As Seneca Valley School District continues to make public details of a proposed nine-figure high school renovation, supporters and critics have become increasingly vocal.

With a price tag of roughly $165 million, opposition has built up — to the point a write-in candidate is challenging the school board president.

Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee of Pennsylvania, put out a news release on his own and has expressed support for Cindy Kniess, a write-in candidate who is now challenging board president Eric DiTullio in the November election.

“The opposition’s pretty real,” Hulings said. “Look at the petition, over 650 residents from the district signed on.”

The write-in campaign stems from opposition to the project. Kniess is a Lancaster Township resident who worked as a teacher for special needs students through the Midwestern Intermediate Unite IV for 37 years.

“Our community deserves better stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” Kniess said in the news release. “I will work to ensure responsible decisions that truly benefit students and families”

DiTullio, a registered Republican, has served on the school board since 2009. He represents Region 8, which includes Forward and Lancaster townships.

“This is Amercia, if someone wants to run against me as a write-in, that’s their prerogative, they can do that,” DiTullio said.

DiTullio cross-filed in the May primary elections and reached the general election ballot with both Democratic and Republican nominations.

“I’m a registered Republican, I won on the Republican side. I’m disappointed that the Republican Party has decided to take my name off of the list of candidates, but that’s their prerogative too as an organization, even though they’re going against their bylaws,” DiTullio said.

Back in August, Seneca Valley School Board members unanimously approved moving the renovation process forward to an Act 34 hearing.

DiTullio has defended the project as something the school district needs due to projected growth. He said the district expects a 10% growth in the size of the student body during the next decade.

DiTullio claimed the district’s communities have seen 5,989 homes approved to be built since 2021. He said the district also knows “more development is coming” to neighborhoods like Jackson Township, with 4,000 homes that remain to be completed from already approved projects that will generate additional tax revenue. He also has criticized others for what he viewed as spreading disinformation surrounding the proposed renovation.

“Those 5,989 homes, even using the low national average of 1.6 children per household, would be 9,852 new children to the district. Assuming that these children would be spread out over 15 years, that would be an influx of 400 new students per year,” DiTullio said Sept. 27. “We have multiple demographers’ studies that were done as part of the feasibility studies which show that we’ll have 150 to 200 new students in the next 5 to 7 years.”

Beyond Hulings, other members of the Republican committee’s leadership disapprove of the renovation proposal.

Chester Jack, who is listed as a member of the group’s state committee, has been a frequent speaker at Seneca Valley school board meetings criticizing the proposal.

Another state committee member, Butler County controller Ben Holland, said, from his perspective, the renovation proposal raises a lot of red flags.

“It has raised red flags. It ultimately comes down to, ‘can we afford it?’” Holland said.

Public opinion has not been limited to opposition against the project. A petition in support of the project, created by Seneca Valley parent Parag Batavia, has garnered around 120 signatures.

Supporters have largely said the project is part of the district’s long-term needs.

“Anything we’ve done, the way I’ve always looked at it, it’s always been a long-term approach. What are we going to need, not only next year or tomorrow, but five, 10, 15, 20 years down the line. And I think that’s really important,” DiTullio said.

When the school district put a new fact sheet on its website in the past several days, it included specifics regarding costs and length of expected construction. It also emphasized the project will have a positive impact on its community.

“This project is an investment in all our students’ future as well as an investment for our Seneca Valley community. By modernizing key learning spaces, strengthening safety and efficiency, and creating environments that match the continued excellence of our programs, we’re building a place where students can continue to grow, learn and thrive,” Seneca Valley’s fact sheet stated.

But the project is seeping into the political realm, with November elections happening in several weeks.

“Cindy is running on a conservative platform dedicated to fiscal responsibility and community transparency,” Hulings said. “Cindy hopes to unseat incumbent Eric DiTullio and force a reconsideration of the proposed $165 million Seneca Valley School district spending spree. Cindy strongly believes the school board can do to better by reconsidering the Intermediate expansion plan and will fight to protect the taxpayers of Seneca Valley.”