’14
You Can
Count on Us.
THE NORTH PENN
SCHOOL DISTRICT
2014-2015
Annual Report to the Community
’15
Dear Community,
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the North Penn School District (NPSD). These five
decades of sustained excellence are a testament to the community’s expectations and support,
our ongoing efforts to provide the best teachers and instruction, and outstanding students.
This year’s annual report highlights the successes and progress we made during the 2014-2015
school year. It will also touch a bit upon our plans for the current year and beyond. Although we
have challenges ahead of us, we know we will rise to them, just as we have done for the past 50 years.
There have been significant changes in public education over the decades and the last few
years have been no different. Technology, academic standards, staff evaluations and financial
constraints are just a few areas where things seem different. One thing that is for certain,
though, is that no matter how much public education may change, the North Penn School
District always was and always will be accountable to you, our community.
I hope that as you read through these pages, the stories of our successes will reinforce your pride
in this community, our schools and our students.
Sincerely,
“
No matter how
much public education
may change, the North
Penn School District
always was and always
will be accountable to
you, our community.
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
Superintendent
2
“
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Dear North Penn Residents,
The 2014-2015 school year was another excellent year that will enter the North Penn School
District history book.
In terms of achievement, our students continue to excel well above the state average and
are recognized locally, statewide and nationally for their accomplishments. Students in
Kindergarten through grade 12 have a multitude of curricular offerings and extra-curricular
activities before them, from Suzuki Strings to Advanced Placement Latin to Academic
Decathlon. And once again, our primary focus on student success throughout the educational
experience has led to national distinctions for North Penn High School.
In terms of fiscal responsibility, the NPSD Board of School Directors is proud to say that we
have attained academic success at an affordable cost to tax payers. We continue to have one of
the county’s lowest tax rates and cost per student. We have been able to sustain this fiscal stability
through careful budgeting, cost-cutting measures, wise investing and a favorable debt ratio.
Collaboration has been the key to NPSD’s success through the years and last year was no different.
We reached key labor agreements with staff that we believe recognize their high level of
excellence and commitment to our students. As proud as we are of our students, we are just as
proud of NPSD staff members who are guiding these students to success.
As a member of this community for much of the school district’s 50 years and a member of
the board for nearly 20 years, I can say I have never been more honored to serve you. This
annual report outlines why I am so proud. Enjoy!
Vincent Sherpinsky
President, NPSD Board of School Directors
Board Members: Sitting left to right: Josephine Charnock, John Schilling, Carolyn Murphy,
Vincent Sherpinsky (president). Standing left to right: Timothy Kerr (vice president), Walter Brown,
Suzan Leonard, Frank O’Donnell, Joseph Sullivan.
3
You Can Count On...
SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS
North Penn continued its record of success.
In September, we learned that North Penn High
School earned the Governor’s Expanding Excellence
Competitive (Mentoring) Pilot Grant for its Biology
Program. Worth $25,000, the grant recognized
NPHS’s significant academic achievement
improvement on the Keystone Biology Exam over
a two-year period. NPHS’s 2014 proficiency of
75.44 percent was not only almost 20 percent
higher than it was two years earlier, but it was also
the highest in the county and one of the highest in
Pennsylvania. As a recipient of this grant, NPHS
was considered a mentor school and worked
throughout the year with Fleetwood Area High
School in the area of biology.
The funding supported four programs
designed by Hatfield and district-level staff.
These programs focused on Title 1 students
in grades Kindergarten through third grade
and included the following:
Then in December, NPSD learned that Hatfield
Elementary School was selected as a Reward –
High Progress School for its high achievement
as a Title 1 School under the state’s School
Performance Profile. This $50,000 Innovation
Grant is a competitive grant designed to promote
new learning structures and processes that meet
individual student needs. Only 36 schools in
the state received the Reward.
•Professional development designed to assist teachers in
•An after-school program to improve literacy and
numeracy skills.
•An after-school enrichment program to build academic
vocabulary and background knowledge.
•A summer kindergarten readiness program for
incoming kindergarten students to follow the English
as a Second Language (ESL) summer program for
incoming kindergarten students. It gave these students
three weeks of instruction on literacy skills prior to
the beginning of kindergarten.
implementing strategies to reach higher levels of analysis
and application of concepts.
Other academic achievements include:
•Developed an Inclusion Task Force and three-year plan to
guide the planning, evaluation, refinement and expansion
of inclusive practices in NPSD.
•NPSD recognized 23 NPHS students as semifinalists
in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Competition and
28 students as commended scholars.
