Tag Archives: Harrisburg School District

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

February 13, 2026 | by TheBurg Staff

New chair Paul Gellerman speaks to the Broad Street Market Alliance board.

It’s been a busy news week in Harrisburg—catch up on the latest news about a legal settlement between Harrisburg’s city council and mayor, the school district’s latest step in a decision for the future of William Penn, and more. Our weekly coverage is compiled for you below:

Dauphin County Concert Series announced two summer shows. The Riverfront Park-based series will feature alt-pop-soul-jazz fusion group Lake Street Dive on Friday, July 31 and eclectic jam group The String Cheese Incident on Aug. 5, our online story reports.

Harrisburg City Council and Mayor Wanda Williams settled a disagreement over council’s defunding of several top city positions Tuesday, avoiding a legal appeal, as seen in our online story. Council subsequently refunded some of the positions in question.

Harrisburg Green Alliance, a new nonprofit dedicated to beautifying the city’s public spaces, launched this month. Learn more about it in our February magazine story.

Harrisburg school district will hold a public hearing this spring around the planned closure of two middle schools. Read more in our online story.

Harrisburg school officials are recommending demolishing the century-old William Penn High School and using the property for athletic fields. Read more in our online story.

Harrisburg-area home sale prices were largely flat in January, our online story reported.

Lenwood Sloan was a Harrisburg artist, activist, visionary and friend who died suddenly in December. Read more about his life and legacy in our February magazine story.

Midtown Cinema will begin showing “Wuthering Heights” tonight. Find out our movie reviewer’s thoughts on the film, as seen in our February issue, here.

Nate Davidson, a Harrisburg-area legislator, has decided to run for a second term. He announced on Tuesday that he would seek re-election to the 103rd legislative district House seat, according to our online story.

Open Stage’s new original parody play “Stoney Brook” imagines the adolescent characters from the book series “The Baby-Sitters Club” as adults, 30 years into the future. Our reviewer said it “hits that sweet spot of childhood, then turns it salty.” Find our full review here.

Pennsylvania officials warned the public to stay off the ice on frozen waterways. Read more here.

Sara Bozich has compiled the best events of the weekend in her Weekend Roundup, including fun Valentine’s Day events like Cake Decorating Night at Anna Rose Bakery and Galentine’s Night: Fries Before Guys at Karma. Check out the full list.

Theatre Harrisburg is bringing Broadway to the city with Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years,” a high-concept romantic musical dramedy. Read our review of the performance here.

Valentine’s Day weekend is here. If you’re looking for a cute craft to do (for kids or adults) check out this conversation-starter keychain, as seen in our February issue.

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Harrisburg school administration recommends demolition of William Penn, construction of athletic fields

February 11, 2026 | by Alexandra Jones

William Penn High School

Top Harrisburg school officials are recommending demolishing the century-old William Penn High School and using the property for athletic fields.

After reviewing a slate of options for the district’s long-vacant William Penn building, Superintendent Benjamin Henry on Tuesday presented the administration’s assessment of each possibility to the school board.

Considering all the options’ levels of risk for the district and levels of benefit for Harrisburg students, Henry said that the administration feels that the “best” path for the district would be demolishing the building and constructing athletic fields on the former vocational school’s land.

Athletic fields would be a positive, student-focused move that would help the district expand girls’ athletics, per the administration’s analysis.

“We are growing athletic programs in middle school and especially in our girls’ sports,” Henry explained.

The sprawling 100-year-old building, last in use 15 years ago, sits on an adjoining 27 acres of land, overlooking Italian Lake. Officials have weighed what to do with the property since it was vacated.

“I want to make sure everyone understands that this meeting is for the board to understand all the pros and cons over all the proposals, all the options that we’ve been reviewing,” Henry said.

He clarified that the presentation was meant to provide school board members with a comprehensive analysis for informed decision-making in the future.

“This is not just about a building. This is about student safety, fiscal responsibility and educational equality, and again, how we move the district forward,” he added.

School administrators previously expressed that they would like to create a new soccer field for the varsity girls soccer team, who are currently practicing in the outfield of a boys’ baseball field.

In addition to girls’ soccer, the district wants to pilot flag football for middle school girls next year, he noted. He said the administration was recommending the option, above others, because it aligned with the district’s K-12 mission and because of its moderately low risk.

“One of the biggest things: it provides flexibility as we continue to grow and continue to look at programming needs,” Henry said.

The project, which would include a multi-year capital commitment, according to the presentation, would also align with the district’s recovery plan. Installing a new soccer field on the property was quoted at $896,000, according to a years-long comprehensive plan for infrastructure upgrades that was reviewed by board members earlier this year.

Other possible futures

Seven additional options, all presented in November to the board at a special meeting, were also reviewed in the presentation.

Among them, three public-private partnership options that proposed various commercial adaptive reuse projects for the historic building. Henry noted district concerns that these options were high-risk, lacked guaranteed funding streams, and out of alignment with the district’s K-12 educational mission.

He added that, if the private partners could not complete the projects, the district could be held liable for the completion of the building.

Another option included repairing the building into a career technical education center—an idea born out of the William Penn Task Force, which was created by the district in 2023 to generate ideas for the use of the property. It previously recommended retaining the building’s vocational roots, providing options for partial and full restoration.

