The Central Bucks Board Note
March 2019..................................Vol. 1, No. 6
Please share any feedback with Angela Linch, communications and public relations administrator, at alinch@cbsd.org or by calling 267-893-2073.
Thank You CB Cares!
CB Cares Presents Grants and Premieres Vaping PSA Contest Winning Video
CB Cares Executive Director Kimberly Cambra presented more than $9,000 in innovative learning grants to Central Bucks School District teachers, benefitting students in all grade levels. This second round of innovative learning grants brings the total awarded in 2018-2019 to more than $24,000.
Cambra also presented the premiere of the winning video in CB Cares' "Dangers of Vaping" public service announcement contest, created by Holicong Middle School's Mason Matich.
Mason and a number of other middle school students developed original PSAs to discourage vaping and spread the word about the dangerous risks students and others take when they engage in this behavior.
Thank you to Mason and CB Cares for helping CBSD to continue spreading awareness within our community. Find additional resources, and read more about the district's recent Community Awareness Event focused on opioids, vaping, & other drugs at https://www.cbsd.org/Page/44319.
Cambra also noted upcoming events that support the foundation, including the Harlem Wizards game on April 6 (tickets on sale at https://tinyurl.com/y6pk3w6l) and the June 9 Celebrity Chef & Waiter Gala.
Welcome Lorraine Sciuto-Ballasy
Following public interviews during the March 12 meeting, the board voted to appoint Lorraine Sciuto-Ballasy to serve as school director for region 4, which encompasses District 1 in Warwick and Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5 in Warrington Township. Sciuto-Ballasy will serve until the next Municipal Election in November.
Welcome Michael Canelli
Every Student, Every Day, Whatever it Takes
"[Jimmy Casas] believes school culture is the ultimate responsibility of every adult member of the school community; in Central Bucks, we can't agree more," Dr. Kopicki noted, "Many of our schools prominently display Jimmy's motto, 'Every Student, Every Day, Whatever it Takes.'"
Dr. Kopicki thanked Joe for his work in contributing to the gift plaques, and noted that he represents the outstanding excellence that CBSD hopes to encourage in all of its students and schools every day.
Welcome Dr. McGloin
Dr. Alexis McGloin was appointed assistant superintendent for assessment, professional development, and educational services during the board’s March 12 meeting.
Dr. McGloin, who will join the district in May, joins CBSD after serving as the superintendent of the Upper Perkiomen School District since January of 2015. During her tenure, the school district saw its graduation rate increase by 10%, increased high school advanced placement offerings, increased mental health supports including family and individual services in all schools, and saw the initiation of a $56 million middle school project including grade reconfiguration and building renovation.
Dr. McGloin also oversaw the completion of a $1.9 million upgrade of the district’s technology infrastructure, successfully implemented a one-to-one laptop initiative in grades six through twelve, and was instrumental in her district's conversion to new human resources and financial management software systems.
“You have hit a home run this evening by hiring Dr. McGloin,” Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki said following Dr. McGloin’s appointment by the board.
“She is first class in everything that she does…she is an outstanding educator, highly intelligent, highly self-motivated and she brings a plethora of skills to our school district that [will] make our team even stronger,” he added.
She has also completed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s National Institute for School Leadership’s Superintendent’s Academy.
Prior to her service in Upper Perkiomen, she served as assistant superintendent and principal in the Penn Delco School District. She began her career as a chemistry and general science teacher in the West Side Area Vocational Technical Schools in Kingston, Pennsylvania.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from East Stroudsburg University, as well as a master’s in education, and elementary and secondary principal certificate. Dr. McGloin holds a superintendent certificate from Temple University, where she earned her doctoral degree in 2009.
Technology Staff Report on Future of Education Technology Conference
The team attended 20 different sessions on topics including data visualization, systems integration, innovation, leadership, and augmented and virtual reality. "This was a great opportunity to make connections nationally and internationally," Jaffe said. He explained that the size of Central Bucks can make it difficult to discuss educational technology challenges and opportunities with area districts. The scope of the conference enabled the team to collaborate and learn from districts who are similar or much larger in size.
A visit to Southwest Middle School in Orange County, California was offered as part of the conference, and Lindsay Smith and Jaffe both attended. While Southwest is a significantly larger district, the ninth largest in the country, the team was able to learn a great deal from the process they are following as they work toward being fully one to one in 2021. In fact, the other district had elected to take many of the same steps that CBSD has undertaken in terms of device, platform, and programmatic planning, "That really validated a lot of the work that we've been doing," Smith noted.
When noting takeaways, Jaffe mentioned how important it was to find resources and learning that was directly related to the district's vision so that the material was highly relevant - and the conference provided speakers and sessions that allowed for that. Jaffe thanked the board again for their support of the conference attendance, and noted that "We're trying to make this not an IT department, but a technology and innovation department that is focused on student learning, and I'm very proud of what our group has done."
The entire presentation can be viewed on the district's website.
Presentation Outlines Continued Progress in Preparing 2019-2020 Budget
Central Bucks School District's Business Manager Dave Matyas and Director of Finance Brian Loftus provided an update to the Board on the status of the 2019-2020 budget preparation, along with a review of the governor's proposed budget for the Commonwealth.
The state's proposed 2019-2020 budget is balanced at $34.1 billion, 37.3% of which is allocated toward pre-K through 12 education. Subsidies from the Commonwealth make up about 20% of the district's overall revenues. As it stands now, the proposed budget would make a positive impact on Central Bucks.
Loftus noted that if approved by the legislature, the budget would increase CBSD state subsidies by about 2%. However, as Matyas noted, mandated contributions to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) continues to be a drag on district budgets. All together, CBSD must contribute 34.3% of employees' salaries to the state. Half of this is returned to the district as part of the state subsidy.
Loftus also reviewed the current status of the district's 2019-2020 operating budget. With $342,248,993 in expenditures and revenues currently estimated at $341,328,981, the deficit has been narrowed to $920,011. The Board is currently considering the prepaying of additional debt, which would reduce that deficit further. There will be additional refining of expenditures between now and April 23, when the proposed final budget is presented to the Board for their consideration.
Final budget approval is scheduled for the June 11, 2019 meeting of the Board of School Directors.
View the budget presentation in its entirety on the district's website here.
Proposed Special Education Plan Enters Public Review
Special Education Supervisors Allison Kuchler, Alicen Cervellero, Janet Kueny, Jay Moskowitz, Jill Schweizer and Shara Smith presented an overview of the contents of the district's proposed Special Education Plan. Pennsylvania school districts are required to submit a Special Education Plan, outlining the various responsibilities, processes, goals, and professional development planned by the department, every three years. The CBSD Special Education Plan, proposed to cover July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022, addresses current district needs and aligns with the CBSD Pillars of Excellence. The plan is shared for public review for a period of 28 days, ending April 22, 2019.
Board of School Directors in its entirety.
Central Bucks School District
Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month except for February, July, August, October, November and December. In February, the board will meet on the first and fourth Tuesdays. In July and August, the board meets on the fourth Tuesday only. In October, the board will meet on the third and fifth Tuesdays. In November, the board meets on the second Tuesday only. In December, the board meets on the first Tuesday only. Meetings are held at the Central Bucks Educational Services Center at 16 Welden Drive in Doylestown. All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend. Members of the public who wish to address the board prior to action items may sign up at the lectern before 7:30 p.m. Comments are limited to three minutes or less, depending on the number of speakers.
Correspondence for the Board of School Directors should be sent to Stephanie Radcliffe, Secretary to the Board, at sradcliffe@cbsd.org.
Email: alinch@cbsd.org
Website: www.cbsd.org
Location: 20 Welden Drive, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-5800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbschools/
Twitter: @cbsdinfo