| NPSD Board Members |
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President
Vincent Sherpinsky
Vice President
Josie Charnock
Members
Edward Diasio
Timothy Kerr
Suzan Leonard
Carolyn Murphy
Frank O'Donnell
Theresa Prykowski
John T. Schilling
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| Meetings in Review |
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NPSD Board of School Directors Meeting
June 7 Worksession Agenda
June 7 Worksession Video
June 16 Action Agenda
June 16 Action Video
To view agenda attachments and minutes from past meetings, please click here.
meeting dates scheduled for 2016, please click
here.
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| Upcoming Meetings |
June 27, 6:00 p.m.
Support Services Committee Meeting
July 21, 7:30 p.m.
School Board Action Meeting
July 25, 6:30 p.m.
Finance Committee Meeting
August 8, 6:30 p.m.
ECP Committee Meeting
September 12, 5:45 p.m.
Safe Schools Committee Meeting
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| NPSD Announces Launch of Mobile App |
The North Penn School District is proud to announce the launch of their new mobile application for smart phones and handheld devices.
Following over a year of planning, the NPSD Mobile App is officially live and available to students, staff, families and community members. The app is compatible with Apple and Android devices and can be downloaded for free by searching "North Penn School District" in your device's application store.
The objective of the NPSD Mobile App is to serve as a one-stop resource for families of students in the district. The app provides instant, mobile access to the Home Access Center, district calendar, breakfast and lunch menus, the Community Bulletin Board, MyPayments+ school lunch account site, parent and student resources, daily notifications, student information including attendance, contact information to each of our 18 schools and district office and much more.
Important news and top stories circulate throughout the app to keep students, staff, families and community members updated while highlighting all of the wonderful things going on throughout the North Penn School District.
An additional unique feature of the NPSD Mobile App is the Comment Line - a section which allows users to provide feedback to the district in real time. While this section includes traditional categories like "Kudos" and "Suggestions," a unique section for "Facilities" has also been included. This feature is designed to let the school district know if there is a facility issue at one of our buildings, as the Comment Line allows users to include GPS location as well as a photo that can be taken at the time of submission or loaded from camera roll.
At this time, the section of the Comment Line which the district asks users to focus on is the category of "App Feedback." As the launch of the NPSD Mobile App is in its initial stage, the district welcomes user suggestions and concerns. NPSD encourages students, staff, families and community members to utilize this section to offer feedback about their experience with the mobile app.
The North Penn School District is eager and excited to take this next step in the direction of an innovative, digital future. By providing a seamless and simple communication and resource center, the district hopes that the mobile app will strengthen the understanding and interface between school and families which is vital to the success of our students.
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Congratulations North Penn High School Class of 2016
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On Thursday, June 9, 963 students graduated from North Penn High School at the 61st Commencement Ceremony.
Hugs were shared, moving, inspirational speeches were given and Principal Todd Bauer even led the senior class in dancing "The Running Man" on the field. It was an exciting and unforgettable night for all.
Thank you the students, staff and families who helped to make the evening a success. The NPSD wishes the Class of 2016 the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Click here to see more photos.
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Dear Community,
At the action meeting on Thursday, June 17, the North Penn Board of School Directors
approved a final budget of $245,489,530 million for the 2016-2017 school year. The budget includes the Act 1 index tax increase of 2.4 percent for Montgomery County and Bucks County residents. This equates to an $84 increase for the average homestead in Montgomery County and a $69 increase for the average homestead in Bucks County.
Once again, we are able to keep taxes here in the North Penn area to a minimum while at the same time provide one of the top educations in the state. Even through a year when the state did not approve a final budget until the spring we were able to maintain all of the excellent programs and services to our students, due to our history of prudent spending and fiscal responsibility
The 2.4 percent tax increase is needed to help fund expenses, many of which are outside of the school district's control and that exceed total projected revenues for the 2016-2017 school year by $3.3 million. In fact, next year's budget is a 4.4 percent increase from the current year's budget due to contractual and non-contractual wage increases, Digital Age Teaching and Learning Initiative, construction debt, charter schools and increasing Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) obligations.
NPSD is particularly proud of the Digital Age Teaching and Learning Initiative that the budget is funding at almost $1 million. The program will increase access to technology for students starting next year with 6th through 9th graders who will all have their own Chromebook for use at home and school. The one-to-one initiative includes a commitment from parents to insure the devices while at home for a nominal fee.
Because NPSD is financially strong it did not need to raise taxes beyond the Act 1 index or cut programs to fund the 2016-2017 budget even though it does include a $3.3 million deficit even after levying the Act 1 index. Instead, due to prudent budgeting, wise investing and continuing efforts to raise revenues and decrease costs, NPSD is in a position to use the fund balance (reserves) to offset the deficit.
