NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
F E B R U A R Y | 2 0 2 1
The Bulletin Board Newsletter
A monthly e-newsletter highlighting the discussions, decisions and business of the North Penn School District Board of School Directors.
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.
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
Letter to the Community
Meeting Information
School Board Virtual Meeting Information
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
Residents can watch live on the NPTV YouTube Channel, North Penn News, or NPTV local Comcast Cable Channel 28 and Verizon FIOS-TV Channel 29.

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.
Meetings in Review

Worksession
February 9, 6:00 pm

Action
February 18, 7:00 pm
Upcoming Meetings

Worksession
March 9, 7:00 pm

Action
March 18, 7:00 pm

ECI Committee
March 2, 6:00 pm

Facilities & Operations Committee
March 29, 6:30 pm

Finance Committee
March 9, 6:00 pm

Policy Committee
March 9, 5:00 pm

Safe Schools Committee
March 1, 6:00 pm Newly Added
March 29, 6:00 pm
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!
Committee Reports
Education/Curriculum/Instruction (ECI) Committee
The ECI Committee met on February 2, 2021.

Secondary Course Selection for 2021-2022
Principal of Pennfield Middle School Dr. O’Sullivan and principal of North Penn High School (NPHS) Mr. Pete Nicholson reviewed the course selection timeline and process for middle school students and high school students. The process, which began in early January, incorporates teacher meetings and recommendations, counseling meetings with and reviews by guidance counselors, course information nights and course information presentations to students. With the implementation of block scheduling at the middle schools this year, the timeline allows for first and second semester teachers to submit their level recommendations for students. Also, this year course information sessions were conducted via Zoom. The course selection process concludes in April.

NPSD Guidance Department Plan 2021-2022
Director of Director of Pupil Services and Principal of Northbridge and North Penn Virtual Academy Mr. Jim Galante, NPHS Guidance Department Chair Dr. Nicole Yetter, and NPSD Future Planning Center Counselor Mr. Pat Brett presented the Guidance Department Plan for 2021-2022. Chapter 339 of the Pennsylvania School Code requires that all school districts have a written Guidance Plan on file. The plan encompasses elementary, middle and high school components. Mr. Brett also discussed the role of the Future Planning Center (formerly College and Career Center) in assisting and supporting students’ readiness for their lives after graduation from North Penn.  
Chair:
Dr. Elisha K. Gee

Members:
Christian Fusco, Tim MacBain
The next ECI Committee meeting will be held on March 2, 2021 at 6:00 pm.
Facilities and Operations Committee
The Facilities and Operations Committee Committee met on January 25, 2021.

The committee reviewed change order requests for Crawford Stadium and Knapp Elementary projects.

The committee reviewed an amendment to the third party construction testing and inspection services contract to GeoStructures for the Crawford Stadium project.

The committee reviewed the Capital Project list and recommended moving forward with two projects this summer. The first project includes a fire alarm replacement and upgrade to Bridle Path, Walton Farm, Oak Park and Gwyn Nor elementary schools; and Pennbrook and Pennfield middle schools. The second project is to replace the domestic water heaters at Bridle Path, Gwynedd Square and Walton Farm elementary schools. The committee recommended approval of professional design contracts with Snyder Hoffman Associates.

NPSD Director of Facilities and Operations Tom Schneider and NPSD Supervisor of Environmental and Custodial Operations Dan Linski presented a financial and labor analysis to move the district from low capacity roll towel and toilet paper dispensers to high capacity dispensers. The analysis shows a significant labor and budgetary savings over the course of three years. The committee agreed to enter into a three-year agreement with PA Paper Products to purchase the high capacity roll towels and toilet paper for Knapp Elementary School.

The district’s construction manager, William Slawter of ICS, Dan Linski and Tom Schneider provided an in-depth update of the Knapp Elementary and Crawford Stadium projects. The projects are well underway and progressing well.

Schneider and Linski provided an update on the Facilities and Operations Department Update outlining the status of PPEs and supplies currently in stock.
Chair:
Jonathan Kassa

Vice Chair:
Cathy Wesley

Members:
Juliane Ramić,
Tina Stoll
Information from the meeting on February 22 will be shared in next month's newsletter. The next Facilities and Operations Committee meeting will be held on March 29, 2020 at 6:30 pm.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee met virtually on February 9, 2021. The monthly financial reports and budget transfers were reviewed with additional discussion on the following items.

