Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Our Challenges

  • One ASD, One Future is a long-range facilities planning initiative by Abington School District to provide the best educational environment for its growing student population.

  • Abington School District serves over 8,600 students today, and enrollment is projected to approach 9,000 over the next decade. The District has managed our buildings well, with proactive ongoing maintenance and care. While we have added space and made some infrastructure replacements to the middle school since it was constructed in 1973, the main building has not received a significant investment in nearly 50 years. Looking ahead, we recognize the challenges our District will face in the cost of maintaining aging infrastructure and outdated equipment in our middle school and several elementary schools. For more information, click here.

  • Academic success starts by providing a safe, welcoming, and healthy learning environment that fosters innovation, encourages collaboration, and uses modern technology and equipment. As we look to the future, we recognize aging buildings and outdated infrastructure may present challenges in accommodating the evolving needs of our students and our commitment to innovative curriculum and programming.

  • The District has spent the past three years analyzing our buildings, engaging our community for feedback, looking at enrollment projections, and reviewing our finances to work on developing a comprehensive facilities plan. The comprehensive facilities plan will address the issues of aging buildings and infrastructure while meeting the needs of students and staff, reflecting the community’s priorities, and supporting the District’s goal of educational excellence.

Questions About Options for Abington Middle School

  • The District has spent nearly three years assessing our facilities. This included a feasibility study, a demographic analysis, an analysis of operational impacts and costs, and gathering community input.  

    Our evaluation revealed significant concerns in our oldest building – Abington Middle School. Issues included infrastructure needs, building layout, aging classrooms, lack of common spaces, and accessibility barriers. Community input also prioritized addressing these needs.

    Based on this data and feedback, the District is developing a comprehensive facilities plan to address the needs of Abington Middle School while also addressing facility needs across the district. Currently, there are four options being considered. 

    The District is committed to creating the right plan for Abington Middle School. 

    Community input is vital for shaping the best plan to support all students. Your input, questions, and feedback are essential to the decision-making process.

  • The District created robust criteria to assess Abington Middle School and meet the community's identified needs. These included educational impact, efficiency, enrollment projections, facility and site needs, operations, and financial considerations.

    Guided by feedback from stakeholders and residents, the District developed concepts for 12 options to address the needs of the middle school. Four options have been identified for further consideration by the Board of School Directors and our community.

    1. renovate the current building, with the option for an addition

    2. build a new middle school on the existing site, 

    3. create two new middle schools that both serve grades 6-8, or

    4. create two new middle schools with grade reconfiguration (a 7/8 center and a 5/6 center)

  • As Abington School District continued to evaluate the proposed options for Abington Middle School with its consultants, and more information was gathered through meetings with the Township, it became more clear that Option 3A (creating two middle schools, one on the existing main campus and another on the Glenside Weldon site) would be the least viable option from the perspective of municipal approvals. As the District outlined in its initial presentations of the proposed options, this is due to the size of the Glenside Weldon parcel and how big of a building would be needed.

    While the District knew that variances would be required to construct a middle-school-sized building on the Glenside Weldon site, it informed the School Board of Directors in November that after additional evaluation and review, it is unlikely Option 3A would clear the regulatory requirements needed to develop this option further. The District is seeking community feedback on the most feasible options for the future of Abington Middle School.

    Residents are encouraged to share their feedback by taking the community survey through Monday, December 23, or by providing input through this Connect Form.

  • The cost of these proposed projects would not be covered by the District’s existing budget. The District is committed to ensuring that addressing the needs of Abington Middle School does not take away from current district operations and facilities maintenance, ensuring that high-quality education is not impacted by the investment in the middle school's future. 

    The District will use data from experienced consultants, staff opinion and community feedback to refine and evaluate the proposed options for the future of Abington Middle School. Recommendations will be presented to the Board of School Directors in early 2025. Once the Board selects a plan, they must decide whether or not to go to a referendum to fund the project; this means residents in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge would vote to decide whether the plan will move forward. If the plan goes to a referendum, it can only move forward if approved by the voters.

