Quakertown Community SD board schedules Act 34 hearing for Quaker Elementary and approves tech-school budget and consent items

The Quakertown Community SD board voted on a package of actions March 26 that included approving a resolution to advertise a public Act 34 hearing for the proposed Quaker Elementary project, adopting the Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS) general fund and capital budgets, and passing multiple consent-agenda items.

Act 34 hearing: Administration explained the scope of an Act 34 hearing is limited to the project site; numbers previously presented that included work at the sixth-grade center were removed from the Act 34 advertisement packet. Mr. Schrader (project presenter) told the board the timeline requires advertising the hearing a minimum of 20 days before the scheduled April 23, 2026 hearing, making April 3 the advertisement cutoff. The board approved the resolution and advertisement by roll call.

UBCTS budget: Representatives from Upper Bucks County Technical School presented a proposed general fund budget of $12,791,649 for 2026'27 and discussed the five-year ADM formula used to allocate costs across sending districts. The presentation noted a small fund-balance usage (about $37,000) and a separate capital reserve budget; Quakertown's estimated net cash obligation including the capital reserve and refund adjustments was presented at roughly $237,144.59. The joint budget and the capital-reserve contribution (Quakertown share $109,204.50) were approved by roll call vote.

Consent and fiscal items: The board approved routine items including budget transfers for January and February, the bills list, the year-to-date financial report, a Starflight drone show agreement for graduation, human-resources consent items (professional, confidential and support staff approvals), and policy committee contract recommendations. The board also approved a contract amendment related to bus-patrol technology (phone/GPS systems) after administration explained the net operational benefit and committed to providing additional data on violation patterns and outreach effectiveness.

Why it matters: The Act 34 advertisement marks a formal step in the Quaker Elementary construction process and opens a statutorily required public hearing window; the tech-school budget vote sets the district's inter-district obligations for the coming fiscal year and will affect local budget planning.

Votes at a glance (selected):
- Approval to advertise Act 34 hearing for Quaker Elementary (hearing April 23, 2026; advertisement by April 3) ' Outcome: Approved (roll call, unanimous yes).
- Upper Bucks Tech School general fund budget, $12,791,649 ' Outcome: Approved (roll call, majority yes).
- Capital reserve budget / Quakertown contribution $109,204.50 ' Outcome: Approved (roll call, majority yes).
- Fiscal consent items (10a'e: transfers, bills, financial report, drone show) ' Outcome: Approved (voice/roll-call).
- HR consent agenda (professional, confidential, support staff, longevity pay memorandum) ' Outcome: Approved (voice/roll-call).

Administration said the Act 34 booklet for the project will be available at the district front desk beginning April 3 to provide transparency prior to the April 23 hearing. The board did not alter project scope in this vote; cost differences between prior presentations and the Act 34 packet were explained as the result of excluding sixth-grade center work from the Act 34 project site.