The Bulletin Board Newsletter |
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A monthly e-newsletter highlighting the discussions, decisions and business of the North Penn School District Board of School Directors. |
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The North Penn School Board (NPSB) welcomes questions and feedback from the community. To that end, community members may email the entire board at _npschoolboard@npenn.org.
If you would like to contact a specific board member via email or phone, please visit our website to find contact information. |
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Board Members
Tina Stoll, President
Christian D. Fusco, Vice President
Elisha K. Gee, Ed.D.
Jonathan M. Kassa
Wanda Lewis-Campbell, Ed.D.
Timothy MacBain
Juliane Ramić
Al Roesch
Cathy Wesley
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Dr. Elisha K. Gee
Term Expiration: 2023
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Dear North Penn Community,
What a year it has been! The 2021-2022 school year has come to a close, but that finality brings many new beginnings for our community. Students move up grades, change schools, and graduate from North Penn to begin their adult lives. Some of our staff members will change schools, positions, and in May we said goodbye to the staff members entering retirement. Change can be scary, but it brings along opportunities for growth and development as we look to the 2022-2023 school year.
As each year continues to be “unprecedented”, I cannot help but awe at how this community has dealt with every card thrown at them. Schools across our district raised money and supplies for refugees escaping the war in Ukraine. North Penn High School’s Mini-THON raised over $16,000 to help conquer childhood cancer. As gun violence continues to affect our communities, North Penn has strengthened both our security and our relationships, implementing Safe2Say for anonymous reporting and continuing to improve our mental health outreach programs. The NPSD Educational Foundation raised money to provide families in need with backpacks and school supplies, and the drive will run again this summer with more information to follow. The drive raised enough to provide Upper Dublin families with backpacks after a tornado destroyed their school. The bonds this community has formed are tight enough to weather any storm, so long as we remain united and North Penn Strong.
We said goodbye to the Class of 2022 this month during the commencement ceremony. Each year this ceremony is a special event for myself and my fellow Directors, but this year felt a little extra special. This was the first full-class ceremony in the newly renovated Crawford Stadium, and the first time we’ve been able to celebrate as a full group in two years. The smiles felt a little wider and the hugs a little longer. To the Class of 2022- we wish you luck, wherever your journey takes you. We at North Penn have had the privilege of watching you grow from Kindergarten until now, and we know that whatever your next step is, you will always remember the lessons learnt at North Penn. Go into the world with strength, compassion, and love for all.
Superintendent Dr. Curtis Dietrich will be saying goodbye to North Penn at the end of the month, as he begins his next journey of retirement. After a long search and several interviews, the Board of Directors have decided to appoint Dr. Todd Bauer as his successor. Dr. Bauer is the current Assistant Superintendent of North Penn School District, and we are confident that he will lead North Penn with tenacity as we look to the future of this great community. The Board will vote to elect Dr. Bauer as Superintendent at a special action meeting on June 27, 2022 at 5 PM at North Penn High School.
To our students, staff, and families, we hope that you take this summer to relax, recharge, and reflect. We also encourage you to get outside this summer! Our local parks and recreation departments have fantastic programs during the summer for all ages, from the Montgomery County Trail Challenge to Unplugged Week in Upper Gwynedd Township. While school may be out, some of our school libraries are still open to give families easy access to books this summer. The schedule can be found here. I hope you will take advantage of some of the wonderful public programming we have in this community this summer.
I want to end this letter with a huge thank you to the very dedicated staff of North Penn. Your commitment to public education and our students is evident every single day, in everything you do. As a parent, community member, educator, and board director- THANK YOU! To our teachers and those not with us over the summer- please enjoy your break! We will see you next school year.
