2009 | 2010
Dream Big.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Annual Report
Achieve Greatness.
PICTURED ABOVE (LE
Dear Community,
Successes, challenges and hard work abounded in the 2009-2010
school year. From rising student achievement to our first-ever all
staff professional development day to our internationally recognized
student groups, our accomplishments helped to move us toward our
mission of being the leading school district in the state.
Of course there were times and issues that challenged us all. After
over a year of contract negotiations, the Board of School Directors
and the North Penn Education Association settled on a five-year
contract. Though a difficult time, in the end all parties involved came
together for the good of our students, staff and community.
Bottom Row: Joseph Sullivan,
Frank O’Donnell, Josie Charnock,
Vincent Sherpinsky (President)
PICTURED ABOVE (RIGHT):
The Honorable Arthur R. Tilson swears in
Dr. Curtis Dietrich as the 9th Superintendent
of the North Penn School District.
The future is bright, but it is not business as usual. We strive to
spend less on the operational side of the school district so that
the educational side gets the resources needed to support and
promote our students. Over the coming year, we will seek your input
and suggestions as to how we can, in a fiscally responsible manner,
dream big and achieve greatness.
Sincerely,
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
Vincent Sherpinsky
SUPERINTENDENT
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
PRESIDENT, BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
OR, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT www.twitter.com/npsd
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
):
Top Row: Rick Miniscalco,
Timothy Kerr (Vice-President),
Donald Hill, Stephen Hladik,
John Schilling
The economic conditions facing North Penn and the nation as
a whole continued to influence all decisions, operations of the
school district and future planning. Efforts were made to decrease
expenditures, while providing a high quality education at an
affordable price to our taxpayers.
LOG ON TO OUR WEBSITE AT www.npenn.org
F T
1
Student Achievement
O
All students achieving at their
highest level remains NPSD’s
primary focus. To that end,
during the 2009-2010 school
year, NPSD made great strides
to ensure that all students
achieve at least one year’s
progress in one year’s time.
verall, our students’ scores on the Pennsylvania System of School
Assessment (PSSA) once again increased over the previous year’s
results. Math results increased for the eighth straight year while
reading results increased for seven out of eight years, demonstrating
the outstanding job of students and staff throughout the district.
Since 2001-2002, the district’s overall percentage of proficient students in
math increased from 66 percent to 90 percent. In reading, the number
increased from 73 percent to 85 percent. In writing, the number increased
from 86 percent (in 2005-2006 when the test was first administered)
to 89 percent proficient. And in science, the number increased from
70 percent (in 2007-2008 when it was first administered) to 76 percent.
N O R T H P E N N P S S A A C H I E V E M E N T R E S U LT S
NPSD STRATEGIC
PLAN—GOAL 1
PERCENT PROFICIENT
Reading
STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
“I am pleased to report
that student achievement
increased once again and
takes us closer to achieving
our vision of being the top
district in the state. As
a community, we should
celebrate the success of our
students, while recognizing
the commitment of our staff,
community and school
board who helped us
achieve these results.”
—Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed. D.,
Superintendent, North Penn School District
Math
Writing
Science
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–2008
2008–2009
2009–2010
student
achievement
3
Student Achievement ( C O N T I N U E D )
Stretch Learning & Advanced Placement
In secondary social studies, math, English and science, teachers worked
in developing a clear vertical articulation of research-based instructional
practices to support student achievement in Advanced Placement (AP)
courses. These research-based practices focus on developing and
enriching students’ understanding of underlying concepts in the content
discipline, as well as engage students’ critical thinking skills in a learnercentered environment. Teams of teachers are now focused on aligning
curriculum through discipline-specific action plans.
As always, NPSD is focused on improving AP participation. AP courses
are college-level courses that are often the most advanced courses
taught at the high school. The courses are academically challenging and
can equal college credit and possible advanced standing for those who
participate and do well on the AP exams. NPHS currently offers 21 AP
courses and corresponding exams.
The total number of students participating in AP courses increased
from 166 in 1998-1999 to close to 600 in 2009-2010 . In 1998-1999,
284 tests were taken; in 2009-2010 our students took 1,126 exams.
