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Palmyra Area school board members learned Thursday, Sept. 3, that the district had final settlement on the new administration building, and plans are advancing to move into the new facility later this month.
“Settlement occurred on the new office, and we took possession on Aug. 28,” said superintendent Bernie Kepler, noting that move-in is scheduled Sept. 14-16 by Weaver Movers, with new furniture arriving in late September.
As part of the move, the board during the buildings and committee report approved by a 6-1 vote spending nearly $195,000 to buy new office furniture from STS Innovative Interiors of Williamsport.
Board member Seth Steinmetz voted no. Three other members were absent from the meeting, including chairman Josh Jones.
During discussion prior to the vote, Steinmetz asked Kepler if more than one bid had been received. Kepler said no.
“We historically used this vendor. Their pricing is all through state contracts. I already did that, but we did not give quotes so no, they’re a different company,” he said.
Steinmetz further asked about the cost, with Kepler noting the purchase was made through the COSTARS, an approved state vendor.
COSTARS, a cooperative purchasing program, enables Pennsylvania local governments and state-affiliated organizations to purchase supplies and services through state-managed contracts, providing access to competitive pricing and a simpler purchasing process.
During the same action related to the new admin building, directors approved an internet contract lease agreement for E-Rate Dark Fiber with Comcast Business Communications for $810 per month for a 60-month term.
The new 13,000-square-foot administration building is along South Forge Road, north of Airport Road, in South Londonderry Township.
The third item to be passed under the building and grounds committee report included change order #2 with Farfield Acquisition Co. totaling $2,019.97 for the Buck Swank Stadium construction project.
Director Dave Laudermilch said he had attended a football game at the renovated stadium and gave a detailed report on the improvements he saw.
“I just wanted to say that I went to the football game and walked around every nook and cranny,” Laudermilch said. “And it is just fantastic. The work they did was great. I talked to everybody that I could who was working. The people in the ticket booth, they thought that building was nice. The inside was good. I looked inside everywhere.”
He continued by giving additional detailed descriptions of what he saw elsewhere.
“I looked in the ticket area. I got some concessions, because I do love concession food. And I looked around, I was really trying to peer around, it looked fantastic. The people there were really thrilled with the set we provided, the utilities, the warming shelves or whatever they’re called,” Laudermilch said. “Walking around looking at the bleachers. And they were packed. The bleachers were probably more packed than I remember seeing them. And people commented that it was nice that nothing could fall down anymore.”
Laudermilch noted that the safety upgrades were “dollars well spent” and the new stadium aesthetics are really nice.
Universal giftedness screening
Later, during other committee reports, there was a long discussion concerning evaluations of students to ascertain whether they are qualified for the gifted program.
Several directors said they opposed all of the endless testing and constant evaluation of students, with some stating that young children should be allowed to enjoy their childhoods. Another director said he believes “we’re testing our children to death.”
Following lengthy discussion on the topic, Kepler noted it was a lively discussion but for discussion only. He noted the district has no say in this matter because public school districts are legally required to evaluate any student (grades K–12) if a parent or teacher suspects a student is mentally gifted.
Other board business
In other business, the board voted unanimously, unless otherwise noted, to:
- Approve personnel transactions.
- Approve Lebanon Valley Family Medicine as the 2026-27 school physician of record.
- Approve the Aug. 20 board minutes.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the board is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. at Lingle Avenue Elementary School, 600 Lingle Ave., Palmyra, and via Zoom. Zoom participants, however, can’t publicly participate in the proceedings.
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