Sincerely,
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Dr. Elisha K. Gee
NPSD Board of School Directors
Term Expiration: 2023
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School Board Meeting Information |
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Meetings of the whole (Finance Committee; Worksession; Action) will be held in person at the Educational Services Center (ESC) located at 401 E. Hancock Street Lansdale, PA 19446 unless otherwise noted. Those who wish to make public comment at these in-person meetings must be present in person to do so. For residents who would like to pre-register to speak during the audience of citizens, please email the school board secretary at skrocksb@npenn.org at least 24 hours before the meeting. These meetings will be televised live and added to the library for later viewing on North Penn Television's (NPTV) YouTube Channel.
Committee meetings (Safe Schools; Facilities and Operations; Policy; and Education, Curriculum and Instruction) will be held virtually in an online format using Zoom, televised live and added to the library for later viewing on NPTV's YouTube Channel. |
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How to Watch Meetings
A recording of this meeting will be available on the district website, the NPTV YouTube Channel, and will air on North Penn Television Comcast Cable Channel 28 and Verizon FIOS-TV Channel 29 for the next three business days at 12:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
How to View Meeting Agendas
Meeting agendas are published the week of the meeting and can be viewed online on BoardDocs. To view meeting agendas, visit BoardDocs and select the "Meetings" tab in the top right corner. From there, find and select the meeting, and then click "view agenda".
How to Participate in Virtual Meetings
Public comment will be available using Zoom. A link to make public comment will be available on our website prior to the start of the meeting.
When it is time for public comment, please use the “raise your hand” feature in the zoom webinar. We will take public comment in order that hands were raised. Please listen for your name when called upon for comment and unmute your microphone.
If you do not have access to zoom, please email your comments to _npschoolboard@npenn.org and it will be included in the board minutes. |
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Meetings in Review
Action
June 16, 7:00 pm
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Upcoming Meetings
Work Session
July 12, 7:00 pm, TBD
Special Action Meeting
June 27, 5:00 pm, NPHS
Action
July 21, 7:00 pm, TBD
ECI Committee
July 5, 6:00 pm, Virtual
Facilities & Operations Committee
June 27, 6:00 pm, Virtual
Finance Committee
July 12, 6:00 pm, TBD
Policy Committee
July 12, 5:00 pm, Virtual
Safe Schools Committee
June 27: Cancelled
July 25, 5:45 pm, Virtual
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You Could Save Up to $585 through NPSD Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program |
Are you eligible? Do you know someone who is? Learn more and help us spread the word about this program! |
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Education/Curriculum/Instruction Committee |
On Tuesday, June 14, 2022, the ECI committee met in a virtual format.
At the ECI meeting this week, the final presentations from principals and staff were given regarding the work by they and their staff to promote cultural proficiency and awareness in their respective buildings. Presenting this month were Mr. Jeff Macosko, Principal - Walton Farm Elementary School; Mr. Jon Winkle, Principal - Oak Park Elementary School; Ms. Dipa Richardson, Principal - York Avenue Elementary School; and Dr. Sean O'Sullivan, Principal - Pennfield Middle School. We invite you to take the time to view their presentations which are posted with the June , 2022 ECI meeting in Board Docs.
The committee also received a report on revising the district's Administrative Regulation concerning Homework. The regulation was reviewed and evaluated by a group comprised of several stakeholders including parents, students, teachers, and administrators.
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The next ECI Committee meeting will be held on July 5, 2022, at 6:00 pm in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Dr. Elisha K. Gee
Members:
Christian Fusco, Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell, Tim MacBain
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Facilities and Operations Committee |
The Facilities and Operations Committee met on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in a virtual format.
The Committee reviewed the following items to be moved to this evening’s action meeting for the Board’s consideration.
