Committees form to help guide district’s future
Pennridge High School was host to everyone from the Perkasie mayor to the district’s superintendent to state Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, IRr Dn unSrHFHGHnWHG community summit Wednesday, Jan. 16.
$ERuW 50 FRPPunLWy members volunteered for various committees tasked to preserve the district’s programs and education without rDLVLnJ WDxHV.
According to Joe Ferry, SuEOLF LnIRrPDWLRn RIfiFHr, the summit was an effort to bring together school district administrators, teachHrV, SDrHnWV, VHnLRr FLWLzHnV, business owners and political leaders in a “meeting of the minds.”
7KH fiYH FRPPLWWHHV ZHrH: activities, community relaWLRnV, IDFLOLWLHV, finDnFH DnG programs and services.
From now until Thursday, March 14, the committee members will hold PHHWLnJV WR GHYHORS REMHFtives and consider alternative funding sources. Then, the school board and administration will hear the committees’ recommenda- tions at the board’s meeting in March.
Pennridge School Board member David Thompson, who came up with the idea of the summit back in May, will serve as the liaison between the school administration and the school board.
7KRPSVRn VDLG WKH REMHFtives of the summit are twofold: to generate input from the community on what it wants the school’s vision or long-term plans to be and DOVR WR finG WKH PRVW FRVWeffective way to fund this vision. With Superintendent Robert hish retiring, Thompson said he thinks getting a more clear idea of what kind of school district the community wants is especially important.
hish, who has served in WKH GLVWrLFW VLnFH 1995 DnG will be a member of the summit’s facilities committee, told Thompson he had never worked with such a diverse group before.
To Thompson’s knowledge, there has never been a community summit like this. In the West Chester Area School District, however, Thompson said something similar to the summit was held to determine how to reduce the district’s budget by $4 million. With the com- munity’s help, the district was able to reduce the budJHW DnG finG FRVW rHGuFWLRnV, without public outcry.
In turn, Thompson said he would like to see a harmonious relationship develop between the Pennridge community and the administration as a result of this summit.
Thompson said he would DOVR OLNH WR finG D ZDy WR meet the needs of people who have opted out of public education en lieu of homeschooling or charter schools and get them back into public education.
“How can the public VFKRROV finG D ZDy WR SrRvide the kind of educational HxSHrLHnFH WKDW ZRuOG VDWisfy their needs?” Thompson asked.
He said he hoped the summit will bring people WRJHWKHr WR finG FRPPRn ground and determine how the administration can be more in tune with the way people want to educate their children.
“I think it’s really important that the community have a voice,” Thompson VDLG. “[,’G OLNH@ WR finG D ZDy to keep public education vibrant, functional and alive and well.”
Heading
the
activities committee is Assistant Superintendent Bruce Bovard, along with Jackie Firuta, Diane Haring, Becky Schlotter, Cathy A. Pepper, Tim Deose and Jake Sands.
Ferry, Deb Brady, Lee Rush, Bob Hipp, Tracy McGinty, Mary Chon and Alyson Adams make up the community relations team.
The facilities committee consists of hish, Jeff LoefflHr, 6uzHWWH 6FKPLGW, 3DuO LRrHnz, 0DrN HRrnH, CKrLV Leatherman, Holly Pollock, West Rockhill Supervisor Don Duvall, East Rockhill Supervisor David Nyman, 7RP 6NLIfinJWRn DnG )rHGHrick Diseroad.
Perkasie Mayor John Hollenbach, district Business Administrator hathy Johnson, Scott Edgell, Jim salletta, Bob Silber, West Rockhill Township Manager Greg Lippincott, haren hrier and -HII HDKn ZLOO WDFNOH WKH financial issues.
Finally, Director of Pupil Services Robert Phillips, as well as Matt Smith, John Maketa, Pat Guth, Ann Senoyuit, Maria Mamrol, Eric Schaffhausen, Clymer, Robert Linden, him Destefano, helly Tambourino and Christine vardley will head the programming committee.