Salisbury Township superintendent and board member urge residents to lobby Harrisburg for school funding

Superintendent Lynn Feeney Hetton and school board member Sarah Nemitz urged Salisbury Township residents to contact state lawmakers to support school funding during a webinar the district streamed and archived online.

Hetton said the session was designed to “share your story with Salisbury” and equip residents with practical steps for reaching legislators in Harrisburg. “The purpose of this conversation today is really to talk to you about the importance of advocacy on behalf of Salisbury Township School District,” she said.

The webinar laid out a three-step approach: connect with your legislators, prepare to engage, and craft a concise message. Nemitz explained residents should first confirm voter registration, then find which state representative and senator represent their address and note committee assignments, especially Education and Appropriations, to target outreach.

Why it matters: Hetton described several budget pressures Salisbury faces. The district enrolls about 1,550 students across three school buildings and an administration building, with an annual operating budget of roughly $43,000,000, she said. About 41% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals and just over 24% receive special education services. “We are spending about $3,000,000 per year on cyber charter tuition,” Hetton said, and that tuition burden is a significant line item in the district budget.

Hetton also described transportation costs tied to state rules requiring transport to nonpublic schools within a 10-mile boundary: Salisbury spends about $700,000 annually on those routes, which she said is roughly the cost of seven staff positions.

State policy developments were presented as potential relief and risk. Hetton noted the governor’s proposed budget and work by the Basic Education Funding Committee on adequacy and tax-equity factors that will reshape how state money is distributed. She discussed legislation and proposals to cap cyber charter tuition at $8,000 for regular education students (referred to in the webinar as House Bill 1422) and said that, if enacted as described, Salisbury could save an estimated $218,000 a year — funding that could translate into additional staff or services.

The district is also preparing an application to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for about $1,800,000 to address projects in its facilities master plan, Hetton said, citing water-related problems at Salisbury Elementary as an example of the local needs the grant would help remedy.

How residents can help: Nemitz walked participants through practical outreach steps — call, email, attend town halls, or request a meeting — and recommended using bill-tracking tools and legislators’ social media to stay informed. She provided a sample letter for constituents to personalize and urged including a concise statement of how an issue affects the writer personally and a direct request for the legislator’s support.

The presenters invited residents to an in-person advocacy day in Harrisburg on May 8 and offered to help register participants and arrange carpools. When a participant identified as Marcy asked for ways parents can advocate without attending meetings, Hetton said the webinar slide deck and links would be posted to the district’s YouTube channel and Facebook page and offered to add email and website links to make sample letters and board documents accessible.

Next steps: The district said it will post the slideshow and links to board agendas and recordings and will help interested residents sign up for the May 8 advocacy day. No formal board action or vote was taken during the webinar.