Safety

· The parcel of land is small for the expressed vision. There is inadequate space for buses & parent drop off/pickup

·Despite heavy traffic & blind curves, an entrance/exit is proposed on Rose Tree Road. Middletown Township previously blocked an 88 car Penncrest student parking lot, due to the road’s short sight lines & dangerous curves

· PENNDOT's realignment project to connect Rose Tree Road with Route 352 at the traffic light across from the Promenade is planned for 2034/5 making the ability to turn left on Route 352 a significant challenge. The gridlock already backs cars up on Rose Tree Road in front of the proposed K-1 Center entrance/exit & compound traffic heading towards Ridley Creek Rd

Traffic

· The surrounding roads are narrow, curvy, hilly & heavily congested country roads with no shoulder or sidewalk - not intended or designed to support a large-scale operation

· The students are 5 & 6 year olds, resulting in many parents dropping their child off rather than taking a bus adding an estimated 600+ cars, twice day, to the already congested rural road system

· School start will be delayed from that of the other district school leaving working parents forced to drop off

· The district’s proposed “fix” to the known traffic problem is to create a cut-through road connecting Barren Road to Rose Tree Road. Buses will enter & exit using the cut-through road. Parents will enter/exit from Rose Tree Road. The proposed cut-through road does not change the lack of safe parent drop off/pick-up lines

· More congestion means additional accidents & safety risks for children, drivers, and pedestrians

Rose Tree Road April 2025

Rose Tree Road April 2025

·The estimated cost for the proposed K–1 school is $84 million (if construction were to start today)

· The estimate omits key long-term costs - utilities, staffing, transportation, annual operation & maintenance, cleaning, equipment, technology, food service equipment, buses, etc. which once built, will bring forever higher overhead costs & tax burden

· With enrollment projected to peak at 660 students by 2034, the school is oversized by nearly 50%

· There are 6 district schools, all incurring duplicative costs - maintenance, landscaping, utilities, etc. A separate K-1 Center adds a continuous, annual cost burden to fund the same services

· Taxpayers are already facing a scheduled 3.5% school tax increase which does not take this project into consideration

· The 2018 RTMSD Capacity Study identifies how the district could have expanded & improved existing schools to accommodate future growth

· The district's 2023 Feasibility Study Update identifies $59 million in improvements needed at the four elementary schools & another $44 million for the middle & high schools. These estimates assume the 400-student elementary school in Edgmont was built, which it was not. Many of the district’s existing needs, including elective programs, might be better addressed through a more cost-effective plan rather than committing to a new, expensive school

· The ever-increasing school taxation in combination with the steep 23% hike in county tax in 2025 & a projected 24% increase in 2026 is an especially heavy burden for the large number of fixed income homeowners in the district making home ownership unaffordable

· A regional K–1 Center uproots students after first grade, severing early friendships & forcing families to juggle varied commutes & schedules

· The 2018 District Capacity Study specifically advised against this model, citing concerns with busing young students & increased transportation as drawbacks

· At the February 13, 2025 work session, a school board member is heard saying “…one of the schools we went to & we visited the principal said everybody’s putting this [K-1 Centers] into their schools and we did it too but if I had to do it again I wouldn’t do it again.” (20:25-20:35 timestamp)

K-1 Concept?

Environmental Concerns

· Even with a zoning change, the K-1 Center cannot stand alone; the impervious surface created by paving green space to create roads, parking lots & a 125,670 s.f. (nearly 3 acre) building exceeds the Township’s impervious surface requirements necessitating a reverse sub-division of 2 parcels

· Although the stormwater calculation may indicate compliance as a result of the reverse sub-division, the amount of contaminated stormwater runoff generated, remains unchanged and excessive

· Runoff will convey heated water, oil/grease, salt, deicers and harmful pollutants to the high-quality Ridley Creek

· The Rose Tree Road tree line will be forever removed & habit destroyed causing remaining wildlife displacement

·The project will significantly increase traffic, noise, & generate air & light pollution

Public Engagement & Transparency

· Many residents are unaware of the project

· RTMSD will not share a site feasibility study & relevant documents that informed the Board's decision to move forward with the $84 million project, even bringing in an attorney, using taxpayer dollars, to fight a taxpayer’s "Right to Know" request

· At an April 30 district meeting advertised as an opportunity for “questions & discussions”, public input was shut down. Instead of allowing residents to speak, the format was changed; attendees were handed index cards to write questions, which were then screened, effectively silencing community voices

· The school district expressed its site selection priorities as: location, property size, property cost, transportation impacts, timeline to develop the property, & site attributes: safety, accessibility, entry points, utilities, drainage, soils, & environment integration. The the results of the district’s application of the site selection priorities for this property are not posted or made available to the public

Broken Promises

· The proposed land development rests on broken promises & is in direct conflict with the Township’s Comprehensive Plan & the March 2022 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan, undermining goals for stormwater management, traffic, cut-throughs, open space preservation, and schools

· The proposed K-1 Center runs counter to the Township’s vision: “Middletown will be a safe, connected and resilient township that values a family‐oriented community, neighborhood integrity, and responsible growth.”