Eighty percent of those students taking the exam scored a 3+ or higher.
North Penn High School also boasted 193 students who earned a
Scholar Award with 14 of these students at the National AP Scholar
level. Only 18 percent of more than the 1.8 million students world-wide
who took AP exams performed at a level to earn the AP Scholar Award.
OTHER IMPRESSIVE RESULTS INCLUDE:
• All No Child Left Behind (NCLB) subgroups
(special education, English as a Second Language (ESL),
economically disadvantaged, African American, Asian,
White, etc.) are closing the achievement gap through
increased proficiency.
• At the elementary level, more than 90 percent of
students are proficient or advanced in math and science.
• Special education students increased their percent
proficient or advanced by 10 percentage points over
the past three years.
• North Penn High School’s percent proficient or advanced
exceeds 80 percent proficient in math and 90 percent
in writing.
• The middle school percent proficient or advanced
exceeded 90 percent in math.
• Pennbrook Middle School and Gwynedd Square and
Nash elementary schools are all above 90 percent
proficient or advanced in reading.
• Pennbrook and Pennfield middle schools and Bridle
Path, Gwyn Nor, Gwynedd Square, Hatfield, Inglewood,
Nash, North Wales and Walton Farm elementary
schools are all above 90 percent in math.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
From the 2009-2010 School Year
• Penndale Middle School’s Odyssey of the
Mind team took first place in problem and
division at the Odyssey of the Mind World
Finals Competition. More than 800 teams
competed world-wide with just 19 teams
receiving first place.
• NPHS student Brad Miles was named
Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Cross
Country Runner of the Year.
• NPHS recognized nine finalists and 25
commended students in the 2009-2010
National Merit Scholarship Competition
(NMSC).
• Four NPHS students were selected for
the Boys and Girls All-American Water
Polo teams.
• NPHS student Ryan O’Reilly was selected
to attend the Air Force Junior Reserve
Officer Training Corps (AFROTC)
Aerospace and Technology Honors Camp,
competing among the top 1 percent of
1,100 AFJROTC cadets world-wide.
4
• NPHS Girls Lacrosse team was the
Suburban One League champion for the
fourth consecutive year. Two NPHS
players were named to the US Lacrosse
All-American team.
• NPHS student Jason Mineweaser placed
first in senior engineering in the Montgomery
County Research Competition.
• NPHS Cheerleading Team took first
place in the state championship
competition and second place at the
Ameri-Cheer Internationals.
•NPHS student Brian Kim was acknowledged
as a National Council of the Teachers of
English Writing Contest winner.
• The Merck Institute for Science Education
(MISE) organization, which many staff
members in the district have worked closely
with over the past 17 years, was honored
at the White House as part of President
Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” initiative to
mobilize corporate support for science and
technology education.
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
• NPHS student Melanie Dickens took first
place at Suburban One League Girls’ Golf
Championship.
• The Bridal Path/Montgomery Elementary
Select String Ensemble and their director,
Ralph Jackson, performed at the prestigious
New York International Music Festival at
Carnegie Hall. This was the only elementary
ensemble invited to participate among high
school and college aged groups. A panel of
judges awarded the Bridle Path and
Montgomery students the highest prize
of a Gold Medal for their performance.
• The following number of NPHS students
were selected for 2010 Pennsylvania Music
Educators Association (PMEA) events:
-- 10 students for District Orchestra;
6 for Regional Orchestra
-- 19 students for District Band; 9 for
Regional Band; and 4 for All-State Band
-- 7 for District Chorus; 3 for Regional
Chorus; and 2 for All-State Chorus
Early Education
Achievement Gap
Focusing on early success in school provides
the best opportunities for our students
to reach proficient or advanced levels of
achievement throughout their academic
career. By 2014, the Strategic Plan states
that 100 percent of students completing
second grade will perform at the proficient
or advanced levels in the areas of reading
and math, as measured by North Penn curriculum-based math and reading assessments.
We are well on our way to meeting that goal
as evidenced in the charts below.
