(Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of monthly submissions from the North Penn School District Board of School Directors. This month’s submission was authored by President Tina Stoll. The views expressed within are her own.)
Dear North Penn Community,
It is once again the holiday season and as always, it is a hectic and busy time of year. It certainly has been for the North Penn School Board of Directors and the administration as we continue our work to inform the community regarding the upcoming referendum on the North Penn High School (NPHS) renovation project.
To find out more about the two options being considered for the renovation, please visit the Reimagine NPHS website.
That website is a "one stop shop” to review what the two options are, including every presentation, every study, the potential financial impact, and conceptual designs. A "yes” vote means that we would do a full scale renovation, including bringing ninth grade up to the high school, flexible learning spaces, updated commons areas, and so much more. NPHS would become a modern educational facility that significantly increases compliance with 21st century architecture standards and best practices for safe and secure learning environments for all students. A full renovation would address the circulation and traffic issues by widening and reorienting NPHS’s hallways while eliminating risks associated with areas such as the infamous E-Pod clog.
A "no” vote would mean that ninth grade would remain in the middle schools, there would be system upgrades to HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, but the footprint of the school would remain essentially the same. Additionally, it would require the renovation of all three middle schools in the future.
We recently held a Community Forum at the NPHS — it was very well attended and went longer than anticipated as there was so much discussion. There were great questions asked from a variety of stakeholders. The forum was video-taped and is available online. For the questions we didn’t get to that evening, there is a Community Forum Follow-up video from our superintendent, Dr. Todd Bauer and our CFO, Steve Skrocki.
All this discussion leads up to our special election on Jan. 16, 2024. At the polls, there will be a singular question on the ballot that reads:
"Shall debt in the sum of $97,318,376 for the purpose of financing new construction that includes space for ninth grade students to be educated on campus and renovations of NPHS be authorized to be incurred as debt approved by the voters?”
Should the majority vote be "yes,” we will go with option one, which again, is the full-scale renovation of NPHS. If the majority vote is "no,” the footprint of NPHS will remain the same.
One question we have heard quite often is "Why don’t we build a second high school, as was proposed almost 30 years ago, during the 1990s?” And the answer is quite simple: to build a second facility brand new is extremely cost prohibitive (new construction costs more than renovation) and we would still need to renovate the current high school.
Hindsight is 20/20, but the fact is that the community missed an opportunity in the 1990s. This is our second chance to make a decision that will have a transformative impact on our community for a generation. And to be clear, NPSD has 22 buildings; should the "no” vote prevail, we would do the basic renovation of NPHS and then move on to other buildings. With 22 facilities and a project scheduled on average about every other year or so, it would be decades before we could return to the high school for another renovation.
While this decision certainly affects all stakeholders in the NPSD, I would like to particularly appeal to the families with younger students. When the second high school was being proposed in the 1990s, I was a young mother of three children. I heard about the project, but I didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking my kids were so far off from being in high school that it didn’t really affect them.
I was wrong.
Even though you might think it’s far off, there is a saying I remember from when I was a young mom and frustrated with one of my kids, "the days are long, but the years are short.” It is so true! Your kids will be in high school before you know it. Ask any parent watching their child at graduation, and they will all ask the same thing: "Where did the time go?”
Our older students will benefit from the project as each phase is completed, but it is the current second grade class that should be the first class to experience the completed project.
For all community members and stakeholders, I ask that you please take the time to get informed about this very important decision. Watch the presentations. Take the tours. Reach out to board directors or administration if you have questions. As has been said many times during our meetings, this referendum is the ultimate form of democracy. The future of NPHS and the opportunities it will provide our students is the community’s choice.
On behalf of the North Penn School Board of Directors, we wish everyone a joyous holiday season. See you in January!
Signed,
Tina Stoll
President, North Penn Board of School Directors
See also:
Submission: November Letter from North Penn School District Board of School Directors
Submission: October Letter from North Penn School District Board of School Directors
Submission: June Letter from North Penn School District Board of School Directors
Submission: May Letter from North Penn School District Board of School Directors
Submission: April Letter from North Penn School District Board of School Directors
