For families in Lititz, Warwick Township and Elizabeth Township, many of the decisions that shape daily life are made on Tuesday nights at the Warwick School District administration offices. The nine-member Warwick School Board sets the district’s budget and tax rate, approves curriculum and staffing, and hires and oversees the superintendent.
Here is a guide to how the board works this year and what is coming up.
Who leads the board
Emily Zimmerman serves as board president, with Scott Landis as vice president. Dr. Jason Reifsnyder is the district’s superintendent and attends meetings to present administration recommendations.
Pennsylvania school directors are unpaid elected officials who serve four-year terms. Seats are staggered, so part of the board is on the ballot in each odd-year municipal election.
When and where it meets
The board’s regular business meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the district administration office, 301 W. Orange St., Lititz. The most recent regular meeting was held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.
Committees do much of the detailed work before items reach a vote. The board’s Budget & Finance committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026. Committee meetings are public, and they are often where residents can learn the most about how a proposal developed.
Agendas, minutes and meeting materials are posted on the district website, usually a few days before each meeting.
How to speak at a meeting
Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act requires school boards to hold votes in public and to give residents and taxpayers a chance to comment. Warwick provides time for public comment during its meetings. A few tips:
- Arrive a few minutes early and check whether you need to sign in to speak.
- Comments are usually limited in time, often around three minutes per speaker. Prepare notes.
- Board members generally do not respond to comments in a back-and-forth. Follow up by email if you want an answer.
- Personnel and student matters are discussed in executive session, closed to the public under state law, but any vote must happen in public.
What to watch: the budget calendar
The fall and winter are when the next year’s budget begins to take shape. Pennsylvania school districts must adopt a final budget by June 30 for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Before that, districts typically adopt a preliminary budget in late winter or spring and decide whether they will stay within the state’s Act 1 index, which limits how much they can raise property taxes without voter approval or approved exceptions.
This year brings an added complication. Lancaster County’s countywide property reassessment takes effect for school taxes on July 1, 2027. When assessments change, Pennsylvania law requires taxing bodies to adjust their millage so the reassessment itself is revenue-neutral, before any separate decision to raise taxes. That means the Warwick board will be setting a new millage rate against new assessed values, and some homeowners will see their school tax bills rise or fall depending on how their property’s value changed compared with others in the district. We explain how that works in our guide to the 2027 reassessment.
Other issues on the horizon
Beyond the budget, board agendas commonly include facilities projects, curriculum and textbook adoptions, policy updates, contracts and the school calendar for the following year. Enrollment trends, transportation costs and staffing are recurring topics across Lancaster County districts.
Stay informed
Meetings are open to anyone. If you cannot attend, review the posted agenda and minutes, or contact board members directly through the district’s website. Residents who want to understand the budget should start with the Budget & Finance committee in the months ahead.
Our Warwick Schools section will follow board decisions through budget season. Have a question about the district you would like us to look into? Send it through our Contact page.