Post-Graduate Education Attendance
100
2014 Graduates
Average SAT Scores (2014-2015)
2015 Graduates
North Penn
State
National
67
600
540
560
499 495
504
511
522
482 484
400
34
200
1
4
4-Year
Colleges
2-Year
Colleges
Specialized
Schools
Total
0
Critical
Reading
Mathematics
Writing
KEYSTONE FOR
OPPORTUNITY GRANT...
WHERE ARE WE?
The Keystone for Opportunity Grant provides
funds to improve literacy programs from birth to
grade 12. North Penn was awarded approximately
$1,000,000 each year for five years to increase
student achievement in literacy. Our achievements
in the first three years are:
•Through our birth to age five initiatives, we have built
90%
of graduates attended
college on average.
AP Exams
NPHS students took a record-breaking
1,458 AP EXAMS in the 2014-2015 school year.
Of those tests, 32 percent scored a five or
higher and 87 percent scored a three or better.
partnerships with area preschools to improve literacy
skills and kindergarten readiness.
•Our elementary initiative has provided over $500,000 of
literacy intervention resources, additional literacy coaches
to support teachers in literacy best practices, and supports
for the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII)
framework implementation.
•At the secondary level, we have supported continued
resources, professional development and coaching for
READ 180 and Wilson Reading, as well as coaching in the
implementation of text dependent analysis questions.
•Due to grant supported initiatives, English Language Learner
(ELL) student performance on the ACCESS assessment
consistently demonstrates strong growth in language
proficiency and consistent performance higher than state
performance targets.
Lastly, what were five of the most
common schools NPHS students applied
to in the 2014-15 school year?
Montgomery County Community College, Penn State,
Temple, West Chester and Bloomsburg. These schools
are in order with Montgomery County Community
College receiving the highest number of applications
from North Penn students.
780
of almost 1,000
North Penn seniors
took the SATs in
2014-2015.
You Can Count On...
STUDENTS WHO SHINE
Year after year, student after student, there is one
thing for sure: NPSD students are the best of
the best. Here are a few examples:
•The NPHS Marching Knights won first place at
the USBands National Championship, Group V Open
division. They scored 97.950 on a 100-point scale and
won the “overall effect” caption award.
•11
grade students at North Penn High School
participated in a Vocab Bowl, an opportunity for academic
competition that showcases knowledge while reinforcing
the importance of vocabulary in everyday life.
th
•750 North Penn student singers from fourth to 12
th
grade
performed in the annual North Penn School District
Choral Showcase.
•The NPHS Knight Crier earned several distinctions from
the 2015 Student Pennsylvania Keystone Press Awards,
including first place in photography and editorials.
The online newspaper also placed first in the best
website category.
•For the third year in a row, the NPHS Academic
Decathlon Team won the state championship. The team
also returned with honors from the National Academic
Decathlon competition ranking 13th in the nation and
seventh in the large school division.
•17 NPHS students earned scholarships for their
performance in the 2015 American Association of
University Women (AAUW) Writing Contest, while
three students earned honors for their performance in
the 2015 National Council of the Teachers of English
Writing Contest.
•17 NPHS students received awards for their performance
on the National Greek Exam.
•The Pennbrook Middle School Jazz Ensemble performed
at the National Association for Music Education Eastern
Division Conference. Pennbrook was the only middle
school jazz band in the country to be invited to perform
at this most prestigious event.
•The North Penn Gallery of Art once again displayed
incredible art work created by students from Kindergarten
through 12th grade.
6
•For the first time, Penndale, Pennfield and Pennbrook
hosted the PEnnFit Challenge 3K Outdoor Walk/Run at
each school throughout the school day.
•The NPHS Odyssey of the Mind team took first place at
the Pennsylvania State Odyssey of the Mind competition
and took second place at the World Finals Competition.
•NPHS student athletes competed and won at all levels.
League Champions: football, girls water polo,
boys water polo, girls bowling, boys bowling,
girls swimming, boys swimming, girls track, softball,
baseball. District Champions: girls swimming,
boys swimming. State Champions: girls water polo,
academic decathlon, baseball.
•North Penn Television crew received four nominations
and award from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National
Academy of Television Arts.
embers of NPHS Junior Reserve Officer
M
Training Corps (JROTC) attended more
than 100 events and provided over
2,046 hours of community service in
the 2014-15 school year. They also earned
27 trophies at competitions.
Carnegie Hall
80+
North Penn High
School football players
participated in the 11th
annual North Penn
Reading Super Bowl
event held in conjunction
with the NFL Super Bowl.
