What will be included in the new Pennsbury High School athletic and arts departments are the first questions the district will tackle as it plans for the new school.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Smith invited the Pennsbury community to give input at two meetings scheduled for August to discuss these topics.
The first meeting — 5 p.m. Aug. 7 in the current Pennsbury High School East Auditorium in Fairless Hills — will focus on athletics, activities and physical education.
The second meeting — 5 p.m. Aug. 14 — will address the arts — music, vocal, visual and performance — and how they will be taught and presented in the new building.
“This summer, we are providing opportunities for our coaches, directors, athletes and students who participate in our athletic, music and arts programs to review the initial design for those spaces,” Smith said in a July invitation to the meetings.
The meetings will coincide with the return to school of students involved in athletics and marching band practices before school starts on Sept. 4.
Later in August, the district plans a third meeting to discuss how the new school will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and, in October, a meeting is planned for community feedback on career and technical education and the design of classrooms.
Specifics for these meetings have not been finalized.
Construction of a new high school was approved by the school board in November with KCBA Architects, of Hatfield, being hired in March to design the building after four firms were invited to present their concepts at public meetings.
In May, the district hired SiteLogiIQ, based in Minnesota, to serve as construction management for the project.
The school is expected to cost approximately $250 million and accommodate 2,800 to 3,000 students when it is completed in 2029. It will replace the two current schools, which will be demolished after the new school opens.
For at least the next four years, taxes for Pennsbury residents are expected to rise to the Pennsylvania Act 1 limit (without a Department of Education exception or voter approval) to help pay for the new building, Pennsbury Chief Financial Officer Chris Berdnik said at the school board meeting in May. This year that limit is 5.3%.
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