EXCELLENCE
TODAY
FOR TOMORROW
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT – February 2006
Recently, we used our Global Connect telephone messaging system to reach all
RTMSD parents to ask for their support in contacting state legislators regarding
proposed property tax reform. We want to thank our parents for their tremendous
support. We have heard from our lawmakers in Harrisburg that the phones and
emails from RTM were definitely hitting the mark and making a difference!
As you know, there has been a great deal of legislative effort in the Special Session
to develop a school property tax solution. We are most pleased that the back-end
referendum exceptions are continuing to be refined. If a new property tax cap is
going to be imposed on school districts, the exceptions must provide schools with
the flexibility for expenditures that are beyond our control. Special education costs
are mandate driven as are retirement costs for our employees. In addition, our
school board can not control the spiraling cost of healthcare.
We applaud the House effort on the exception language included in the Saylor/Veon
amendment and we hope the Senate will join in supporting this language. We are
also urging lawmakers in Harrisburg to assure that we have an adequate timeframe
to implement any new school property tax legislation.
We will host an important Community Information meeting on Property Tax Reform
on Wednesday evening, March 8th at Springton Lake Middle School at 7:00 p.m. At
this meeting we will review with our community members the current details of the
proposed legislation and the impact these changes may have for our students and
educational programs. We are also asking our community members to stay abreast
of the issues by checking our website for updated information. Additional letters to
our Congressmen will go a long way in helping our voices to be heard.
Town Meetings on Redistricting
I would like to remind our community of two very important meetings which will be
held this week on March 1 and March 2nd at Springton Lake to review the details of
our proposed elementary school redistricting plans. The information presented each
night will be the same so parents may attend one or both of the meetings. We will
also videotape the content of the meeting to air on our cable channel in the coming
weeks. Following these meetings, we will gather community feedback and through
the Parent and Administrators’ Advisory Committees narrow the field of proposals to
no more than 2. This recommendation of the selected model will be presented to
the School Board at the Legislative Meeting on March 23. If all goes well, we are
aiming for official decision on this matter no later than the end of April.
Facilities Educational Master Plan
We would like to inform the community that we are preparing to seek approval to
complete a district-wide study of our facilities’ needs that will be comprehensive and
will be long-range. This plan will pull together data from many current sources and
investigate, via many channels, including focus groups, our needs for the future in
Rose Tree Media Schools. Though these are uncertain times from a budgetary
perspective, we know that we must be planful and forward-thinking in ensuring that
our school houses will meet the safety, security, and educational needs of our
students in years to come. We eagerly anticipate this project and we will keep our
community informed as we move forward.
Technology Excitement
As you may have noticed, we have begun on a path of utilizing technology more
efficiently to assist us in providing better and more services to all. A good example
of a simple, yet far-reaching change, has been the use of the Global Connect
telephone messaging system. Tonight, with Board approval, we will be embarking
on another new path to offer a Virtual Employment Center to professional employees
interested in working in our district. We have showcased this model, which was
designed and copyrighted by Lower Merion School District, to our administrators and
Board members and we are most eager to get this up and running. The new system
will insure that every applicant is afforded a “preliminary interview” online. Instead of
our wading through piles and piles of paper applications, we will now be able to be
more efficient in selecting those candidates who are the best match for positions in
our district. It is our goal to begin using this new system online by early April. We
know that this will enable us to insure that candidates’ applications are all screened
objectively and maintained in a database that will serve us well as we move forward.