  • Abington School District is evaluating several options for the future of Abington Middle School. Each option carefully considers education, operational needs, and the estimated tax impact for local property owners. 

    Once the Board of School Directors selects a plan to invest in the middle school, they must decide whether to go to a referendum to fund the project. This means residents in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge will vote on whether to approve the funding for the plan to move forward with an additional property tax, lasting until construction bonds are repaid. 

    The estimated tax impact based on a median homestead value of $387,402 ranges from $39 to $96 per month, depending on the middle school option proposed. 

    Your individual tax impact would be determined by your property value and will vary based on the actual assessed value of your home. Use this tax calculator to determine how each option would affect your taxes. 

    Click here to see a comparison chart of millage rates in Montgomery County.

    • The District will provide several opportunities for people to share their input:

      • We will conduct a scientific telephone survey that represents the entire population of Abington School District and an online community survey in December.

      • We will hold input sessions with teachers and staff, parents, and school and township groups.

      • We encourage residents to ask questions and share their input through the Connect Form on the One ASD, One Future website. 

  • Two of the proposed options would create two middle schools in the District to address the top challenges identified in the District’s assessment of its current Middle School, including size and configuration, limited common spaces, congestion, and infrastructure issues. For more information, visit our Middle School Options Page. 

    • The District is evaluating the site impact of each option. Decisions on where these activities would be provided or relocated will be based on that evaluation. More information will be shared as we work to refine these options

    • Renovating and/or renovating and adding an addition to the existing middle school would have limited disruptions on the athletic fields and surrounding areas. The other options under consideration would require relocating the field, track, and tennis courts. 

    • For more detailed information on these plans, visit our Middle School Options Page.

  • The District is carefully considering the operational, facilities, and maintenance costs associated with each option to address Abington Middle School's challenges. As the District progresses in assessing these projects, it will evaluate existing financial resources and the projected cost of each option before finalizing the comprehensive facilities plan.

  • No decision has been made on grade configuration. As we plan for the future of Abington Middle School, we are carefully evaluating grade reconfiguration and attendance boundaries to ensure all learning environments best meet the needs of our students. This includes enrollment projections, demographic trends, and school size and capacity to identify the right plan for our middle school. We are also engaging with parents, teachers and residents to gather input on these options. This collaborative approach will help us create the right plan for students, teachers and staff, and our community.

  • The District will use data from experienced consultants, staff opinion and community feedback to refine and evaluate the proposed options for the future of Abington Middle School. Recommendations will be presented to the Board of School Directors in early 2025. Once the Board selects a plan, they must decide whether or not to go to a referendum to fund the project; this means residents in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge would vote to decide whether the plan will move forward. If the plan goes to a referendum, it can only move forward if approved by the voters.

Questions About the Facilities Planning Process

  • A facilities planning process is a detailed assessment of the needs of each school building. The assessment evaluates current and future demographics and enrollment, whether the District’s buildings meet today’s standards for safety, health, and accessibility, and whether learning spaces meet the educational needs of students, teachers, and staff.

  • The facilities planning process will help the District better understand the challenges of its facilities, prioritize projects, and assess financial tools to support a long-term investment plan that improves and maintains its school buildings, playgrounds, fields, and green spaces.

  • Abington School District contracted with ICS, a facilities planning and construction group, and SCHRADERGROUP, an architectural and engineering design firm, to conduct the facilities feasibility study. This included an evaluation of each of the District’s buildings, operations, and educational needs, a study of the future enrollment and building capacities, and a review of Abington Middle School’s education program related to building layout.

    Input from district residents is essential for developing the best plan for our schools and fulfilling our commitment to supporting all students while enhancing our community. Over the past year, we have gathered feedback and input from residents through a telephone survey of district residents, an online community survey, two open houses, and input sessions with teachers and staff, students, Abington Community Task Force (ACT) members, and PTO/PTA board members. 

    Guided by research, data, and stakeholder and resident feedback, four of options have been identified by the District for further consideration by the Board of School Directors and our community. 

    To read more about these options, visit our Middle School Options Page.