Henry said William Penn’s retransformation into a such a center could cost anywhere from $13 to $93 million, a high-risk price tag for the district, which exited state receivership in June, and will operate under an existing debt burden of $19 million per year through 2036.

Keeping the vacant building ‘as is’ was another option presented.

In its current state, William Penn costs the district $566,000 per year, requires high-level security (as it often attracts trespassers) and liability insurance and offers no benefit to students. Keeping the building ‘as is’ doesn’t align with the district’s K-12 mission, Henry noted.

“We’re spending $1,000 every day on this building,” Henry said of the cost of security.

Another possibility, the flat-out demolition of the building, estimated at $5.3 million, would eliminate the high cost of building security, Henry said, but “not add any student benefit.”

Finally, while subdividing the land and selling William Penn would narrow the district’s responsibilities, Henry said, it would require court approval, could cost the district up to $200,000 to do and would result in the loss of a valuable district asset.

“Harrisburg is landlocked,” the superintendent said. “They don’t have new land coming on the market and so, for us, we have to understand that the flexibility of having this land is very important.”

Following the superintendent’s presentation, several school board members made comments.

Member Brian Carter asked if the district had exhausted every option, including grants to save the building, to which Henry responded that grant opportunities have become harder to come by over the last few years.

As someone who previously went through William Penn’s co-op program, board president Roslyn Copeland indicated that, while she has memories of the building, this decision is about the district’s children.

“Their education is important,” she said.

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Harrisburg middle school restructuring moves forward, March public hearing set

February 11, 2026 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District’s administration building

The Harrisburg school board will hold a public hearing this spring around the planned closure of two middle schools.

Acting in line with a comprehensive facilities plan that began in 2023, the board voted to formally recommend the closure of Rowland Academy and Marshall Academy (separate from Marshall Math and Science Academy) at a board meeting Tuesday night.

Rowland Academy has been phasing out of middle school operations for the last three years. It currently serves only 8th grade students, who will graduate to high school at the end of this school year. Following their graduation, the district plans to close the middle school. Camp Curtin has absorbed students who would have attended Rowland.

The district also recommended the formal closure of Marshall Academy, a middle school program provisionally closed in the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. The non-STEM Marshall Academy operated out of the same building as the still active STEM-focused magnet Marshall Math and Science Academy.

The schools shared the same faculty and principal. However, the programs were registered under different state codes—and while the STEM program required applications, the general program operated on home area status.

According to district officials Tuesday, students who attended the general program prior to the 2024-2025 school year were absorbed into the Math and Science Academy.

Moving forward, the district’s middle schools will consist of: Camp Curtin (6-8), the blended-learning/hybrid Cougar Academy (K-12), and Marshall Math and Science Academy (6-8).

Per the Pennsylvania Public School Code, the board will hold a public hearing surrounding the closures on March 31 at 6 p.m. at the district’s administration building.

Under state law, such a hearing must take place three months before the district votes on the closures.

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Dauphin County moves to extend existing Harrisburg tax abatement program

February 4, 2026 | by Alexandra Jones

The Dauphin County Administration building.

Dauphin County voted to extend a Harrisburg tax abatement program on Wednesday.

At their weekly meeting, the Dauphin County commissioners unanimously approved the extension of the city’s existing Local Economic Revitalization Tax Abatement (LERTA), which incentivizes development and property improvements within the city of Harrisburg.

The move follows Harrisburg City Council’s December vote to extend the program for another year.

First implemented in 2015, LERTA offers a 100%, 10-year tax abatement to developers for residential renovations and construction. Under LERTA, commercial and mixed-use projects are also eligible for 50% to 100% abatement.

When city council passed the extension in December, Jason Graves, the city’s then-director of business development and LERTA administrator, said Harrisburg had drafted new LERTA legislation that was awaiting the Harrisburg School District’s review and, in the meantime, recommended extending the current LERTA program for another year.

The district has yet to pass an extension for the program.

Graves’ position as director of business development and LERTA administrator has since been defunded, alongside several others, by city council, a move that prompted a lawsuit from Mayor Wanda Williams. While a judge ruled Tuesday that council had the authority to defund the positions, Williams said she plans to appeal the decision.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

January 30, 2026 | by TheBurg Staff

A city worker removes snow from N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg.

Hope you’re all staying warm in our cold, snow-capped city this week. If you make it out and about, be sure to pick up TheBurg’s new February issue, which honors Black History Month, at one of our distribution stands. What’s more, catch up on all our latest news coverage below:

Dauphin County announced Tuesday that it is drafting a 10-year comprehensive plan that will guide land use planning, asking for resident input. Learn more here.

Dauphin County is entering a 20-year intergovernmental cooperation agreement with several neighboring counties for a new Multi-County Regional Youth Detention Center agency, our online story reports.

Harrisburg is looking for a new principal for John Harris, its main high school. Our online story reports that the district is searching for a candidate who can commit to being in the post for at least three years.

Harrisburg gave residents until Tuesday morning to remove cars from parking garages offered for free during Sunday’s snowstorm, our online story reported. What’s more, Park Harrisburg and SP Plus held off ticketing cars on the street until Thursday.

Harrisburg School District received praise from an independent auditor Tuesday at a board meeting who reviewed its financials from 2024-2025. He said the district had a “good start” for its first year back in board control, our online story reports.

HBGVIBE is a new app that uses AI to create itineraries and make recommendations locally for people looking for things to do around the city. Read more in our online story.

