Crawford Central gives preliminary approval to tax increase

May 21—The preliminary 2024-25 budget — and the 5.5 percent tax increase that comes with it — appeared to be the highlight of the agenda for Crawford Central School Board's Monday meeting, but board members spent much more of their time sermonizing on Title IX and policies that draw sex-based distinctions for sports, bathrooms and pronouns.

Board members voted 8-1 to approve a $71.1 million preliminary budget that came with a tax increase of about 5.5 percent. Combined with $3.1 million in reserve funds, the increase would be used to bridge a projected deficit of more than $4.3 million. The board must approve a final budget by June 30 and is expected to vote at its June 24 meeting.

The approval was a required step in the budget process, board President Kevin Merritt told the audience of fewer than 10 people, and the final budget could differ from the one approved Monday.

"This is the same budget that was presented at the committee meeting," Merritt said, referring to the board's work session last week where board members asked to see budget options with smaller tax increases. "The administration is working on lowering it from that 0.57 (mill increase) to whatever that magic number is going to be, but we do need to have a tentative adoption tonight to fulfill these obligations to the state."

Under the proposed budget, the owner of a home assessed at the district's average assessed value of $30,000 would pay an additional $93 beginning next year, bringing the annual tax amount from approximately $1,703 to $1,796.

Jan Feleppa cast the lone opposing vote out of concerns about long-term questions raised by a feasibility study presented to the board in February. "Until there is a specific plan with dates and further study, I will be voting no for any tax increase," she explained in an email to The Meadville Tribune last week.

While board members await more options from the administration, several took the opportunity to revisit the board's April 15 discussion of potential policies governing sports participation, bathroom assignments and pronoun usage. Since then, the board met behind closed doors with representatives of Independence Law Center, the Harrisburg-based law firm that drafted policies adopted earlier this year by South Side Area School District earlier this year.

Ron Irwin began the series of monologues that concluded the meeting by dismissing the argument that adopting similar policies could expose Crawford Central to costly lawsuits.

"Now, I don't know how much is too costly for most people to protect their children, but I'm pretty sure my family knows I'd give my life to protect them," Irwin said.

In an apparent reference to his March vote against field trips to the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association all-state music conferences, Irwin said he had been contacted by residents concerned about "biological boys and biological girls rooming together on overnight trips" and linked the possibility to "grooming."

"I would like someone to explain to me how forcing a teen or pre-teen to use a restroom or undress in the locker room with biologically opposite-sex teen or possibly adults is not the very definition of grooming," he said. "So I'm sticking with my first thought of chromosome-based policy. To address (Ryan Pickering's) concern, we can have some mixed-use bathrooms."

Holly Chatman spoke after Irwin, reminding board members of the oaths they took upon election and emphasizing their duty to uphold the Constitution and Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.

"That includes us as board members from enacting or passing any policies that go against the United States Constitution," Chatman said. "I take my oath to this board seriously and plan to ensure the constitutional rights of all our students are upheld without political, religious or personal beliefs, but rather with dignity and abiding by the laws of our country."

Responding moments later, Ed DeVore pointed to the same authority to make a different point, arguing that the Constitution also protects religious beliefs and prevents people from being compelled to speak in a particular way. Adopting policies that limit participation based on biological sex could expose the district to lawsuits, but DeVore said sticking to interpretations of Title IX that vary from one administration to the next could result in lawsuits as well. A month ago, the Biden administration issued regarding Title IX enforcement that extend the law's protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

"If we're worried about being sued by somebody over their objections to a policy that we have regarding Title IX, we may get a suit from people that object to the Title IX regulations and guidelines as they stand," DeVore said. "It's not all one way where we're going to get sued by people that are in favor of these changes to Title IX."

In the briefest of the concluding remarks, Pickering, who attended the meeting via teleconference, alluded to Irwin's reference to the district policy that foregrounds protecting students.

"The policy to protect students includes trans students," Pickering said, "and so this whole conversation feels like it's harming our trans students."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.