Governor Mifflin: 4.6% Cap Vote, Minutes on Hess Leave

The Governor Mifflin School Board votes Monday on a pledge not to raise property taxes for 2027-28 by more than 4.6%, a $112,997.53 contract for emergency and accessibility signs in three schools, two three-year electricity contracts and a new police officer for the middle school. The same Nov. 16 agenda carries the first written record of the board's vote during Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hess's leave: the Oct. 26 minutes, which show it named a substitute 8-1, with one director's dissent, after residents spoke. The meeting is Monday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Governor Mifflin Education Center, 10 South Waverly St., Shillington.

The district serves Kenhorst, Mohnton, Shillington, Brecknock Township and Cumru Township. Our Oct. 26 preview covered the substitute agreement and our Nov. 2 preview explained the tax pledge.

The tax cap vote

Act 1 is Pennsylvania's 2006 school property-tax law; each year the state sets an "index" for every district, and a board that wants to raise taxes by more than its index needs state-approved exceptions or voter approval. Item 11.3 asks the board to adopt the Accelerated Budget Opt-Out Resolution, which certifies that "the applicable index for the next fiscal year is 4.6%," that the board "will not for the next fiscal year increase the rate of its real estate tax, or any other tax for the support of public education, by an amount that exceeds the applicable index," and that the district "will not be eligible to use Act 1 referendum exceptions for the next fiscal year." Its signature block reads "ADOPTED by the School Board November 16, 2026." The amended Nov. 2 agenda listed the resolution for presentation only, as our preview recorded, and the Nov. 2 minutes do not mention it. The county's 2026 tax-rate table lists the district's school rate at 34.61 mills; 4.6% of that is 1.59 mills, or $159 a year for every $100,000 of assessed value by our arithmetic, and only if the board uses the whole index when it sets the 2027-28 rate next June. Our property-tax guide explains mills, and our homestead guide explains the exclusion that lowers school tax on an owner-occupied home.

What the minutes record about the vote

The district announced in an Oct. 9 post that Hess "will be taking a temporary leave of absence," quoting her statement that "After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to take a temporary leave of absence." Neither the post nor any board document gives a reason, and the Oct. 26 minutes, up for approval under item 4.1, never name her; they refer only to "the Superintendent's leave of absence."

The minutes say all nine directors attended and that President Dr. Lisa Peterson "announced that the Board held an Executive Session on October 17, 2026 for discussion of a personnel matter." Under Human Resources, a motion by Michelle Heim, seconded by Caryn Friedlander, approved a block of nine items led by the "Appointment of Dr. Steven Murray as Substitute Superintendent, beginning October 27, 2026 and ending January 5, 2027, per Agreement, as presented," along with resignations, employments, status changes and leaves of absence. The roll call was 8-1, Heather Bouchard voting no. The minutes give her reason in one sentence: "Mrs. Bouchard dissented on the Leaves of Absence agenda item, as she felt one of them was not handled properly." They do not say which leave. In closing comments, Bouchard "thanked Dr. Murray for stepping up to serve as Substitute Superintendent in our time of need," and Peterson said district communications would go out Tuesday morning "announcing Dr. Murray's service as Substitute Superintendent until January 5, 2027." The minutes list Murray as "Director of Student Services for Academics"; the agreement the board approved, as our Oct. 26 preview reported, called him Supervisor of Student Services for Academics and set a $150-a-day stipend.

