Seated - William Kirk, Vice-President; Lynne Leopold-Sharp, President; Roger Miller, Treasurer;
Standing - Bradley Clark, Student Board Representative; Dr. Kathryn Orban, Superintendent; Joel Sears; Jennifer Clancy; Lois Ann Schroeder; Cathy Shaffer; John DeHaas; Emily Bates; Dennis Younkin, Director of Finance and Support Services
The York Suburban School Board invites you to be a partner in education. We seek your input as we strive to provide the atmosphere and opportunity for academic excellence.
What is a School Board?
- Nine Unpaid Voting Members
- Four-Year Terms
- Empowered by State of Pennsylvania
- Duties Set by PA School Laws
- Establishes Policies
- Adopts Annual Budget
- Levies Taxes
- Approves Expenditures
- Sets School Calendar
- Approves Curriculum Changes
Superintendent, School Board Secretary, and Student Representative serve as non-voting members.
The Solicitor, elected and hired for a stipulated fee by the Board, advises the Board in legal matters and completes various legal activities involving the School District.
What Are the Qualifications for School Board Membership?
- Citizen of Pennsylvania
- 18 Years of Age
- School District Resident for One Year Prior to Election
- Be a Person of Good Moral Character
- Term of Office is Four Years
What is the Role of the Superintendent with the School Board?
- Elected by Board for three, four or five year term
- Executive officer in administrating policies and operation of schools
- Advisor to Board on school programs
- Makes recommendations to the Board relating to professional staff, curriculum, textbooks, school plant, and financial affairs
- Superintendent has no vote
When Does Your Board Meet?
- Regular monthly meeting of the Committee of the Whole (Planning Meeting) is the 1st Monday of the month.
- Regular monthly Board Meeting, when votes are taken, is the 3rd Monday of the month.
- School vacations, holidays, budget deadlines and board reorganization may change these dates and are advertised in advance.
- All meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Ronald H. Provard Education Center (Administration Office) located behind the York Suburban Senior High School.
How Do You Address the Board?
Public comment is encouraged and welcomed at both planning meetings and regular monthly board meetings. The following guidelines will permit meetings to move smoothly and allow sufficient time for all comments to be heard:
- At the monthly Planning Meetings, public comment will be initiated after each agenda item and at the end of the meeting. Non-agenda items and general comments will be heard at the end of the meeting. Public comment will be initiated twice during the Regular Monthly Board Meeting: early in the agenda and at the end of the meeting.
- All comments and questions will be addressed to the chair.
- Board and staff members will not normally respond to comments or questions from the public during the meeting unless recognized by the chair for this purpose.
- When a large number of citizens wish to make statements, the chair may limit individual presentations to three (3) minutes.
How Do You Address Individual Problems?
If you have a specific question regarding your child, begin by speaking with the teacher involved or with the building principal or administrator. If further discussion is necessary the question may be referred to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction (for elementary matters) or the Assistant Superintendent for Administration (for secondary matters). This procedure enables you to get a direct and immediate response from the individuals directly responsible.
Concerns which remain unanswered may be referred directly to the Superintendent. Board members are responsible for matters which affect the entire district, and they should only be contacted about individual problems if the family’s concerns have not been addressed by the various staff members involved.