· The proposed K-1 Center fails to support the Township’s stated objective: “Encourage compatible land use, redevelopment, and revitalization that will protect the stability & enhance the character of mature neighborhoods” & is in opposition to the expressed action item: “Encourage a continued dialogue with residents regarding traffic, cut‐through traffic, and speed in residential neighborhoods to protect the safety of pedestrian mobility”.

The Township's Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan

· School board members campaigned on supporting neighborhood schools, yet this regional school proposes to place a large, institutional building in a quiet, residential area going against everything the Township publicly proclaims to provide, protect, and preserve

· The board states that a primary location focus is on “new residential developments.” However, the Rose Tree parcel is in an established neighborhood. The site is not walkable & the proposal does not integrate with the community’s character or infrastructure

Common-Sense Solutions

· A representative of the district’s Architect & Engineering firm is quoted as saying initial plans “look like a pretty good opportunity & should bear some fruit for the District.” “Pretty good opportunity” & bearing “some fruit” are red flags signaling that better, more common-sense solutions are available

· The Middletown Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan recognizes the value of repurposing existing structures as a means of preserving green space & reducing stormwater runoff. Alternative locations such as empty retail stores at the Promenade, the Sleighton property suggested by Edgmont Township, or the Franklin Mint location, closer to the population with school age children all should be evaluated & considered

· Safer, more practical alternatives that build upon existing infrastructure & more wisely invest taxpayer dollars include: building a second floor at the Indian Lane and/or Glenwood elementary schools, converting existing trailer space to permanent, brick & mortar wings, creating space on the 70 acres at Springton Lake to support 5th graders, locating a school in an area such as the Elwyn agricultural fields which has a set back & is zoned for a school

Call to Action

We call on RTMSD to pause this project & engage with parents, the community, & taxpayers to identify better solutions - ones that uphold transparency, fiscal responsibility, safety, & the integrity of our schools & neighborhoods

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are a few things you can do to help.

Sign our petition, donate to our sign & defense fund, post a sign on your lawn, participate at school board & council meetings, call/email township supervisors & school board members, stay connected by joining us on Facebook & our email group, & create awareness by spreading the word

CALL TO VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION

Middletown Township (610) 565-2700 f: (610) 566-3640

Rose Tree Media School District - Dr. Joseph Meloche, Superintendent (610) 627-6000, ext.6002

SEND LETTERS/EMAIL

Letters to the Township and School District are critical—the more they receive the better! Below are links to form letters you can use and to make your own
Middletown Township, Delaware County 27 N. Pennell Road, Media, PA 19063

Dr. Joseph Meloche - Superintendent 308 N. Olive Street Media, PA 19063

EMAIL Middletown Council Members

Carissa.Ciuca@middletowndelcopa.gov, Christopher.Stump@middletowndelcopa.gov, susan.powell@middletowndelcopa.gov, bok.read@middletowndelcopa.go, bibianna.dussling@middletowndelcopa.gov, david.bialek@middletowndelcopa.gov, jackie.donnelly@middletowndelcopa.gov

SCHOOL SUPPERINTENDENT AND BOARD MEMBERS

TheresaNapson-Williams@rtmsd.org, KenDinitz@rtmsd.org, HillaryFletcher@rtmsd.org, JackieGusic@rtmsd.org,SusanHenderson-Utis@rtmsd.org,ShellyHunt@rtmsd.org,RobertKelly@rtmsd.org,KarleenKrenicky@rtmsd.org, KellySchaffer@rtmsd.org

Attend Township & School Board Meetings

Township

Land Planning Committee - 6:00 PM date varies - check Township website https://middletowndelcopa.gov/

Council - 7:00 PM 3rd Wednesday of each month, 27 N. Pennell Road

School Board

Work sessions are held at Springton Lake Middle School, 1900 N. Providence Road, Media at 6:30 pm on the second Thursday of each month (first Monday in December and first Thursday in June) and live-streamed on the District’s YouTube Channel

Legislative Meetings are held at Penncrest High School Auditorium at 6:30 PM on the fourth Thursday of the month (third Thursday in November and second Thursday in December and June) and live-streamed on the District’s YouTube Channel

Please contribute to materials & legal expenses through the GoFundMe, check, or vemo

Please Sign Here

Please Contribute Here or via check or VEMO

Thank You!

Silence is consent. Without you, this project will be pushed through, little by little, eroding our quality of life. We need better planning & smarter decisions

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Get updates on meetings and community concerns.