools. We were strategic by delaying air conditioning in Knapp because of the larger planning and spending implications. Air conditioning at the middle schools is no different.
If Not Now, When?
We have an opportunity to address Crawford now, the funds are already in place without taking from other goals. We would need to borrow for AC. Crawford is a bird-in-hand, so to speak, and limited in scope compared with the air conditioning planning needed across three middle schools. The facilities and infrastructure work across the district is staggering, yet, completing something that stands on its own, has no legacy costs and does not impact other larger projects is a quick, smart win.
Crawford is not a representation of the high standards and expectations of the North Penn community. This topic should not devolve into a cynical “us vs. them” issue that divides students and families against each other. Instead, this is a long overdue community-wide need that must be addressed.
It is time that we make a lasting difference while also continuing to advance our other, larger goals. Our facilities reflect our community commitment to access, safety, educational excellence and thoughtful investment in the future. We are North Penn, we lead and don’t follow, and I’m honored to represent this aspect of our community.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kassa
North Penn School District Board of School Directors
See also:
Editorial: North Penn School Board Offers Praise For Full Day Kindergarten Program
Editorial: North Penn School Board Welcomes In The New School Year
NPSD Schools to Participate in International Walk-to-School Day
Drone Technology Education Taking Flight at North Montco
NPSD Ranked #4 in Montco and #17 in PA by Niche