Seven people spoke during public comment, and the minutes paraphrase them. Andy Pannafino "expressed his disagreement with the manner in which the Superintendent's leave of absence, as he understood it, was processed and approved"; the minutes record Keith Worley saying the same. Alyssa Oxenreider said she had filed a Right-to-Know request for Learning Forward conference expenses; "She believed some of the expenses, as she interpreted them, represented excessive spending." Jeffrey Wolfe said "there are situations where security screenings are appropriate" and, the minutes say, "questioned whether anyone should be exempt from standard screenings." Annette Baker said "she believes there has been a long-standing pattern of systemic failures now being brought to light, thanks to social media giving many a voice." Donald Kennedy, who the minutes say served on the board from 2013 to 2021, said it is "time for the Board to step up, do its job, and to take issues seriously, regardless of who's in charge down in the foxhole." Erik Peterson-Smith, president of the Greater Governor Mifflin League, reported on Community Days. Berks Beat has not verified the speakers' accounts; they are reported as the minutes record them.

The same minutes record 9-0 votes on $9,908,850.84 in bills, a $500,000 commitment of general fund balance for equipment and the first reading of Policy 226, and list among grant applications the board acknowledged a "26-27 School Safety & Mental Health Grant - non-competitive formula-based solicitation of $274,171."

The Nov. 2 minutes (item 4.2) list "Dr. Steven Murray, Substitute Superintendent" among administrators, record Bouchard absent, and show an 8-0 vote appointing Victoria "Tory" Bilger Cumru Elementary principal at $123,000 effective Dec. 1, replacing Brian Cote. There was no public comment, and the meeting ran 15 minutes.

A mentor for the substitute, at $142.50 an hour

Item 12.2 asks approval of an addendum to the district's agreement with Devopar Consulting of Lititz "to provide hybrid mentoring support to Dr. Steven Murray, Substitute Superintendent; rate is $142.50/hour." The agenda prints no hour cap or total. The attachment is a one-page scan with no searchable text; read as an image, it is "Addendum A.1 to April 2025 Board Approved Consulting Agreement" and says the mentoring "is billed at a rate of $142.50 per hour through 6/30/2027," that "The lead consultant for said service is Dr. Brett Cooper," and that "The start date, number of hours per month and support duration will be provided to Devopar in writing once determined." It also renews the April 2025 agreement under an extension option, with "all terms and conditions" otherwise remaining in force. The copy is unsigned, and the April 2025 agreement is not attached.

Item 9.2 is the "Substitute Superintendent's Report - Dr. Steve Murray."

Two Right-to-Know requests name the superintendent's office

Under item 7.3, the agenda logs that "Mr. Andy Donnell requested email communications for the period of August 1 through October 5, 2026, between a combination of Dr. Lisa Hess, Mr. Jeff Reichart, Cumru Township Police, M&G Security, and KRE Security." The Oct. 26 minutes list Reichart as Director of Safe Schools. Under 7.4, "Ms. Therese Williams, of Defending Education, requested any Superintendent email records between the dates of October 1, 2026 and October 14, 2026 containing the keywords Gaza, Genocide, Hamas, Palestine, Palestinians, Zionists, Zionism." The agenda says nothing about the district's response; our guide explains how the records law works.

$113,000 in safety signs, and a new school police officer

Item 16.1 would award the contract for "EMS and ADA signage installations at the High School, Middle School, and GMIS to Blink Marketing, Inc., d/b/a Blink Signs, Cleveland, Ohio," for $112,997.53, paid from the 2025-26 PCCD School Safety & Mental Health Grant. The contract is unsigned. The bid package says sealed bids were due at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, "when they will be publicly opened"; the Nov. 2 agenda had said bids open Nov. 4, as our preview reported. The package requires delivery "no later than June 04, 2027" and lists no other bidders.

Item 12.4 asks approval "to add a new School Police Officer position for the Middle School building (funded by PCCD Grant)," after a discussion item (12.3). The agenda does not say which year's grant; the Oct. 26 minutes list a 2026-27 PCCD application, a "formula-based solicitation of $274,171," whose uses include "hiring a School Police officer for the Middle School," campus lighting, radios, an emergency management system and a more secure high school entrance. The signage contract above draws on the 2025-26 grant.

