| NPSD Board Members | |
President
Vincent Sherpinsky
Vice President
Josie Charnock
Members
Edward Diasio
Timothy Kerr
Suzan Leonard
Carolyn Murphy
Frank O'Donnell
Theresa Prykowski
John T. Schilling
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| Meetings in Review | |
NPSD Board of School Directors Meeting
February 9 Worksession Agenda
February 9 Worksession Video
February 18 Action Agenda
February 18 Action Video
To view agenda attachments and minutes from past meetings, please click here.
meeting dates scheduled for 2016, please click here. |
| Upcoming Meetings |
February 24
MCIU Meeting
February 29, 6:00 p.m.
Support Services Committee Meeting
February 29, 6:30 p.m.
Finance Committee Meeting
March 8, 7:30 p.m.
School Board Worksession Meeting
March 14, 5:45 p.m.
Safe Schools Committee Meeting
March 14, 6:30 p.m.ECP Committee Meeting
March 17, 7:30 p.m.
School Board Action Meeting
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North Penn School District Introduces Knights of Honor Program
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MARCH 1 DEADLINE
In conjunction with the district's 50th anniversary, NPSD is excited to announce the launch of the Knights of Honor Program.
The Knights of Honor program recognizes notable North Penn community members, former staff members and alumni who have brought honor and outstanding service to NPSD. The goal of the program is to pay tribute to these important people and their contributions, and to also inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
"The North Penn School District has benefited and will continue to benefit from the generosity, dedication and accomplishments of those that it serves," said Christine Liberaski, NPSD director of school and community engagement. "The Knights of Honor Program is one way of honoring those individuals and their work in a lasting way."
Annually, selected Knights of Honor will be recognized at a reception held at North Penn High School. An individual plaque will be placed for all honorees in The Knights of Honor Wall located at the school.
Nominations for the inaugural class of Knights are due by March 1, 2016. For further information including criteria and application, click here.
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Dear Community,
It is with great honor that I'd like to announce that the Association of School Business Officials (ABSO) International has awarded the North Penn School District (NPSD) its Meritorious Budget Award for excellence in budget presentation during the 2015-2016 budget year.
In 2015, the NPSD Business Office worked to create a comprehensive, illustrated booklet explaining the district's budget for the 2015-2016 school year in great detail. Led by Brian Pawling, Assistant Director of Business Administration, the NPSD Business Office worked diligently from late spring of last year to put together a document that displays NPSD's budget in a simplified and engaging platform. Brian submitted this document in early fall to ABSO International to be considered for the Meritorious Budget Award.
The Meritorious Budget Awards (MBA) program promotes and recognizes excellence in school budget presentation and enhances school business officials' skills in developing, analyzing and presenting a school system budget. After a rigorous review by professional auditors, the award is conferred only on school districts that have met or exceeded the program's stringent criteria.
Only six Pennsylvania entities, including five school districts and one intermediate unit, received the MBA in the 2014-2015 budget year, none of which are located in Montgomery County.
We are very proud of the work that Brian Pawling and our Business Office have done to create this remarkable document. Year after year, the North Penn School District strives to present an accurate and transparent budget. It is my hope that the creation of this booklet will aid as a helpful communication tool to our community. Proper communication, especially regarding the NPSD budget, is essential to the reciprocal partnership between NPSD and the North Penn community which we value so much.
I encourage you to take a look at the 2015-2016 Budget Booklet that Brian Pawling and the North Penn School District Business Office have worked so hard to create. You can view the booklet here. I'd also like to congratulate those noted above as well as NPSD for earning their well-deserved MBA.
Sincerely,
Vincent Sherpinsky
President
NPSD Board of School Directors
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 At the recent action meeting on February 18, the School Board recognized North Penn High School students for their outstanding achievements with proclamation awards.
North Montco Technical Career Center students Marissa Huntinger, Casey Dillon and Mia Braud-Knaub were honored for their meritorious work at the 2016 Pennsylvania Farm Show Agricultural Education Horticulture Competition.
