Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Our Challenges
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One ASD, One Future is a long-range facilities planning initiative by Abington School District to provide the best educational environment for its student population. This process revealed that our most significant facilities needs are at Abington Middle School.
After three years of planning and community input, the District has proposed building a new Middle School. This plan addresses our challenges, prioritizes the needs of students and staff, reflects our community’s priorities, and provides long-term value.
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Since it was built in 1964, Abington Middle School has served our community well. As the building has aged, the challenges of maintaining it and enhancing student learning experiences have increased. Our dedicated teachers provide quality education in a building that is not keeping pace with modern teaching methods. In addition, students are learning in a building not designed for their age group, making it more challenging for the District to keep pace with its goal of providing personalized learning experiences in smaller grade-specific teaming communities within a larger school.
Current challenges include outdated infrastructure, systems that are not up to modern code, accessibility issues that hinder an equitable experience for all students, insufficient space, a lack of natural light, opportunities to strengthen safety and security, and a building layout that is difficult to navigate and manage. For more information, visit the Challenges Page.
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A safe, welcoming, healthy learning environment is vital for academic success and student and staff well-being. As we look to the future, we recognize that addressing our aging buildings is key to our commitment to providing innovative programming, modern teaching methods, robust activities, and a positive culture.
Questions About the Plan
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After three years of planning and community input, the District has proposed building a new Middle School. This plan prioritizes the needs of students and staff, reflects our community’s priorities, and provides long-term value.
Building a new Middle School would:
Provide a modern, cost-effective facility: Building a new school will provide a modern design that adapts to meet future programming needs. The new infrastructure will provide a healthy, energy-efficient building, increase natural light in classrooms, improve ventilation and enhance safety and security. New buildings and infrastructure are less likely to have unexpected challenges, which helps prevent costly repairs and makes maintenance more cost-efficient.
Create a sense of community with purposeful design: A new Middle School will be customized with grade-specific classrooms and learning spaces. This approach supports personalized learning and creates a more welcoming environment for all students. The new building will incorporate more common areas and large-group spaces for student and staff collaboration. This includes athletic and performing arts areas that are more appropriately sized for the school population.
Improve layout and enhance safety: Building from the ground up allows for a more functional Middle School layout, with better sightlines of visibility and widened hallways and stairwells to improve traffic flow and ensure the school day is a better student experience.
Building a new middle school will minimize disruption to student learning during the multi-year construction process. Students will be able to continue learning in the current Middle School until the new one is completed. In contrast, renovating the current building would disrupt teaching and learning, including relocating students and staff to other parts of the building during construction or using modular classrooms.
Learn more about these benefits on our Plan Page.
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On May 20, Abington Township and Borough of Rockledge residents will vote on a bond referendum to authorize a $285 million investment to build a new Middle School.
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The District engaged independent consultants to conduct a facilities assessment, reviewed demographics, evaluated operational and financial considerations, and gathered feedback from parents, staff, and residents for three years. Read more details about this planning process on our Process Page.
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Yes. Based on research, expert analysis, and community feedback, the District developed four initial options for the future of Abington Middle School.
The District presented these options to our community for their input and feedback. The District held listening sessions with parents/guardians, staff, students and community members. It conducted two scientific telephone surveys, three online surveys, and three open house/town hall community events. These activities were in addition to information presented at public meetings of the Board of School Directors.
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The District is committed to maintaining school facilities that are not included in the referendum plan by using current resources to address ongoing needs.
Questions About the Tax Impact
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Voter-approved funding is an essential way for Pennsylvania school districts to make significant investments to improve education, facilities and operations without hindering routine school operations and day-to-day student needs. Through extensive community engagement, teachers and staff, parents/guardians and residents said residents should have the opportunity to vote in a referendum. A referendum ensures that residents in a school district have a direct voice in decisions that impact public education and local tax rates.
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This investment would be funded by a tax increase on property owners in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge. If the referendum is approved by a majority vote on May 20, the estimated tax impact on a median homestead in the District with a current implied market value of $387,402 would be $54 per month. The earliest the tax impact would incrementally go into effect would be July 2026. The tax impact estimate is based on assumptions which, along with a tax calculator tool, can be found on the Cost Page.
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No. If approved, bonds issued for building a new Middle School would be 40-year bonds.
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Your property value will determine your tax impact and will vary based on the actual assessed value of your home. Use this tax calculator to estimate your individual tax impact.
Click here for a comparison chart of millage rates in Montgomery County.
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Select senior citizen homeowners may be eligible to receive tax relief via Abington School District's Senior Citizen Tax Rebate Program, which is based on the Pennsylvania Property Tax Rebate. To be eligible, you must have already been approved through the state’s program and paid your school real estate taxes in full before applying for the District’s rebate. Click here for information.
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If voters reject the referendum, the district will not be able to move forward with building a new Middle School or even making major renovations. Ongoing year-to-year maintenance of the 60+-year-old Middle School will be managed within the current annual budget, likely delaying regular maintenance investments in other schools. The Board of School Directors is careful to prevent annual maintenance projects from diverting funding from classroom needs, so the investments in Middle School needs would be evaluated year-to-year.
Questions About Voting
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Election Day is Tuesday, May 20.
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Election Day is Tuesday, May 20. Find your polling place and check your registration status here.
Mail-in ballots must be received by the Montgomery County election office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, May 20) to be counted. Request your mail-in ballot here.
You must register to vote by Monday, May 5 to make your voice heard on the May referendum. (Your application for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by the Montgomery County election office no later than 5 p.m. on May 13.)
For more information on voting, visit the Montgomery County website.