“Transparency is not a buzzword,” Alex Wisser, an Upper Salford parent said during the public comment period at the Souderton Area School Board’s last action meeting of 2023.
Days prior to the December 21 meeting, The Beacon highlighted how the Souderton Area School Board cloaks its finances from the public and does not comply with full financial disclosure to taxpayers as prescribed by the Pennsylvania School Code.
By concealing the finances of the district, taxpayers have no idea how much money is being spent or what it’s being spent on.
In addition to the monthly financials, other documents related to school board agenda items, including policies and contracts, are not available in advance of or even at committee or action meetings.
Without access to documents on meeting agendas, district residents are forced to listen to what amounts to a meaningless dialogue.
Corinne DeGeiso of Upper Salford said as much during the public comment period at December’s meeting.
“Could we encourage more parental engagement, not just at the school level, but also at the district level? I was thinking maybe if we could consider that approach by implementing some of the following things, we could have more people involved. So, the first was including presentations or other materials as attachments on the agendas.”
DeGeiso pointed out that providing documents as attachments to meeting agendas would also save the district time and money because if requested after the meeting, the district must take the time to respond to emails or phone calls and, in some instances, provide paper copies of records.
Worse, Souderton Area School District currently pays for a document management program called BoardDocs – but is barely using it.
The software is designed to provide agendas with attachments so interested parties may review the nuts and bolts of what the board is planning to discuss. BoardDocs also allows a district to archive agendas and minutes from committee and action meetings in one spot for easy access to those documents in chronological order.
Currently, SASD does not integrate meeting minutes with agendas. Minutes are not found on BoardDocs at all, but instead on the district’s website in a makeshift archive.
There is an annual fee for BoardDocs but to access the document management software, school districts must be a member of the Pennsylvania School Board Association.
Annual dues are based on a somewhat convoluted formula based on the market value of properties within the district that are acquired annually from the Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Bureau.
Because property values vary widely, two comparably sized school districts could pay PSBA different amounts. However, based on invoices the Beacon has access to, most membership dues fall within a $15-19,000 range.
The current annual fee for BoardDocs is in the neighborhood of $9,000.
How much does Souderton pay? No one except the board knows.
At the conclusion of the December meeting, SASD Vice President Stephen Nelson offered his thoughts on comments made by district residents.
“We’re here for the kids, and with that being said, open to hear everything. And I appreciate the comments that were said today. We will definitely take that under advisement and appreciate everything that you’ve all been a part of this year.”
Nelson did not respond to an email on January 2 from The Beacon seeking additional comments regarding the board’s intention to correct its lack of transparency.
The agenda for the upcoming SASD January 10 committee meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., has been posted on the district’s BoardDocs portal. A proposed roofing contract and a policy revision appear on the agenda. No documents for those items or monthly financials are provided.
