| NPSD Board Members |
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President
Tina Stoll
Vice President
Christian D. Fusco
Members
Edward Diasio
Elisha K. Gee
Jonathan M. Kassa
Timothy MacBain
Jenna A. Ott
Theresa Prykowski
Juliane Ramić
The NPSD Board of School Directors welcomes questions and comments from the community. To that end, community members may email the entire school board at
[email protected].
If you would like to contact a specific board member via email or phone, please
click here for a list of contact information.
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NPSD Board of School Directors Approves 2019-2020 Final Budget
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The NPSD Board of School Directors approved a $273,977,289 final budget for the 2019-2020 school year at its action meeting Thursday, June 20, 2019. The budget includes a tax increase of 2.3 percent, equating to a $87 increase for the average NPSD homeowner. The NPSD tax rate is one of the lowest rates in the county.
"Developing a budget that meets the needs of everyone from students to taxpayers to staff is never easy, but I think the school board has once again approved a budget that is fair to everyone," said Dr. Curtis R. Dietrich, superintendent, NPSD. "Every year is a challenge as we need to ensure the financial stability of not only that year's budget, but for many years to come as we face funding challenges such as aging buildings and needed renovations."
The tax increase is the base Act 1 index permitted by the state. The 2019-2020 budget is a 5.28 percent increase from the current year's budget. Factors impacting this increased budget include employee contracts, rising special education costs, Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) obligations and funds to further support the behavioral and mental needs of NPSD students.
More than $3 million in new funds is also budgeted for NPSD's full-day kindergarten which begins in September. Costs associated with full-day kindergarten include additional staff members and the funding of needed materials, furniture, equipment and facility-related costs.
"As a school board we could not be prouder or more excited about finally offering full-day kindergarten to this community," said Tina Stoll, president, NPSD Board of School Directors. "District staff have worked tirelessly since the program was board approved last September to develop a program that I know will be the new standard of excellence in this county and beyond."
Even with the tax increase, there remains a budget deficit of $6.77 million. Due to prudent budgeting, wise investing and continuing efforts to raise revenues and decrease costs, NPSD is in a position to use reserves to offset the deficit. Every effort was also made to fund district needs through grants. Specifically, upgrading NPSD's transportation fleet to propane busses and improved security measures are all being funded through competitive grants thanks to the hard work of staff members applying for these sought after dollars.
NPSD is known throughout the state as an example of excellence when it comes to budget preparation. For the fourth year in a row, the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International awarded NPSD with its Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation. The 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.
"It is always the district's goal to develop a budget in an informative and transparent way with input from all of those whom it impacts," said Steve Skrocki, chief financial officer, NPSD. "It is equally important to provide tax relief when possible and want to remind the community of the district's tax relief program which is in its second year."
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| Meetings in Review |
NPSD Board of School Directors Meeting
August 15 Action Meeting Video
To view agenda attachments and minutes from past meetings, please click here.
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Upcoming Meetings
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August 26, 6:00 pm, ESC
Facilities & Operations Committee Meeting
August 27, 6:00 pm, ESC
Safe Schools Committee Meeting
August 27, 6:30 pm, ESC
ECP Committee Meeting
September 10, 6:00 pm, ESC
Finance Committee Meeting
September 10, 7:30 pm, ESC
Worksession Meeting
September 19, 7:30 pm, ESC
Action Meeting
To access the list of
meeting dates scheduled for 2019, please click here.
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| NPSD Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program |
At the March 2019 action meeting, the NPSD Board of School Directors unanimously approved a revised property tax rebate program that will see a discount of up to $195 for certain homeowners and renters.
To qualify for this discount, applicants must be:
- homeowners with a household income of no more than $35,000 annually; OR
- renters with a yearly household income of no more than $15,000;
AND
- be 65 years of age or older; OR
- be a widow and widower aged 50 years of age or older; OR
- be permanently disabled and 18 years of age or older.
