The day to day business of a school district may not seem all that glamorous or exciting, but last week the North Penn School District took part in an online auction that had the business office, at least, on the edge of their seat.

Instead of borrowing the almost $20 million for renovations at Hatfield Elementary School all at once, NPSD split borrowing into two phases with both coming in at under $10 million each. When a bond issue is under $10 million the borrower receives preferential, or bank qualified interest rates. During last week's online auction, individual lenders placed bids on the interest rate for Phase 2 of borrowing costs of $9.95 million.

This innovative way of financing secured an interest rate for NPSD at less than 2 percent, which is fantastic in today's economy. Our 1.95 percent interest rate is possible due to timing (we have been analyzing rate trends and felt now was a time to borrow) and the school district's excellent bond rating of Aa2 with a new level of distinction, a Positive Outlook. The borrowing is for 10 years, as well. Many school districts stretch borrowing to 15 or 20 years but pay a higher interest rate for a longer period of time, resulting in more interest costs.

Earning the Aa2 enhanced credit rating from Moody's, an independent national credit rating agency, is a huge achievement and an advantage for the North Penn School District and its taxpayers. Some of the district's financial accomplishments that earned the excellent rating include improved financial operations, conservative budgeting, multi-year planning, a stable tax base, a lower than average debt burden to annual operating budget and above average socioeconomic profile.

This is all good news for North Penn. As always, the NPSD Board of School Directors is committed to providing the best possible education and resources to our students at the best possible price. Our recent bond purchase and bond rating are testaments to this fact. I thank all those involved in this great success for our community and students.

Sincerely,

Vincent Sherpinsky

President

NPSD Board of School Directors

North Penn School District and Teacher's Union Reach Labor Agreement

The North Penn School District (NPSD) and the North Penn Education Association (NPEA) have agreed to a contract through June 2016. The NPSD Board of School Directors approved the contract with the teachers union at an action meeting Thursday night.

"Administration, the school board and NPEA's leadership team have been working hard for more than a year to develop a contract that is fair and that is the result," said Dr. Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D. NPSD Superintendent. "The 900-plus members of the union are thanked for their patience as they worked without a contract since July 1st."

Employees who are represented by NPEA include classroom teachers, special area teachers, speech clinicians, school nurses and special education teachers. The two-year agreement includes a salary freeze for the first half of the 2014-15 school year, after which time teachers will be paid according to a modified salary schedule which has been increased by an average of 1.11 percent from the previous schedule.

Teachers with up to 16 years of service, which is the max step in the salary schedule, will also advance one step forward in the salary schedule. This mid-year step movement will provide, on average, an additional $1,502 of compensation for these teachers for the 2014-15 school year. For the 2015-16 school year, teachers will be paid according to a salary schedule which has been increased on average by 1.35%, and teachers not at the top step will advance an additional step at the mid-point of the year with the corresponding salary of their new step.

NPEA also agreed to changes to the school district's core health care plan. NPSD administration, unionized and non-unionized support staff already agreed to similar changes. The plan includes increased premium share costs and in-network deductibles. It will take effect March 1, 2015 for NPEA members.

Prior to this year, in-network deductibles were never part of NPSD's health care plan. The health care plan accepted by all NPSD employee groups includes a $200 maximum in-network deductible per year for each employee and $200 per dependent ($600 maximum deductible per year for families larger than three total members). Also new to the health care plan is a $100/month surcharge for employees covered by NPSD health benefits that use tobacco products and are not enrolled in a cessation program.

Other highlights of the contract include changes to reimbursement and salary schedule movement for advanced coursework and a reduction in the teacher's work year from 192 to 191 days.

"The school board had several goals in negotiating a new contract with NPEA which I believe we have met, including the importance of keeping the total cost of the contract within the Act 1 index which we did," said Vincent Sherpinsky, president, NPSD Board of School Directors. "We set out to develop an agreement that did not take away programming for students, did not use the district's fund balance and that included shared responsibility from Union members in the future financial health of NPSD. Together, we achieved all of this and more."

North Penn School District Honors its Board of School Directors

Public education has long been a cornerstone of America and a great equalizer that gives every child the hope of a better tomorrow. In the North Penn community, many dedicated individuals work to ensure that every child is given the education they deserve every day. Each January, NPSD salutes a special group of individuals who helps run the schools - the nine elected members of the school board.

These individuals volunteer to serve our school district and spend countless hours in committee meetings and board meetings to ensure the right actions are being taken to guarantee our students are well-educated and our schools are safe.

At the January action meeting, Dr. Curtis R. Dietrich, NPSD superintendent, presented each board member with a certificate recognizing their service to the North Penn community, its students, staff and community members.

"Our school directors are consistently faced with difficult decisions, especially as funding gets tighter and local tax bases continue to fluctuate," said Dietrich. "With each action they take, they use their expertise drawn from family life, careers, living in the North Penn community and belief in our schools."

Dietrich asked that everyone in the community take time in some way to thank a school director for the time and effort they put into helping our schools. Thank you to our Board of School Directors for their time and efforts!

North Penn School District Recognizes NPSD Students and Staff Members

During the January 15 action meeting of the NPSD Board of School Directors, board members had the privilege to honoring members of the 2014-2015 NPHS Girls Water Polo team and 2014-2015 Boys Water Polo team.