Marissa Huntsinger was acknowledged for earning first place in the "Dish Garden - In a Shoe" category, first place in the "Wrist Corsage" category and Best of Show for Most Creative Foliage/Flowering Entry. Casey Dillon was honored for first place in the "Silk Wreath" category and Best of Show for Best Permanent Design. Mia Braud-Knob was recognized for earning first place in the "Isosceles Triangle- Pedestal Arrangement" category.
Congratulations to these excellent students for their impressive accomplishments!
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The ECP Committee met on February 8th, 2016.
At the meeting, there was a discussion regarding the proposed boundary realignments that would affect the attendance areas of Nash Elementary, Walton Farm Elementary, Inglewood Elementary and Gwynedd Square Elementary. The boundary adjustments are being proposed due to the increasing enrollments at Inglewood and Walton Farm and the decreasing enrollment at Nash.
Under this proposal, middle school boundaries would be adjusted so that all students from Nash and Walton Farm would attend Pennfield Middle School and all students from Inglewood and Gwynedd Square would attend Penndale Middle School. A large number of parents attended the meeting to express their concerns and ask questions pertinent to the proposed boundary realignments. As a result, a separate meeting was proposed and scheduled between representatives of the parent group and Dr. Dietrich, Dr. Holben and Dr. Santoro. Updates concerning curriculum and Keystone Exams were provided to the committee as well. Recently, legislation was passed by the state legislature that will delay the requirement that students must pass the Keystone Exams in order to graduate from the graduating class of 2017 to the graduating class of 2019. This could impact the high school program of studies, which is being reviewed. Any changes that are necessary to align the program of studies with the legislation will be recommended to the Board. There are some exciting developments in the area of curriculum. At the high school, Texas Instruments Nspires calculators are being used in all math classes this year. These hand-held devices have Bluetooth capability and can be used as assessment tools. Also in the Technology Education department at the high school, the use of VEX kits are being implemented to increase students' understanding of robotics and the programming language that is used in professional applications. At the elementary level, growth in reading and math scores has been seen as a result of the newly implemented Mathematics and English/Language Arts curricula.
The next ECP Committee meeting will be held on March 14th at 6:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The Finance Committee met on February 1, 2016. The monthly financial reports were reviewed with additional discussion on the following items.
In regards to the 2016-2017 Extended School Care Rates and 2016 Summer Camp Rates, Marjie Scott presented the recommended rate information. The 2016-2017 rates reflect a 2.4% increase over 2015-2016 while the summer rates reflect a 2.9% increase.
Steve Skrocki explained the 2015 Real Estate Tax Liens process and how the unpaid real estate taxes from 2015 compared to the previous year. Delinquents were down by approximately $500,000 over the previous year.
In regards to the Security Projects and Athletic Fields Master Study, Tom Schneider presented a plan for security upgrades at the high school and ESC, along with surveillance camera and server upgrades at certain buildings. Tom Schneider also discussed contracting for an athletic facilities and fields master plan.
Steve Skrocki reviewed the current district retirement stabilization fund balance and a plan to use the balance to smooth the impact of the PSERS (retirement) employer share expense. The committee reviewed various scenarios and discussed the financial impact in future years.
In regards to the 2016-2017 Preliminary Budget, Steve Skrocki discussed the budget timeline and upcoming budget meetings with district administrators. Steve Skrocki also reviewed the Act 1 exceptions for retirement and special education that were filed with PDE.
The next Finance Committee meeting will be held on February 29th at 6:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The Support Services Committee met on Monday, February 1st, and discussed the following.
The Committee was provided information that Hatfield Elementary School was the recipient of three Green Globes signifying that the building was designed and built with sustainable features. This is notable achievement as Hatfield is one of three elementary schools nationally that have achieved this recognition. The North Penn School District is also recognized by having two elementary schools achieving three Green Globes with Inglewood Elementary being the other school. NPSD is the first district nationally to have two schools achieving this and the first district in the commonwealth to have an elementary school with three Green Globes.