A subgoal of the NPSD Strategic Plan is to significantly reduce, with the goal
of eliminating, the differences in achievement between student subgroups and
the overall student population. Addressing this goal is the district-wide Closing
The Achievement Gap (CTG) Steering Committee which is organized with
subcommittees: Cultural Competency; Hiring Practices; Parent/Community
Involvement; Student Support and Intervention; Policy and Practices; and
Measuring and Communicating Progress. Accomplishments and work for the
2009-2010 school year of CTG include:
1ST GRADE
2ND GRADE
Leadership Conferences for middle and high school students
• Developed reports on current academic levels and trends
• Developed plans to communicate the purpose, history and plans for closing the
achievement gap to all NPSD internal and external stakeholders
• Established a district-wide Family Cultural Advisory Council with representation
from all cultural groups, to partner with the district in efforts to close the gap
and engage all families
Reading
(uses Theme
#4 Reading
Results)
• Participating in the Delaware Valley Student Achievement Consortium
• Developed a district-wide tracking system to monitor intervention program
89.61%
88.72%
success
• Worked toward increasing proportion of minority students enrolling in higher
level classes, including elimination of lowest academic level classes
Math
(uses EOY Math
Assessment
Results)
• Provided additional support needed for students to succeed in higher level courses
96.79%
91.05%
In an effort to better prepare pre-school
aged children to be kindergarten ready,
NPSD initiated an outreach effort to local
child care facilities and early education
organizations. This year, in partnership with
the Office of Child Development and Early
Learning (OCDEL) through the Montgomery County Child Care Consortium, NPSD
produced DVDs that will be distributed this
fall to families with children getting ready
for kindergarten. The DVDs offer tips and
advice for helping children transition and
succeed at the kindergarten level.
In addition, NPSD coordinated an
“Educators Night Out” that provided an
overview of the district’s kindergarten and
1st grade curriculum and support services,
at which more than 100 representatives
from early education providers attended.
Also, a Family and Community Engagement
(FACE) Time workshop was held on the
topic of “Getting Ready for Kindergarten”
for both early childhood educators and
parents. NPSD also coordinated on-site
informational sessions for families at local
day care providers about how to support
their child’s transition into NPSD.
Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment
One subgoal area of the NPSD Strategic Plan is focused on the alignment of essential
curriculum with state academic standards to provide effective instruction for all
students. This subgoal area also addresses the need to continually assess student
progress and implement instructional responses to assist students in need.
To that end, NPSD’s curriculum design and management process is being revised
to reflect the demands of a changing global society by being standards-based and
by incorporating a curriculum framework based upon big ideas, essential questions,
concepts and competencies. In addition, the district’s revised curriculum process
will articulate research-based practices in instruction and assessment.
Supporting efforts in this area is the introduction and expansion of the Response to
Instruction and Intervention (RtII) program in NPSD elementary schools. RtII is a
comprehensive, multi-tiered regular education intervention strategy to enable early
identification and intervention for students at academic risk.
Transitions
Administration convened a district-wide Transition Committee to collect data
about student experiences going from one grade level to another, and to make
recommendations about effective transition strategies that could be used by all
schools throughout NPSD. The data collected from the surveys was then used to
make recommendations for developing uniform transition polices throughout the
North Penn School District, and to evaluate the effectiveness of present transition
policies. Recommendations from the committee that are being considered include
expansion of the 7th grade orientation program and middle school principal visits
to the elementary level.
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
5
2
Safe, Healthy and Orderly Environment
NPSD STRATEGIC
PLAN—GOAL 2
SAFE, HEALTHY
AND ORDERLY
ENVIRONMENT
School Nutrition
Services
School-based menu committees continued
to guide lunch and breakfast offerings for
our students. Many schools also started to
have “taste-tests” to encourage students
to try new selections. Also, schools placed
great effort in increasing the number of
students who apply for and qualify for
reduced or free lunches, resulting in a
40 percent increase in participating
students.