These readers visited
all NPSD elementary
schools and read to more
than 5,500 children.
he BRIDLE PATH/MONTGOMERY SELECT
T
STRING ENSEMBLE performed at Carnegie
Hall as part of the New York International
Sounds of Spring Music Festival. The ensemble
was selected to perform by audition and was
the only elementary ensemble invited
to perform in the festival.
6
NPHS engineering
academy seniors
presented nanotechnology
research at the 5th Annual
Philly Materials Day event held at
Drexel University.
IRONKnights Triathlon
More than 1,200 NPSD elementary school
students participated in the 4th Annual
IRONKnights Triathlon.
7
You Can Count On...
STAFF THAT IS “BEST OF CLASS”
Children depend on us here at NPSD. That is
why we are committed to employing and retaining
a highly qualified staff.
Here are just a few of our staff ’s accomplishments
last year:
•NPHS Business Teacher Linda Westerlund received
the FBLA Outstanding Advisor of the Year Award
for Pennsylvania.
•Oak Park Elementary School teacher Linda Roberts was
honored by the Montgomery County Science Teachers’
Association for being an exemplary teacher of
elementary science.
•Ralph Jackson, a strings teacher at Bridle Path and
Montgomery elementary schools, was named
a quarterfinalist for the Music Educator Award™
presented by The Recording Academy and
the GRAMMY Foundation®.
•Gwynedd Square Elementary School physical
education teacher Debra Buckner was awarded
the Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year
by the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance, Inc (PSAHPERD).
•Members of North Penn High School athletic teams,
North Penn students, staff and alumni honored NPSD
Athletic Director Don Ryan who retired in January 2015
after 46 years of working for the school district.
•Staff participated in 799 professional development
PSD employees Jason Bashaw,
N
Ellen McKee and Cheryl Vilsmeier were
named members of the Superintendent’s
Honor Roll which recognizes staff for
their commitment to the school district.
activities for a total of 3,318 hours.
•Carol Begley was named the Northeastern Regional
Manager of the Year and the Pennsylvania State Manager
of the Year by the School Nutrition Association
of Pennsylvania.
PHS teacher Andrea Roney
N
was named a Superhero for Kids
by the North Penn United Way.
Retention Rate
Administrators
Professional
Support Staff
100%
80%
60%
2008-2009
83.33
95.81
94.87
8
2009-2010
91.38
98.93
96.11
2010-2011
92.31
91.69
94.54
2011-2012
88.14
96.22
93.38
2012-2013
92.86
95.55
91.31
2013-2014
83.93
96.74
94.98
2014-2015
96.55
98.11
96.82
Highly Qualified Teachers
100%
99.7
99.8
2008-09
2009-10
99.8
100
100
2012-13
2013-14
99.3
99
98
97.5%
96
95%
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2010-11
2011-12
The above graph indicates North Penn’s percentage of HQT’s. Data for the 14-15 school year has not been finalized yet.
Student and Teacher Count by Year
Teachers
12,795
12,800
12,650
Students
12,719
12,729
12,561
12,731
12,658
12,645
2012
2013
12,694
12,500
2008
1,050
2009
2010
2011
1,026
1,026
1,023
2014
2015
1,000
1,000
978
967
959
970
950
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
192
205
2014
2015
Years of Service for Teaching Staff
300
225
150
75
0
254
117
9
19
35+
years
30-35
years
112
62
25-30
years
20-25
years
15-20
years
10-15
years
5-10
years
0-5
years
9
You Can Count On...
SAFE SCHOOLS, EFFICIENT
OPERATIONS AND
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Schools are about people, but we can’t overlook
the structures and support that keep them running
smoothly. NPSD has a long-standing tradition
of providing a safe, top-quality education at
a reasonable cost.
•The Extended School Care income for last year showed great
improvement. With a consistent enrollment of more than
750 students throughout the year and increases made to rates,
the program covered all expenses and showed a profit as well.
•The School Nutrition Services staff served 243,817 breakfasts
and more than one million lunches during the 2014-2015
school year.
Last year’s highlights include:
•Equipping classrooms with state-of-the-art technology,
furthering our commitment to ensure each child has
access to a computer in every classroom, also called
a “one-to-one” initiative. Last year, the program began
with mini laptops for all third grade classrooms and in
various middle school classrooms.
•Technology upgrades for staff to make their jobs more
•Last year NPSD’s 166 buses and vans traveled 1,738,814.6 miles.
•Due to energy savings initiatives, this past year the district
saw a $7 million decrease in energy costs since 2008.
•Added videos cameras and GPS systems to all NPSD buses.