A Deed of Dedication from the North Penn Water Authority for Hatfield Elementary School was discussed.
The Committee was presented a project change order for the Secured Entrance project mechanical contractor, Cook Services Co., Inc. for changes to automatic temperature controls.
The Montgomery Elementary School Renovations and Additions project update was provided. The project is currently out to bid with bids scheduled to be received on March 8, 2016. Also, the PlanCon F approval was discussed.
Enhanced security upgrades at the ESC and NPHS and camera server upgrades were presented to the committee. These upgrades were previously presented to the Safe Schools and Finance Committees and were recommended to move forward for completion this summer.
The Administration provided a recommendation to consider performing an outdoor athletic facility audit and master plan for the High School and Middle Schools. This would assist in long range planning, provide a current assessment of the conditions and provide information for enhanced maintenance of all of the athletic facilities.
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The next Support Services Committee meeting will be held on February 29, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The Foundation met on February 3rd, 2016 and it was a very productive meeting.
First, the Foundation welcomed two new members to the Board of Trustees. John Strobel, former NPSD Manager of Support Services, and NPSD parent Marion Fraley were voted in as the newest members of the Foundation's board. The Foundation is looking forward to working with John, who served on the Foundation years ago, and Marion, who is active on the 50th Anniversary Committee.
The trustees also voted to support a brand new initiative by funding up to $6,000 for the use of Google Cardboard in all three middle schools. These innovative instructional tools using smart phones allow students to participate in virtual educational experiences that enable them to see and interact in various cultures and cultural settings in their own classroom. The Foundation is extremely proud to be piloting this program for NPSD. Much thanks to Dr. Toni Butz and Mr. Dan Grunmeier for bringing this opportunity forward, and ultimately to the students at NPSD.
The Foundation is pleased to announce that they received two Educational Improvement Tax Credit donations. The first was from Waste Management for $5,000 and the second was from Univest for $10,000. The Foundation cannot thank these businesses enough for their annual support. The funds will be used for one of the Foundation's EITC approved programs including the planetarium, technology education and television services.
February has been very busy since it is the 2nd Annual Foundation February! 12 NPSD schools have adopted the Foundation and are raising both awareness and funds for the student of NPSD. From spirit days to basketball games, staff at participating schools have organized events in support of the Foundation. The Foundation is very proud of this teamwork to help all students throughout the school district. Last year, the district raised more than $5,600 during Foundation February and they are on their way to doing the same, or more!
The Foundation is also busy planning for their annual online auction to be held from April 25 to May 1st. They are asking local businesses, restaurants, museums, spas and more to donate their services and products for this popular event.
And as usual, the Foundation has been busy supporting programs in NPSD schools. Two recent events that the Foundation helped to fund were LitFest at NPHS and "The Iditarod: The Last Great Race" at Knapp Elementary School. Thank you to everyone for making both a great success.
If you have any questions about the Foundation, you can contact Christine Liberaski at the ESC.
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The next NPSD Educational Foundation meeting will be held on March 2, 2016 at 7:30 a.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The IU met on Wednesday, January 27, at the IU building in Norristown. The members were honored as it was Board Appreciation Month.
The IU again has its normal cash flow returned. The state released 95 percent of its funds to all of the IUs in the state. We did not have to use the emergency loans we had arranged should the state have withheld the money longer.
The Pre-K money grant also came through with 100 slots. This program will be housed at the old site on Main Street. Norristown School District is the first to be able to use these slots. They are based on need.
For the first time in its history, the Anderson School is at greater than capacity. A special shout out to Lois Robinson for all of her hard work.
There will be no increase in the contribution of the Montgomery County Schools to the IU for the 2016-2017 school year. The budget has been streamlined to have one payment instead of three different areas.
The MCIU's Reading Olympics dates have been announced. It will be held in the North Penn District on April 27th, at North Penn High School.
The next IU Board meeting will be held on February 24th at the IU.
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