BUFFALO TWP — A split Freeport school board voted to approve a $55 million high school renovation, putting an end to over four years of debate Wednesday, June 11.

The board voted 5-4 in favor of renovating the school. The same margin voted in favor of the finalized 2026-26 budget proposal, totaling $39.7 million. The budget includes a tax increase by 5.29% in Armstrong County — just under the state index maximum level — and 4.92% for Butler County residents.

Board President Gary Risch, Jr. and board members Christine Davies, Michael Huth, Gregory Selinger and Melanie Zembrzuski voted in favor of both items.

Dino DiGiacobbe, Sylvia Maxwell, Daniel Ritter and John Haven voted against both.

In total, the renovation proposal will cost $55.37 million to fix the existing high school building. Up until this week, the board has been contemplating that option, along with a lesser-scale $22 million option or no renovation at all.

A final vote on renovation had been delayed several times since March. At the March meeting, the board said it would vote in May. At the most recent meeting, May 14, it was delayed until Wednesday.

Freeport Area School District’s budget for 2025-26 totals $39.7 million, an increase of $1.26 million from the previous year. The proposal has the district pulling from its existing fund balance to cover a $219,177 difference between expenditures and revenues.

Freeport’s Butler County residents will now face a millage rate of 181.87. Armstrong residents will see a rate of 65.1.

A mill is equal to a $1 tax increase for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

Leading up to the board meeting, Risch and Davies had spoken out at meetings in favor of the renovation project, saying it was needed due to the state of the building.

In mid-April, a CJL Engineering representative provided a report that labeled Freeport’s sewage system situation as a “complete system failure,” following two years of mitigations by the district. Estimates for full replacement costs are $3 million to $4 million. The district will also have to do a full roof repair, an auditorium replacement, HVAC, plumbing, electrical work and other general construction.

Davies said Wednesday night she understood the project is “monumental,” but said it’s the school board’s job to take care of its students and educators. She called the renovation costs “an investment into the community”

“You elected us to take care of the students in this district, that’s part of the school board creed. We need to take care of our students,” Davies said. “This is the one time we’re able to financially figure out how we can do something like this for them.”

The board members who voted against the measure all expressed concern over the impact taxpayers in Freeport will feel due to the increase. They also said that while improvements are needed at the high school, the $55 million plan was too costly.

“I agree with other people that said ‘no,’ that we need to do improvements. I’m all for safety, the sewage, when I was made aware of it, I kept saying that is the priority,” Ritter said. “But it’s going to be tough.”

In particular, the no-voting board members said they were worried about how the tax hike would impact senior citizens who live in the district’s boundaries.

“I voted no because it is too much on the taxpayers,” DiGiacobbe said. “Yes, the priority is the students, but we have to balance that out with the taxpayers. Especially the senior citizens.”

DiGiacobbe said there are some things in the renovation proposal that are good, but some he thinks the district should hold off on. Fixing things like windows and installing a new air conditioning system in the school, DiGiacobbe said, are not something the school should be spending money on right now. He said if the school was in a southern state, a new AC system makes sense, but he said the majority of the months the school is used being during colder weather months should not warrant an entire new system.

When DiGiacobbe also pressed Brad Walker, the school’s business director, he confirmed the district is still paying off a previous middle school project for eight more years and it still owes about $19 million.

“There are some things that need to be done, no question. The collapse of the sanitary system has to be addressed. The library roof, yes, has to be addressed. It’s been patched up enough. The auditorium is a disgrace. It’s a safety hazard. It needs to be addressed,” DiGiacobbe said. “But there are certain things in this budget that I believe can be held off.”

A feasibility study for the district was previously conducted by HHSDR in April 2024, offering various construction options. The study at the time showed six potential variations of fixing the school, from relocating students between existing buildings and minor repairs, to building an entirely new high school.

From there, the board narrowed the choices down to three options, but with the sewage system report and the state of the roof, the district further narrowed down to the $55 million full scale renovation of the existing building.

“I absolutely think we do need to do something for the high school. I would have liked to have built a whole new one. But it costs money,” Maxwell said. “So for me, it’s not right now.”

Risch said there will be additional votes in August on approving architects and the rendering process, along with other details. The timeline of the project will be further determined then.

He said the district has a report from engineers on what needs to come next and an asbestos abatement is first on the list.

“Tonight was the first step to vote, pass it and move forward. Now it’s up to how fast we can push the contractors and get stuff done,” Risch said.