ELCO doesn’t pass sex-based facility-usage policy, hears report on next budget

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

During its Feb. 17 meeting, the ELCO school board didn’t pass a sex-based facility usage policy that would have required students to use the multi-user bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers aligned with their sex assigned at birth.

The vote was 4-5, with board members Howard Kramer, Joya Morrissey, Jack Kahl, Megan Schaeffer, and Jordan Weaver voting against the motion for a second reading.

Kramer, Morrissey, Kahl, and Schaeffer also voted against the motion for the first reading during the January meeting. At that meeting, the board approved the first reading 5-4 after the solicitor advised them to wait until the summer when the Supreme Court is set to release its decisions on related cases surrounding transgender students.

The board members who voted no said they recommended the district follow the solicitor’s guidance and wait rather than open the district up to possible litigation.

For the second reading, Weaver switched from a yes to a no on the final approval. He told LebTown after the meeting that his main concern, like the other board members who voted against the approval, was the vote’s timing. Several board members said they supported the policy itself.

“We think that we should stick to the tradition of listening to our paid solicitor,” Kahl said before the vote. “We see him as a very wise guy, and he’s there to keep us out of hot water.”

The policy, as presented during the Jan. 21 meeting, applied to “multi-user facilities.” Board president Rachel Moyer said there are single-user facilities available to anyone — including transgender students who would have no longer been able to use the facilities that align with their gender identity.

Moyer said after the meeting she was disappointed the vote didn’t pass. She said she wanted the district’s policies to be “rooted in biological reality,” and she saw the facility policy as addressing a safety concern.

Moyer said the board will need to talk about bringing the policy back for a second vote in the future, but there is no timeline for when that will be.

2026-27 budget presentation

The board also heard a presentation on the 2026-27 budget. District staff is still working on the budget, and no action was taken by the board.

Business manager Elaine Mathias said the budget they’re working with is conservative, and it covers contractual obligations and operational needs for the district.

She said the district is creating a budget with a recommended 4.2% tax increase, the highest allowed based on the district’s adjusted Act 1 Index. This would raise the millage rate from 18.8520 to 19.6437 — an increase of 0.7917 mills.

Mathias’s presentation stated each 1% of millage increase represents $326,821 of tax revenue.

She said major cost drivers for the next school year include a 19.6% increase to cyber charter school; a 15.7% increase to medical, dental, and vision; a 2.4% increase to wages; $250,000 for a capital reserve transfer; and $250,000 for Lebanon County Career and Technology debt. The CTC renovations haven’t been approved yet, but districts are already looking toward the new expense.

The CTC is not able to raise its own funds, superintendent Julia Vicente said, but relies on funding from the county’s school districts that send students.

As it stands now, the preliminary draft budget shows $57.88 million in revenue and $59.84 million in expenditures. The deficit decreased by about $600,000 compared to two weeks ago, Mathias said, as the district staff cut expenditures and increased revenue.

The board plans to adopt the proposed final budget at the May 18 meeting and the final budget on June 22. Last year, the board approved a 4.5% tax increase.

In other business, the school board approved:

• A contract for IT Asset Manager Essentials through FMX. It will cost $1,000 for implementation and $3,750 for a yearly subscription beginning July 1. The agenda states this annual subscription includes licensing for the technology help desk ticketing system and asset tracking services.
• A proposal from T&T/Lanco Inc. for the disassembly and removal of two boilers and the installation of two Patterson Kelly ST-5000 boilers at the middle school for $289,500 plus freight. The existing boilers can no longer be repaired due to obsolete parts, the agenda states.
• A proposal from LowV Systems Inc. for the purchase and installation of four interior cameras at Fort Zeller Elementary School for $9,725.
• An agreement with Select DJ Group LLC to provide DJ services for the 2026 homecoming dance for $1,150.
• A resolution requesting a $1.5 million grant that, if received, would be used for the restoration of the Jackson Elementary boiler and chiller plant.
• A proclamation commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America on July 4.
• All curriculum and personnel items listed on the agenda.
• Three policies for their first readings — extracurricular activities, diabetes management, and federal fiscal compliance.
• All other policies listed in the agenda for their first readings.

The ELCO school board will have its next regular meeting on March 16 at 6 p.m. at 180 Elco Drive, Myerstown.