by Leandra DaFonseca
York Suburban High School, built in 1955, is what some would consider outdated. With the school’s last remodel being in the ’90s, York Suburban’s appearance is old compared to other schools in York County. Principal Brian Ellis stated: “The school functions fine, but there are things we could benefit from updating. Labs could definitely benefit from an update.”
Not only is the high school outdated, but it is also small for the growing population of students at YSHS. The district also anticipates greater enrollment in the future. Updating as soon as possible would allow teachers to have smaller class sizes, allowing for a better work environment for the students.
Whether or not a renovation is a realistic expectation is in question. However, for the first time in many years, the district has met with an architect and discussed their options for renovating. When asked if remodeling was a possibility in the near future, Dr. Ellis responded, “Yes, very possibly a renovation could happen within the next five years even.”
The problem when it comes to renovating schools is that it takes so long and students have to go to school somewhere else in the meantime. Or, if they were to build a whole new school–which is one of the five renovation plans the school could choose to take– students would continue at their normal high school while the new one is being built, which could propose another problem if the school is in a dangerous condition. While YSHS isn’t considered dangerous, the longer YSHS goes without renovating, the more problematic it can become.
There is also a cost issue involved with renovating. Renovations are often very expensive and the school would have to take out a loan which they would then have to pay back. This means that taxes would rise for the taxpayers living in the district.
Of course, the district wants to avoid cutting funding for other programs and Dr. Ellis even stated, “Absolutely paying for school supplies, resources, paying staff etc. should come first. But something like that is very plausible. Also, in regards to sports funding, Dr. Ellis stated: “We want to avoid cutting anything from the budget but we would want to focus on what goes on during school hours, before after-school activities.”