Committee Process (Q & A)

1. How do I volunteer for this important committee?
   

2. What is the MHSCPC?

3. What Problem(s) is the MHSCPC trying to address?

4. What is the structure of the MHSCPC?

5. How will volunteers complete this work?

6. What will the Board of School Directors do with the MHSCPC recommendations?

7. What is my time commitment?

8. Are there Leadership Roles available with the MHSCPC?

9. How is the public going to be kept apprised of the MHSCPC work?

10. Student and Staff Recommendation Gathering Process

ETHACTON HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS PLANNING COMMITTEE

Planning for Our Future

How do I volunteer for this important committee?

Register here (beginning August 21, 2023; registration closes 12noon on 9/14/2023)

What is the MHSCPC?

The Methacton High School Campus Planning Committee (MHSCPC) is a collection of school community stakeholders (students, parents, staff and community members) who will provide recommendations to the Board of School Directors on future investments in the Methacton High School campus and its existing structures/buildings (High School Building/Transportation Building/Administrative Building/Campus Sewer Plant).

What problem(s) is the MHSCPC trying to address?

The Methacton High School, originally constructed in 1961 has a projected replacement value of $119,913,560 (1). In 5 years, it will have a Facilities Condition Index (FCI) of almost 60% (2) and projected renovations/repairs/replacements of $69,000,000.

Since the 2016 facilities assessment report and the subsequent development of the district facilities master plan (3), the Methacton School District has been annually addressing matters identified within that plan. In an October 2022 presentation (4) to consider the renovation of HVAC at Methacton High School, the Board paused on proceeding forward given the cost escalation and potential disruption within the given project scope. This pause was followed by discussions on the need to take a deeper look at the overall challenges associated within the High School and all other campus structures, and to organize that in to a comprehensive campus plan.

Based on the updated facilities assessment (2023) (5), substantial facility investments in the high school building are required within 5 years and more within the next 10 years. The administration and transportation buildings and the campus sewer plant additionally require similar investments.

It is imperative that we develop a comprehensive campus plan that considers the educational, operational, and financial context to ensure that future investments support the mission of the district and the vision for our high school and campus for the next 50 years.

What is the structure of the MHSCPC?

MHSCPC will be the preliminary body charged with gathering information and making recommendations to the Board of School Directors regarding the matters to consider for inclusion into a comprehensive plan for the high school campus and related structures. The MHSCPC will be composed of students, parents, staff, and members of the Methacton school community.

• Each member of the MHSCPC will be placed on one of 10 Sub Committees (listed below).
• The targeted membership and structure for the MHSCPC is outlined below (may change based on interest):
  

How will volunteers complete this work?

The MHSCPC will organize into 10 sub-committees (as listed above) and will use a SCOT (strengths, challenges, opportunities, threats) analysis model to provide recommendations on specific matters associated with their respective sub-committee areas of the Methacton High School Campus and related structures (buildings).

The SCOT analysis activities will consider key architectural elements and spaces (classrooms, collaborative spaces, auditorium, pool, community access, STEM, performing arts, etc.), environmental and sustainability potential, and role of the campus and building in the community, operational costs, educational value, safety and security, aesthetics, innovation, athletics/activities, and more…

• Each sub-committee will be provided presentations/documents/data/reports to help inform members in completing the SCOT Analyses.
• District experts will support and inform sub-committee members as needed.
  
• Sub-committees will also receive recommendations from students and staff.
  
• Sub-committees will take guided tours of the High School/other structures with respects to their specific areas of concentration.
  
• Sub-committees will identify the most important elements in each of their topic areas from their SCOT Analysis.
  
• The MHSCPC committee of the whole will organize the identified important elements into a priority list of recommendations.
  
• A report will be generated inclusive of all sub-committee SCOT Analyses, important elements, and priority recommendations and will be provided to the Methacton Board of School Directors for consideration into a comprehensive campus/facilities plan.
  