The property tax and rent rebate program is based on the existing Pennsylvania Property Tax and Rent Rebate program which has been in effect since 1971 and is funded by state lottery and slot machine proceeds. North Penn homeowners and renters must qualify for the state rebate program to qualify for the district rebate program. NPSD is granting a 30 percent rebate as follows:
- 30 percent (maximum $195) annual rebate for North Penn homeowners and renters with a yearly household income between $0 to $8,000;
- 30 percent (maximum $150) annual rebate for North Penn homeowners and renters with a yearly household income between $8,001 to $15,000;
- 30 percent (maximum $90) annual rebate for North Penn homeowners with a yearly household income between $15,001 to $18,000; and
- 30 percent (maximum $75) annual rebate for North Penn homeowners with a yearly household income between $18,001 to $35,000.
For those who qualify for the Tax Rebate Program, forms can be found here or by visiting/calling your local legislator.
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| Attending Action and Work Session Meetings |
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The NPSD Board of School Directors Action Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month. These meetings give students, parents and community members an opportunity to address the board and speak on any topic for five minutes. The Work Session, another monthly meeting is held one week preceding the Action Meeting on Tuesday. Here, attendees are also given five minutes to express their views, but are limited to speak on the topics of the evening's agenda.
Both the Action Meeting and the Work Session meeting begin at 7:30 pm and are held in the NPSD Educational Services Center (ESC) located at 401 E. Hancock St., Lansdale, PA 19446. However, if you are unable to attend in person, intimidated by the televised setting or by the requirements, community members should feel free to call or email the members of the board, either individually or as a whole. For a list of contact information, click here. The televised board meetings are available for private viewing on local Comcast Cable Channel 28
and Verizon Cable Channel 29 as well as www.youtube.com/nptv within several days of the original meeting.
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Dear Community,
It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end and the start of the school year is just around the corner. My fellow board members and I certainly hope that you and your family were able to find moments throughout the summer to reflect on your student's academic and social-emotional growth and development during the past school year in the classroom, the music room, cafeteria, on the playground, the sports field, in the pool and beyond. Your child's growth and development matter to us.
For my fellow school board directors and I, it seems like yesterday when we gathered at Crawford Stadium on that beautiful day in June to honor and congratulate the 1,085 members of the class of 2019; concluded a six-month process to review, develop and approve the district's budget for the upcoming year; put the ball in motion and approved necessary projects to be completed over the summer; and reviewed final plans for the implementation of full-day kindergarten.
Summer seems like such a natural break from the daily activity of welcoming the nearly 13,000 children in to our 13 elementary schools, three middle schools, Northbridge and North Penn High School. The hallways may be quiet, the desks empty and the Chromebooks on sleep mode for now, but so much has been done this summer, all in the name of preparing for that first day of school on Tuesday, September 3.
As you prepare to send your child back to school for what we know will be a great year, here are some of the highlights of work that has been completed by the dedicated staff of our district and things for all of us to look forward to seeing on the first day of school.
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Ten energy efficient, propane-fueled buses are ready to roll out of the yard and transport students from home to school.
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Knapp Elementary School's renovation project is progressing as planned and meetings were held over the summer with both the design team as well as with the Lansdale Planning Commission.
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We launched Infinite Campus, a student information management system where you have been will be able to log in to see your child's teacher assignment and class schedule.
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General Nash Elementary School has a new roof!
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The newly developed "Knight Shift", a professional development initiative aimed a nurturing talent within our teaching staff has resulted in approximately 100 teacher leaders trained and ready to provide support and leadership.
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The community concerns about the conditions of the Pennbrook Middle School modulars have been addressed. We have done this by replacing the carpeting and siding, thoroughly cleaning the air ducts and helping squirrels and birds find new homes elsewhere.
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New kindergarten teachers have been hired and the work of the Full-Day Kindergarten committee has come to a close. The committee's work over the last year has culminated in a program that we know will be a success. We look forward to welcoming our newest Knights and our first class of full-day kindergarteners at orientation on August 28.
