LANSDALE- The North Penn School District Board of School Directors met Thursday evening for an action meeting where they recognized several groups of high achieving students, discussed the committee reports, and approved all items under the Superintendent’s Report.

The first set of proclamations were awarded to students on the North Penn High School Academic Decathlon team. The team went to nationals this year, brought home five national medals, and placed tenth in the nation. Ms. Nancy Craig, the coach of the team, introduced the students who competed in a total of ten events at the competition with the theme being World War 2. Craig acknowledged her assistant coach Lisa Tyree who helped the team place at nationals. In the last five years, the team has won the state championship four times, and this year they also hosted the PA Academic Decathlon Competition at the high school.

In addition, skilled students in a second language were recognized at the meeting. The North Penn High School Japanese teacher, Ms. Coyle Noriko, recognized students who participated in two different Japanese competitions. One was the Montgomery County Oral Proficiency Contest which evaluated students’ oral proficiency through conducting individual interviews. Noriko also recognized the three students who achieved the top scores in the National Japanese Exam, making them the national champions.

Mr. Jonathan Rockey, the Latin teacher at North Penn High School recognized the number of students who took and won awards in the National Latin Exam. The number of students who achieved gold in the exam constitute the largest contingent of North Penn students who’ve ever achieved gold.

Before the audience of citizens was asked to speak, Dr. Curt Dietrich brought to attention House Bill 1213, a piece of one sided legislation that would change how commercial properties are valued to the detriment of North Penn. The bill would prohibit school districts to initiate appeals of property values, which North Penn has done successfully in the past. The third component of the bill that presents a concern is that the bill states that any of the properties North Penn has acquired through a settlement with the property owner would have to revert back to the original assessment prior to the negotiation. This dates all the way back to 1998 and would have an immediate consequence on revenue. Dietrich and Mr. Vincent Sherpinsky requested that members of the community oppose the bill which would ultimately have negative effects on the North Penn School District.

Three community members spoke up during the Audience of Citizens about issues regarding A.C. units in the schools, and classroom size in the schools. One mother was disconcerted with how portable A.C. units were placed in her son’s main three classrooms, and no other classrooms or schools. She asked why the Board singled out these three classrooms which happened to be her son’s main classes.

“I feel that it’s a total disgrace to him, me, and all other parents, and the six remaining schools that don’t have air conditioning, that those three classrooms be singled out,” expressed the mother.

She also talked about classroom size, and how the current classroom situation is unable to meet all the needs of the 25 to 29 students in the class as each student learns at a different pace. She talked about how the teachers are spread too thin and are unable to accommodate every student. Another community member seconded the concern about class size, and a third community member posed several questions about the Board’s procedure and decision making process as to deciding what schools and what classrooms receive A.C. units.

Moving forward to the Committee Reports, the Education/Community/Policy report discussed the AP Capstone Program, and prompted talk regarding the option of full day kindergarten, with Ms. Suzan Leonard expressing her disappointment that the conversation was not moved to the Board for full discussion. The Safe Schools Committee presented an action plan and timeline for the development of building level CERT teams at their last meeting. Other reports were given from the following committees of Finance, Personnel, Support Services, North Montco Technical Career Center, and the North Penn Educational Foundation.

Transitioning to the Superintendent’s Report, all of the items were approved. Items included three Change Orders for the Montgomery Elementary School Addition and Renovation Project, the award of a contract to Bonnett & Associates to design a dust collection system at Pennbrook Middle School, the North Montco Technical Career Center 2017-18 Budget, the Employee Assistance Contract with the Penn Foundation, the Nutrition Services Budget for the 2017-18 school year, the Extended School Care Budget for the 2017-18 school year, the 2018 School Board Meeting dates and the Committee Meeting dates, the district’s trustee and alternate trustee to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Schools Trust, permission to apply for the “Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities” grant, and the acceptance of several gifts to the district.

The finance report approved ratification of disbursements for the month of April 2017 in the amount of $19,006,608.92, and approved the March-April 2017 Budget Transfers in the amount of $712,373.56.

In other business, the Board approved appointing up to three voting delegates, Mr. Patrick McGee, Ms. Theresa Prykowski, and Ms. Josephine Charnock, to the 2017 assembly to be held on Friday October 20, 2017, after the closing of the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference.

The next Board of School Directors meeting will be held on June 6th at 7:30 PM in the Educational Services Center, and it is scheduled as a work session meeting.