• A presentation summarizing the process and the report (recommendations) will be made by MHSCPC volunteers at a public meeting before the Methacton Board of School Directors.

The MHSCPC may make recommendations including do nothing; make part of annual facilities maintenance; conduct renovations; conduct renovation with new construction; conduct new construction.

What will the Board of School Directors do with the MHSCPC recommendations?

The Board of School Directors may choose to accept and or modify all or some of the recommendations, request more information from the administration, and or determine a path forward with next steps to potentially to include:

• Preliminary design given the recommendations and other information
  
• Further development of the Master Facilities Plan
  
• Preliminary evaluation of alternatives to the recommendations
  
• Seek additional public input
  
• Other actions the Board determines appropriate
  

What is my time commitment?

The membership in the MHSCPC will be announced on 9/17/2023 with a target of making recommendation(s) to the Methacton Board of School Directors no later than 2/1/2024. Each member of the MHSCPC will be organized into one of 10 sub-committees with those meetings scheduled as follows:

• October 5, 2023 (Thursday) 6:30PM – 8:30PM
• October 14, 2023 (Saturday) 8:00AM – 12:00PM
• November 2, 2023 (Thursday) 6:30PM – 8:30PM
• November 16, 2023 (Thursday) 6:30PM – 8:30PM (if needed)

There will be a tour of Methacton High School on October 5, 2023. There will be tours of other (renovated/newly constructed) nearby high schools. These tours are designed to help members of the MHSCPC with their information needs. Tours of other high schools are voluntary and are not required to participate in the MHSCPC work.

If you decide to participate on some or all of the other high school tours, please know that these will require additional time to what is listed above. We are planning 4 tours of other high schools. Tours of other high schools will be on a first come first serve basis given that some host schools will have group size limitations. Generally, we plan to include 30-40 volunteers on each tour. All tours will be scheduled outside the school day.

4 High School tours planned:

1. September 21, 2023 (Thursday) Pottsgrove High School (1hr tour) (bus departs at 5:00PM/Tour begins at 5:30PM)

2. October 2, 2023 (Monday) Avon Grove High School (1hr tour) (bus departs at 4:45PM/Tour begins at 6PM)

3. October 12, 2023 (Thursday) Upper Merion High School (1hr tour) (bus departs at 5:00PM/Tour begins at 5:30PM)

4. (Date / School to be determined) (in planning stage) will notify MHSCPC members when scheduled.

Are there Leadership Roles available with the MHSCPC?

There are leadership roles available for high school students, parents, staff, and members of the public on sub-committees. These roles may require some additional time on an as needed basis. Training will be provided for the leaders and specific instructions/directions will be provided for all activities (we will make every effort to hold leadership meetings virtually via (Zoom)).

How is the public going to be kept apprised of the MHSCPC work?

There is a website established that houses all information developed from MHSCPC. The District has developed a communications plan that includes additional notifications, updates, and notices. The Superintendent of Schools will share letters to parents and community members along with presenting to the Methacton Board of School Directors over the course of the next several months on the progress.

Student and Staff Recommendation Gathering Process

Methacton High School and District Administrators will be seeking recommendations from all students and all staff in the high school with respects to their existing knowledge of the campus and high school. The student and staff recommendations will be provided to all sub-committees for use in their specific sub-committee discussions. The Student Recommendations and Staff Recommendations sub-committees will organize the information gathered from the student and staff SCOT Analyses and survey results to establish the key elements from that available data.

Research

District Administration will be conducting research related to the impact of the learning environment (spaces) on student learning/behavior/SEL etc. The district will accept research articles/data/information from members of the MHSCPC and members of the public throughout the duration of this process for consideration of use in future development of a comprehensive plan. This process will be outlined on the MHSCPC web site beginning October 1, 2023.

Expert Assistance

The district will leverage the experts from within the administration and from vendors already familiar with the Methacton School District to assist the sub-committee members with their information requests (they will be on hand at the scheduled meetings).