The 2019-2020 school year is well underway and on behalf of the North Penn School District (NPSD) Board of School Directors, we are looking forward to another year of partnership and meaningful connections with students, staff and the North Penn community.

Without the support of our partner organizations and the community, North Penn simply would not be the top notch school district for which we are so well known. I'd like to take a moment to note some of these partnerships and the key role they play in the success of our district.

The NPSD Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization created to motivate and inspire students in the district through innovative projects and learning experiences. The Foundation is run by a board of trustees who are leaders from local industry companies, alum, community members and parents. Thousands of North Penn students have benefited from the work of the foundation. Teachers see it as a positive reinforcement of their creativity and their willingness to go the extra mile. In addition to more than 50 annual classroom grants, the foundation helps provide internet access to low income students, fund course advancement classes for economically challenged families and supports programs like the IRONKnights Triathlon.

Furthering community engagement on behalf of our students, the NPSD Educational Foundation leads the North Penn Community Build-A-Bag Backpack and School Supply Drive in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce for Montgomery County and the Community and Youth Foundation. These partnerships have been essential in developing relationships with nearly 50 local businesses and organizations to support the backpack program and help get the community involved in a big way.

We at North Penn are fortunate to have a community that is always eager to answer the call for help when we need it. Build-A-Bag is just one example of countless programs that have been fully supported and driven by the generosity of our community.

And here on the homefront, support from parents and families in our schools is just as steadfast and strong. Parent volunteers keep our schools in constant forward motion, helping to provide fun and educational programs for students while instilling the importance of hard work to achieve these rewards. Last year alone, parent groups throughout NPSD raised more than $785,000 in support of our schools and students. We simply couldn't do it without them.

These are just a few of the countless organizations whose partnership makes all the difference in the lives of the students, staff and families of the North Penn School District. In the words of Hellen Keller, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Here's to continuing to do big things, together at North Penn.

Scott Kennedy, NPSD Director of Facilities and Operations, presented a design services proposal from Snyder Hoffman Associates for a new chiller at Gwynedd Square Elementary School, due to ongoing issues with keeping the existing chiller operational. This project has been identified in our Long-Range Capital Improvement Plan.

 

The committee reviewed the closeout documents for the Upper Gwynedd Township storm water basin located at Pennbrook Middle School. The Township has been responsible for the maintenance of the basin and these documents must be approved by the board in order to officially assist Upper Gwynedd with closing out the project.

 

The committee reviewed and discussed the bid results of the NPHS Crawford Stadium renovation project. Bids received were higher than estimated (Base bid: $8,391,000, with all alternates slightly over $9 million). Discussion as to why the bids were higher than estimated included: timeline demands; current low unemployment rates; and the current good state of the economy. This was moved to the worksession meeting for further discussion. Board members asked to see a rendering of stadium project. This will be added to the next Facilities & Operations Committee meeting on October 28 under informational items.

 

Kennedy gave an update on the Knapp Elementary School renovation project. Design development continues and is ahead of schedule. On September 16, the project was presented to the Lansdale Planning Commission where the Planning Commission granted preliminary/final approval for the project. On October 2, the project was presented to the Lansdale Code Review Committee. With their approval the expectation is to be in front of the Lansdale Borough Supervisors on October 16 for the final Land Development approval.

 

The committee reviewed the Long-Range Capital Improvement plan which now includes a scoring matrix to prioritize the projects. The link (PDF) is currently active online here.