Governor Mifflin's April 20 Agenda: $12 Million in Bills, 15 Departures, and a Plea for More State Money

The April 20 voting agenda commits $12 million in monthly bills, accepts 15 staff departures including 4 retirements totaling 85 years of experience, approves $660K in new furniture, and passes a resolution begging Harrisburg for more money — all without a single scheduled discussion item.

The April 20, 2026 Governor Mifflin School Board voting meeting is not a deliberative session. It is a rubber-stamp ritual where eight directors will sit in a room, mumble through roll call, approve $12+ million in bills , sign off on another wave of resignations and insurance hikes, then pass a resolution begging Harrisburg for more state funding while approving a half-million-dollar furniture order and a three-year curriculum lock-in. The unfiltered truth: Governor Mifflin isn't being run by educators anymore. It is being run by consultants, lawyers, vendors, and a revolving-door HR pipeline that is hemorrhaging staff faster than the district can replace them. April 20 Voting Meeting — Board of School Directors Time: 7:00 PM Governor Mifflin School District, 10 S. Waverly Street, Shillington, PA 19607 Chart 1: Where the Money Is Going Every visible dollar amount on the April 20 agenda, scaled against one another. The $12 million monthly bill payment dwarfs every other line item — and that is just one month. March bills paid (one month) $12,023,238 Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FFE) $660,000 i-Ready Math curriculum (3-year) $418,469 Workers' Compensation renewal $193,030 Amplify K-8 Science curriculum (3-year) $185,428 Staff tuition reimbursement (20+ employees) $21,409 Sweet Stevens special-ed legal counsel $18,900 The Money Firehose Never Stops $12,023,237.51 in bills paid for March alone. That is not a typo. The Treasurer's Report and full check listing are attached as if they were an afterthought — just "approve it." There is no line-by-line scrutiny scheduled. None. Dental insurance renewal through United Concordia: 9% increase. Workers' Comp dropped a token $1,409. PSBA BUCS unemployment program: another $4,075. Same dance every year — a "renewal" that almost always costs more. Curriculum renewals alone: $185,428 for Amplify K-8 Science + $418,469 for i-Ready Math over three years. That is over $600,000 to keep buying the same digital worksheets and adaptive software. No competitive bidding mentioned. Just "renew." Chart 2: The Staffing Exodus In a single month, the district is losing 15 employees — including four veteran retirements totaling 85 combined years of institutional knowledge — and immediately renewing its contract with a temp staffing agency to fill the gaps. Retirements 4 21 + 17 + 35 + 12 years 85 total years lost Resignations 11 teachers, paras, custodians, a STEM/Gifted instructor Then comes the workaround The board immediately approves new hires, online credit course instructors, AP proctors, and a renewed contract with GHR Education Staffing (a temp agency) for 2026-27 — because the district apparently cannot staff its own buildings. Meanwhile the agenda also commits $21,409 in tuition reimbursement to 20+ staff members chasing master's credits and "restorative practices" seminars. Translation: taxpayers are subsidizing teachers' graduate degrees while the district publicly demands more state funding. Student Services: Outsourced and Lawyered Up Sweet Stevens Special-ed legal advice + 12 half-day meetings $18,900 Capstone Academy Extended School Year (ESY) $14,206 John Paul II Center ESY (3 students) $3,450/student Hogan Learning Academy Per-pupil tuition $535/day Kelly Pediatric Therapy Three-year contract renewal Multi-year Settlement, Student #823875 Closed-door release agreement Undisclosed The district has outsourced a significant share of its special-education obligations to private providers at premium rates. This is the real budget black hole — and the board keeps signing the checks. Chart 3: Renovation Change Orders Keep Climbing High School and Middle School renovations are already generating a parade of change orders. These are only the small ones the board bothered to itemize: GC-PCO-99130 — Single-pane glass → insulated panels $5,380 GC-PCO-99131 — Light fixtures (soffit depth changed) $948 GC-PCO-99129 — Steel beam connection $610 GC-PCO-99132 — Visual display boards $507 GC-PCO-99124 — Tempered glass $455 The bigger ask buried below $660,000 in new FFE (furniture, fixtures, equipment) approvals with a 5% contingency — music furnishings, performing arts gear, commons displays. All from "cooperative contracts." Translation: no real competitive bidding, just vendor-friendly pricing. The board is also being asked to approve the entire 2025-26 Operations Capital list plus the five-year projection that quietly includes the Education Center roof and the High School roof Phase 1 "fund match." Approve the overrun list first; cry poverty later. The Hypocrisy on Page 10 Item 10.01 Resolution Calling for Increased State Funding The board is literally passing a resolution demanding more taxpayer dollars from Harrisburg while simultaneously approving $12 million in monthly bills, signing three-year vendor contracts worth hundreds of thousands, funding private-school placements, and buying new furniture for a renovation already bleeding change orders. Right-to-Know Requests Tell the Real Story Five outside parties filed Right-to-Know requests this month. The public — and the unions — clearly smell something. The board's response? Listed quietly under "information." No discussion scheduled. Sheet Metal Workers Union — payroll records for roof work Smart Procure — purchasing records Justin Wenig — all purchase orders + professional development contracts Employee Research Data LLC — full employee list with emails and locations The Data Branch — Frontline Education vendor records Final Verdict This agenda is a 36-page monument to institutional decay . Zero discussion items. Zero pushback. Just motion after motion to approve yesterday's bad decisions and tomorrow's bigger invoices. Staff is fleeing, costs are rising, vendors are feasting, and the board's headline idea is to beg the state for more cash while handing out tuition reimbursements and approving luxury furnishings. If You Are a Governor Mifflin Taxpayer Show up on April 20. Speak during public comment. Demand actual oversight instead of this monthly coronation. The district is not "underfunded." It is poorly managed — and this meeting proves it in $12 million shades of red ink. Source: Governor Mifflin School District Board Agenda — April 20, 2026 Voting Meeting. View the full agenda on BoardDocs .