Historic Harrisburg announced its top five preservation priorities for 2026, putting the Broad Street Market at the top of its list. Check out the other historical structures identified in our online story.

Matthew Robinson, a late, beloved member of St. Patrick’s Cathedral who passed away suddenly in September, will be honored at a memorial concert next month at the downtown church. Read more about the event in our online story.

Mechanicsburg’s Tower Hill neighborhood boasts a new short-term stay destination, thanks to a local couple. Find the full story here.

Our editor honors late community member Lenwood Sloan in his February issue publisher’s note, as seen in our February magazine.

Our Adventure Together columnist recommends starting the year off right with positivity jars. Read more in our January magazine story.

Our arts blogger recommends upcoming arts events in the area. Read more here.

Penn State professor emeritus John Dattilo provided tips on how to combat loneliness, as seen in our January issue.

Sara Bozich has compiled the best events of the weekend in her Weekend Roundup, including a Plant Palooza at Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses and Sunday Night Trivia at McGrath’s Pub. Check out the full list.

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Intellect & Independence: Celebrating the bicentennial of activist, abolitionist, educator William Howard Day

January 29, 2026 | by M. Diane McCormick

The Commonwealth Monument Project recently gifted this bust of William Howard Day for display in the PA Capitol Complex.

True learning, said William Howard Day, is not the “extent” of memorizing lines from textbooks but the “depth” of knowledge.

“And the depth will never be sounded until the mind of the student can by application weave the thought of the author into thoughts of his own period until the implanted lessons can be deduced—let out—into thoughts which are ours,” Day said at the 1893 dedication of the new Harrisburg Central High School. “That is education.”

William Howard Day channeled his talents, education and skills as teacher, administrator, politician, printer, editor, minister and orator into a life devoted to abolition of slavery, post-Reconstruction equal rights, and schools that equalized society.

Day was nationally known, a colleague of John Brown, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman whose life after the Civil War brought him to Harrisburg. Here, he continued pushing back against the erosion of civil rights while breaking boundaries as the nation’s first Black school board president.

Fighting for Freedom

William Howard Day was born on Oct. 16, 1825, in New York City. Through his activist parents, he encountered veteran abolitionists who saw the talented young Black man “as a prodigy, like he was going to be the chosen one to abolish slavery in the country,” said Todd M. Mealy, author of the Day biography, “Aliened American.”

At age 13, William’s mother sent him to Massachusetts to live with a white newspaper publisher who taught him the printing trade.

“He could be formally educated and given all the best things,” Mealy said. “The best clothing. The best education, whatever he needed, and his mom bought into it.”

He graduated from Oberlin College, taught the children of freedom seekers, conducted on the Underground Railroad, and worked as a printer. A pioneer in Black media, he published the first edition of his newspaper, the Alien American, in Cleveland in 1853.

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act that jeopardized the freedom of all African Americans launched Day into the movement to establish sanctuary colonies in Canada. In 1859, he departed for Great Britain on a fundraising tour for the Buxton Mission in Ontario.

He stayed in Europe until 1864, “representing the cause of freedom,” in Mealy’s words.

And was he, maybe, also a fugitive from justice for his seditious secret—the act of printing abolitionist John Brown’s “Provisional Constitution?”

“John Brown’s idea was to start a slave revolution, and he asked William Howard Day to print a guideline or constitution, and William Howard Day funded that,” said Harrisburg historian Calobe Jackson, Jr. “In fact, when John Brown raided Harper’s Ferry, William Howard Day was in Europe trying to raise money. Otherwise, he would have been tried in the conspiracy. It was very dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Reconstruction and Jim Crow

William Howard Day was a big-picture man with a can-do spirit. On his 1864 return to the United States, he joined famous African American abolitionists, including Douglass, strategizing for a constitutional ban on slavery.

“The Emancipation Proclamation is not enough,” Mealy said. “If the Civil War ends without a plan, does slavery pick up again?”

During early Reconstruction, Day oversaw schools in Wilmington and Baltimore. As a Pennsylvania Republican Party organizer, he crisscrossed the state to help Black men exercise the suffrage they won in the 15th Amendment—a right still not enshrined in the Pennsylvania Constitution.

In 1873, he took a job in the Pennsylvania auditor general’s office. He bought a house in Harrisburg and made the city his home until his death on Dec. 3, 1900.

Few Americans today understand the tightening vise of Reconstruction and Jim Crow—“slavery by a different name”—that Day resisted, said historian and genealogist Sharonn Williams. Emancipation didn’t equate to freedom, even for Black Americans born in non-slave states.

“Before, they were recognized as ‘free people of color,’” Williams said. “Now, they’re just ‘people of color.’ At some point, they lost things along the way.”

Her grandfather, Williams added, “was an admirer of William Howard Day, and he instilled in me that you are not better than anybody, but you are not less than anybody. You have certain gifts, and you need to share those gifts.”

A Living Voice

In 1877, Day spoke at the dedication of Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg, and he would be buried there at his death.

Day’s words—“Our history is not written. It lies upon the soil watered with our blood. Who shall gather it?”—encapsulate the mission of Saving Our Ancestors’ Legacy, the project led by Rachael Williams to preserve the historic Black cemetery.

Day connected the dots needed “to create freedom and abolition, and raising the money, and connecting people, and speaking this truth and telling the history,” Williams said.

She “firmly believes” that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech echoed Day’s 1865 speeches in Washington. In one speech on the White House lawn, he said that the people emerging from bondage were following pathways forged by previous generations.

“The change, socially, may be silent, but on it moves,” he said. “It fills its years.”

Education for All

When the Harrisburg school board president died in 1891, the board turned to one of its members—William Howard Day—to fill out the term.

Day’s experience as an educator and the injustice of Pennsylvania’s legalized school segregation first inspired him to run for what would become six terms on the board.

In 1892, board members praised Day’s intellect and fairness as they reelected him as president. The rare honor emerged from “the combination of who he was and how well respected he was for the work he’d done in the city,” Mealy said.

Accepting his reelection, Day thanked board members for emphasizing that “the accidents of birth or circumstances or matters over which a man can have no control, amount to nothing in considering the interests of the thousands of children committed to your care for tuition and training in the public school—the People’s College.”

After more lofty words, Day listed the work ahead. There were schools to unify, free textbooks to supply, and music instruction to put into classrooms.

Day’s commitment to serving Harrisburg “speaks volumes” about his sacrifices while other civil rights leaders found fame from Washington and New York City, Mealy said.

“One of the things I would argue that makes Day so heroic is the fact that he localized his efforts, which goes against the grain of national popularity,” he said.

Continuing the Legacy

Day’s name lives on in Harrisburg’s W. Howard Day Homes, the William Howard Day Cemetery in Steelton, and since 2015, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s William Howard Day Award for outstanding contributions to public education (the indefatigable Day was a PSBA president).

But the Day Homes were founded for Black residents, said Williams. She nurtures the memory of Day’s accomplishments because the places named for him “are the things that are segregated,” she said. “Part of that offends my sensibility because he was an abolitionist.”

On Oct. 16, 2025, Downey Elementary School students sang “Happy Birthday” to celebrate Day’s bicentennial. The school was built to educate the children of Day Homes, and alumna Yvonne Echols-Hollins, a retired educator, is leading the memorialization of Day’s legacy by strengthening ties between the school and the Day Homes, with lessons on Day’s life, inviting Day Homes families to adopt classrooms, and introducing students to successful alumni and memories of the “phenomenal teachers” who encouraged them to achieve.

“A lot of good things came out of Downey School and the William Howard Day projects,” said Echols-Hollins. “We are keeping that legacy alive by doing this and letting the students know where their roots are, because if you do not know where you started, you will have no idea as to how you can get where you’re going.”

Day’s legacy lingers in “his thirst for education” and his prescient advocacy for learning steeped in independent thought, said Jackson. He revolutionized Harrisburg education by leading the construction of the unified high school that he dedicated in 1893, said Jackson.

“The idea was to end segregation,” Jackson said. “Back then, it was a big thing to build a high school. A lot of students dropped out after elementary and junior high school. The boys, especially, could go to work in the steel mills and railroads. In fact, you had to pass an exam to enter high school.”

Day himself reminded Harrisburg school board members that education invited students of all circumstances to enter “the training place for future American citizenship.”

“Climb!” he said. “Climb up the steep ladders, up the winding stairs, through the mist and dark of this hour to the sun-lit plains above you. Are circumstances against you? Cast them off. Are prejudices, grey with age, in your path? With God’s help, breathe upon them the spirit of your achievement, and they will take wings and vanish. Is Poverty walking with you arm in arm? Treat her gently and let her speak for you. But go forward.”

Historic Harrisburg Association celebrates the centennial of Black History Month with historians Calobe Jackson Jr., Barbara Barksdale, and Elizabeth Jefferies who share Harrisburg’s legacy as one of the first communities nationwide to celebrate “Negro History Week” in 1926. Fourth Monday series, 6 p.m. Feb. 23, Historic Harrisburg Resource Center, 1230 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. Free. www.historicharrisburg.org.

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Auditor deems Harrisburg School District off to “good start” for first year back in board control

January 28, 2026 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District’s administration building.

Coming off of several years of state-mandated oversight due to its financial instability, the Harrisburg School District earned praise Tuesday from an independent auditor who reviewed numbers from last year.

“It’s good news,” certified public accountant Carl Hogan told the Harrisburg School Board at its biweekly meeting. “You have a good start moving forward.”

The CliftonLarsonAllen consultant presented an audit of the district’s 2024-2025 finances, tracking metrics through June 30, 2025, the month the district exited state receivership.

The state-required audit found no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies.

By the Numbers

The district finished the year with $28.4 million in its general fund, up slightly from its starting balance of $25.9 million.

The auditor also praised the district for the $47.8 million it concluded with in its capital reserve fund, which is only to be used for future capital projects. It added about $13.2 million to the capital reserve fund during the year.

“Like I said, this is a great position to be in,” Hogan said, adding that the district’s biggest asset is its building portfolio and grounds.

“To be able to have those reserves on hand to be able to maintain those assets is a great asset,” he said.

Additionally, the audit noted the district has $7.8 million in its debt services fund, used to pay off school construction bonds issued in 2007-2008, and a little more than $48,000 in its school-sponsored activities fund.

Revenues and Expenditures

The CPA also noted Tuesday that over the past few years, the district’s local revenue sources, such as earned income tax, transfer taxes and investment earnings have been better than expected.

“In the current year, your local source revenues were $3.5 million better than anticipated,” Hogan said of the 2024-2025 audit.

Hogan added that the district had budgeted $213 million in expenditures for the school year and came in at $204 million, leaving a $9 million variance that could be explained by a number of chronically open positions.

“The school district continues to still struggle with filling certain positions within the school district,” Hogan explained. “There’s still vacancies. It’s no doubt better than it was the past couple years, but a lot of these expenditures that are less than budgeted are primarily related to vacancies that the school district would like to fill.”

Calendars for the Future

In line with a new, proactive effort to provide the Harrisburg community with dates for school events farther in advance, the school district also presented a first look at calendars Tuesday night for its next two school years, 2026-2027 and 2027-2028.

Superintendent Benjamin Henry noted that the creation of the calendars involved a committee of administrators, teachers and families.

“As we move forward, this is something that we want to continue to do, is engage our community when we develop on our calendar,” Henry said.

Board president Roslyn Copeland noted that she was glad to see that graduation did not conflict with Juneteenth on the calendars, which had evoked concerns from community members in the past.

The proactive move was praised by board vice president Autumn Anderson.

“I love seeing that we are planning things out in advance, so that families can plan around the different activities—and that can increase engagement with families for many of our different events,” Anderson said.

Board Retreat, Property Taxes and More

Copeland also noted Tuesday that the board had held a retreat on Saturday, Jan. 17 to discuss the district’s financial projections and 2025-26 budget scenarios as well as real estate matters with the district solicitor.

The board also approved the installation of bathroom security grills at Harrisburg High School’s John Harris Campus ($49,697), which will be done by the job order contractor Gordian.

The board also approved three NJROTC field trips, greenlighting Harrisburg High’s team to compete in drill meets in Delaware and Maryland over the next few months.

It also voted not to raise property taxes by more than 5.4% for the 2026-2027 school year.

Eight of nine board members attended the meeting, which convened virtually due to snow. Board member Terricia Radcliff was absent.

For more information on the Harrisburg School District, visit www.hbgsd.us.

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Harrisburg School District to vote soon on infrastructure upgrades

January 14, 2026 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District met on Tuesday.

Upgrades for school buildings and a new soccer field may soon be in the works for the Harrisburg School District.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the school board pushed forward a laundry list of facility improvements that will be up for a vote on Jan. 27.

On the roll of 2026 to-dos are roof upgrades for Sci-Tech, Lincoln Elementary, Camp Curtin and Foose Elementary ($2 million) and renovations at Camp Curtin Middle School to create six new classrooms and an expanded cafeteria ($1.7 million).

Officials would also like to create a new soccer field for the varsity girls’ soccer team, currently practicing in the outfield of the school’s boys’ baseball field. The new soccer field would be installed on a portion of the 27-acre campus attached to William Penn, a vacant 100-year-old building that once served as a vocational school ($896,000).

Other upgrades include electronic locks for doors at Camp Curtin Middle School ($393,000) and Marshall Math Science Academy ($261,000); LED lighting for hallways at John Harris High School ($150,000); new carpet for Sci-Tech Campus ($120,000); and a new electronic sign for Melrose Elementary ($37,000).

The list comes out of an aggressive, existing long-term roadmap, dubbed the “Capital Improvement Plan,” that catalogs the district’s needed facility upgrades, as well as the funds required.

“It lists what’s planned and how we hope to possibly be able to pay for it,” school board member Doug Thompson Leader said at the meeting.

Thompson Leader praised the plan Tuesday for “doing an excellent job bringing our buildings up to snuff with such a limited budget.”

“I really appreciate how that document was laid out,” he said.

The 2025-2030 plan helps the district manage its substantial backlog of needs, including infrastructure updates for its aging portfolio buildings—many of which date back to the early 1900s. Prior to 2021, the plan notes that the district had failed to maintain its building portfolio for more than 10 years.

Because the district’s debt management policy strictly limits its borrowing capacity, all money for projects comes from the district’s capital reserve and general fund accounts. The plan also makes use of grants, where available, for projects.

Over the past few years, the district has already made several high-price-tag repairs to its aging infrastructure, including the full renovation of Steele Elementary School and a major gymnasium renovation at John Harris, complete with new maple floors and scoreboards.

The district entered a five-year state monitoring period to ensure that it stays on the path to financial stability after its exit from state receivership in June 2025.

While the soccer field’s on William Penn’s campus are budgeted for, the district has yet to decide what to do with the school building after weighing its options at a November meeting.

For more information on the Harrisburg School District, visit www.hbgsd.us.

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Burg Blog: A few Harrisburg-themed resolutions for the New Year

December 30, 2025 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council

It’s nearly the New Year, and, for many of us, that means making resolutions that, we hope, will survive past January. In this spirit, I’ve put together a few resolutions for Harrisburg, things I’d like to see us, as a city, achieve over the course of 2026.

Mayor/Council peace. Ideally, I’d like our elected officials to band together and work collaboratively for the good of our shared city. However, based upon recent events, I now realize this may be too much to ask. So, my more modest request is for some type of peaceful coexistence between the two warring bodies—think a 1970s-era U.S./Soviet détente, in which the antagonists cooperate on their most pressing issues. As to who’s to blame for the current Cold War between mayor and council . . . don’t know, don’t care. We elect our public officials to work for us, and for the betterment of our troubled city, not to focus their time and energy battling one another.

William Penn decision. How long can a single can get kicked down a single road? The Harrisburg School District is testing the distance limits with its decade-long indecision over what to do with the former William Penn school and campus. Over the years, the district has weighed everything from re-use to sale to re-development to demolition, only to back down and/or reverse course every time. The result is a boarded-up building that gets more dilapidated with each passing year. For 2026, be it resolved that the school district will make a final decision on the fate of William Penn—and stick to it.

Broad Street wishes. In recent years, the Broad Street Market has come to embody the deflating sense that, in Harrisburg, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Therefore, for 2026, my hope is that the curse will lift, at long last. No more fires, no more delays, no more collapsed walls, no more infighting, no more design distractions—and, importantly, a competent, caring and stable board of directors. Is it possible that, 365 days hence, the market reconstruction will be progressing, the budget will be balanced, and we can look forward to a 2027 building completion? Or am I just Charlie Brown, once again, charging like a blockhead towards the football?

Blueprint beginnings. Harrisburg is a city in transition. The downtown, especially, is undergoing a painful transformation from government town to—well, something else, something not yet defined. Therefore, it’s vital that, in 2026, an economic development plan for the downtown is finalized and that implementation is started. Fortunately, there’s reason for hope, thanks to entities like the Harrisburg Regional Chamber/CREDC, area legislators and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which have taken first steps. I’m reasonably confident that, a year from now, we’ll see positive momentum on this resolution.

Hope for housing. In recent years, numerous affordable housing projects have been started or completed in Harrisburg. Fortunately, I expect that to continue in 2026, as developers take advantage of subsidies and other assistance that make affordable projects possible. In contrast, lacking these incentives, market-rate projects have lagged—many proposed, few built. So, for 2026, I hope to see some of those projects finally get off the ground. Harrisburg needs all types of housing—and it needs people who will patronize our small businesses, who will pay taxes, who will add life to our sidewalks and streets. It also needs public officials who realize that adding residents is the solution to many of our city’s woes.

Ounce of kindness. Finally, I hope that we, as a people, can resolve to treat each other with respect and kindness in 2026. Yes, this city of ours can be frustrating, sometimes making compassion challenging, whether in person or online. But, personally, I’m going to do my best to fulfill this resolution.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Lawrance Binda is publisher and editor of TheBurg.

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January News Digest

December 30, 2025 | by TheBurg Staff

No Tax Hike in Harrisburg Budget

Harrisburg City Council last month passed the city’s 2026 municipal budget, which does not include a property tax hike.

The total budget, including the capital projects fund, state liquid fuels fund and neighborhood services fund, among others, is $127.3 million. The general fund portion is $88 million.

Preceding the final vote, council made significant changes to Mayor Wanda Williams’ initial budget proposal, including rejecting raises for Williams and other elected officials.

Council also eliminated salaries for the city’s interim business administrator, project director for business administration/LERTA and the police bureau’s director of community engagement and relations. Council also zeroed out the city’s portion of the salary for the interim director of building and housing development, which supplements the portion of the salary funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

At press time, Williams had not yet signed off on the budget. She also had the option to veto the entire budget or issue specific line-item vetoes.

At the mid-December meeting, council also reconsidered and approved a land development plan for 333 Market Street, a downtown office building that previously housed state government offices. Harristown plans to renovate floors 11 through 19 and create 81 one- and two-bedroom apartments for use as senior housing. The company is currently in search of an organization to master lease the apartments.

In addition, council renewed the city’s lease agreement with the Broad Street Market Alliance for another year. The approved extension was initiated because the market is required to have an up-to-date lease for state funding that it was awarded.

In other news, council voted to extend the city’s LERTA program, which provides tax break incentives to developers. City officials have said that they drafted a new, updated LERTA bill, but are waiting for the Harrisburg School District to review it.

School District Hires Acting Principal

The Harrisburg School District Board last month hired an acting principal for Harrisburg High School-John Harris Campus.

Longtime school district employee Roma Benjamin will temporarily fill the post, which has seen significant turnover in recent years.

Former John Harris principal Christopher Sattele, who began in October 2024, left the district for another position. Superintendent Benjamin Henry said the district will conduct a national search this February for a permanent principal.

“We want to have a little bit more time to go through the process of finding a more permanent person for this role, versus moving someone in immediately,” Henry said of the appointment.

The district approved Benjamin’s employment contract, including a $138,000 salary, with an 8-1 vote. School board member Danielle Robinson voted no.

Prior to this role, Benjamin had been working as a support supervisor within the district. She served as principal at Rowland Academy last year, but was placed on administrative leave in February after being accused of harassment for allegedly shoving a 13-year-old student. The case has since been closed.

The board also used its last meeting of the year to review its general fund budget for 2025-26 with updated state funding numbers. The district had previously estimated what state subsidies it expected to receive due to Pennsylvania’s lengthy budget impasse, explained Chief Financial Officer Marcia Stokes in a presentation during the meeting.

“This is really as a result of the state’s delay,” she said of the budget amendment.

Stokes further explained that the state budget had added an additional $3.2 million to the district’s general fund budget, bringing its total to $216.3 million.

For the 2025-26 school year, the state gave Harrisburg $88.1 million for basic education, $8.7 million for special education, and $18 million in grant funding.

Water/Sewer Rates Rise

Harrisburg water and sewer customers will pay about 6.3% more for service in 2026, according to new rates set by Capital Region Water (CRW).

In late November, the CRW board approved its new rate structure, which will increase the monthly bill for the average residential customer by $6.06, from $95.76 to $101.82, according to the Harrisburg-based utility.

“The CRW team carefully considered these rates to strike a balance between covering necessary operational costs and providing fair and equitable charges to customers,” CRW said, in a statement.

Broken out, the 2026 rates are as follows:

Water charge: $11.63 per 1,000 gallons (average increase of $2.47 per month)
Wastewater charge: $11.43 per 1,000 gallons (average increase of $3.18 per month)
Stormwater charge: $7.18 for most residential customers (increase of 41 cents per month)

According to CRW, the 2026 budget focuses on critical areas such as “infrastructure improvements, water quality initiatives and environmental stewardship,” as it continues a decades-long effort to reduce wastewater flowing directly into area waterways during rain events.

Last year, the average monthly bill for CRW customers in Harrisburg rose by 3.7%.

Home Sales, Prices Rise

Harrisburg-area home sales and prices both rose in November, according to the latest report on previously owned houses.

For the three-county region, 502 homes sold, compared to 474 homes in November 2024, while the median sales price increased to $290,000 from $275,000, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, 233 houses changed hands in November, versus 214 in the year-ago period, as the median sales price rose to $261,950 from $250,000, GHAR stated.

Cumberland County had 242 home sales compared to 240 the prior November, while the median sales price increased to $335,000 from $314,297, GHAR said.

In Perry County, 32 homes sold in November, versus 18 homes a year earlier, as the median sales price decreased to $214,000 from $237,500, according to GHAR.

The pace of home sales slowed a bit in November, as “average days on market” rose to 32 days versus 28 days in November 2024, GHAR said.

So Noted

Amma Jo, an accessories boutique, reopened in downtown Harrisburg last month, offering handbags, accessories, gifts and art. The shop is returning to a new spot within Strawberry Square, where it has operated previously.

Christine (Christy) Pavlakovich was promoted last month to chief operating officer at Members 1st Federal Credit Union. In her new role, Pavlakovich will oversee retail and branch operations, risk and compliance, legal, physical security as well as human resources and learning and development, according to Members 1st.

Dauphin County last month passed a $221.9 million general fund budget for 2026, a slight decrease from the 2025 budget. Nonetheless, the 2026 spending plan includes a 9.75% property tax hike. The increase comes on top of a 21.8% property tax hike in 2025 following two decades with no increase at all.

Jason Stouffer has been named CEO of York-based Kinsley Construction, the company said last month. Stouffer, who has spent his entire career at Kinsley, replaces Christopher Kinsley, who retired in 2025. In addition, third-generation family members, Andrew and James Kinsley, have been named co-COOs.

Jennifer Craighead Carey last month was re-elected for a second two-year term as managing partner and chief executive officer of the Barley Snyder law firm, a 130-attorney firm with offices throughout the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Craighead Carey has been with the Lancaster-based firm for over 30 years and is its first female managing partner.

PA Dairymen’s Association last month announced this year’s special Farm Show milkshake flavors: strawberry (red), vanilla (white) and raspberry (blue) in honor of the country’s 250th birthday this year. The 2026 Farm Show takes place Jan. 10 to 17, with the food court debuting on Jan. 9.

Pennon, the parent company of WITF, has gifted LNP/Lancaster Online to a new nonprofit, Always Lancaster, led by former National Public Radio host David Greene, according to WITF. In mid-2023, WITF received LNP as a gift donation from Steinman Communications, the long-time owner of LNP.

Tom Baldrige last month was named the interim president and CEO of Pennon, the parent company of WITF, as the area’s public broadcasting outlet continues to look for a permanent leader. Baldrige, the former longtime president of the Lancaster Chamber, replaces Ron Hetrick, who resigned in October.

The Vegetable Hunter, one of central Pa.’s few vegan restaurants, last month closed its original location in downtown Harrisburg, which opened in 2014 and later included a micro-brewery. It previously had closed locations in Hershey and Carlisle.

Zeroday Brewing Co. announced last month that it was closing its flagship taproom on N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg, citing rising costs and reduced foot traffic. The company will continue its brewery operations and distribution, as well as its two nearby “outposts” inside the Broad Street Market and Midtown Cinema.

Changing Hands

Balm St., 36: Capital Venture LLC to K. Grun, $90,000

Balm St., 115: BSM HSH LLC to L. Cabrera, $139,000

Balm St., 120: A. Rakibu to Atico de Horno LLC, $58,500

Bellevue Rd., 1930: I. Mitchell to Breneman Properties LLC, $99,900

Berryhill St., 1413: L. Weikel to Shutter Real Estate LLC, $90,000

Berryhill St., 1607: Keystone Properties Solutions LLC to Paavan Synergy LLC, $132,500

