BOARD NOTES: April 2021

SFASD Board Moves Forward With Superintendent Hiring Process

On Monday, April 26, 2021 the Spring-Ford Area School District Board of Directors voted to proceed forward in moving Mr. Rizzo from the Acting Superintendent to the Superintendent role. Under this vote, the district's solicitor, Fox Rothschild, LLP, is authorized to begin the necessary steps to act upon the appointment of Mr. Rizzo to become the next superintendent of schools. Official board approval on his employment would occur at a subsequent board meeting.

 

Colleen Zasowski, Board President, said "I feel that we are finally headed in the right direction under your leadership. What you've done for this district is pull people together, from the school board, to administration, to your teachers and faculty, support staff, to community members and parents. I've heard so many wonderful things."

 

Mr. Rizzo began his career as a Band Director in the East Allegheny School District in 1993. Since that time, he has served as a Band Director for Penn Hills School District and Indiana Area School District, as well as an Assistant Principal at Indiana Area Senior High School, Principal at Ben Franklin Elementary School, Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Indiana Area School District, and Assistant Superintendent of the Indiana Area School District. Mr. Rizzo is currently pursuing his Doctor of Educational Leadership: Instructional Technology through Wilkes University. He earned his Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility in 2015 from California University of Pennsylvania, his Principal Certification and Master of Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is a proud graduate of Penn State University. Mr. Rizzo joined the Spring-Ford family in June 2019 as Assistant Superintendent and has filled the role of Acting Superintendent since February 2021.

 

Following the meeting, Mr. Rizzo said, "I'm humbled at the level of confidence that the board has in me. I'm excited to continue our work here and look forward to what will come next in this process."

 

The next School Board Work Session meeting will be Monday, May 10, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

FROM THE BOARD TABLE

2021-2022 Proposed Final Budget Update

The Spring-Ford School District Board of School Directors voted to adopt the proposed final budget of $179,942,937 for the 2021-2022 school year during the School Board Work Session Meeting on April 12, 2021. The proposed budget includes a 3.5% tax impact, which equates to an increase of .9863 mills, resulting in a proposed millage rate of 29.1732.This equates to a $98.63 increase per $100,000 assessed. The overall budget gap (expenses in excess of revenues and other funding sources) is $3.97 million requiring a tax rate change of 3.5% for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.  However, the state has limited the maximum increase to 3.0% per Act 1. Therefore the budget will be discussed further in Finance Committee to reduce the tax impact to no more than 3.0% as directed by the full board at the March 22nd board meeting. At the April 26th board meeting Mr. DiBello, Finance Committee Chairperson, reported on budgeting strategies discussed during the finance committee meeting that will reduce the tax impact of the budget to 3.0% as directed by the full board.

During his presentation, Mr. James Fink, Chief Financial Officer, was praised for his transparency:

• Obstacles in preparing the budget: receiving approximately 20% of the total budget from the state, which is based on 2020-2021 state estimates. In addition, Spring-Ford receives less than 1% of the total budget from federal funding. Planning for the upcoming year can be difficult, as the Department of Education has not yet passed a budget for the current school year. 
• Expenditure changes from year to year: 2021-2022 operating expenditures are expected increase overall by 4.3% over the 2020-2021 budget. This percentage increase is in line with prior year increases.
• Revenue changes from year to year: Spring-Ford will see an organic revenue increase of about $3.8 million, or 2.3%, from the 2020-2021 school year to the 2021-2022 school year. 

How does Spring-Ford compare? With nearly 8,000 students, Spring-Ford is the fourth largest district in Montgomery County and based on the 2021-2022 Proposed Final Budget, is the sixth lowest millage rate (tax rate) in the county. 

• Spring-Ford has been able to reduce debt over the past 10 years by approximately $162 million
• The district has achieved a Moody's rating of AA1 due to a conservative budgeting approach. In Moody's Investors Service's ratings system, securities are assigned a rating from AAA to C, with AAA being the highest quality and C the lowest quality. 
• Spring-Ford is rated one of the top districts in Pennsylvania and is recognized as one of the top high schools in the country.

Next Steps:

• The Proposed Final Budget will be made public by May 4, 2021
• Finance Committee Meeting, May 11, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
• Public notice of intent to adopt as Final Budget by May 14, 2021
• Adopt Final Budget on May 24, 2021

Click here to watch the full presentation. 

2021-2022 School Year

Next school year, traditional in-person, five-day learning will be the default option for all students, with an opportunity to enroll in Spring-Ford Cyber Learning if they wish to continue learning from home. Spring-Ford will continue to follow local and state guidance and recommendations related to mask wearing, social distancing, contact tracing, cleaning practices, and possible exclusion from school. As always, hygiene practices like handwashing and hand sanitizer will be encouraged regularly throughout the day.

 

Families interested in Spring-Ford Cyber Learning can attend the April 28th New Family Open House online at 7 p.m. Click here to register. The New Family Open House will be recorded and posted to the SFCL webpage for later viewing.

 

Those who are ready to enroll in Spring-Ford Cyber Learning for the 2021-2022 school year can click here.

 

Click here for the 2021-2022 School Calendar.