Cultural Competency
NPSD’s Partners in Equity (PIE)
Committee is a collective group of
teachers, administrators, support staff
and parents who work collaboratively to
ensure all stakeholders have equal access
to all opportunities in the district. To
address issues of the achievement gap,
it is essential that areas related to culture,
diversity and ethnicity are addressed
through the work of PIE. The committee
is comprised of multiple subcommittees
that focus on such topics as cultural
competency professional development
for all employees, resources for parents,
communication and equity, diversity in
the workforce and diversity within the
curriculum. Each subcommittee accomplished a great deal over the 2009-2010
school year.
The Cultural Communication and
Engagement subcommittee continued to
communicate the important holiday and
cultural observances of our students and
community. It also worked with district
administration to develop and coordinate
professional development opportunities
that help NPSD staff better understand
how to communicate with diverse families.
The Diversity in Curriculum subcommittee
completed a diversity checklist after
considerable research was completed on
diversity and curricular issues. Future
goals of the committee include gathering
feedback from multiple stakeholders on
the diversity checklist prior to developing
a final proposal.
School Rules
During the 2009-2010 school year, many
activities took place improving the area
of school rules. Several meetings and
training sessions took place with
principals and assistant principals to
review the discipline codes, develop a
common set of expectations for specific
offenses and discuss consistent and
appropriate responses. In addition, the
administrative team reviewed monthly
disciplinary data and practices to improve
the process and data managements for
Pennsylvania Information Management
System (PIMS) submission.
The Resources for Diversity subcommittee
created a resource guide to provide all
families with information to support their
children’s academic, emotional and social
development. This guide was distributed
to all schools.
SAFE, HEALTHY & ORDERLY ENVIRONMENT HIGHLIGHTS
safe, hea
From the 2009-2010 School Year
• NPSD Safe Schools Coordinator Ray Wilson received a community service
commendation from the Upper Gwynedd Police Department during an annual
awards ceremony.
• NPSD was included in the Promising Partnership Practices 2009 book – an annual
collection of activities from members of the National Network Partnership of Schools
(NNPS) out of Johns Hopkins University. The NPSD Family Cultural Advisory
Council was recognized in the District Leadership section of the book, while the
district’s efforts to close the achievement gap in standardized test scores were
featured as one of the best practices.
6
envir
Environmental
Stewardship
Improving overall energy efficiency is
good for the environment and good for
the NPSD budget. Once again, NPSD’s
ENERGY STAR Portfolio improved,
increasing from 48 to 61 (on a scale
from 0-100) in the 2009-2010 school
year. Northbridge School and York
Avenue Elementary School received
individual ENERGY STAR Awards
bringing our total number of buildings
receiving this honor to four.
implementation, student surveys show
that more students feel comfortable reporting incidents of bullying, more staff
members are getting involved to help
kids who feel bullied, and more interventions are in place to prevent occurrences.
Safe Schools
Ensuring student safety is a top priority
in NPSD. At the secondary level alone,
security staff logged in more than 7,500
visitors through its Raptor System.
This system, via visitor drivers’ licenses,
checks for criminal history.
In addition, NPSD implemented
mandatory Intruder Drills at every
school. Working with local police
departments, staff and students learned
what to do in this type of situation. Also,
security personnel received training in
National Incident Management System
(NIMS), which provides a template for
the management of critical incidents.
Also of note, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Office of Radiation
and Indoor Air recently recognized the
North Penn School District as a 2009
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools
(IAQ TfS) Excellence Award winner. The
award recognizes North Penn’s efforts
and designates the district as a national
role model for all schools.
Anti-bullying
NPSD continued the implementation
of the Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program in its schools that began in
2008. Since that time, Bridle Path and
Knapp elementary schools and Penndale
and Pennfield middle schools received
training in this internationally recognized program for stopping incidents of
bullying and making schools safer. Since
althy
& orderly
ronment
“Our selection panel was particularly impressed with the overall thoroughness of
your district’s Indoor Air Quality program, from monthly inspections and walkthroughs, to training provided for principals and custodial staff. The selection panel
also found the use of scorecards and trend tracking to be very innovative,
as they can act as a model for other area school districts.”
— NOTIFICATION LETTER FROM THE UNITED STATES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
CHECK OUT NPTV’S MEDIA LIBRARY, PHOTOS,
VIDEO PRODUCTION BLOGS AND MORE AT
nptv.npenn.org — NEW CONTENT DAILY!