•NPSD and the North Penn Educators Association (NPEA)
agreed to a contract through June 2016.
efficient and effective.
•New cabling and wireless access points where needed.
•Renovations to main entrances at Bridle Path, Gwyn-Nor,
Gwynedd Square, Knapp and Oak Park elementary
schools added more secure entrances.
•NPSD and the North Penn Educational Support
Professionals Association (NPESPA) agreed to a contract
through June 2017.
•The NPSD Board of School Directors approved a final
budget of $235,164,428 million for the 2015-2016 school
year. Taxes and costs per student remain as one of
the lowest in the county.
•G wyn-Nor Elementary School reintroduced the Olweus
Bullying Prevention Program to its students and staff.
•Facility rental use brought in more than $130,000 to NPSD.
•NPSD sold approximately $34,000 in advertising.
Due Process and Mediation Requests Over Time
30
28
25
Due Process
Mediation
26
20
15
19
10
12
6
5
0
10
13
10
5
5
3
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
6
5
1
2013-2014
2014-2015
Cost Savings in
Independent Education
Evaluations
REVENUES
2013-2014
DOLLARS SPENT
on Independent
Evaluations
YIELDING
NPSD Financial Summary
2014-2015*
12
$40,175
Independent Evaluations
1.1% .035% .589%
$ 181,479,901.54
Local
39,427,777.91
State
2,495,623.18
Federal
80,661.75
Other
1,325,338.43
Special Reserve Account
TOTAL
17.5%
$ 224,809,302.81
80.7%
EXPENDITURES
2014-2015
DOLLARS SPENT
on Independent
Evaluations
YIELDING
4
$15,650
Independent Evaluations
Instruction
Support
Non-instructional
Other Financing Uses
TOTAL
1%
$ 141,356,936.35
63,174,462.43
3,076,832.01
17,201,072.02
8%
28%
$ 224,809,302.81
63%
*Unaudited Results
North Penn Tax Range for 2014-2015
1.9% tax increase. Tax increases in Montgomery County
ranged as high as 3.55% in other school districts.
In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) recognized North Penn School
District with a 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner
of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award
for their continued leadership in protecting
our environment through superior energy
efficiency achievements.
energy efficiency
ntering all schools in the district into
E
the ENERGY STAR NATIONAL BUILDING
COMPETITION, and continuing to improve
even after the competition ended.
37%
NPSD was honored for its long-term
commitment to energy efficiency. Some of
NPSD’s recent accomplishments include:
•A chieving ENERGY STAR scores of 75 or higher
for all 20 buildings, with 14 buildings exceeding
an ENERGY STAR score of 90. Each building has
also maintained a score of 75 or higher since the first
year it earned ENERGY STAR certification.
•Educating the community on the benefits of energy
management programs in annual reports, schoolbased calendars and media outlets.
reduction in energy use
compared to its 2010 baseline.
19
presentations delivered
outlining the importance
of energy management
in K-12 public schools
and the benefit of using ENERGY
STAR tools and resources to advance
energy management programs.
11
You Can Count On...
COMMITMENT TO THE
NORTH PENN COMMUNITY
NPSD is dedicated to the community which
it serves. Through outreach and consistent
communication, we endeavor to engage those
who live in the North Penn community in
lifelong learning and support of NPSD.
•The North Penn Alumni Athletic Association (NPAAA)
honored Greg Moyer, North Penn High School Class of
1971, with the Lifetime Achievement award. Moyer is
an award-winning television and digital media executive.
•The entire 9
th
grade at Penndale Middle School Enact Club
traveled to local community groups and organizations to
complete various service projects. Organizations included
the North Penn YMCA, Manna on Main Street, Meals on
Wheels and the Gwynedd Square Nursing Center.
•North Penn School District students, staff and community
members took a ride on the Bus to the Future during
American Education week to see first-hand the excellent
education NPSD provides.
•North Penn School District held a family engagement
event for its preschool partners through the Keystone
to Opportunities (KtO) grant that focused on the skills
needed to be successful in Kindergarten.
•Last year marked the 10
year that North Wales
Elementary School coordinated events to support
Alex’s Lemonade. Since 2006, North Wales donated
$11,446.03 to the organization. Last year, North Wales
Elementary raised $2,132.91 through various efforts.
th
•Since July 1, 2009, there were 706,628 visitors to the NPSD
YouTube site who watched 1,491,759 minutes of video.
Up from 89,695 visitors in 2013.
51
12
grants totaling more than
$29,000 were funded by
the North Penn School District
Educational Foundation.
•The NPSD Office of School & Community Education
received several state and national awards for its
publications and television programming.
•NPSD conducted surveys and Facebook feedback
about moving the first day of school to before Labor Day,
snow make up days and changing the start time of
the high school.
•The NPSD Community Education Program offered
hundreds of courses and camps and reached thousands
of community members. This enterprise fund once again
raised revenues for the school district.
North Penn in the News
86
press releases
were sent by NPSD
to local media
outlets including
print, radio and
television. These
efforts produced
a multitude of local
and regional
coverage of our
students and staff.
recognition
ICHE RANKED NPSD IN
N
THE TOP 30 BEST—OUT OF
500 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN
PENNSYLVANIA.
Once again Newsweek, US News & World Report and
the Washington Post named
NPHS one of the best high
schools in the country.
North Penn Held...
6 Community Conversations
5 Superintendent Student Council Meetings
3 Home & School President’s Meetings
1 Community Forum
150
HOURS
of NPTV Programming
Produced.
1,391
Tweets issued.
Increased Twitter
followers from
3,480 to 4,147.
PSD partnered with a range
N
of community organizations
to distribute free healthy
meals and snacks to children
throughout the region during
the summer.
charity
The Pennbrook Middle School
Baking Club presented a check
for $300 to local charity
Manna on Main Street.
13
You Can Count On...
THE NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The North Penn School District was established in
1966 when elementary schools in the North Penn
community consolidated with secondary schools.
A large, suburban school district outside of
Philadelphia, NPSD encompasses 43 square miles.
Our community members reside in the municipalities
of Hatfield, Hatfield Township, Lansdale,
Line Lexington, Montgomeryville, North Wales,
Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd.
During the 2014-2015 school year, 12,718 students
attended our 18 schools and just under 1,000 seniors
graduated from North Penn High School. NPSD
celebrates an increasing diversity in our student
body with 3.77 percent of our students qualifying for
English as a Secondary Language services. In some
schools, however, this is as high as 13.99 percent.
Just over 24 percent of students qualified for free and
reduced lunches with some schools attributing more
than 45 percent of their student population.
Economically
ElementaryDisadvantaged
Schools
Ethnicity
Kindergarten through 6th grade
A.M.
Bridle
PathKulp
Elementary
Bridle
Path
Gwynedd
Square
General Nash
Gwyn-Nor Elementary
Gwyn-Nor
Hatfield Elementary
Gwynedd Square
Inglewood
Elementary
Hatfield
Knapp
Elementary
Inglewood
Knapp
Montgomery
North Wales
Oak Park
Walton Farm
York Avenue
White
64.33%
Asian
19.52%
Black
8.33%
Hispanic
4.5%
3.12%
Multi
.13%
American Indian
.07%
Pacific Islander
3.12% .13%.07%
4.5%
8.33%
19.52%
64.33%
Kulp Elementary
Montgomery
Middle
Schools
Students Identified with Autism
Receiving In-District Services
Elementary
7thNash
through
9th grade
North Penn High School
Pennbrook
North Wales
Penndale
Oak
Park Elementary
Pennfield
300
Pennbrook Middle
Penndale Middle
Northbridge
School
250
Pennfield
Middle students 7th through 12th grade
Credit
recovery
“
30%
40%
50%
150
2010-11
2011-12
“
10th through 12th grade
20%
242
245
2012-13
2013-14
200
York Avenue
North
Penn High School
10%
227
207
Walton Farm
0%
277
2014-15
We have a comprehensive plan, school goals and
department goals that drive our efforts each and every day.
We rise to challenges and we succeed.
14
You Can Count on…
A SOLID FUTURE
The 2015-2016 school year is off to a great start.
Currently there is a great deal of conversation
occurring at the local and state levels regarding
the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
(PSSA). Though data could not be included in this
annual report due it’s timing, it will be in future
years and is something NPSD takes very seriously.
NPSD is a top school district in the state. We have
the resources, staff, students and community to
maintain our excellence for decades to come.
We rise to challenges and we succeed. We will
continue to look at ways to control our costs
while focusing on increased student achievement.
We have a comprehensive plan, school goals
and department goals that drive our efforts
each and every day. But it’s the people –
students, staff and you – who make NPSD
the special place that it is. Please join us as we
celebrate our past successes and plan for our
future accomplishments.
Connect with us:
•npenn.org
•facebook.com/NorthPennSD
•facebook.com/NorthPennAlumni
•facebook.com/NPSDEducationalFoundation
•twitter.com/npsd
•youtube.com/nptv
•northpennnews.org
15
North Penn School District
401 East Hancock Street
Lansdale, PA 19446-3960
www.npenn.org
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