- Five change orders for the Knapp Elementary School project
- North Penn High School Natatorium roof replacement bid award
- Gwyn Nor Elementary School roof replacement and roof restoration bid award
- Elementary School media center dehumidification systems bid award (Bridle Path, Gwynedd Square, and Walton Farm)
- A gift from General Nash’s Home & School to have a LED sign installed
- A paper product dispenser ownership agreement with Tork Paper Products
The Committee was presented and discussed informational items, including:
- Knapp Elementary project update
- A discussion regarding the ongoing and current cleaning and operational protocols during the increase in COVID-19 cases
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The next Facilities and Operations meeting is scheduled for June 27, 2022, at 6:00 pm and will be held in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Cathy Wesley
Vice Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Members:
Juliane Ramić,
Tina Stoll
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At the May 24, 2022, Finance Committee meeting, which was a special meeting, the following items were reviewed:
1. Melissa Froehlich, Coordinator of School Nutrition Services, provided an overview of the department and new initiatives and presented the department's 2022-23 budget. The budget for this enterprise fund appears on tonight's agenda.
2. Marjie Scott, Coordinator of Extended School Care, presented the program's 2022-23 budget. The budget for this enterprise fund appears on tonight's agenda.
3. Steve Skrocki provided an update on the changes made to the 2022-23 General Fund budget.
At the June 7, 2022, Finance Committee meeting, the following items were reviewed:
The monthly financial reports were provided and budget transfers were reviewed with additional discussion on the following items:
1. Christine Liberaski, Director of School & Community Engagement, presented the 2022-23 Community Education budget. The budget for this enterprise fund appears on tonight's agenda.
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The next Finance Committee meeting will be held on July 12, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. It should be noted that the July meeting is typically canceled. |
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Chair:
Christian Fusco
Vice Chair:
Al Roesch
Members:
Committee of the Whole
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NPSD Educational Foundation |
The Foundation met last on Wednesday, June 8th virtually. It was Dr. Dietrich's last meeting serving on the Foundation and he thanked the Foundation for its work during his leadership as superintendent. Trustees are grateful for the Dr. Dietrich's support and wish him well in retirement. His vision has guided the Foundation over the past 12 years and he has been huge supporter of our work, including the augmented reality program at NPHS which he made happen.
Trustees also talked about offering a student scholarship next year at senior awards. Christine Liberaski will bring details to the next meeting where we will discuss criteria and award amount. We look forward to expanding our impact on student success in this manner.
In terms of fundraising, we are happy to report that last month's online auction raised close to $13,000. It was our most successful yet. Thank you to those who donated items and to those who bid on them.
We also approved 30 grants totaling more than $35,000 for the 22-23 school year. Projects range from field trips to technology to guest speakers. Congratulations to educators who are receiving these grants.
Our next meeting is August 17th.
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Board of Trustees Member:
Juliane Ramić
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The Policy Committee met on June 14, 2022 in a virtual format. At the meeting, the committee continued to review policies in the 800 series. Policies reviewed this month were:
Policy 810 - Transportation
Policy 824 - Maintaining Professional Adult Student Boundaries
Policy 827 - Conflict of Interest
Policy 828 - Fraud
Policy 830 - Breach of Computerized Personal Information
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The next meeting of the Policy Committee will be on July 12, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Al Roesch
Members:
Al Roesch,
Tina Stoll
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The Safe Schools Committee met on Tuesday, May 31st.
Chris Doerr presented a general overview of school safety work and investments which have occurred since 2018. Also discussed were door locking requirements and communication strategies in light of the recent incident of school violence in Texas. Chief David Duffy of the Upper Gwynedd police department was present to comment on law enforcement training and preparation in the North Penn area.
The committee was also updated on the progress of the comprehensive school safety assessment project. The final report has been delivered by Margolis Healey, and findings are set to be presented to the board in June. An executive summary will also be shared publicly in the coming months.
Finally, Chris Doerr shared information about safety and security preparations for the North Penn High School commencement ceremony. Planning for this complex event takes place over several months in collaboration with local public safety leadership. Over 40 public safety personnel from NPSD, local police, and EMS supported the safe execution of this event on the evening of June 9th.
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The next Safe Schools Committee meeting will be held on July 25, 2022, at 5:45 pm and will be held in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Members:
Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell,
Cathy Wesley
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