We are proud that North Penn is known for providing a rigorous, award-winning education while keeping taxes low, and that we continue to put students first with innovative programs such as our Digital Age Teaching and Learning Initiative.
Sincerely,
Vincent Sherpinsky
President
NPSD Board of School Directors
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At the recent worksession and action meetings in the month of June, the School Board recognized North Penn High School students for their outstanding achievements with proclamation awards.
At the worksession meeting, members of the
North Penn High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps PA 20062 were recognized for their accomplishments in the State of Pennsylvania in the 2016 Nationwide Cyber Patriot Competition.
NPHS Theatre students were recognized for their accomplishments as members of the North Penn High School Thespian Troupe #5464 at the 2015 Pennsylvania State Thespian Conference as well as
their accomplishments at the 2016 Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival High School Competition.
The NPHS Girls' Spring Track and Field Team members were also recognized for placing 3rd at PIAA State Track Championships.
Although the NPHS Boys' Spring Track and Field Team members could not attend this meeting, the team was also recognized for their performance at the PIAA State Track Championships.
At the action meeting, members of the NPHS Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) were given proclamation awards for their accolades at the 2016 FBLA State Conference.
NPHS Advanced Placement students were recognized for receiving a superior ranking in the National Council of the Teachers of English Writing Competition. An additional student was commended for his achievement in the 2016 Penn State Writing Contest for High School Writers.
Finally, several students for the Foreign Language Department at NPHS were awarded proclamations for their accomplishments at the 2016 Montgomery County Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages James J. Doyle Oral Proficiency Contest.
Congratulations to these excellent students for their impressive work!
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The North Penn School District Educational Foundation met on June 1, 2016 when several items of importance were discussed.
It's Golf Outing Time! The foundation is busy planning the August 15th event and they have great news to report. Tex Mex Connection in North Wales will be providing lunch this year for the Foundation's "Quinceañera" themed outing. (In case you are wondering, a Quinceañera is a 15th birthday party celebration in Latin America.) So in addition to a great day on the course and dinner by PineCrest, players will enjoy a delicious lunch from Tex Mex.
For just $125 per golfer, it's the best bargain in town. The Foundation is looking for golfers and sponsors, but spots are filling fast so if you are interested, act quickly Click here for more information.
The Foundation is pleased to report that the they recently approved 23 grants for the 2016-2017 school year at a total of $18,108. These grants range from field trips for our ESL students to funding student-driven nanotechnology research to bringing in a motivational speaker for middle school students.
The Foundation would like to congratulate Matt Broderick who was elected to his first term of vice president at the last meeting, and to Dave Kratz and Jack Hoy who were re-elected to their positions as president and treasurer respectively. A huge thank you to Dr. Dennis Harken who served as Interim Vice President, who we will keep him busy as he remains chair of the Foundation's fundraising committee.
If you have any questions about the Foundation, you can contact Christine Liberaski at the ESC. Information can also be found online at www.npenn.org/foundation
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The next NPSD Educational Foundation meeting will be held on August 3, 2016 at 7:45 a.m.
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The ECP Committee met on June 13th. During the meeting, the committee reviewed an action item as well as informational updates.
The action item concerns Act 80 Days. This year it is necessary to utilize all three Act 80 days for PM Kindergarten. However, one of the previously approved Act 80 Days, April 26, 2016, was also designated and used as a snow make-up day for students. Consequently, the district requested to identify and use November 3, 2015 (an in-service day) as an Act 80 Day in lieu of April 26, 2016.
Other topics on the agenda were of an informational nature only. The committee received a presentation about the Dream Growers Summer Camp and Power Hour. Dream Growers Power Hour had 15 preschool age children enrolled who were unable to attend a preschool program. The program was conducted at Trinity Lutheran Preschool every Friday beginning January 6. Its goal was to prepare the children to enter Kindergarten with the necessary skills to be successful by working on English language skills, rhyming skills plus letter, number and word recognition skills.
The Dream Growers Summer Camp is a two-week camp for children who will enter Kindergarten in the fall. In its third year, the camp has seen registration increase each year from 65 students the first year to 108 registered this year. Twelve students from the Dream Growers Preschool Program will be attending the camp this summer. The "curriculum" of the camp is vertically aligned with the North Penn School District Kindergarten curriculum. The camp is staffed with teachers from Trinity Preschool, Head Start (Lansdale and Souderton), volunteer retired educators and student volunteers involved with the Kiddee Korner preschool at NPHS. Nutritious snacks and lunches are
provided by School Nutrition Services. The program is funded through the Keystone to Opportunity Grant. As a result of the program's success, it is a finalist for the KTO Innovative Incentive Award.
