Freeport Area School Board approves $55 million renovation plan for high school
A Butler County school district has voted to move forward with a major construction project.
On Wednesday night, the Freeport Area School Board voted to consult architects, engineers, and financial advisors for a $55 million renovation of the entire high school.
A board member told KDKA-TV that the school has been in need of a makeover for years, and it includes the auditorium, the windows, and even the sewage system.
"All of this, everything that needs to be done to make this school good for our students, is all wrapped into this $55 million project," the board member said.
Part of the board's decision on Wednesday night was approving a plan that would pay for the project over a five-year period, which would ease the burden on taxpayers.
Freeport Area School Board mulls multiple options
Prior to Wednesday night's vote, the school board was considering more than one option, and part of those was the ultimate decision, the $55 million renovation.
Had the board not approved the $55 million renovation, they also considered a $25.5 million hybrid project.
That would have included partial renovations, including a roof replacement.
People who KDKA-TV spoke with, though, said doing nothing should not be an option.
"I think like any homeowner, you have to keep up with it instead of letting it just get ahead of you," Charlotte Hajel of Buffalo Township said.
The vote on the project had been moved back a couple of times. The board was supposed to vote on it last in May.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
32 minutes ago
- CBS News
North Texas construction faces labor shortages, rising costs amid immigration crackdown, tariffs
They were already concerned about tariffs, but construction businesses in North Texas said they have new fears with the president's immigration crackdown. Alan Hoffmann, an executive board member with the Dallas Builders' Association, said the current immigration enforcement is causing at least a 30% labor shortage within the industry in the metroplex. Hoffman said not only are current policies impacting them, but tariffs on certain materials as well. "It's really in framing, concrete work, things like that, where those are harder labor jobs, and that's really where the shortage we're seeing is," said Hoffman. "If we're seeing higher costs for materials, higher costs for labor, that gets translated to the final price of the product. It's simple economics." Meaning those costs get pushed to the home buyer or client. Hoffman said many contractors are also concerned about their rights if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes knocking on the door, which prompted the National Association of Home Builders to release guidance on how to handle these interactions. The 8-page pamphlet titled "When ICE Comes Calling" explains how an employer should prepare for a potential visit from ICE, what the law is, and how to respond to an administrative audit. "It's a very disruptive reality," Hoffman said. Martin Valko, an immigration attorney, said it's not just a concerning time for construction employers, but business owners across the board, everything from agriculture, hospitality and beyond. "They're seeking advice, and you know legal advice, on what steps to take, what are the rights, what are their responsibilities, what are the rights and responsibilities of their employees, of their contractors," Valko said. Valko said that currently, he receives two or three of these calls per day as immigration raids and arrests continue. He said while employment authorization and verification at a job site has always happened, he said it's never been this aggressive, but added that business owners should be prepared for anything. "Be ready. Reach out to an immigration attorney that specializes, that focuses on worksite enforcement, and I-9s, enforcement and compliance, so that they can have it ready, they can have a plan. They know who to call," said Valko.
