School Board
Did you ever wonder how the school board was first picked, or where they met? How about what problems they talked about? Throughout the years, the school board has changed in many different areas. These include location, topics discussed, and other important subjects. The physical makeup of the school board as well as the in-depth and critical issues facing them have changed according to the time era. What was not changed is the philosophy of the school board member concerning their value of education and the safety of the children of this community.
"Issues that school board members talked about were building projects, such as Loganvillie Elementary, Dallastown Middle School, and Dallastown High School," stated Mr. Robert Bruns, "also there were changes in the grading of students' work. Dividing into zones for equal representation was a meaningful problem discussed for a little bit," confirmed Mr. Bruns. A minor issue was the budget of all of Dallastown Area School's employees because the taxes didn't change four to five years," voiced Mr. Bill Hess who was a member for fifteen years. "More huge topics, non, are the quality of the education given to the pupils, making sure that there is enough personnel," proclaims Mr. Earl Miller, "Bussing is another issue on the mind's of the members."
"There were many changes throughout the years of the school board, such as, the building of the planetarium, the very first teacher strike in the year 1974 which lasted 2-3 days, and the renovation of the athletic field (track)," expressed Mr. Hess. Changes in the present are that the budget has went from $8,000,000.00 to $38,000,000.00 which included the salaries, operating the schools, bussing, and reconstruction," uttered Mr. Miller, "Technology is also a discussed issue. Bussing was a very tough decision to make, but now we have the reconstuction of Loganville to think about," stated Mrs. Bonnie Lepson. Changes also occurred in the discussion of the members. "There were no politics involved in the meetings, the president would lead the discussions, and if a member would bring up a altercation, it wouldn't always be answered or explained at that meeting," said Mr. Bruns.
"The school board was chosen by being divided into three zones. Three members from each of those zones were elected, but scheduled so they don't all come in at the exact same time. A person wanting to be selected would have to get a signed petition. The terms used to be for four years, but it converted to two years now. These members were chosen from each of the three districts," responded Mr. Bruns.
"Being a women on the board isn't all that different," explained Mrs. Lepson, "There was a lot of respect for each other and we would rely on each others' knowledge, but there are a lot of contrasted opinions. We, women, are not stereo typed," she clarified. There used to be two women, but now there are four. "The population of women members grew," stated Mr. Hess, "One of the first women, Mrs. Linda Davidson, became the president of the board later. The same thing happened with Mrs. Nancy Underwood."
The changes of the school board and the members are very vast, especially discussions. Also, the problems have altered a tad, but there are a few of the same that have always been problems. The budget has and is still a major concern of the board. The difference being it has greatly increased with enlarged enrollment and educational and technological demands. Meeting taxpayers expectations and at the same time insuring safety and the best education using funds available has and is a never ending challenge for the school board. Another similarity is the ever present issue of enrollment and the constant building expansions and updates. The most substantional area which was remained everlasting is the commitment and dedication of the school board. The school board was and is a very significant part of Dallastown.
