Committee Process (Q & A)

Register here (beginning August 21, 2023; registration closes 12noon on 9/14/2023)

The Methacton High School Campus Planning Committee (MHSCPC) is a collection of school community stakeholders (students, parents, staff and community members) who will provide recommendations to the Board of School Directors on future investments in the Methacton High School campus and its existing structures/buildings (High School Building/Transportation Building/Administrative Building/Campus Sewer Plant).

MHSCPC will be the preliminary body charged with gathering information and making recommendations to the Board of School Directors regarding the matters to consider for inclusion into a comprehensive plan for the high school campus and related structures. The MHSCPC will be composed of students, parents, staff, and members of the Methacton school community.

• Each member of the MHSCPC will be placed on one of 10 Sub Committees (listed below).
• The targeted membership and structure for the MHSCPC is outlined below (may change based on interest):

The MHSCPC will organize into 10 sub-committees (as listed above) and will use a SCOT (strengths, challenges, opportunities, threats) analysis model to provide recommendations on specific matters associated with their respective sub-committee areas of the Methacton High School Campus and related structures (buildings).

The SCOT analysis activities will consider key architectural elements and spaces (classrooms, collaborative spaces, auditorium, pool, community access, STEM, performing arts, etc.), environmental and sustainability potential, and role of the campus and building in the community, operational costs, educational value, safety and security, aesthetics, innovation, athletics/activities, and more…

• Each sub-committee will be provided presentations/documents/data/reports to help inform members in completing the SCOT Analyses.
• District experts will support and inform sub-committee members as needed.
• Sub-committees will also receive recommendations from students and staff.
• Sub-committees will take guided tours of the High School/other structures with respects to their specific areas of concentration.
• Sub-committees will identify the most important elements in each of their topic areas from their SCOT Analysis.
• The MHSCPC committee of the whole will organize the identified important elements into a priority list of recommendations.
• A report will be generated inclusive of all sub-committee SCOT Analyses, important elements, and priority recommendations and will be provided to the Methacton Board of School Directors for consideration into a comprehensive campus/facilities plan.
• A presentation summarizing the process and the report (recommendations) will be made by MHSCPC volunteers at a public meeting before the Methacton Board of School Directors.

The MHSCPC may make recommendations including do nothing; make part of annual facilities maintenance; conduct renovations; conduct renovation with new construction; conduct new construction.

The Board of School Directors may choose to accept and or modify all or some of the recommendations, request more information from the administration, and or determine a path forward with next steps to potentially to include:

• Preliminary design given the recommendations and other information
• Further development of the Master Facilities Plan
• Preliminary evaluation of alternatives to the recommendations
• Seek additional public input
• Other actions the Board determines appropriate

There are leadership roles available for high school students, parents, staff, and members of the public on sub-committees. These roles may require some additional time on an as needed basis. Training will be provided for the leaders and specific instructions/directions will be provided for all activities (we will make every effort to hold leadership meetings virtually via (Zoom).

There is a website established that houses all information developed from MHSCPC. The District has developed a communications plan that includes additional notifications, updates, and notices. The Superintendent of Schools will share letters to parents and community members along with presenting to the Methacton Board of School Directors over the course of the next several months on the progress.

Methacton High School and District Administrators will be seeking recommendations from all students and all staff in the high school with respects to their existing knowledge of the campus and high school. The student and staff recommendations will be provided to all sub-committees for use in their specific sub-committee discussions. The Student Recommendations and Staff Recommendations sub-committees will organize the information gathered from the student and staff SCOT Analyses and survey results to establish the key elements from that available data.

Research
District Administration will be conducting research related to the impact of the learning environment (spaces) on student learning/behavior/SEL etc. The district will accept research articles/data/information from members of the MHSCPC and members of the public throughout the duration of this process for consideration of use in future development of a comprehensive plan. This process will be outlined on the MHSCPC web site beginning October 1, 2023.

Expert Assistance
The district will leverage the experts from within the administration and from vendors already familiar with the Methacton School District to assist the sub-committee members with their information requests (they will be on hand at the scheduled meetings).