  • Abington School District initiated the comprehensive assessment early in 2023. This assessment included an enrollment projections study and a facilities feasibility study. The preliminary findings of these studies were presented to the Abington School District Board of School Directors in August 2023. 

    Guided by research, data, and stakeholder and resident feedback, the District has identified proposed options for the future of Abington Middle School for further consideration by the Board of School Directors and our community. As the District moves forward, we will further evaluate the cost of each option. This includes reviewing financial resources and considering the impact on taxpayers.

    Over the next few months, residents will have opportunities to review and provide input on the proposed Middle School options. The District wants to hear what residents believe is the right plan for the District, the positives and negatives of each plan, and other ideas to address the needs of Abington Middle School. 

    The District will use data from experienced consultants, staff opinion and community feedback to refine and evaluate the proposed options for the future of Abington Middle School. Recommendations will be presented to the Board of School Directors in early 2025. Once the Board selects a plan, they must decide whether or not to go to a referendum to fund the project; this means residents in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge would vote to decide whether the plan will move forward. If the plan goes to a referendum, it can only move forward if approved by the voters.

    To learn more about the proposed options under consideration to address the needs of Abington Middle School, visit our Middle School Options Page.

  • The District is committed to creating the right plan for Abington Middle School. Community input, questions, and feedback are essential to the decision-making process.

    Over the next few months, the Abington Township and Borough of Rockledge communities will have opportunities to review and provide input on the four proposed Abington Middle School options. The District wants to hear what residents believe is the right plan, the positives and negatives of each plan, and other ideas to address the needs of our middle school. 

    The One ASD, One Future website will continue to serve as an information hub on the facilities planning process and the options to address the challenges of Abington Middle School. The District encourages residents to share their input and feedback through the Connect Form.

  • No decision has been made on the scope of the plan to address the needs of Abington Middle School. Over the next few months, residents will have the opportunity to review and provide input on the four proposed middle school options. The District wants to hear what residents believe is the right plan to address the challenges of Abington Middle School.

    For more information, and to provide your input, visit the Middle School Options Page.

    The District will use data from experienced consultants, staff opinion and community feedback to refine and evaluate the proposed options for the future of Abington Middle School. Recommendations will be presented to the Board of School Directors in early 2025. Once the Board selects a plan, they must decide whether or not to go to a referendum to fund the project; this means residents in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge would vote to decide whether the plan will move forward. If the plan goes to a referendum, it can only move forward if approved by the voters.

  • The option to renovate the existing middle school would not provide additional space. Renovating and building an addition to the existing Middle School would provide 44,000 square feet for educational, athletics and creative arts spaces. 

  • The presentation that was made to the School Board of Directors on March 12 featured a summary of feedback from three separate engagement opportunities: a scientific telephone survey of 500 residents from Abington and Rockledge Borough, an online community survey, and stakeholder input sessions with teachers and staff, students, Abington Community Task Force (ACT) members, and parents/guardians, including those who are PTO/PTA board members. The feedback that the District is receiving from various stakeholders as part of the facilities planning process is not contradictory; instead, it’s representative of different audiences. Input and feedback from our district community are essential to the long-term facilities planning process, and the District treats all input and feedback equally. For more information on the community surveys and stakeholder sessions, visit OneASDOneFuture.org/Resources. We are using what we have learned through the two community surveys and stakeholder input sessions to guide us in the next phase of our planning process: developing options that support a comprehensive plan to address the needs of the middle school. Community input will remain vital as we move forward. Please know that we are committed to sharing information about these options and will provide additional opportunities for input and feedback.

  • The District has launched a dedicated website to share information and seek feedback from the community. The website features several resources that provide more information about the process, including fact sheets, the enrollment project report, the facilities feasibility study and the strategic planning progress update presented to the school board in August 2023. For more information, click here.

  • The One ASD, One Future website will serve as an information hub to share information and seek feedback from the community. The website features several resources that provide more information about the process, including a fact sheet, the enrollment projection report, the facilities feasibility study, and the strategic planning progress update presented to the school board last year. For more information, click here. 

    The District will also share information through its social media platforms, other communication channels, and local media.

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