North Hills School District
Pride • Tradition • Excellence
The North Hills School District Board of Education held its February Committee Meeting with Action on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Below is a recap of the meeting including links to presentations and segments of the meeting.
Meeting Highlights
Unregistered Taxpayers & Uncollected Revenue Dollars
Currently, the North Hills School District Tax Office collects the business privilege and mercantile tax, a tax on the gross receipts of businesses that operate in Ross Township and the Borough of West View. Through cooperation with community business owners, Ross Township officials and Borough of West View officials, as well as its own efforts, the North Hills School District Tax Office has successfully registered over 2,000 businesses within Ross Township and approximately 300 businesses within the Borough of West View. The board is considering utilizing turnKey to supplement this joint effort to help identify unregistered taxpayers and assist in the collection effort, thus increasing revenue.

The board will vote at its legislative meeting on Feb. 20 whether to authorize the administration to engage in contractual discussions with turnKey to assist with taxpayer identification and collection of business privilege and mercantile taxes.
Charter School Funding Reform
The board approved a resolution that calls on state legislators to update the charter school funding formula to alleviate the financial burden it places on school districts across Pennsylvania.

Currently, school districts spend millions of dollars annually in mandatory payments to brick and mortar charter and cyber charter schools. In 2018-19, that payment for North Hills was $1.2 million. (Approximately $530,000 to brick and mortar charter schools and $670,000 to cyber charter schools.)

As the resolution states, the funding formula, unchanged since it was established in 1997, is unfair because it is based on the home district's expenditures and not what it actually costs to educate a child in a charter school and those costs can vary by as much as $13,000 for the average student.

In addition, a bill ( House Bill 526) currently in a House committee could further lessen the burden for school districts who have their own cyber program, like North Hills.

The legislation would no longer require such districts pay for resident students who enroll in other cyber-charter schools. (A cost savings of approximately $670,000 for North Hills in 2018-19.)
One Tree Per Child Pittsburgh
Dr. Isabela-Cajiao Angelelli, a local pediatrician and co-founder of One Tree Per Child Pittsburgh, spoke to the board about the organization’s mission to plant trees to better the environment and improve the health and well-being of our children.

She was joined by Eloise Peet, director of Ross Township Parks & Recreation, who discussed the township’s partnership with One Tree Per Child and plans for the future. One Tree Per Child has partnered with Ross Elementary School in years past to plant more than 100 trees in Sangree Park. 
Athletics and Activities
NHSD Director of Athletics Patrick Weber and Chelle Zimmerman, the district’s activities coordinator, presented an update on the district’s athletics and activities this school year. Mr. Weber recapped the fall and winter sports to-date highlighting both team and individual accomplishments. Ms. Zimmerman spoke about the various clubs, concerts and community events our students take part in and what they have planned this spring. Their presentations can be viewed below.
Mr. Weber also discussed potentially moving the start time of evening athletic contests from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to match the start time of most athletic contests at other school districts in the area and to give students more time at home afterward before bed. Additional discussion is needed to make sure the switch accommodates all in the district and doesn’t disrupt other practices, but this could potentially be a switch that is made for the 2020-21 school year.
More News & Happenings
Board begins reviewing all policies, adding 'recently viewed' dates
Board members have begun the lengthy process of reviewing all NHSD Board of Education policies to see if updates are necessary, paying special attention to those policies that have not been updated in several years.

Members are also adding a “reviewed date” to each policy as they do so it’s known when the policy was most-recently looked at, even if no updates were needed.

Board approves book vending machine, flexible seating for West View
West View Elementary School is getting a new Bookworm vending machine thanks to the West View Elementary PTA! The vending machine will be located in the main hallway at West View as an incentive for reading and positive behavior. Books of varying levels and interest will be chosen by the school librarian and purchased by the PTA to fill the machine as needed. Tokens, not money, will be used to reward students with opportunities to visit the machine to get a book.

The West View PTA also purchased wobble seats to be used as flexible seating options at small group tables and work areas in several classrooms.
📰 North Hills in the News 📰
Dates to Remember
February 7
Boys' & Girls' Basketball games vs. North Allegheny
6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball senior night, 7 p.m.

February 8
ACT Exam
High School, 7:45 a.m.

February 14
Middle School Snowball Dance

February 20
Board of Education Legislative Meeting
Middle School, 7 p.m.

February 20
Evening Guidance Series: "High Stakes and High Stress: Helping Students Manage"
High School Library, 7 p.m.

March 5
Board of Education Committee Meeting with Action
Middle School, 7 p.m.

March 12
Prince and Princess Royal Tea Party
High School, 6-8 p.m.

March 12
Board of Education Legislative Meeting
Middle School, 7 p.m.

March 20-22, 26-28
High School Musical: "Catch Me If You Can"

March 25
Second Cup of Coffee with Dr. Mannarino
Highcliff Cafeteria, 9:30 a.m.

April 24
Grade 8 Field Trip to Washington, DC
Upcoming School
Board Meetings

February 20
Legislative Meeting
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

March 5
Committee Meeting with Action
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

March 12
Legislative Meeting
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

April 2
Committee Meeting with Action
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

March 16
Legislative Meeting
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

April 30
Committee Meeting with Action
(Adoption of the Proposed Final Budget and Homestead Exemption)
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

May 21
Legislative Meeting
Middle School LGI Room, 6 p.m.

June 4
Committee Meeting with Action
(Adoption of the Final Budget, Taxes and Homestead Exemption)
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.

June 11
Legislative Meeting
Middle School LGI Room, 7 p.m.
Meet your 2020 NHSD Board of Education
The North Hills School District Board of Education is comprised of nine members who are elected to four-year terms. Last month, we celebrated School Director Recognition Month by introducing our board members with the video below. You can also meet them here.
Contact the School Board
All school board correspondence should be directed to Secretary Lori Rieger and she will disseminate to board members. Mrs. Rieger can by reached by mail, email, phone or fax:

North Hills School District Administration Center
135 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Phone: 412-318-1004
Fax: 412-318-1084
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