Also at the meeting, the North Penn District Wellness Committee gave its annual update to the ECP committee. The goal of the Wellness Committee is to ensure compliance with School Board Policy 5140(a) - Student Wellness and with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. To achieve that, it serves as an advisory group to provide a school environment that promotes student wellness, proper nutrition education and regular physical activity as part of the total learning experience. Accomplishments for 2015-2016 include attending the GenYouth (Fuel Up to Play 60) event at Lincoln Financial Center, implementing an online menu with photos and complete nutritional information through Nutrislice, registering all schools for Penn State Hershey PRO Wellness Center and the Let's Move website and expanding the district summer feeding program by 20 percent.
At the request of the ECP Committee, a preliminary feasibility review of the cost and facility requirements for full-day Kindergarten was conducted and presented to the committee. After reviewing the information presented, it was determined that more research into the district needs for Kindergarten instruction to be aligned with the PA Core Standards should be conducted. After defining the needs, viable options to meet those needs will be investigated. The results of that assessment will be presented to the committee.
One overnight student trip was reviewed as well.
The next ECP Committee meeting will be held on August 8th at 6:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The Finance Committee met on May 31, 2016.
The monthly financial reports were reviewed with additional discussion on the following items.
2016-2017 Aquatics Budget
Rhonda Diliberto presented the highlights of the aquatics budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Each of the three programs includingg aquatics classes, swim team and water polo are expected to break even next year.
Homestead Exemptions
Steve Skrocki reviewed the 2016-2017 homestead and farmstead exclusion amount of $204.13 per eligible property. Funding for the exclusion comes from the state from gaming proceeds and is passed back to eligible properties on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
Real Estate Tax Installment Payment Plan
Steve Skrocki presented the proposed resolution for installments. One-third is due by August 1st, one-third is due by September 15th and one-third is due by October 31st. Installment payments are not eligible for discounts. An average of 1.5 percent of parcels are paid via the installment payment plan.
Auditing Services
The current three-year agreement with Maillie, LLC is ending and options were discussed. A proposal to extend the agreement with Maillie, LLP for one year will be presented at the June 16th action meeting.
2016-2017 Budget Update
Steve Skrocki reviewed the status of the 2016-2017 budget. The final adjustments were reviewed with the committee which resulted in a budget deficit of $3.3 million, which is down from the $3.5 million deficit approved as part of the proposed final budget. The recommended final budget has been posted for public inspection.
Cost Reduction Strategies
The committee reviewed and discussed several potential cost reduction strategies as part of future planning.
The next Finance Committee meeting will be held on Monday, July 25, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center. The June meeting is cancelled.
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The Support Services Committee met on Tuesday, May 31st and discussed the following information.
The committee heard a request from members of the public to consider moving a bus stop which is currently located at Allentown Road and Thorndale Drive. The committee will discuss this request with members of the full board.
The Committee was provided an update on the Montgomery Elementary project and discussed a Consultant Escrow Fee Agreement with the Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority.
The committee was presented a project change order for the Pennbrook and Knapp Roof Replacement projects to Weatherproofing Technologies for changes in work during the project.
The next meeting of the committee will be Monday, June 27th at 6:00 PM at the Educational Services Center.
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The Safe Schools Committee met on June 13th and discussed the following security related items.
The committee was given an update of the activities following the fire event that occurred on May 24th including a debriefing conducted by Dr. Dietrich to discuss the immediate response to the event. The results of this discussion will
expand the all hazards plan for the schools and develop a process for North Penn to plan an EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to assist in these events.
The Safe Schools Committee was given an update of security upgrades to NPHS and the ESC. The general construction portion of the work has commenced with the electrical construction scheduled to start the third week of June. The work is scheduled to commence after the 2015-2016 school year and be completed prior to the start of the 2016-2017 school year.
The committee was provided an update of the camera server upgrade for AM Kulp, Inglewood, General Nash and North Wales elementary schools. This upgrade will be completed by the start of the 2016-2017 school year.
The next meeting of the Safe Schools Committee is scheduled for Monday, September 12, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.
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The Intermediate Unit met on May 25th at the site in Norristown. The evening began with a Retirement Appreciation Evening. There were 14 MCIU retirees.
The $850,000.00 Pre-K Grants Budget was approved for the 2016 -2017 school year, along with the MCIU Performance Grant for $1500.00.
The Board approved Football Insurance quotes for the 2016-2017 school year.
The board adopted a new Student Wellness Policy based on the recommendation of the appointed Wellness Committee and in accordance with federal and state laws.
The North Penn School Board received a MCIU Board Highlights from the MCIU. This will be a monthly feature.
The next board meeting will be on Wednesday, June 22nd.
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