The Girls Water Polo team placed first at the PA Eastern Water Polo Conference and won the Pennsylvania Girls' Water Polo League. Congratulations to:

Aimee Baur
Leah Brown
Olivia DeStefano
Kailyn Evans
Stephanie Galetta
Abby Halteman
Kara Killion

Kelsey Killion
Erin O'Neill
Shannon Quinn
Coach Bill Bartle
Coach Katie Grunmeier

The Boys' Team placed first at the PA Eastern Water Polo Conference and placed second at the Pennsylvania Boys' Water Polo League. Recognition was given to:

Mark Dunigan
Brett Else
Michael Gallo
Gavin Hennessey
Shane Hennessey

Liam Kelly
Thanas Kountroubis
Cole Palumbo
Skylar Trautz
Coach Jason Grubb

A award of merit was given to Gwynedd Square Elementary School's physical education teacher Debra Buckner.

Buckner was recently awarded the Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Inc. (PSAHPERD).

Buckner has been teaching Health and Physical Education for 35 years. She started working for North Penn School District in 1993 where she has been challenging her students, not only in physical education but also in other academic areas in order for students to make connections between everything they learn. She strives to help every student find joy in moving. She wants her students to feel safe, respected and challenged during gym class and encourages them to be active outside of school as well.

NPSD Board of School Directors Extend Assistant Superintendent Contract

During the January 15 action meeting of the NPSD Board of School Directors, the board approved NPSD assistant superintendent Diane Holben's contract. Holben joined North Penn School District in April 2010 and her new contract extends her term until June 2018.

"Dr. Holben continues to guide North Penn School District to success with her vast knowledge in and experience in public education," said NPSD superintendent Dr. Dietrich. "I am lucky to have her on my administration team and look forward to working with her in these coming years."

As assistant superintendent some of Dr. Holben's areas of focus include analysis of assessment scores, instructional leadership development, implementing the Keystone to Opportunity grant, monitoring the strategic plan and revising board policies to align with current legal procedures.

Education/Community/Policy Committee Report

The Education/Community/Policy (ECP) Committee met on Monday, January 12.

At the meeting, the committee reviewed a new Board policy regarding Home Education. The policy delineates the process for the home education application. In addition, this policy incorporates the new legal requirements associated with home education.

Also at the meeting, the committee received an update from the Curriculum Department. The update reflected all work to date that supports the district's Comprehensive Plan. Some highlights include the implementation of the PA Core Standards and new PSSA assessment items into the curriculum. Another accomplishment has been the institution of digital resources to differentiate and personalize instruction.

The committee also reviewed an overnight student trip to Germany for the purpose of visiting the sister schools for North Penn High School in Aalen and Salzgitter this summer. That trip's approval was on the January 15 Action Meeting agenda.

An update regarding high school activities was shared by the student member of the committee. Upcoming events are the Winter Ball on January 24 and Wing Bowl in February.

The next meeting of the ECP Committee is February 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Safe Schools Committee Report

The Safe Schools Committee met on January 5th and discussed several important items.

The Safe Schools Committee viewed and discussed a presentation provided by Central York School District regarding their October 2013 active shooter drill. This drill included the participation of the entire school community and over 100 local, state and federal agencies. It was a live drill that tested all of Central York's emergency procedures and taught them valuable lessons. The Safe Schools Committee will reach out to Central York School District and request to discuss their lessons learned and the planning of the drill so that North Penn can prepare a similar drill.

North Penn's administration presented an exterior door survey which provides detailed information of the types of exterior door systems and doors in all of North Penn's buildings. This information will be used to make suggestions to improve the security of the North Penn buildings.

The next Meeting of the Safe Schools Committee is scheduled for Monday March 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the ESC.

NPSD Educational Foundation Committee Report

Although the Foundation board did not meet this month, a lot of work has been going on in the background. The breaking news is a new fundraising event the Foundation is planning for May that will include a week-long online auction and a culminating social event, tentatively to be held May 16th, at the Hatfield Auto Museum. More details will be coming very soon.

Thank you to all of NPSD families who took the time to make a Staff Tribute donation this past holiday season. Many of our staff members here at North Penn, in lieu of gifts, were recognized by students and their families with a contribution to the Foundation. A $1,000 donation was made to the Foundation in honor of Mike Boyer, NPHS Technology Teacher, by the family of a former student. This is by far the largest single Staff Tribute donation ever made. It is testament to Mike, the technology education program at NPHS, and the supportiveness of the North Penn community.

Several grants were implemented over the past month as well. Trustees recently received thank you notes from our 1st grade Intermediate English Language Leaners at Oak Park Elementary School. The Foundation funded a trip for these students to Solebury Orchards. Part of the educational benefit of this trip was writing thank you notes and creating drawings about their visit. These notes and pictures will be shared with the Foundation board in February.

Finally, next month is being termed Foundation February. The Foundation's student members, Taylor Young and Erin Huebner, are developing a plan to get all NPSD schools more involved in fundraising at their individual buildings during the month of February. More details on this will be coming soon.

Any questions about the Foundation can be directed to Christine Liberaski at the ESC.