We could not have accomplished all of this without the tireless efforts of district employees who worked through the summer to implement these activities. To you, we thank you and to all, we wish you a successful start to the the 2019-2020 school year.
Sincerely,
Juliane Ramić
Member, NPSD Board of School Directors
Term Expiration: 2019
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At the recent school board meetings, the NPSD Board of School Directors recognized students in the district for their outstanding achievements by awarding them proclamations of excellence.
During the month of July, the North Penn High School (NPHS) Future Business Leaders of America, led by Linda Westerlund, were honored for their accomplishments at the state and national competitions. The NPHS Thespian Troupe, led by Andrea Roney, was also recognized for their invitational performances at the Pennsylvania State and International Thespian Festival. Also honored was the NPHS Girls' Spring Track team, coached by Brandon Turner, for their accomplishments at states.
In August, the NPHS Boys' Volleyball Team coached by Scott Coles was recognized for their achievements at the district and state level. NPHS students attending the North Montco Technical Career Center were also honored for their accomplishments at the 2019 SkillsUSA National Conference.
Congratulations to these remarkable students and their directors, coaches and advisors on these outstanding achievements!
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The Safe Schools Committee met on July 24 at 6:00 pm at the ESC.
Chris Doerr, Coordinator of Emergency Management and Safe Schools,
presented information about recent changes to State law which will impact North Penn safe schools work.
Act 18 and Act 67 of 2019 created additional requirements for training of school staff, security officers and threat assessment teams. The legislation also renewed the school safety grant programs which were established by Act 44 last year.
Doerr also reviewed the potential use of a school police officer to provide the district with an increased level of awareness and coordination with local law enforcement. Additional information will be brought to the committee in August.
Finally Doerr presented information about the use of detection canines as part of overall school safety strategy. Research suggests that this approach is becoming more popular in schools across the Country. The committee requested that the administration explore the concept in more detail.
The next
Safe Schools Committee meeting will be held on August 27 at 6:00 pm at the ESC.
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The ECP Committee met on July 23 at 6:30 pm at the ESC.
Adoption of Policies
As a result of the ongoing policy review process with Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA), Dr. Todd Bauer, NPSD Assistant Superintendent, presented several policies to the committee that had been reviewed by administration, the district solicitor, and board member Christian Fusco. Those policies are on the agenda tonight for a first reading.
Repeal of Policies
As a result of the ongoing policy review process with PSBA, Dr. Todd Bauer presented several policies to the committee that will be repealed following the adoption of those policies that will take their place. Notice of intent to repeal specific policies in on tonight's agenda.
Extra Duty Changes
Dr. Bauer presented a recommendation for changes to four extra duty activities at NPHS. This recommendation had been presented to and approved by the Extra Duty Committee in June.
Student Travel
One student travel item was reviewed by the committee and recommended for action by the board.
The next ECP Committee meeting will be held on August 27 at 6:30 pm at the ESC.
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The NPSD Educational Foundation last met on August 7 at the Educational Services Center (ESC).
Several upcoming events were discussed that raise both funds and awareness for the Foundation. On Saturday, September 28, everyone is invited to the North Penn Knight out at the Phillies sponsored by the Foundation. The Foundation has close to 300 people attending the 6:05 pm game against the Marlins. Tickets are just $20 with a portion going back to the Foundation. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. Monday, October 7 is the Foundation's annual golf outing. This year, since moving the date from August to October, it will be an Oktoberfest theme. Plans include a German Food truck and more. Details are coming soon, but please mark your calendar.
The Foundation has also been very busy coordinating the North Penn Build-A Bag Program that provides backpacks filled with school supplies to our neediest of students. Thank you to the dozens of businesses and organizations who have partnered with the Foundation to collect supplies and to Costco who provided the district with hundreds of backpacks. A special thanks to the individuals as well who have stopped by the ESC with donations. Every bit helps. Over the last few weeks, the district has been sorting and stuffing backpacks so that they are ready for students for the upcoming school year.
For more information about the Foundation, please contact the Executive Director, Christine Liberaski at [email protected].
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