Parents argue against secession from Dover schools

When the battle over whether Washington Township should change school districts began, Heather Dengler's daughter was in fifth grade.

Now she's in tenth grade at Dover Area High School.

"We went from elementary to high school not knowing if she’d be going to this district every year," Dengler said at a Dover Area School Board meeting on Thursday.

Dengler isn't the only Washington Township resident who has seen elementary students grow into high school students while a lengthy legal fight has waged over whether the township should be moved from the Dover school district to the Northern York County School District.

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Last month, Commonwealth Court ordered the state Board of Education to reconsider a petition to move the township, an effort that began in 2012. The state board had previously denied the request to switch districts, but the court said it took too broad a view of the matter.

The Washington Township Education Coalition says Northern's schools are better and closer for most township students. While the coalition gathered a majority of township residents' signatures to start, they've faced opposition from a group of parents who don't want to switch, as well as the Dover district and its teachers' union.

On Thursday, the Dover board set aside its typical meeting agenda to focus on the township matter, offering an update and a statement saying the board will continue to support keeping Washington Township in the district. About 14 people then spoke at public comment, all showing support for keeping the township as part of Dover district.

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Dengler was one of those. She said that as an educator herself, she knows the importance of building relationships with kids throughout years.

"I appreciate you trying to keep our kids here," she said.

Many of the speakers noted fatigue over the lengthy process and uncertainty. But some were new to the issue.

Sara Rothrock said her family moved into the township two years ago. She'd been nervous, because her children had attended Bermudian Springs schools all their lives. But they've settled in at Dover and she doesn't want to see them uprooted again.

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"My children love it here now," she said. "I feel like we have no say, and I want to have a say."

Janice Laird, another township resident, said that the move wouldn't just affect part of the community, but the entire Dover district, which would stand to lose millions in tax revenue.

"The programs that are going to be lost for the students who are here because of that loss of tax revenue ... is potentially heartbreaking," she said.

Ralph McGregor, a spokesman for the Washington Township Education Coalition, could not be reached for comment Friday.

READ: Background on the Washington Township battle

Benjamin Pratt, solicitor for the Dover district, said the district was informed that the state board will reconsider the matter and hear arguments and public comment at its meeting on March 9. He said community members had to notify the board by March 3 if they wished to comment.