Bulletin Board January 2025
Dear North Penn Community,
2025 is off to a fast start and January has already flown by! With 11 months still ahead in what I believe will be a year filled with excitement and challenges, I am sending best wishes to our community for happiness, health and peace through this year.
As the newly elected School Board President, my first month has been a whirlwind of new responsibilities, learning, and engaging with this community. Our previous president, Mrs. Tina Stoll, was and still is committed, engaged, and a huge supporter of our students and staff. I certainly want to maintain that high level of commitment and engagement.
As such, I had the opportunity to participate in two elementary school service projects in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy of helping others. I assisted 2nd and 3rd graders at Gwynedd Square Elementary to fill bags of food and toiletry donations for several organizations. There were several hundred bags filled for distribution, in addition to monetary contributions. I also spent time at Inglewood Elementary doing a “Sock Roll”, creating bundles of socks and snacks for those in need. Our elementary students are incredible, and spending time with them while helping our neighbors in need was such a fulfilling experience.
As the month continued, I visited Gwyn-Nor Elementary and met their new therapy dog, Penny, who was in a 4th grade classroom on that day during a quiz. Several students would pet her as they would be asking their teacher questions at the same time. Therapy dogs visit our schools from time to time, and I got to see firsthand the therapeutic and calming benefits of these well-trained dogs.
Lastly, I have continued following the progress on our high school renovation project. As I complete this letter, I am thrilled to say that we have held our bid opening day for the Phase 1 work scope. We will continue to update the community on the successful bidders and getting underway with the work. While this year will be a very busy one, myself and the other board members are committed to our purpose: to maintain a safe and welcoming school environment for all of our students.
Sincerely,
Cathy McMurtrie
Education/Curriculum/Instruction Committee
At the ECI meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the agenda items included student travel, an update on the Cultural Proficiency, Equity & Inclusion work, and the proposed calendar for 2025-26. The committee received reports from the co-chairs of the CPE&I sub-committees on their commendable efforts to engage students, staff, and families through activities, outreach, and professional development in order to provide equitable opportunities and promote respect for all. Also, the committee reviewed the proposed school calendar for 2025-26. It was determined that this calendar should be brought back to the February ECI meeting for another review.
Facilities and Operations Committee
The Facilities and Operations Committee met on Monday, December 16, 2024, in a virtual format.
There were no action items discussed.
The Committee was presented and discussed informational items, including:
- High School project update
- High School project phasing schedule
- Update on the 10 year Capital Project Plan
Finance Committee
At the January 7, 2025, Finance Committee meeting the financial reports were reviewed in addition to the following items:
1. The Committee heard a presentation from representatives from CHA Consulting, Inc. D'Huy Engineering, Inc. was acquired by CHA Consulting. D'Huy was awarded a contract in 2023 to serve as the District's construction manager for the high school project. CHA Consulting requested that the original contract with D'Huy be assigned to CHA Consulting. The same team from D'Huy is in place for the high school project.
2. Mr. Zach Williard from PFM, the District's Financial Advisor, presented information regarding the tentative financing schedule for the high school project. The bond rating process was also discussed.
3. Mr. Skrocki reviewed the certified Act 1 index for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The index is 4.0%. Last month, Mr. Skrocki recommended consideration of a resolution not to exceed the Act 1 index for the next fiscal year.
4. Mr. Skrocki reported that the District was recently notified that its Public School Environmental Repairs Program grant application has been approved for $250,180.
5. Mr. Skrocki reviewed the preliminary 2023-24 fiscal year results. There were positive variances for both revenues and expenditures which resulted in a surplus for the year.
NPSD Educational Foundation
Any questions related to the Foundation can be directed to Christine Liberaski at the ESC, or you can learn more at npennedfoundation.org.