BOARD NOTES: April 2020
2019-2020 Calendar Update
The district has not used the three built in snow/emergency days from the approved 2019-2020 calendar, therefore, the last day for students is Wednesday, June 10, 2020, the last day for teachers is Thursday, June 11, 2020 and graduation will air on June 12, 2020. Additional information on the Class of 2020 Commencement will follow.
After reviewing all of the needs to close up the school year, the following End-of-Year timeline has been established:
- Last Online Instructional Day: Wednesday, June 3
- Return to Enrichment Activities for Students: Thursday, June 4 through Wednesday, June 10
- Student return of materials and pick-up of personal belongings from school: Thursday, June 4 through Wednesday, June 10 (A personal belongings process will be shared at a later date)
- Last scheduled Student Day: Wednesday, June 10
- Last scheduled Teacher Day: Thursday, June 11
We understand that the last Online Instruction Day is a week earlier than usual, however we want to ensure timely return of all Spring-Ford materials and allow ample time for students to gather personal belongings left at the school when they left on March 12. A process to collect personal belongings will be shared at a later date.
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2020-2021 Budget Update
Over the past month, the Finance Committee has focused on the 2020-2021 budget by evaluating potential expense increases and revenue losses due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Finance Committee held a regular committee meeting on April 14, 2020 and called for a Special Finance Committee Meeting on April 23, 2020 to continue discussing the 2020-2021 budget. During these meetings, the committee, as well as the full School Board and administration, reviewed possible reductions that could be made to the 2020-2021 budget to reduce the overall tax increase. The goal of these meetings was to identify possible reductions, consider recommendations, and understand how those reductions would impact the 2020-2021 budget as well as the 2021-2022 school year budget.
Mr. Tomas DiBello, Finance Committee Chairperson and School Board Vice President, said "there is no wasteful spending in the district, we run a very tight budget, and are very proud of our ability to be fiscally responsible. We are dealing with an unprecedented time right now. So far, nothing has been accepted or approved. There is a lot of work going on related to this budget and a lot of decisions to be made."
Points to Understand:
- District revenue estimates for 2020/21 were lowered by over $2 million from the Preliminary Budget presented to the School Board in November primarily as a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, a budget deficit of $3.6 million was presented to the Board at the April 27, 2020 Board Meeting.
- The Finance Committee and the Business Office will continue to meet regularly with the overall goal of presenting a 2020-2021 budget as close to zero percent as possible.
- Under School Code 687, Spring-Ford is required to present a Proposed Final Budget for at least thirty (30) days prior to the adoption of the final budget.
- The Board voted to post and advertise a draft of the Proposed Final Budget on April 27, 2020 with the intent of following state guidelines as outlined in School Code 687 while actively working to reduce the overall budget deficit gap further. Voting to approve the draft, simply put, was a vote to post and advertise the draft budget so that Spring-Ford meets the state requirement to post a budget.
- The current draft Proposed Final Budget is not the Final Budget. The current Proposed Final Budget is likely to change over the next few weeks.
TAKE NOTE: COMMITTEE UPDATES
Board Committee Updates
Curriculum and Technology Committee Meeting
The Curriculum and Technology Committee met on April 7, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Dr. Kelly Murray, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, provided an Instructional Continuation Plan and Online Learning Updates overview. Dr. Murray also shared good news including receipt of the 2020 NAMM Foundation Best Communities for Music Education.
Mr. Robert Catalano, Director of Technology, provided an update regarding the distribution of laptops for students and staff, as well as online support services.
The next meeting will be May 11, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Community Relations Committee Meeting
The Community Relations Committee met on April 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Ms. Erin Crew, Director of Communications, Marketing and Media, and Mr. Andrew Rothermel, Manager of Communications Media, both provided in-depth overviews of how the department has handled COVID-19 updates, starting as early as February 5th.
Ms. Crew shared that Spring-Ford's Communication Department has been recognized in the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association's (PenSPRA) 2019 Excellence in Communications Contest. This year, over 230 outstanding entries were submitted for rigorous judging, and of those entries, we have received the distinction of being awarded one Award of Excellence, two Awards of Honor, and two Awards of Merit!
SPECIAL PURPOSE PROJECTS
Award of Honor, Spring-Ford Area School District | Erin Crew | 2019 Town Hall Meeting
VIDEOS
Award of Honor, Spring-Ford Area School District | Andrew Rothermel | Spring-Ford Learning
Award of Merit, Spring-Ford Area School District | Andrew Rothermel | Furniture Hunters
Award of Merit, Spring-Ford Area School District | Andrew Rothermel | Staff Connections - Robert Rizzo
WEBSITE AND APPS
Award of Excellence, Spring-Ford Area School District | Erin Crew | Spring-Ford.net News and Media Webpage
Although the award is based on the work of our communications department, each entry is a reflection of our school district as a whole.
The next meeting will be held on June 2, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Property Committee Meeting
The Property Committee met on April 14, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Mr. Robert Hunter, Director of Planning, Operations and Facilities, gave an update on the ICS Consultation Facilities Report, which was a follow up to March's Property meeting demographic and enrollment presentation by ICS Consulting. Mr. Hunter mentioned that during last month's meeting Board members asked for clarification related to methodology, data resources and individualized school summaries. ICS Consulting delivered the final Facilities report which was distributed to board members for review on April 10, 2020.
Chief David Boyer, Coordinator of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness, provided an update on projects and initiatives including:
- Patrolling during the COVID-19 Shutdown
- Assisting with laptop distribution
- Chief Boyer assisting with laptop deliveries
- Ongoing police training
The next meeting will be May 12, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
SFASD NEWS AND CALENDAR
QUICK LINKS
SFASD CALENDAR
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The Spring-Ford Area School District affirms that no person shall, on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, age, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, veteran's status or genetic information be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any educational program or activity. In addition, no person shall, on any of these bases, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in employment, or recruitment, or consideration, or selection therefore, whether full-time or part-time, under any educational program or activity operated by the school district. The district shall make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Please contact the Title IX Coordinator (Director of Human Resources) 857 S. Lewis Road, Royersford, PA, or at 610-705-6000 ext. 6124. Refer to Board Policy No. 103 for further information about the district's Nondiscrimination in Participation, Employment, Contract Practices.
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SPRING-FORD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT