“Cannot Wait Any Longer”: Rose Tree Media SD Weighs Eminent Domain

1. The school district did not submit its application for the new K-1 Center, as they said they would. RTMSD was unable to acquire the quarter-acre of land from Philadelphia Meeting Room in time. The school district’s formal appraisal of the land was $83,000. The church responded by lowering their offer from $3 million to $1.5 million.
2. RTMSD will consider eminent domain to move the project forward. Middletown Township Council won’t consider the project until this legal maneuver is filed. With an eminent domain filing, the project manager expects to submit plans and specs to Middletown Township immediately, with public discussions on the school and road to follow.
3. The Board expressed a strong desire to continue amicable conversations with the church but reached a consensus that they “cannot wait any longer” to begin the public review process with the township.
4. Upper Providence Police Department presented the results of the AI-powered school bus stop-arm camera program. They said that they’ve issued about 8,680 formal citations since September 2022. Unless these cameras are running during the summer, that comes out to about 15 violations per school day(!)
5. The Board reviewed the proposed final budget for the 2026-2027 school year. It includes the addition of six new faculty and support positions to address enrollment spikes and state mandates, including a personal finance teacher and a middle school gifted support teacher. The median-assessed homeowner will see an annual property tax increase of approximately $212.

You can watch the meeting in its entirety here: