Taxpayers continue weighing in as Seneca Valley pushes ahead with $165 million project
Seneca Valley’s school board acknowledged receipt of more than 220 letters between its two meetings in October, with many of those criticizing the $165 million plan to transform the intermediate high school campus and construct a new 1,600-seat performing arts center.
“Please do not continue with the new construction,” one of the letters reads. “We are on a fixed income and will not be able to afford to pay your taxes. Where will it stop? If you run old people out of the district, who will pay your high taxes?”
The Butler Eagle, through a right-to-know request, received copies of 19 of the letters that were received at a work session Oct. 6. An additional right to know request for 205 more letters received ahead of the Oct. 13 board meeting is pending.
District officials maintain the project is necessary to modernize aging facilities and accommodate growing student enrollment.
Board President Eric DiTullio has previously claimed that, since 2021, municipalities within the district have approved nearly 6,000 new homes, with several additional developments in the works.
“Those 5,989 homes, even using the low national average of 1.6 children per household, would be 9,852 new children to the district,” DiTullio said in September. “Assuming that these children would be spread out over 15 years, that would be an influx of 400 new students per year. We have multiple demographers’ studies that were done as part of the feasibility studies which show that we’ll have 150 to 200 new students in the next five to seven years.”
Some community members have also voiced support for the upgrades during the public comment portion of recent meetings, citing the need for improved classrooms, expanded arts opportunities and additional space for districtwide events.
Others, however, in that same setting have expressed concerns about the project’s overall price tag and potential impact on local taxes.
“I respectfully ask the Seneca Valley School District school board to review the proposed renovations of the Intermediate High School to find ways to cut costs,” a portion of a letter reads. “I understand that our school district is growing, and we must have facilities to provide our students with a quality education. But there must be ways this can be done at a lower cost than the current proposal.”
“I have two children that attend SV and I urge you to reconsider the proposed project at the SV campus,” part of another letter reads. “This is not the time to burden the community with another debt, certainly not one in excess of $100 million.”
The proposed performing arts center — which would also serve as a community venue for concerts, performances and other large gatherings — is among the project’s most talked-about elements, despite only making up 18% of the total cost, according to a fact sheet the district released earlier this month.
Altogether, the renovation is poised to add 200,000 square feet of learning space, including a three-story classroom wing with 43 classrooms; 12 science labs and a biotechnology lab. The project also features expanded arts and special education facilities, renovated common areas, outdoor classrooms and upgraded safety, accessibility and energy-efficient systems.
A conservative estimate on construction time suggests a timeline of five to six years, according to the fact sheet.
The 30-day public comment period required after the Act 34 hearing in September expired in early October.
It’s still unclear, however, when an official vote on the project could take place.
Seneca Valley’s next regular action meeting is set Nov. 10 in the senior high school auditorium.