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
7
3
Organizational Effectiveness
NPSD STRATEGIC
PLAN—GOAL 3
ORGANIZATIONAL
EFFECTIVENESS
Department Improvement
During the 2009-2010 school year, the district’s Department
Improvement Advisory Committee (DIAC) met several times
to draft and begin implementation of goals. Each department,
such as transportation, security, district-wide secretaries, ESL
assistants, technology, etc., developed goals to help their
employees and department as a whole continuously improve.
Results of this process include improved customer service,
increased professional development and better communication.
DIAC will continue to meet in the 2010-2011 school year.
Effective Schools
The organization and delivery of a NPSD education is of critical
importance. In NPSD, the Effective Schools model has been used
to continuously improve in this area. Every teacher is engaged in
a team that meets once a month to work toward accomplishing
district and building goals. These teams are based on proven
characteristics of successful schools and the state’s Standards
Aligned System (SAS). SAS is a comprehensive approach to
support student achievement across Pennsylvania based on clear
standards, fair assessments, curriculum framework, instruction,
interventions and materials and resources.
Communications
NPSD re-invigorated its efforts to keep its community informed
and aware of district news, issues and concerns. Initial steps
were taken in the area of social networking as the district signed
on to Twitter. The district tweeted more than 100 messages to
more than 600 followers. People flocked to www.npenn.org as
well. Since January 1, 2010, the NPSD website received more
than 2.2 million visits with approximately 7.3 million page
views from over 740,000 unique visitors from 140 countries
worldwide. The website averages 12,000 visits per day.
As always, NPSD coordinated face-to-face meetings so that
community members could have a chance to speak with staff
about their hopes and concerns. Superintendent Dietrich held
various Community Conversations throughout the North Penn
area where he met in small group settings to discuss various
topics. He also joined students from every North Penn school
where he learned about their opinions on subjects ranging from
student lunches to standardized tests.
NATIONAL AND STATE ORGANIZATIONS
ONCE AGAIN RECOGNIZED NPSD FOR ITS
COMMUNICATION EFFORTS:
• From the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association
(PENSPRA), NPSD received a 2009 Award of Excellence
for the district’s 2008-2009 annual report. North Penn
Television (NPTV) received an Award of Excellence for
“DUI Aftermath,” a video shown to NPHS seniors about
the ramifications of drinking and driving. The NPSD
Educational Foundation’s 2008-2009 annual report also
received an Award of Honor.
• From the National School Public Relations Association
(NSPRA), NPSD received a 2009 Golden Achievement Award
in Recognition of Exemplary Public Relations to the North
Penn School District for the NPSD Educational Foundation
20th Anniversary silent auction and gala, and an Honorable
Mention for the 2008-2009 Foundation annual report.
8
organization
effec
Sufficient Time
Fair and Equitable Budget Process
During the course of developing the district’s strategic plan,
it became apparent that more instructional time was needed for
staff to meet the needs of our students. A study of surrounding
school districts found that our instructional day was the shortest
of any in the surrounding area. Beginning in September 2009,
NPSD adjusted start and end times at elementary and middle
schools by 20 minutes to gain more instructional time. It also
resulted in a change in report card intervals.
Tough economic times call for tighter budgets and innovative cost
reducing while protecting revenues. During the 2009-2010 school
year, several efforts were put in place to save the district money
while maintaining or even improving our high standard of
achievement, performance and service. These measures included:
Facilities
• Efficiencies in the lighting of high school hallways –
savings of $12,000 a year
• Reducing use of parking lot lights
Quality Improvement Process
Transportation
In its efforts to continually find ways to improve, in March 2010,
NPSD submitted a summary of our organization to the Keystone
Alliance for Performance Excellence (KAPE). KAPE is an
organization that studies the performance and results of
organizations including businesses, corporations, non-profits
and school districts. The submission was followed by a district
visit from KAPE examiners in June of 2010, at which time they
reviewed NPSD based on the national standards of quality
organizations. A full report is expected from KAPE in the fall of
2010, but NPSD did receive advanced notification of receiving the
“Proficiency” Award recognizing the district for demonstrating a
commitment to excellence and having established a process for
continuous improvement. The complete report will be used to help
identify areas for improvement.
