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Exeter Township School District committee meeting, Apr 8, 2026

2 h 20 min

Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 1:18:50Reading and test scores ▶ 5:42

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 20 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Exeter Township board reviews $917,074 K-6 math and ELA license purchase 1:02:29

  • District administrators presented proposed K-6 curriculum resources, recommending Eureka Squared Math and an ELA program called Arts and Letters. 7:35
  • John Fidler read a motion for 4-year K-6 math and ELA licenses totaling $917,074, with $125,201 in discounts, and said the item would move to the next meeting. 1:02:29
  • John Fidler said Education Committee items B through H would move ahead to the next meeting. 1:18:28
  • In a budget update, a district staff member said the district was still looking at a shortfall of almost $2 million and that a budget passed today would carry a 3.6% increase, compared with a 4.1% increase at the March presentation. 1:36:09

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Item by item (15)
  1. Opening, recognitions and minutes 0:27
    • A staff member taking roll counted 6 members present and 3 absent. 1:35
    • The superintendent congratulated students in a high school production and a student who made a documentary about the girls soccer team. 1:42
    • A speaker said the March 17th voting meeting minutes had several references to BCTC West that should read East, and Julia Shaffer said there were no amendments to the agenda. 5:18
  2. K-6 math and ELA program presentation 6:07
    • A presenter said the district was recommending Eureka Squared Math for K-6 to replace Investigations, which the presenter called very outdated and not aligned to state standards. 7:35
    • A staff member said the current ELA resource did not meet state legislation requirements and proposed Arts and Letters, starting in grades 5⁠-⁠6 next year and grades K-4 the following year. 22:02
    • John Fidler asked how long students had gone without coherent resources and whether the resources correlated with standardized test results. 42:15
  3. Public comment and field trips 57:57
    • Julia Shaffer said no one had signed up for public comment on agenda items. 57:57
    • John Fidler presented field trips within the 60-mile radius for information and 3 trips beyond it for action at the next meeting. 58:10
    • A speaker asked that future field trip items list the cost and how it is funded. 58:52
  4. Junior high social studies license 59:33
    • A district staff member said the junior high social studies license was up and teachers chose the updated edition of the current resource under a 6-year license. 59:50
    • The staff member said the purchase was contingent on the budget passing. 59:50
  5. K-6 math and ELA license purchase 1:02:29
    • John Fidler read the motion, saying the total for both licenses was $917,074 and discounts totaled $125,201. 1:02:29
    • One board member compared the cost to a $28 million facilities spending approval and said just under $1 million for the purchase was reasonable. 1:02:47
    • A staff member said the money came from a committed fund balance set aside years ago, and a speaker asked whether the motion wording should change for the voting meeting. 1:04:44
    • John Fidler said the item would move ahead to the next meeting. 1:02:29
  6. Special education agreements and plan 1:05:05
    • The assistant superintendent said item E renewed a license for a certified trauma trainer and item F renewed a Lakeside agreement with an increase between 3% and 3.5%. 1:05:05
    • The assistant superintendent said the special education plan, done every 3 years for the state, had become essentially a compliance report. ~1:05:05
    • The assistant superintendent said a new agreement with the Delta T Group would provide physical therapy services, and a speaker asked whether the district could hire agency staff full time. 1:12:40
    • John Fidler said items B through H would move ahead to the next meeting. 1:18:28
  7. Budget update presentation 1:18:50
    • A district administrator said benefits cost over $28 million and that salaries and benefits were the driving factors in the budget. 1:18:58
    • A staff member said the district expected about a $48,000 increase for water. 1:26:54
    • A district administrator said the current figure was a 3.6% increase, about $12 6 cents a month for the average homeowner, and that the board must adopt a budget by May 31st. 1:36:30
  8. Questions on fund balance and state revenue 1:37:55
    • One board member asked whether it would be advisable to make the increase 3.75 instead of 3.6 in order to backfill some of the fund balance, and a staff member said it was not likely to make a difference. 1:40:40
    • Jason Mell said revenue of $46,364 a year from a building bought by the township would fall off. 1:42:33
    • A staff member said the district was budgeting for a 16% health insurance increase. 1:46:58
  9. Activity fees and cost reduction ideas 1:57:06
    • One board member proposed reviewing the flat activity fees of $100 for high school and $80 for junior high and considering a tiered fee schedule. 1:58:02
    • One board member said anything was worth looking at and that they were against anything that affects students. 2:00:49
    • A staff member said the district had been eliminating positions through attrition. 2:02:52
  10. Career and technology center budget 2:07:01
    • Jason Mell read a recommendation to approve the 2026⁠-⁠27 general fund proposed operating budget for the Berks Career and Technology Center. 2:07:01
    • A staff member said the budget was about an $8,000 increase from February because of a higher health insurance projection, now 16%. 2:07:22
  11. Electric rate contract 2:08:40
    • Jason Mell said the district's electric rate contract expires December 7th, 2026, and the business administrator will hold an auction on April 22nd, 2026. 2:08:40
    • A staff member asked to change the date to by April 22nd and said the expected rate was somewhere about 0.07 cents per kilowatt hour. 2:09:01
  12. Extended school year transportation 2:10:32
    • John Fidler presented a BCIU transportation agreement for extended school year for the summer of 2026. 2:10:37
    • John Fidler said the item would move ahead for the voting meeting. 2:10:37
  13. Personnel items and policy 2:11:04
    • Joe Cooke listed resignations, appointments, transfers, change of status, additional assignment and leaves of absence to move to the next meeting. 2:11:07
    • Joe Cooke introduced an updated job description, and a staff member said it was revised after a resignation in the position. 2:12:26
    • Jason Mell said there was nothing for policy. 2:13:23
  14. Water rate case update 2:14:41
    • A staff member said administrative law judges did not allow the district to present testimony and evidence because it was entered late. 2:14:56
    • A staff member said Pennsylvania American Water has been buying municipal water authorities across the state. 2:17:17
  15. Solar project and closing 2:17:44
    • Jason Mell asked for an update on the solar system, and a staff member said work was ready to start in June as long as the PUC gives approval. 2:17:44
    • Julia Shaffer said the next voting meeting would be Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, at 7:00 PM, and the board would meet in executive session after the meeting. 2:19:09

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “April 8, 2026 Committee of the Whole”