Palmyra school board debates scope of work for high school renovation

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The Palmyra school board debated the scope of work for the high school renovation project during the April 9 meeting, ultimately telling district staff they’re interested in maintenance work, but also want an updated list of priorities and clarification on financials before they make a final determination.

Board member Corey Andrew started the discussion by saying the district has about $20 million in capital reserves that could be allocated to high-priority repairs and maintenance needed to keep the building running. District staff said only about $2.5 million of the capital reserve fund is unaccounted for, and any remaining funds would likely need to be borrowed.

“I would like to look at the project in the high school as an as-needed situation, and start looking at these issues sooner rather than later, and getting them accomplished, and moving away from this concept of a massive renovation to the beautiful high school that we already have,” Andrew said.

The administration already provided the board with a list of possible projects labeled with high, moderate, or low priority. Andrew said the priorities were made with a large-scale project in mind, and he believes “way too many things” were listed in the “high” category.

Superintendent Bernie Kepler, following a question from board member Cynthia Spondello, said priorities were determined by the administration and architects based on the lifespan of items. The “high” purchases were things they felt should be in the initial project, “moderate” meant the administration thought they could wait, and “low” were more aesthetic purchases or a want rather than a need, he said.

Board president Jill Martin and members Andrew, Spondello, Seth Steinmetz, and Alicia Haldeman all agreed with “triaging” the high school’s needs, with Steinmetz saying he’d like to see timelines for when each project would need to be completed based on severity — 6 months, 18 months, etc.

Mike Frentz, director of business affairs, said staff created the organized list based on the estimated three-year time period it would take to renovate the high school, due to the school being in session for most of the year. He also said the district has used many items or systems close to or longer than their useful life, so they’re at the point where they have to spend to address needs.

Larry Geib said he’s lived in Palmyra all his life, and he’s seen these conversations happen multiple times. School boards decided to put off improvements or repairs, which led to more expensive projects later on.

Dave Laudermilch said some improvements that Geib was in favor of — an improved wrestling room and a robotics area — could become more expensive to include in the building down the line due to inflation and rising costs.

Some on the board also asked the administration to check the quality and remaining life of equipment rather than rely on the age to determine when it’s time to replace something.

Martin said the board would need to come up with a dollar amount they’re willing to spend over the next several years, so they know how much the district will borrow.

“The decision seems to be made that we’re going to be focusing on maintenance issues — the majority of the board seems to have expressed that, but I think we also need to flesh out how we’re going to pay for that and how much we want to pay on what timeline,” Martin said.

In other business, the school board:

• Heard a report from Kepler that legal representation for the district and H.R. Weaver Building Systems have not come to a conclusion for a possible settlement option regarding the in-construction administration building.

• Said they are in favor of revising the district’s policy regarding board meeting recordings. They said they are looking to revise a policy to post committee meetings in addition to the regular voting meeting, and the recordings will be available online for two years and in storage for another four years.
• Voted in favor of the IU13 budget for the 2026-27 school year.
• Approved the change orders for building and grounds.
• Approved all consent agenda items for the finance committee and the staffing and administration committee.

The Palmyra school board will meet next at Lingle Avenue Elementary School on April 23 at 6 p.m. Meetings can also be attended via Zoom.