Berryhill St., 1635: BAJ Holdings LLC to H. Dhillon, $154,500

Capital St., 901: C. Lenz to TPB Advertising Properties LP, $207,500

Croyden Rd., 2932: P. & J. McLeod to J. Jeffries, $163,000

Cumberland St., 1327 & 1329: P. Jenkins to N. Ovalles, $115,000

Derry St., 1529: M. Heredia to D. Ortiz, $155,000

Derry St., 2016: V. Thi & L. Tran to J. Espinal, $155,000

Emerald St., 228: C&A Fix Hold & Flip LLC to D. Adams, $189,000

Emerald St., 243: G. Neff Inc. & City Limits Realty to S. Jefferson, $106,000

Evergreen St., 23: Destiny Harrisburg LLC to Bencosme Realty LLC, $155,000

Forster St., 1931: Bedrock Capital Management Inc. to M. Guisso, $55,000

Graham St., 50: PKM Enterprises 369 LLC to J. Evans, $234,000

Green St., 1112: M. Fitzgerald to BHW Capital LLC, $220,000

Green St., 1824: B. Goodling to A. Reed, $185,000

Green St., 1920: PKM Enterprises 369 LLC to S. Mazur & E. Graham, $270,000

Hale Ave., 443: B. & J. Hamilton to A. & J. Karim, $120,500

Harris St., 435: BCR-2 Properties LLC to W. Robinson, $235,000

Herr St., 1614: E. Andrades to S. & J. McCowin, $155,000

Hoerner St., 137: Williams & Williams Properties LLC to Bridger Investments LLC, $80,000

Holly St., 1938: C. Ettinger to P. Harris, $149,500

Kensington St., 2126: C. Watkins to EA Capital LLC, $68,383

Jefferson St., 2308: JMR Ventures LLC to BZDEL Global Investment LLC, $116,000

Lenox St., 2005: G. Bender to R. Ward, $129,995

Logan St., 1627: Culcay Remodeling & Guagua Remodeling LLC to A. Pieruccini, $169,900

Logan St., 1933½: Figueroa Enterprises LLC to R. Burgos, $110,000

Market St., 1404, 1406: 1406 Market Realty LLC to 1404 1406 Market Street LLC, $210,000

Market St., 1625: D&F Realty Holdings LP to J. Charles, $189,900

Market St., 2333: P. Sanders to J. & S. Thomasma, $210,000

Mulberry St., 1222: NR Group to Mirzavill LLC, $160,500

N. 2nd St., 2644: G. & T. Morcol to S. & C. Perfetto, $355,000

N. 2nd St., 2530: Blessed Investments LLC to M. Booker, $207,000

N. 2nd St., 2650: D. & C. Fasching to N. Davidson, $375,000

N. 2nd St., 2702: H. & A. Markovitz c/o B & M. Schatz to E. & J. Camacho, $346,000

N. 3rd St., 1223: Integrity First Home Buyers LLC to Vaughn Real Estate & Investment Properties LLC, $150,000

N. 3rd St., 1717: G. Sprigg to Segio Mannino LLC, $150,000

N. 4th St., 3300: R. Musser to S. Spade, $62,000

N. 6th St., 1000: Third Street Realty Co. to D. & J. Williams, $500,000

N. 6th St., 2128: Archie Group LLC & Head Huncho LLC to Williams & Williams Properties LLC, $100,000

N. 6th St., 3202: M. Strine to PACC Homes & Development LLC, $95,000

N. 7th St., 2156: R. Harvey to J. Rovera, $92,500

N. 7th St., 2300: D&F Realty Holdings LP to Moin Realty LLC, $325,000

N. 17th St., 111: Bill Culwell Enterprises Inc. to W. Smith, $124,650

N. 17th St., 1000: A. Augustine to H. Tambo, $220,000

N. 18th St., 700: J. Stevenson to CG Home Buyer LLC, $60,000

N. 18th St., 918: HBG Rents LLC to E. Garcia, $164,000

N. 19th St., 712: A. Smith to J. Alfonesca, $149,900

Norwood St., 913: D. Pietz to Cashflow Cartel LLC, $55,000

Penn St., 1320: CG Home Buyers LLC to Ortiz Family Investments LLC, $105,000

Penn St., 1421: City Limits Foundation to J. Nimmerichter, $131,500

Penn St., 2131: A. Rasheed & U. Sheikh to BZDEL Global Investment LLC, $145,000

Radnor St., 644: JO Properties LLC to MK Plumbing HVAC & Electrical Services LLC, $50,000

Reel St., 2734: I. Bah to Sunnyside RE Enterprise LLC, $135,000

Ross St., 630: M. Morgan to R. Santos & F. de Quinones, $140,000

Royal Terr., 153: Faraone Properties LLC to Echo Propco LLC, $82,500

Royal Terr., 117: S. Helivett & C. Ramirez to DM Capital Holdings LLC, $85,000

Rumson Dr., 361: M. DePasquale to M. Russo, $185,000

Seneca St., 224: D. Daley to S. Jones & D. Magaro, $164,900

Seneca St., 321: J. King & J. Brown to C. Roque, $100,000

S. 2nd St., 308½: D. Manning to A. Joseph & B. Yacoub, $200,000

S. 19th St., 1121: M. & B. Davila to Rojas Remodeling LLC, $142,000

S. 23rd St., 629: A. & J. Fitzgerald to Upscale Home Improvement LLC, $95,000

State St., 231, Unit 201: Murphy Huether Property Investments LLC to F. Clark, $175,000

Sycamore St., 1725: W. Winters & C. Deane to J. Serrano, $125,000

Waldo St., 2644: G. Neff to M. Almodovar, $134,900

Woodbine St., 218: D&F Realty Holdings LP to M. Espinal, $83,500

York St., 1933: R. Adam to Atras de la Quema LLC, $58,500

Zarker St., 1945: M. Strine to PACC Homes & Development LLC, $85,000

Harrisburg property sales, November 2025, greater than $50,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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