LEHIGHTON, PA, September 10, 2026 — Three long-time Pennsylvania school property tax reform advocates will come to Carbon County on September 17, 2026, for a public town hall examining whether Pennsylvania can finally eliminate school property taxes.

The free event will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the Lehighton Area Middle School auditorium and will feature Robert Kistler, Henry Rothrock and Ron Snell, all members of the School Property Tax Elimination Working Group. Residents will have an opportunity to ask how reform could afect homeowners, retirees, renters, businesses, school districts, and Carbon County as a whole.

The town hall grew out of requests from Carbon County residents who wanted an opportunity to better understand school property tax reform and ask questions directly of people who have spent years working on the issue. State House candidate, Christian Bartulovich, responded by bringing that conversation to Carbon County. “People asked for a real town hall on eliminating school property taxes, so we went to work putting one together. These are people who have been working on this issue for years. I’m glad we can bring them to our county and give residents the opportunity to ask the questions they want answered,” Bartulovich said.

The discussion will examine what is wrong with Pennsylvania’s current system, why previous reform eforts have fallen short, and how current proposals such as HB 1649 would work.

Christian Bartulovich will moderate the public question-and-answer portion of the event. “This isn’t my show,” Bartulovich said. “The point is to put people in the same room with people who know this issue, let residents ask their questions, and give them enough information to decide what good school property-tax reform should look like.”

Each panelist will bring a distinct perspective.

• Robert Kistler has testified before Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission on eliminating school property taxes and has written extensively on the issue.
• Henry Rothrock leads the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition; a taxpayer organization formed more than 20 years ago to advocate for school property tax elimination and has worked on tax elimination policy since 2016.
• Ron Snell organized the 2020 March on Harrisburg, which brought Pennsylvanians to the Capitol to demand an end to school property taxes. He has also served on a school board, giving him firsthand experience with school budgeting and school property tax decisions.

EVENT DETAILS

School Property Tax Elimination Town Hall

Thursday, September 17, 2026

7:00–9:00 PM

Lehighton Area Middle School Auditorium Lehighton, Pennsylvania

Featured panelists: Robert Kistler, Henry Rothrock and Ron Snell

Moderator: Christian Bartulovich, www.christianforcarbon.com

Members of the public are encouraged to attend, bring their questions, and invite neighbors who want to better understand what eliminating school property taxes could mean for Carbon County. The School Property Tax Reform Town Hall is free and open to the public. No registration is required.

For more information or to schedule an interview:

Press contact: Dot Olonovich, Campaign Manager 610-405-7320

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Information provided to TVL by:
Dot Olonovich