2020 Tax Liens
NPSD Assistant Director of Business Administration Kristen Johnson reviewed the number of properties that were liened for 2020 unpaid real estate taxes. There was a decrease in the amount that was liened when compared to the previous year in the amount of $126,286, or 8.22%.

2021-2022 Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) Budget
Johnson presented an overview of the budget. North Penn's total share for 2021-2022 is $210,641 which represents a $1,230, or 0.59%, increase.

Department Budget Presentations
The Facilities and Operations departmental budget presentation was made by Tom Schneider.

Governor’s Budget Presentation
Johnson provided an update on Governor Wolf’s 2021-2022 Budget Address. Proposed budget changes were presented for the basic and special education subsidies which would generate substantial additional revenue for the district. The Governor also proposed charter school reform which would have a positive impact on the district’s finances.

Propane Bus Grants
Johnson presented that the district has receive another grant in the amount of $142,128 from the Driving PA Forward rebate program. The funds will be used to help purchase five propane school buses. To date the district has received $716,528 in grant funding to support the North Penn propane initiative.
A special Finance Committee meeting was held on February 16, 2021. The following items were reviewed.

2021-2022 Tax Rebate Program
NPSD Chief Financial Officer Steve Skrocki reviewed data from the district's rebate program for its first three years. The committee recommended increasing the rebate percentage from 50% to 60% for the upcoming year. This recommendation will be considered by the full board on March 18, 2021.

Department Budget Presentations
The 2021-2022 department budgets for Emergency Management and Safe Schools and Transportation were presented to the committee.
Chair:
Christian Fusco

Vice Chair:
Al Roesch

Members:
Committee of the Whole
The next Finance Committee meeting will be held on March 9, 2021 at 6:00 pm.
NPSD Educational Foundation
The NPSD Educational Foundation Board of Trustees met on February 2, 2021.

A presentation was given by NPSD Coordinator of Communications Media Bob Gillmer regarding a request for a new set for the North Penn Television Studio. The Foundation is happy to be supporting Gillmer's request with funding from the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program.

A final report was given on the recent Annual Giving Campaign. Just under $7,000 was raised. Also, Staff Tribute Program final numbers came in at $5,995. So the Foundation had a great end of 2020. Next up in fundraising will be the Foundation's Online Auction which will be held April 28 to May 4. This year's theme is North Penn Strong and the Foundation hopes to feature many local businesses. You will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks.

Finally, the Foundation approved 13 mid-year grant applications from educators for more than $13,000. The Foundation will also be accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year in March.

For more information about the NPSD Educational Foundation, visit www.npennedfoundation.org.

The next NPSD Educational Foundation Board of Trustees meeting will be held on March 3, 2021 at 3:00 pm.
Board of Trustees Member:
Juliane Ramić
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee met on February 9, 2021.

NPSD Coordinator of Emergency Management and Safe Schools Chris Doerr presented an informative explanation of the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) that the district has with the several law enforcement agencies from the North Penn community. This is a requirement that was mandated by the state according to Act 104, which was passed in 2010. Components of this MOU include when law enforcement is to be notified of an incident, what their response should or could be, and the school’s role. This act and the district’s MOU in conjunction with the School Code inform the development of certain policies including those reviewed by the Policy Committee at this month’s meeting. The committee moved Policy 218 - Student Discipline and Policy 218.1 - Weapons forward to a first reading by the Board.   
Chair:
Christian Fusco

Members:
Al Roesch,
Tina Stoll
The next Policy Committee meeting will be held on March 9, 2021 at 5:00 pm.
Safe Schools Committee
The Safe Schools Committee met on January 25, 2021.

Information about the Office of Safe Schools targeted grant for equipment that the district was awarded in the amount of $23,500. These funds will be used to enhance the safety of outdoor events occurring at North Penn High School.
 
The status of the threat assessment capability within the school district. A draft version of threat assessment protocol will be presented at an upcoming committee meeting.
 
A first look at a draft of the safe schools data dashboard. Discussion about available data points and possible revisions to the format.
Chair:
Jonathan Kassa

Members:
Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell,
Cathy Wesley
Updates from the meeting held on February 22, 2021 will be shared in next month's newsletter. An additional Safe Schools Committee meeting has been scheduled for March 1, 2021 at 6:00 pm. The regularly scheduled meeting will also be held on March 29, 2021 at 6:00 pm.