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
Dr. Elisha K. Gee
Jonathan M. Kassa
Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell
Timothy MacBain
Juliane Ramić
Al Roesch
Cathy Wesley
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Juliane Ramić
Term Expiration: 2023
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Dear Community,
As I reflect back on the challenges of the last year, I find my heart filled with gratitude for the efforts of each and every member of our North Penn community. We have all pulled together to truly exemplify what it means to be “North Penn Strong”.
I once had a valued mentor tell me that the true measure of a leader is not how they lead during good times but how they lead during the most difficult of times. During challenging situations, strong and honorable leaders form partnerships, foster cross-cutting and innovative collaboration, value the efforts and inputs of all team members, and celebrate small victories as they work to unite a community and lead through the challenge. The challenges our community has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic have certainly felt insurmountable at times but through collaboration, we are emerging stronger, more resilient, and united.
I am proud to serve the North Penn community as an elected member of the North Penn School District’s (NPSD) Board of School Directors. In addition to this role, I also serve as the Board Treasure for the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and am the school board’s representative to the North Penn Educational Foundation’s Board of Trustees. During the last year, in all three of these roles, my fellow board members within NPSD as well as among other districts throughout Montgomery County were faced with making some of the most difficult decisions of our careers in volunteer service to our community. Despite the challenging decisions we faced, we were always presented with fact-based, creative and collaboratively derived options. The collaborative relationships that were born out of necessity of the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue to serve and benefit the North Penn community for the remainder of the pandemic and beyond. We will emerge from these exceedingly challenging times stronger, more connected and aware of our community’s strength and resourcefulness, and ready to welcome and rise to the next challenge together.
Join me in recognizing and showing our gratitude for just a few of these model collaborative efforts including:
- Dr. Curt Dietrich, NPSD Superintendent has participated in twice weekly (oftentimes more frequent) information sharing, planning and service coordination meetings in partnership with all Montgomery County Superintendents, led by the MCIU, with the CHOP Policy Lab and the Montgomery County Health Department. Together, this team has worked to ensure the health and safety of our community’s children through information and data sharing, and the implementation of innovative public health strategies including coordinated contract tracing and rapid testing. The rapid testing initiative was piloted at North Penn and now has been replicated in other area districts. It was truly a monumental moment, when this team was able to successfully facilitate, in partnership with the National Guard, a vaccination effort open to our county’s school district employees. In the span of 12 days, 11,235 vaccines were administered to our county’s school employees.
- Our North Penn School Nutrition Services team has truly been the model of team adaptability as they have worked since mid-March 2020 to ensure that our children, 18 and younger, have access to food. During the growing season, they partnered with area farmers to provide extra fresh produce in the meal bundles. This partnership both ensured increased access to fresh locally grown produce but also helped to reduced food waste.
- NPSD has teamed up with the North Wales Family, Rann and Skippack Pharmacies to host vaccination clinics at Pennbrook Middle School and the North Penn High School. This collaboration is hands down, the second best use of our school buildings. Of course, the first being places for learning and growth of our 12,765 students. These weekend vaccination clinics are supported by hundreds of community volunteers and to date have helped to vaccinate more than 10,000 community residents. Each vaccination brings us one step closer to ending the pandemic.
- North Penn School District worked in partnership with the North Penn Educational Foundation to ensure internet access for students at the start of the pandemic which helped inspire the North Penn Strong campaign. To date the North Penn Strong campaign has helped to raise more than $42,000. The uniqueness of the North Penn Strong Campaign is not only that it is helping to generate funds to support innovative teacher lead projects that are benefiting our students who are attending in-person, hybrid, or virtually but also that it is serving to help unify, inspire and ignite support for our North Penn community. From this campaign, we have all benefited and learned that together, we are #NorthPennStrong.
Despite the challenges we have faced, the creative approach to problem solving through meaningful partnerships and collaboration at the local, county and state levels are truly examples of what unites us and what makes us North Penn Strong.
Thank you to our dedicated North Penn team of administrators, teachers, and staff and to each and every member of our North Penn community.
