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Gettysburg Area School District work session, Sep 8, 2026

1 h 30 min · 6 public speakers

Enrollment ▶ 12:49Reading and test scores ▶ 38:04

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 1 h 30 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Architects present $8.35 million Gettysburg administration building renovation plan 55:39

  • The board also heard a presentation on the Community Eligibility Provision for school meals at VITA Charter School. 4:01
  • Speakers at public comment raised the size and cost of the ACTI expansion and asked the board to explore selling the Eisenhower Building to VITA Charter School. 12:49
  • A presenter gave a total project cost of approximately $8.35 million, and Dave Sites asked whether the district bids its architectural costs. 55:39

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (11)
  1. Opening of the meeting 2:38
    • The board conducted an administrative session before the meeting to discuss operational topics, and all board members were present. 2:38
  2. Community Eligibility Provision meal program 4:01
    • A food services staff member described CEP as a federal program that allows students free breakfast and lunch and said VITA Charter School is participating for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year. 4:15
    • The staff member said the program launched in middle to late August and that meal participation, financial performance and program quality will be monitored. 6:09
    • The staff member said this year's data will help assess the viability for other district sites if they become eligible. 11:41
  3. Citizens participation 12:25
    • Speakers at public comment suggested right-sizing the ACTI program based on enrollment, said district information is hard to find on the website, and suggested the district develop fact sheets on topics such as costs and funding. 12:49
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board and administration to explore selling the Eisenhower Building to VITA by scheduling a meeting with VITA leadership and starting a formal appraisal. 26:23
    • Speakers from the teachers union said they plan monthly highlights of teacher work and described a school garden project and other teacher activities. 27:09
  4. Routine approvals 31:07
    • Kathleen Pratt asked what role board members have on the Occupational Advisory Council, and the high school principal said board members are welcome to participate and invited them to a unified meeting on October 6th from 5:30 to 6:30. 32:19
    • Kathleen Pratt asked whether the district had received federal or Title I funding for ATSI, and a staff member said the district received state funding for the designation in one or 2 years about 5 years ago. 39:51
    • Ryan Kerney asked how students with disabilities are classified in the improvement plan, and a staff member said the group refers to students with IEPs. 41:11
  5. Facilities feasibility study proposal 42:25
    • The item calls for Crabtree, Rohrbach, and Associates to provide a feasibility study of the buildings the district owns, a process that takes about 6 months. 42:25
    • Kathleen Pratt asked whether there is a cost, and a staff member said there is not. 43:20
    • The board took a roll call vote on the item, and the members called answered yes. 43:32
  6. Administration building renovation presentation 47:35
    • A presenter said the project began in May of 2025 to replace the HVAC and lighting systems and move district servers out of the basement. 48:11
    • A presenter said the plan includes 2,600 square feet of new construction on the first floor for a new boardroom, with open workspace above it for future growth. 48:40
    • A presenter said the total project cost is approximately $8.35 million, a deduct alternate without the second floor is $7.47 million, and construction would begin in March of 2027. 55:39
  7. Board questions on renovation costs 56:42
    • A presenter said about $1.5 million in soft costs accounts for the difference between the total project cost and the $282 per square foot construction cost. 57:43
    • Dave Sites asked whether architectural fees must be bid because they exceed $25,000, and a staff member said Barton's contract was signed a year ago at 6.5% of the construction cost. 1:02:05
    • Kathleen Pratt asked that the board and public be reminded why the project is being considered, and a staff member cited a lack of conference space in the building. 1:07:59
  8. ACTI joint operating committee report 1:13:33
    • Tim Seigman said that after the land purchase did not go over well, the committee discussed other options, including looking at HACC. 1:13:51
    • One board member said a fit analysis could not be voted on because it was not raised in a regular meeting. 1:16:37
    • Ryan Kerney asked whether leasing would require a fit analysis, and Tim Seigman said probably so, though not to a major extent. 1:21:20
  9. Student representative report 1:22:59
    • The student representatives said they created a student feedback form, approved by school administration, to collect suggestions and concerns and bring district-level issues to the board. 1:23:14
  10. Board vacancy and administrative reports 1:24:53
    • A staff member said applications for the board vacancy, which runs to the end of the term in 2027, are due September 16th, with interviews planned before the next meeting. 1:25:04
    • A staff member said the high school was featured on CBS 21 as part of back-to-school coverage. 1:26:17
    • A speaker said the district is the first in Adams County to earn the Heart Safe designation. 1:27:59
  11. Adjournment 1:29:58
    • The next meeting was announced for Monday, September 21st at 7:00 PM. 1:30:06

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 “GASD School Board Study Session/Voting Meeting - 9.8.26”