CTC sends revised Articles of Agreement to six participating schools for approval

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The Lebanon County Career and Technology Center’s first new Articles of Agreement in 30 years has been forwarded by the CTC’s joint operating committee to the school’s six participating districts for approval, with revised wording to clear up how the districts pay for future spending.

This marks the third time the CTC’s new articles have been returned to the JOC without approval over school districts’ concerns about how future debt allocation rules are written. The future spending component of the 11-page document is key as the CTC proceeds with plans for a new or renovated school building.

The committee voted 6-0 Tuesday, May 18, to rescind the articles forwarded to the school’s six operating districts from the April 15 meeting.

Immediately after that vote, the JOC voted 6-0, again, to forward the articles back to the school boards for approval, with a new rewrite of the section covering future debt allocation.

The April 15 vote, in turn, was the result of the JOC’s vote March 18 to delay forwarding the articles for school districts’ approval because at that meeting, the Lebanon school board objected to the method used to calculate each district’s contribution to future projects, most prominently the CTC’s proposed new building construction or renovation.

Good news for the CTC and its six school districts came at the April 15 meeting when Scott Shonk, principal for Beers + Hoffman architects, told the JOC that updated estimates lowered the expected costs of replacement or renovation of the CTC building by $6.74 million to $15.2 million, for a total estimated cost of between $84.64 million and $123.26 million, depending on the breadth of the project.

When forwarding of the articles was first delayed in March, the CTC had proposed a 50/50 funding split, which would determine each district’s contribution by combining average daily membership of students enrolled from each district, known as ADM, with State Tax Equalization Board numbers for a district’s property values.

May’s rescinded Article VI, section 6.1 would have calculated each school district’s contribution to future debt based on the number of pupils attending the CTC for the three most recent years on an average daily basis, as reported to the state.

New wording in Article VI, section 6.2 clears that up according to CTC administrative director Charles Benton. Future debt allocation will be calculated by counting 50% of ADM and 50% using the ratio of market value of the real property of each member district as it relates to total market value of all member districts. This includes allocation for new building construction and/or renovation, and not existing debt.

The CTC’s Articles of Agreement, with its revised section on how each district pays for ongoing and future debt, now goes to the boards of the Annville-Cleona, Cornwall-Lebanon, Eastern Lebanon County, Lebanon, Northern Lebanon and Palmyra Area school districts for approval. All six districts must approve the articles for them to take effect.

Other news:

• The committee appointed by 6-0 vote Bernie Kepler, superintendent of the Palmyra Area School District, to be the JOC’s superintendent of record for the 2026-27 academic year at a stipend of $6,000.
• The committee elected David Kline to be treasurer for a one-year term beginning July 1, extending his current term in the position.
• The CTC is working toward compliance due in a year to meet new Pennsylvania requirements for students with special needs, assistant director Marilyn Lathrop said.
• The committee voted 6-0 to approve first reading of Policy 815.1, recognizing Generative Artificial Intelligence to support teaching, learning, career preparation and operational efficiency, when used responsibly, ethically and securely. The policy aims to make students “AI-savvy” in their chosen field.
• Media communications student Karma Marine Prados-Domenech has won the 2026 State Farm Billboard contest with her artwork of a seatbelt hugging a heart. Her billboard design is on the Giant food store parking lot on U.S. Route 422.
• Medical assistant student Abigail Manwiller, senior at Annville-Cleona High School, and automotive technology student Allen Kohr, senior at Northern Lebanon High School, are April Rotary students of the month.