P.S. The NPSD Educational Foundation’s annual online auction is scheduled for April 28 through May 4. The Foundation's Board of Trustees have been working hard to secure donations and put together some really great auction prizes - including some much loved North Penn experiences and unique items from local vendors. It would mean the world to us if you would help us spread the word about the auction. |
Juliane Ramić
NPSD Board of School Directors
Term Expiration: 2023
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School Board Virtual Meeting Information |
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In consideration of the health and safety of the school community, public attendance to NPSD Board of School Directors meetings will take place virtually.
How to Watch Meetings
A recording of this meeting will be available at 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 Meetings
Public comment will be available using Zoom. For privacy purposes, 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
Worksession
No worksession held in April
Action
April 15, 7:00 pm
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Upcoming Meetings
Worksession
May 11, 7:00 pm
Action
May 20, 7:00 pm
ECI Committee
May 4, 6:00 pm
Facilities & Operations Committee
April 26, 6:30 pm
Finance Committee
May 11, 6:00 pm
May 18, 6:00 pm*
*Special budget meeting
Policy Committee
May 11, 5:00 pm
Safe Schools Committee
April 26, 6:00 pm
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You Could Save Up to $487 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 (ECI) Committee |
The ECI Committee met on April 6, 2021.
Summer Programs 2021
Dr. D’Ana Waters, NPSD Director of Curriculum and Equity, and members of the curriculum team presented the summer programs that will be offered this year. The programs being offered this year include both remedial courses as well as supplemental instruction courses at both the elementary and secondary levels. The majority of the programs will be conducted virtually. SPARK!, Summer Library, and Summer Supplemental World Language will take place in-person. Any student, regardless of their grade and performance in a course, can register for a supplemental learning course
Special Education 2020-2021 Overview
Megan McGee-Heim, NPSD Director of Special Education, discussed how the delivery of special education services and supports evolved during this school year as a result of the pandemic. While most students with IEPs followed the district’s instructional models, a more specialized learning population was able to begin to access their services in-person for a half day at Gwyn-Nor Elementary School and North Penn High School on September 8. Supplemental aides and services have been provided either to students through the district’s virtual platform or within the home depending on the recommendation of their respective IEP team. During the summer, Extended School Year and COVID Compensatory Services will be offered to eligible students.
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Chair:
Dr. Elisha K. Gee
Members:
Christian Fusco, Tim MacBain
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The next ECI Committee meeting will be held on May 4, 2021 at 6:00 pm. |
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Facilities and Operations Committee |
The Facilities and Operations Committee Committee met on March 29, 2021.
The committee reviewed the following items:
- Change order requests for Crawford Stadium and Knapp Elementary projects.
- A contract amendment for JMT Environmental Services in connection with the Knapp project.
- A contract amendment for Snyder Hoffman Associates professional design contract for this year’s capital projects.
- A request for permission to advertise the fire alarm and PA upgrades and domestic water heater replacement capital projects.
- A request for permission to advertise the annual service contracts.
The district’s construction manager, William Slawter of ICS, NPSD Supervisor of Environmental and Custodial Operations Dan Linski, and NPSD Director of Facilities and Operations Tom Schneider provided an in-depth update of the Knapp Elementary and Crawford Stadium projects. The projects are well underway and progressing well.
Schneider provided updates on returning to school, outlining NPSD Facilities and Operations protocols, and an update on potential enhancements to the North Penn High School (NPHS) athletic fields and middle school tracks.
The final item discussed was the school board tour of NPHS conducted on March 17, 2021.
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Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Vice Chair:
Cathy Wesley
Members:
Juliane Ramić,
Tina Stoll
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The next Facilities and Operations Committee meeting will be held on April 26, 2021 at 6:30 pm. |
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The Finance Committee met for a regular meeting on April 13, 2021.
The monthly financial reports and budget transfers were reviewed with additional discussion on the following items.
Marjorie Scott, NPSD Coordinator of Extended School Care, provided an overview of the Extended School Care Program. A recommendation was made for the 2021-2022 tuition and summer camp rates.
Dr. Elizabeth Santoro, NPSD Director of Elementary Education, presented the 2021-2022 Elementary Education Departmental budget.
Steve Skrocki, NPSD Chief Financial Officer, reviewed the Delta Dental administrative agreement for the next two years. The rate will remain the same as the current year.
Skrocki reviewed the medical and prescription premium holiday for 2021-2022 and the corresponding budget impact. The premium holiday will result in a reduction of $1.7 million in the general fund budget.