• Takeover mid-day bus routes from contractor –
savings of $165,000
• Routing efficiencies result in reduction of one contracted
non-public bus – savings of $37,492
•Voluntary waiver of riding privileges for high school students who
drive and extended day program students whose parents drive
Communication/Community Engagement
• Convert bus schedule to postcards – savings of $10,000 a year
Business Office
• County-wide bid of earned income tax collection –
savings of $26,000
• County-wide bid of prescription drug program –
savings of $400,000
• Renegotiate copier contract – savings of $300,000 while
increasing number of copiers
Special Education
• Took over visually impaired and hearing programs previously
contracted through the Intermediate Unit
• NPSD publications were also acknowledged
by the Pennsylvania School Board Association.
The NPSD 2009-2010 activities calendar and
the NPSD 2008-2009 NPSD Educational
Foundation annual report both received an
Award of Excellence, while the 2008-2009
NPSD annual report received an Honorable
Mention.
•
North Penn Television (NPTV) also received
a National Student Television Award from
the National Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences Mid-Atlantic Chapter for a segment
from the weekly morning show at North Penn
High School.
nal
ctiveness
N P S D F I N A N C I A L S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 - 2 010*
Revenues
Local Revenue Sources
$154,750,297
State Revenue Sources
$30,569,318
Federal Revenue Sources
Other Revenue Sources
Total Revenues
Expenditures
Instruction
Support Services
Non-instructional Services
Other Financing Uses
Total Expenditures
$4,891,275
$795,795
$191,006,685
Instruction
$114,089,917
$58,844,883
$2,225,398
$13,831,744
$188,991,942
*Unaudited Results
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
9
Organizational Effectiveness ( C O N T I N U E D )
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS HIGHLIGHTS
From the 2009-2010 School Year
• NPSD held four H1N1 vaccination clinics for NPSD families,
administering approximately 5,465 vaccines in total thanks to the
excellent job of North Penn staff members and the overwhelming
support of the students and families of the North Penn community.
• NPSD opened its Family Welcome Center in the Office of School &
Community Engagement. Funded by the NPSD Educational
Foundation, the center includes laptops with various software
programs for parents and children and a lending library of more
than 150 parenting and educational books on various topics such
as bullying, cultural understanding and learning.
• Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, educators
in NPSD benefited from technology-based equipment and skill training
for an innovative literacy program entitled Digital Storytelling.
• The North Penn Educational Foundation funded 53 grants, for a total
of $35,043, for 67 innovative teachers in the district during the
2009-2010 school year.
NPSD continued its 10-year facilities modernization plan by
continuing renovations at Kulp and North Wales elementary schools.
quality
workforc
• A.M. Kulp Elementary School received a 27,488 sq. ft. addition which
now houses a new library, gymnasium, cafeteria and kitchen as well
as art and music rooms, lavatories and a boiler room. All existing
classrooms were rebuilt or renovated and all mechanical, lighting,
electrical, plumbing and life safety systems were replaced. The building
is now fully handicapped accessible. Kulp held a special re-dedication
ceremony and ribbon cutting event in May to celebrate the completion
of this project.
• North Wales Elementary School also received the first phase of major
renovations during the 2009-2010 school year, including renovations
to the library, and two classroom wings, as well as the three modular
classrooms. Internal HVAC systems and new lighting were also
installed and all classrooms received a cosmetic upgrade. All
mechanical, lighting, electrical, plumbing and life safety systems
were replaced. Future phases of the North Wales Elementary School
renovation project continue into this year.
NPSD is proud that it was once again able to deliver a highquality education at a low cost to taxpayers. The district’s tax
increase for the 2009-2010 school year was once again one of
the lowest in Montgomery County. Out of 22 school districts,
NPSD was the 5th lowest millage.
Where Your Taxes Go
The NPSD Board of School Directors continues
to provide a financially responsible approach to
spending. While there are many expenses related
to the operation of the district, including salaries,
maintenance and debt service, the Board works very
hard with the administration to ensure the greatest
percentage of monies are allocated to those areas
that most directly influence student learning.