Bloomberg
36 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Cornell Warns of Job Losses, Austerity After Trump Funding Cuts
Cornell University warned of job cuts and 'financial austerity in all areas' as it steps up efforts to address budget shortfalls stemming from US funding cuts under President Donald Trump. Short-term measures are no longer enough to plug the gaps left by the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research contracts, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other school leaders wrote in a message Wednesday. The Ivy League university now needs to shrink its workforce and cut other costs to bring about 'permanent change to our operational model,' they said.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Why Putting Pen To Paper Still Matters In The Age Of ChatGPT
teen entrepreneur writing her ideas in a notebook before using ChatGPT Ask most students, professionals, or entrepreneurs what tool they reach for when they're stuck, and the answer is increasingly the same: ChatGPT. Recent data shows that 26% of American teenagers now use AI tools for schoolwork—double the number from just two years ago. It makes sense. ChatGPT is fast, polished, and remarkably capable. We've reached a point where turning to AI has become automatic for many students and young entrepreneurs. As someone who has worked with over 10,000 young entrepreneurs through WIT (Whatever It Takes) since 2009, I see this pattern repeatedly. Students and founders are becoming increasingly dependent on AI tools for thinking, not just writing. They're skipping the messy, uncomfortable work of developing original ideas and jumping straight to polished output. This concerns me—not because AI lacks value, but because using it as a first step rather than a refinement tool can create a gap between what you can articulate and what you understand. OpenAI reports over 800 million weekly users, with 60% of small businesses now using AI tools in their workflows. Students tell me they use ChatGPT for everything from business plans to college essays. But the most successful young entrepreneurs I work with follow a different approach: they start with pen and paper. Research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that handwriting activates brain areas tied to memory, comprehension, and creative integration more effectively than typing. Studies confirm that handwritten notes significantly improve memory and recall because the physical act of writing requires the brain to process and summarize information, leading to deeper understanding and better retention compared to typed notes, which are processed more passively. When teen entrepreneurs write by hand, they're forced to slow down and confront their half-formed ideas. ChatGPT excels at pattern recognition and remixing existing information. For established businesses that follow proven models, this approach works well. However, teen entrepreneurs typically succeed by identifying problems others haven't noticed or approaching familiar challenges from fresh angles. When young entrepreneurs start with AI, they often end up pursuing ideas that sound good but lack a genuine connection to their interests or expertise. The result is businesses that struggle to find customers because they solve problems the founder doesn't truly understand. A Princeton-UCLA study found that students who took handwritten notes understood concepts more deeply and retained them longer than those who typed. Writing essays yourself fosters critical thinking, analysis, and the ability to develop and defend original ideas—skills essential for both academic and entrepreneurial success. This cognitive advantage applies directly to business planning. When teen entrepreneurs map out business models by hand, they're more likely to identify potential problems and opportunities—the physical act of writing forces them to think through each component rather than simply copying templates. At WIT, we've incorporated this principle into our "11 Tips for Doing WIT" methodology, where students begin with handwritten reflection exercises before moving to digital execution. The analog planning process helps young entrepreneurs connect their values with business opportunities. When they write by hand about what matters to them, they often discover unexpected connections between their interests and market needs—connections that AI, focused on existing patterns, might miss. I'm not suggesting entrepreneurs avoid AI—quite the opposite. The most effective approach uses both analog thinking and digital tools strategically, at the right stages of development. Here's the process WIT recommends to young entrepreneurs: Start analog: Use pen and paper to explore problems, brainstorm solutions, and clarify your vision. This stage is about understanding what you think, not communicating it perfectly. Refine with AI: Once you have clarity on your core ideas, use ChatGPT (or, if teens are in WIT, they use the AI tool - WITY) to help structure presentations, generate marketing copy, or research implementation strategies. Studies show that AI tools can boost productivity by up to 40% for specific writing tasks, making them valuable for efficiency and overcoming creative barriers. Return to analog: Regularly revisit your handwritten notes to ensure your business stays connected to your original insights and values. Additionally, allowing yourself 20 minutes for a 'brain dump' on paper helps when figuring out how to solve certain problems. This approach maximizes both human creativity and AI efficiency. It prevents AI from replacing foundational thinking while fully leveraging its strengths for execution, structure, and refinement. In an era where anyone can generate professional-sounding content in seconds, authentic insight becomes more valuable. Investors, customers, and college admissions officers can increasingly distinguish between AI-polished presentations and genuine understanding. Teen entrepreneurs who develop their ideas through analog thinking tend to communicate with more conviction and respond to questions with greater depth. They've done the cognitive work to understand their concepts. This authenticity creates a competitive advantage. When everyone else sounds similar because they're using the same AI tools, the entrepreneur who has developed original insights through careful thinking stands out. Teaching young entrepreneurs to start with pen and paper isn't just about business success—it's about developing thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Whether they become founders, employees, or leaders in other fields, the ability to think clearly and communicate authentically remains a valuable asset. In our ChatGPT-saturated world, the most valuable skill may be knowing when not to use the most powerful tools. Sometimes, the most effective and innovative approach is to pick up a pen and think through a problem yourself. The entrepreneurs who master this balance—leveraging AI's capabilities while maintaining their cognitive independence—will have the best chance of creating something truly original.