Skrocki provided an update on the 2021-2022 budget. There is presently an $11.5 million budget deficit even after use of several million dollars of Federal stimulus funding. Skrocki will be providing a more in-depth review of the budget at the special finance committee meeting on Wednesday, April 21.
Skrocki reviewed the tax collector audits for the Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd tax collectors. Skrocki commended the tax collectors for a clean audit report.
Skrocki presented information about installment payments for real estate taxes. The board increased the installments from three to six last year and there was a 57% increase in participation. The consensus of the committee was to retain the six installment payments for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. This item will appear on May's Action Meeting agenda.
Kristin Johnson provided an update on the various sources and uses of the Federal stimulus funding that the district has received and will be receiving. The Federal stimulus funding report will continue on a quarterly basis.
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Chair:
Christian Fusco
Vice Chair:
Al Roesch
Members:
Committee of the Whole
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Update from the special Finance Committee meeting held on April 21, 2021 will be shared in next month's newsletter. The next Finance Committee meeting will be held on May 11, 2021 and May 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm. |
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NPSD Educational Foundation |
The NPSD Educational Foundation Board of Trustees met on April 7, 2021.
Treasurer Jack Hoy presented the financial statement for the year ending June 2020, as prepared by Herbein CPAs and Consultants. Once again the Foundation's financials needed no material modifications and were in compliance with standards of accounting. Although the Foundation ended the financial year in the beginning of the pandemic, they still saw an increase in assets. And in a review of the March 2021 financials we can see that we are already $25,000 ahead of where they were last June in terms of assets. It has been a very good year, and the Foundation thanks the support of the greater North Penn community for its continued success.
The Foundation is currently seeking innovative classroom project applications for the 2021-2022 school year. North Penn staff is reminded that proposals are due by May 3. Apply now!
The Foundation received another $2,500 in Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) funding this week from Quakertown National Bank who is a long-standing supporter of the Foundation. This takes their total for EITC funding up to nearly $70,000.
As you all know, the annual online auction is less than a week away and runs from April 28 to May 4. The Foundation has dozens of amazing items up for bidding but need more support. They are hoping local businesses, organizations and more will consider donating to this popular fundraiser. Also related to fundraising, the Foundation is currently in another North Penn Strong campaign. Be sure to get your spring apparel now!
The next NPSD Educational Foundation Board of Trustees meeting will be held on May 5, 2021 at 3:00 pm.
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Board of Trustees Member:
Juliane Ramić
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Unique Local Items & Exclusive North Penn Experiences to Help Ignite Student Success! |
Are you ready for another NPSD Educational Foundation online auction? |
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The Policy Committee met on April 13, 2021.
The committee continued with its review of policies in the 200 series. Kyle Somers, NPSD solicitor, provided a summary explanation of four of the five policies on the agenda that evening. These policies were moved to a first reading by the board.
A lengthy discussion of the fifth policy, Policy 226 - Searches then took place. The committee decided that there should be further discussion about this policy. Therefore, it will be added to the agenda for either an upcoming Safe Schools Committee or Worksession meeting.
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Chair:
Christian Fusco
Members:
Al Roesch,
Tina Stoll
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The next Policy Committee meeting will be held on May 11, 2021 at 5:00 pm. |
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The Safe Schools Committee met on March 28, 2021.
Jim Galante, NPSD Director of Pupil Services; Kyle Hassler, Principal of Penndale Middle School; Trish Pike, NPHS Guidance Counselor; and Dr. Ann Marie Lucas, NPSD Special Education Supervisor presented an overview of the district's recently developed Traumatic Event Response Team. The purpose of this team is to provide a support resource for students in crisis which is internal to the district. Team structure and lessons learned from recent events were discussed.
As a follow-up to the board's statement in support of the AAPI community, NPSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Todd Bauer along with student representatives Sahana Prasad and Jojo Dalwadi presented actionable items that could help to build sustainable support for all members of North Penn's diverse school community. Ideas discussed include opportunities for board directors to meet with student groups, providing resources to teaching staff, and expanding student involvement in cultural events, including partnering with the very successful International Spring Festival.
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Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Members:
Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell,
Cathy Wesley
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The next Safe Schools Committee meeting will be held on April 26, 2021 at 6:00 pm. |
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