Recognizing Winter Athletes

The Board of School Directors was pleased to recognize the following athletes and teams for their outstanding accomplishments this past year:

• The 7th Grade Girls' Blue Basketball Team and their Coach Kaylee Wallis on their Undefeated Season.
• The Spring-Ford High School Girls' Basketball Team and their coaches, Mickey McDaniel, Dan Brittingham, Matt Labick, Marissa Moley, and Phil Roche for winning the 2021 Pioneer Athletic Conference (PAC) Girls' Basketball Championship, PIAA District One AAAAAA Championship and 2nd Place in the PIAA-AAAAAA State Championship.
• The Spring-Ford High School Wrestling Team and their coaches, Timothy Seislove, Michael Busa, Doug Landis, and Francis Krauss for winning the 2021 Pioneer Athletic Conference (PAC) Wrestling Championship, the PIAA District One AAA Championship, the PIAA District One AAA Team Duals Championship, the PIAA Southeast Regional Championship, 6th Place in the PIAA State Individual Team Championship and 3rd Place in the PIAA-AAA State Team Dual Championship.
• Joey Milano for winning the PIAA District One South 182 Pound Weight Class Wrestling Championship, winning the PIAA Southeast Regional Championship, winning the PIAA Super Regional Championship, and winning the first Spring-Ford PIAA State Wrestling Championship.
• Jack McGill for winning the PIAA District One South 160 Pound Weight Class Wrestling Championship, winning the PIAA Southeast Regional Championship, qualifying and placing second in the PIAA Super Regional Tournament, and qualifying and placing second in the PIAA State Tournament.  
• Dominic Ortlip for winning the PIAA District One South 113 Pound Weight Class Wrestling Championship and qualifying for the PIAA Southeast Regional Tournament.
• Cole Smith for winning the PIAA District One South 106 Pound Weight Class Wrestling Championship, winning the PIAA Southeast Regional Championship and qualifying for the PIAA Super Regional Tournament.

Click here to watch the full presentation.

TAKE NOTE: COMMITTEE UPDATES

Curriculum and Technology Committee

The Curriculum and Technology Committee met on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and in-person.  Dr. Kelly Murray, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, started the meeting by sharing that Spring-Ford was honored, for the 5th year in a row, with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. She then shared a proposal developed by the Curriculum Department to run the Summer RAMS program that targets academic supports in reading and math for students in grades K-8 (approved by the board on April 26th). Dr. Heidi Rochlin, Curriculum Supervisor, presented new resources for science as part of the curriculum review process, as well as updated resources for Honors Biology as part of the curriculum review process. Dr. Rochlin also presented a plan for the continuation of Spring-Ford Cyber Learning in the 21-22 school year. Catie Gardy, Curriculum Supervisor, presented new resources for social studies as part of the curriculum review process, and resources for family engagement as part of the Title I Programming. Robert Catalano, Director of Technology, shared that 7th and 8th grade laptops have arrived and the technology department is in the process of preparing them for deployment. The committee will meet again on Tuesday, May 4th at 6:30 p.m.

 

Policy Committee

The Policy Committee met on Monday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and in-person. Policies 703, 805, 902, 912, and 913 were discussed and the committee approved the solicitor's recommended changes. These policies were scheduled to move forward for a first reading at the April 26, 2021 board meeting. Robert Rizzo, Acting Superintendent, discussed the addition of Policy 146.1, Trauma-Informed Approach. The purpose of Policy 146.1 is to direct district staff to develop and implement a plan for trauma-informed approaches to education throughout the district. This policy will continue to be discussed in May with key district personnel invited. The committee will meet again on Monday, May 17th at 6:30 p.m.

 

Property Committee

The Property Committee met on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom and in-person. Robert Hunter, Director of Operations, discussed the following projects:

• Bard Building (Royersford Library) Update: The committee recommendation was to move forward with shoring concrete deck with posts on concrete foundations as an action item on the Board Agenda for approval.
• McNelly Stadium Occupancy Update: Because the project will not be completed for this year's graduation ceremony, the committee recommendation was to put the project out to public bid with the goal to complete the project before the start of the 21-22 school year.
• Gottshall Farmhouse rental property located at 133 Old Mill Road: The committee recommendation was to submit the subdivision and sale of the property as an action item on Board Agenda for approval.
• Capital Project at Limerick Elementary: the committee discussed the Capital Reserve expenditure request for the replacement of the boilers and associated equipment. This item was moved to the Board Agenda for approval.
• Capital Project at 9th Grade Center: the committee discussed the Capital Reserve expenditure request for phase 1 of 4 for flat roof replacement. This item was moved to the Board Agenda for approval.
• UPE Autistic Support Playground: the committee discussed upgrades to the Upper Providence Elementary School playground. These upgrades along with the assessment of all District playground needs will be incorporated into a seven-year Capital Improvement Plan. The fence installation to address the safety concern of student elopement will be scheduled this summer and be paid out of the operation's general fund budget.

Dave Boyer, Coordinator of Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness and Chief of School Police, shared project updates including:

• Employee antigen testing
• Daily traffic control
• Safety patrols
• Safe 2 Say Something tips
• Delivery of PPE items

Chief Boyer also noted that, to date, the Office of Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness has successfully submitted for grants and has been awarded $1,190,177. This could not be accomplished without the help of the Business Office, especially Mary Davidheiser and Mary Newett.

 

The committee will meet again on Tuesday, May 11th at 7:30 p.m.

 

The April Community Relations Committee Meeting was cancelled. The next meeting will be Tuesday, May 4th at 7:30 p.m.

SCHOOL BOARD SPOTLIGHT

SFASD NEWS AND CALENDAR

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.

SPRING-FORD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

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