Classroom Instructional
Expenses
7%
61%
Teachers and Assistants,
Textbooks and Materials,
Supplies
32%
Other
Working with the NPSD Board of School Directors, the
tax increase was below the state index at 3.89 percent,
while keeping our cost per student at $15,372, the 4 th
lowest in Montgomery County.
10
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
Classroom Support Expenses
Student Services: Curriculum Development,
Guidance, Health Services, Library,
Technology, Transportation
Operational Leadership: Administration,
Business Office, Human Resources,
Maintenance, Utility Costs
ce
4
Quality Workforce
NPSD STRATEGIC
PLAN—GOAL 4
QUALITY
WORKFORCE
Professional
Development
NPSD is committed to selecting and
developing employees to flourish and
contribute to the district’s mission,
vision and core values. In doing so, a
comprehensive professional development
plan is implemented each year for all
staff. During the 2009-2010 school year,
educators participated in more than
86,100 hours of training on topics
ranging from website development to
Effective Instruction to Everyday Math.
More than 800 different courses were
offered to them throughout the year on
in-service days and after hours.
Support staff members also received
two full days of professional development
during in-service days in November and
March. Topics included Communicating
with Diverse Families, Microsoft
Office 2007 and Dealing with
Difficult Students. It was the first time
in NPSD history that two days were set
aside to further develop support staff,
which includes secretaries, instructional
assistants, security guards, bus drivers,
cafeteria workers and more.
Cultural Competency Professional
Development in 2009-2010 included
monthly workshop sessions on this topic
with a cohort of teachers, support staff
and administrators. Each school is well
represented in this cadre. The monthly
workshops will continue for the 20102011 year with the intent of infusing the
ideas, beliefs and attitudes needed into
all schools so “courageous conversations”
around race, culture and diversity can
begin. Training sessions were held for
security officers, support staff administrators and inductees during the past two
years. The goal of Cultural Competency
Professional Development is to ensure all
employees of the district are striving to
become culturally competent.
The following staff members were
nominated by their co-workers
and received the Superintendent’s
Honor Roll Award:
Workforce Engagement
The 2009-2010 school year was a busy
one in the NPSD Human Resources
Department. More than 136 employees
were hired to fill vacant positions, and
more than 1,000 interviews out
of more than 3,000 applicants were
held. Human Resources staff participated
in nine job fairs throughout the region.
An engaged staff is a more satisfied staff.
Employees who like their jobs tend to
perform better and stay longer. To that
end, NPSD recognizes the importance
of an engaged workforce. One way the
district showed its support of staff was
conducting a Health and Wellness Fair
for all that included healthy lifestyle information, health screenings and fitness
classes. In addition, as previously stated,
each staff member was actively engaged
in developing or implementing goals in
either his or her building or department.
Ann Behrens
Receptionist, Pennbrook Middle School
Mary Ann Bender
Technology Assistant, Pennfield Middle School
Dean Calvaresi
Teacher, Inglewood Elementary School
Dave Kelly
Coordinator of Custodial Maintenance
Recruitment and
Hiring Practices/
Diverse Workforce
In addition, Partners in Equity hosted two
networking events during the school year
for diverse employees of North Penn and
established a PIE Partner Program, an
informal support and social networking
system for diverse new hires during their
first year with the district. In this program,
new employees are mentored by an experienced staff member of the same culture.
QUALITY WORKFORCE HIGHLIGHTS
From the 2009-2010 School Year
• A study of the district’s retention rate
for teachers showed an improved rate
from 92 percent in the 2004-2005
school year to a 98.5 percent in
the 2008-2009 school year,
showcasing that North Penn is
the place to be!
• NPSD teachers Barbara Burns-Lacey
and Diane Wakefield achieved the
prestigious honor of National Board
Certification, the highest certification in
the teaching profession.
• NPHS science teacher Brian Faikish was
recognized as Pennsylvania State Boys
Water Polo Coach of the Year.
