Two citizens spoke out Monday against spending $200,000 for new security cameras at all elementary schools in the York County School Division.
The YCSD is considering this year’s Capital Improvement Program, a list of projects and their costs for fiscal year 2015 that will later be submitted to the York County Board of Supervisors. Every year, school board members consider the CIP, host public hearings on it and make any needed amendments before sending it off to the supervisors.
At Monday night’s CIP public hearing, two citizens spoke against the $200,000 proposed for 2015 that would pay for the installation of new security cameras and monitors at all elementary schools in the division.
School board members previously cited outdated equipment and security as reasons for installing the cameras. The two citizens argued the division should spend the money on other things.
Pam Pouchot of Yorktown took to the podium first to say she disagreed with the idea of security cameras altogether.
“You can’t protect students from everything and everyone,” Pouchot said. “We are turning our schools into prisons so that we can have the illusion of safety. Prisons are not safe places.”
Just as the public hearing was closing, another citizen – Sandy Petitto of Yorktown – offered her opinion the $200,000 should instead be spent on replacing ninth- and 10th-grade history books, which she claimed were historically inaccurate.
This year, the CIP shows an increase of $4.9 million from the amount approved last year by the county board of supervisors for fiscal year 15. The increase comes largely from moving the construction of a new gym and 10 new classrooms at Waller Mill Elementary School from fiscal year 2016 to 2015. Each year, the school board creates 10-year projection of proposed construction that is updated each year.
Last year, the BOS approved $6.8 million for the construction of a new gym for Waller Mill Elementary – the only school the YCSD without a gym – and 10 additional classrooms for fiscal year 2016. The school division has since decided the gym and additions are a priority and have proposed the project, which is now estimated to cost $8 million, begin in 2015.
A $2.9 million project for the renovation of two halls at Bethel Manor Elementary school and a $1.2 million project at York High, both slated to take place in 2015, were pushed back a year. The delay of those two projects was not enough to displace the $8 million shift of the Waller Mill project to 2015.
Other projects moved to 2015 are:
- $480,000 project for Waller Mill and a $375,000 roof replacement for the Magruder Elementary gym (FY16 to FY15),
- $75,000 for replacement of doors at York High (FY23 to FY15)
- $50,000 for repair of the Grafton High track, $50,000 for the repair of Tabb High’s track and $50,000 for the replacement of a gym floor at York High (FY20 to FY15)
The CIP will again come before the board at the Dec. 2 work session for further discussion, then return to the board for a vote Dec 16. If it passes, it will then be forwarded to the York County Board of Supervisors for consideration.
