When: School District of Lancaster board meeting, May 19.
What happened: Lancaster resident Deborah Siegrist broke into sobs as she begged board members to fund and expand the Dual Language Immersion program after a consultantâs report concluded the program, which began in 2009, should change or be phased out because itâs not meeting objectives.
Quotable: âAs you can see, Iâm emotional,â Siegrist said. âThe program has impacted my family dramatically.â
At issue: Several parents, community members and students spoke in favor of the program after The Center for Applied Linguistics recommended the district spend more than the budgeted $1.2 million to expand the program or shut it down. The report calls for hiring a dual language specialist to oversee operations and to increase student participation from 162 to 225. The board, however, has voiced no plans to end the curriculum and has extended its current funding in next yearâs budget.
THE ISSUE: Itâs Monday, the day we take a few moments to highlight the good news in Lancaster County. Some of these items are welcome developments on the economic front or for neighborhoods across the county. Others are local stories of achievement, perseverance, compassion and creativity that represent welcome points of light in a still-difficult time. All of this news deserves a brighter spotlight.
Renaming schools is bound to be a contentious matter, and there were more than two great options available for the School District of Lancaster at last weekâs school board meeting.
But we believe the board hit home runs with the two choices it made. The district âwill rename two of its schools after Black women as part of a districtwide effort to rename buildings named after slave owners and others who donât fit the city school districtâs values,â LNP | LancasterOnlineâs Alex Geli reported Friday.
School District of Lancaster renames two schools
WGAL News 8 Updated: 12:34 PM EDT May 21, 2021
WGAL News 8 Updated: 12:34 PM EDT May 21, 2021
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Show Transcript SUSAN: TWO SCHOOLS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF LANCASTER HAVE BEE RE-NAMED AFTER A YEAR-LONG SEARCH, THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED THE RENAMING OF THE FORMER HAND MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HAZEL I. JACKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL. JACKSON WAS AN ENGLISH TEACHER AT HAND FROM 1961 TO 197 SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE, BLACK TEACHER IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST BLACK PROFESSOR. THE BOARD ALSO RENAMED BUCHANAN ELEMENTARY RITA SMITH-WADE-EL ELEMENTARY. SHE WAS AN ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE LANCASTER COMMUNITY, AND A LONGT
Lancaster renames Southeast Middle School, Buchanan Elementary School after Black women lancasteronline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lancasteronline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When: School District of Lancaster board meeting, May 11.
What happened: Board members tentatively agreed to raise real estate taxes 1.75% for 2021-22, down from the 2.12% recommended by district administrators. An informal consensus received unanimous approval.
What it means: The tax hike, scheduled for a vote May 19, means residents will see an annual increase of $63.98 for an average home valued at $163,484. This translates to about $39 for every $100,000 in property.
Discussion: Board members said they were reluctant to raise taxes because of the pandemic but realized a zero increase next year would mean a much higher hike for 2022-23. âWe need to be consistent,â Dave Parry said, explaining he favors a minimal increase below 2%. âIâm not comfortable putting the number two before the public.â The board could raise taxes as much as 4.3%. Board President Edith Gallagher noted that as the district continues an expected decline in enrollment, its percentage