• NPHS English teacher Ellen McKee
was selected as a recipient of the
2010 “Voices of Inspiration” Award
of Teaching Excellence sponsored
by Freedom Credit Union and the
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.
• NPHS health and physical education
teacher Ginny Ward received the Phil
Maguire Outstanding Professional
Award from the Southeastern Local
Association of Pennsylvania State
Association of Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance
(PSAHPERD).
• Penndale Middle School history and
political science teacher Robert Righter
received the 6th Annual Edwin G. Holl
Historic Achievement Award sponsored
by the Lansdale Historical Society.
• NPHS Cheerleading Coach Cookie
Jamison was named as an Outstanding
Person in the Cheerleading Industry
and recognized as the Top High School
Coach from the Spirit Industry Trade
Association (SITA).
• NPHS Football Coach Dick Beck was
named as the Head Football coach of
the Big 33 All-Star game.
DREAM BIG. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
11
North Penn School District
401 East Hancock Street
Lansdale, PA 19446-3960
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Lansdale, PA 19446
Permit No. 286
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Board of School Directors
PRESIDENT
Vincent Sherpinsky (sherpiva@npenn.org)
VICE-PRESIDENT
Timothy Kerr
MEMBERS
Josie Charnock
Stephen Hladik
Frank O’Donnell
Joseph Sullivan
Donald Hill
Rick Miniscalco
John Schilling
NON-MEMBER BOARD SECRETARY
Robert A. Schoch, Director of Business Administration
(schochra@npenn.org)
NPSD SUPERINTENDENT
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed. D. (dietricr@npenn.org)
NPSD ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
NPSD will be sending out E-matters, an electronic
newsletter for staff, families and community members. Log on to our website at
www.npenn.org to sign up to receive this monthly publication.
COMING SOON!
Diane Holben, Ed.D. (holbendm@npenn.org)
Produced by the NPSD Office of School and Community Engagement
A Glimpse at 2010-2011
Fast Facts About NPSD
NPSD priorities will remain the same
during the current school year. Efforts on
the academic side will continue to focus on
ensuring all students succeed and achieve
at least one year’s worth of progress in
one year of time. And we know many will
achieve more than that. Our resources will
be prioritized to help achieve this goal.
We know, however, that it is not business
as usual. NPSD is working hard to find ways
to do more for our students with less funding
resources.
The prolonged recession facing the nation today will result in severe limitations on a school
district’s ability to raise revenue. Since Act 1 of 2006, the index averaged 3.5 percent. But,
in the last year, this lagging index has dropped to 1.4 percent, and could easily drop further
in future years.
For the current year, a 2.9 percent tax increase only provided enough new revenue to
raise expenditures by 0.7 percent. In addition, all Pennsylvania school districts face major
expenditure increases through the employer’s share of the retirement contribution, which
is expected to spike in 2012-2013, and the unknown costs of the new federal health care
reform program.
The challenging task ahead of NPSD, and all school districts, is to balance its budget and
still provide quality programs and services to its community. To do this, we need the
support of students, staff and community stakeholders. Consequently, in the coming
months, numerous presentations to the staff and school community will elaborate on all
of these impacts and will provide opportunities for input.
As a district, for our district, we must come together to weather these challenging economic
times. We all need to do more, and the undertaking involves staff, students, the school
board and the community.
• The North Penn School District has an
approximate population of 90,000 and spans
an area of 42 square miles. This includes the
boroughs of Hatfield, Lansdale and North Wales,
the townships of Hatfield, Montgomery,
Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd and the
village of Line Lexington.
• More than 2,100 staff members work in 21
buildings. This includes 13 elementary schools
(grades K-6), 3 middle schools (grades 7-9),
1 high school (grades 10-12), 1 alternative
school (grades 7-12), the Educational Services
Center administration building, the Transportation
Office and the Support Services Center.
North Penn School District has close to 13,000 students
enrolled in its schools. NPSD students and families speak
more than 70 different languages. Below is a breakdown
of the district’s student ethnic composition census from
the 2009-2010 school year.
Alaskan National/
American Indian – 0.06 %
Asian Pacific Islander – 18.48 %
Black – 7.50 %
Hispanic – 3.41%
White – 70.55%