January 18 Legislative Meeting |
|
NORWIN BOARD OF EDUCATION
Brian S. Carlton, President
Donald W. Rhodes, Jr., Vice President
|
|
Darlene J. Ciocca
Tony L. Corsa
William A. Essay
Joanna Jordan
|
|
Raymond Kocak
Patrick A. Lynn
Robert E. Wayman
|
|
|
The Norwin Board of Education held a public meeting for general business on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19 and the state's social distancing mandate, the meeting was held online via the Zoom platform and was also livestreamed on the School District's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/c/NorwinSchoolDistrict.
The meeting agenda is available online, and a video of the meeting will be posted at this location in the coming days.
During the opening of the meeting, the Board:
- Heard the Board President's report regarding executive sessions recently held.
- Noted that Sunset Valley Elementary School is providing the monthly student presentation as a video. We highly recommend that everyone watch the four-minute video at their convenience. We thank Principal Mr. Jason Cendroski, as well as his Sunset Valley staff, and students for their outstanding work and contributions to this presentation. Special thanks to fourth-grade student Grady Fulton, who narrated the video.
|
|
- Approved the meeting minutes from the December 7, 2020 meeting.
|
|
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT:
SCHOOL DIRECTOR RECOGNITION MONTH
|
|
January is School Director Recognition Month in Pennsylvania and a time for us to spotlight the hard work and tireless dedication of the nine members who make up the Norwin School District Board of Education.
A book has been purchased and will be placed in one of our school’s libraries in honor of each board member. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Taylor recognized each member and presented their book as follows:
Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction by James Dean
Dedicated to Mr. Brian Carlton, President
The Money Club: A Teenage Guide to Financial Literacy by Jasmine Brown
Dedicated to Mr. Donald Rhodes, Vice President
I Am Drums by Mike Grosso
Dedicated to Darlene Ciocca
Riley the Real Estate Investor by P.E. Barnes
Dedicated to Tony Corsa
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Dedicated to William Essay
Florence Nightingale, Mother of Modern Nursing by Carol Alexander
Dedicated to Joanna Jordan
The Pittsburgh Steelers Story by Allan Morey
Dedicated to Ray Kocak
Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide To Living Your Best Life by Vernon Brundage Jr.
Dedicated to Pat Lynn
A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule by Jim Rooney
Dedicated to Bob Wayman
Please click here to learn more about how the Norwin Board of Education's contributions benefit the community.
On behalf of the Norwin community:
Thank you, School Directors!
|
|
The Board approved the following Education items:
- Additions to the Student Teacher List for the 2020-2021 school year.
-
Secondary Textbook Adoption for the High School Business Calculus (College in High School) course. The Business Calculus course is a new course for the 2020-2021 school year that is available as a college-level course offered through a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. Students can earn college credit by successfully meeting the curricular requirements in high school.
-
An agreement with SchoolInfoApp LLC to develop and provide a customized Norwin School District Mobile App. One of the goals of the Board-approved Norwin School District Communications Plan is to identify a mobile app the District can use to send families push notifications, provide easy access to calendar events, and share another avenue for parents to interact with the District. Once implemented, the Norwin mobile app would be available to Norwin families as a free download on the Apple App Store and in the Google Play Store in approximately 30 to 60 days.
-
Contracts with mental health agencies: Fully funded through a grant awarded to the District, these contracts will provide individual and family therapy sessions and family workshops related to social and emotional health concerns for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
|
|
REDISTRICTING MODEL APPROVED |
|
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Taylor provided an overview of the Norwin redistricting process and the Redistricting Committee recommendations for the 2021-2022 school year.
After Dr. Taylor's presentation, the Board held discussion about the redistricting models under consideration. Then, after considering each proposed model, the Board voted to approve Model 9b for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
The School District is finalizing a list of streets and addresses that will be affected by the redistricting process. The District plans to share this list with families and post it on the District website, along with additional information, in the coming weeks.
Mr. Brian Carlton, Board President, shared a statement regarding transition planning for families who are impacted by the redistricting process.
"Redistricting is not an easy decision nor a perfect process in any school district, and it requires adjustments for the families who are impacted," Mr. Carlton said. "However, please know that the District is committed to supporting those families with the transition process."
The District has already taken a proactive approach and started the process of creating a robust Transition Plan for all families impacted by the redistricting process. Members of the redistricting committee along with additional parents and teachers will be working to implement a comprehensive Transition Plan, he said.
"Our Transition Plan will have a number of important, and engaging, transition activities and procedures for both our students and parents," Mr. Carlton said. "I can assure you that any family impacted by the redistricting process will receive a lot of support from the District through the Transition Plan."
As background, the Norwin Redistricting Committee began meeting in November to study ways to balance the enrollment among Norwin's four elementary schools. At the Board's December meeting, several models were presented for Board consideration with the understanding that a vote could take place at the January Legislative meeting. The Board and Administration extend their gratitude to the members of the Redistricting Committee for their time and effort.
Please stay tuned for additional District updates on this important topic in the very near future.
|
|
There were no Policy action items for January. |
|
The Board approved the following Finance items:
- Financial reports from November 2020 and Bills lists from December 2020.
-
A Cooperation Agreement the Westmoreland County Housing Authority (WCHA) for Grand View Senior Residences, pending Solicitor review and approval. This pertains to a proposed 50-unit senior housing facility to be located in Irwin Borough near Norwin Public Library. This agreement provides payment in lieu of taxes to local governments for a period of 40 years, the total annual amount of $11,150 to be based on millage rates.
-
Approved to buy out the contracted gallons with Ports Petroleum not utilized from July 2020-December 2020, at an estimated fee of $44,227 for 67,500 of unused fuel.
-
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Grant Award in the amount of $166,097 for the project "COVID Supplies and Educational Help" for the period March 13, 2020 through September 30, 2022, as presented. Funds will be used to purchase supplies and equipment for remote learning, cleaning supplies, K-5 online course development consulting, social and emotional learning programs and services, and technology accessories for remote learning.
-
A Resolution certifying that the Norwin Board of Education will not raise taxes above the inflationary index in the 2021-2022 Education Budget pursuant to Section 311(d)(1) of Act 1 of 2006. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the 2021-2022 Adjusted Index for Norwin School District is 3.9 percent. Per Act 1 of 2006, school boards must, by January 28, 2021, do either of the following: (a) adopt a Resolution certifying they will not exceed the Act I index; or (b), display a proposed preliminary budget.
|
|
The Board approved the following Personnel items:
|
|
FACILITIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES |
|
There were no Facilities and Support Services action items this month. |
|
There were no Athletics and Activities action items this month. |
|
Following each month's Legislative Meeting, this publication will share details about various items discussed, adopted, and approved by the Norwin Board of Education.
Complete Board Agendas & Attachments are available through BoardDocs. Please click here to visit Norwin’s BoardDocs page.
|
|
Norwin School District
281 McMahon Drive
North Huntingdon, PA 15642
724.861.3000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