Two electricity contracts to ratify

Items 16.2 and 16.3 ask the board to ratify two contracts the district has already signed. Both run 36 months and both, the agenda says, were priced "in association with a BCIU consortium and brokered by Provident Energy." The supply charge is the part of an electric bill a customer can shop; the local utility still delivers the power.

The BP Energy sales confirmation covers seven PPL accounts. It sets "The Contract Price shall be $64.33 per MWh" for service starting "on or about 07/01/2027" and ending "on or about 07/01/2030," with the energy charge fixed and capacity and transmission charges passed through; the account table gives each account an estimated start of 7/22/2027. Chief Operating Officer Timothy Ziegler signed for the district Nov. 4. By our arithmetic, $64.33 per megawatt-hour is 6.433 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The Constellation NewEnergy agreement covers six Met-Ed accounts at $0.06994 per kilowatt-hour, fixed for the term, from 07/24/27 to 07/22/30 (the Mohnton account runs 07/25/27 to 07/23/30). Its pricing was "only valid until 5:30 PM Eastern Prevailing Time on November 3, 2026"; the e-signature page shows Ziegler signing Nov. 4 and Constellation Nov. 6, and the price "includes a fee that Constellation will remit to Provident Energy Consulting." That is the same $0.06994 that was on Antietam's Nov. 9 workshop agenda and that Hamburg Area's agenda carried the same night for July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030, as our Antietam preview reported.

Reorganization on a Tuesday

Item 10.1 sets the board's reorganization meeting, where it elects officers, for Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Education Center board room, because Monday, Nov. 30 is "a district holiday"; our Nov. 2 preview covered the proposal.

Also on the agenda

• Bills paid of $4,530,823.71 (item 4.4), and the October treasurer's report, which shows $16,269,085 in general fund cash.
• Item 11.2, the 66-month Edwards Business Systems print-shop lease, attaches the same Oct. 12 proposal that our Nov. 2 preview described.
• Item 11.4 hires Conrad Siegel Actuaries for 2026 Affordable Care Act employer reporting "at a fee of $7,000 (no increase)," per the proposal.
• Item 11.5 sends four delinquent 2025 interim tax bills to the Berks County Tax Claim Bureau: $253.20 in Brecknock, $2,056.90 in Cumru, $409.86 in Kenhorst and $2,275.17 in Shillington.
• Item 12.7's resignations include Liz Wechter, Supervisor of Elementary Special Education, effective Dec. 30, 2026. Item 12.6's one retirement is Patricia Schlouch, part-time middle school food service, after 22 years. The employments list prints no salaries for its four regular hires, only pay steps for two of them, and five stipends from $786 to $3,774.14; the one status change names a new high school head custodian. Item 12.11's leaves of absence list six leaves by employee number only, five of them family medical leave and one "Personal Leave of Absence; effective October 13, 2026 – TBD" for "Employee #6834"; the agenda does not say whose.
• Item 17.1 is the second reading of Policy 226, Searches. The attached draft is the same Oct. 30 file the district added to the Nov. 2 agenda, whose changes our Nov. 2 preview listed; no newer draft is attached. The first reading was Oct. 26, as our Oct. 26 preview described. Item 17.2 is the first reading of Policy 807 on flag displays, with the draft and summary unchanged from Nov. 2.
• Item 14.1 is a "Settlement Agreement & Release for Student 809461," with no amount or attachment posted.
• Item 16.4 buys a lighted sign for the high school Commons at a net $719.30 after a $4,000 Class of 2026 donation and a $1,055.70 construction credit.

How to attend

Monday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Governor Mifflin Education Center, 10 South Waverly St., Shillington. Public comment is item 5; the agenda says to "complete and submit yellow card to the Board Recording Secretary prior to the start of the meeting," and the district's board page says "Remarks are not to exceed 3 minutes in length." Meetings also stream on Zoom, with a link on the Keystone Agenda page. The reorganization and December work meeting follow on Tuesday, Dec. 1, if item 10.1 passes.