Archive for April, 2013

Growth in the District: McCandless Crossing

Posted: April 30, 2013 in Community Information
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McCandless Crossing, located in the Town of McCandless, is a commercial and residential development of 130 acres on both the east and west sides of McKnight Road.  The development’s design includes a town center for residents of McCandless and of neighboring communities.   In the fourth phase,  now under construction, restaurants and more than 50 residential units are being added.   Click here to read more.

The McCandless Crossing development includes:

  • 50+ New Town Homes, click here to read more.
  • Doodlebugs Day Care, click here to read more.
  • Drive-through Panera Bread and other eateries, click here to read more.
  • Cinemark Theater, click here to read more.
  • Hilton Hotel, Restaurants, Retail Shops, and more, click here to read more.

McCandless Crossing

Additional articles about McCandless Crossing:

McCandless Crossing Update: Site Prep Begins for Final Phase
Cinemark theater earns approval at McCandless Crossing
Mixed-use neighborhoods finding a place in Western Pennsylvania
McCandless Crossing Update: Three Restaurants Signed, No Decision on Grocery Store
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Press Coverage from April School Board Meetings

Posted: April 25, 2013 in Community Information, Press Coverage
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Push continues to keep North Allegheny’s Peebles school open

Residents of North Allegheny School District’s largest municipality continued to plead with the school board April 17 to keep all elementary schools open and to reduce class sizes.

The board is scheduled to vote in May on a proposal to close Peebles Elementary School in McCandless because of excess capacity in the elementary buildings. If the closing is approved, district administrators have said they are willing to delay the move until 2014-15.

But McCandless parents say excess capacity exists only because class sizes have increased this year after some retiring teachers were not replaced.

To read more,  click here.
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North Allegheny board upgrades school technology, security

The North Allegheny School Board Wednesday approved wiring upgrades and security measures for its buildings.

Eight board members voted to finance $4 million in technology improvements through a low-interest loan from PNC Bank. Projects include replacing the network infrastructure equipment and upgraded data wiring for all seven elementary schools and installing wireless coverage in each district building.

To read more, click here.

Register to Speak at the Board Meeting Wednesday Night

Posted: April 23, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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There are only two school board meetings left before the May 22nd proposed vote to close Peebles:

1. April 24 = Regular Meeting (open to the public)

2. May 15 = Work Session (open to the public)

Residents interested in registering to speak can do so by contacting School Board Secretary Rose Mary Ryan at rryan@northallegheny.org or 412-369-5437.

The meeting will be held at 7pm in the Central Administrative Office Board Room.

Reminder: Last Day to Register to Vote

Posted: April 22, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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Today is the last day to register to vote in the primary election on Tuesday, May 21st.

Check your registration, access necessary forms, and find other information by clicking here.

Profile: School Board Candidate Ralph Pagone

Posted: April 18, 2013 in Community Information, Press Coverage
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North Allegheny Patch

Ralph Pagone: Incumbent Seeks Another Term on North Allegheny School Board

Richard Cook, North Allegheny Patch

“Ralph J. Pagone, a North Allegheny graduate and parent, is seeking his third consecutive term on the North Allegheny School Board.”

Click here to link to the complete article.

Moving the District Forward: Time for Action

Posted: April 17, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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SaveNASchools has formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support candidates for the North Allegheny School Board. The name of the PAC is “The Committee to Save NA Schools” and it is registered with the Allegheny County Board of Elections.

The Committee to Save NA Schools endorses the following 3 candidates:

TRIO

These candidates were selected because they are committed to:

5 reasons

To read candidate bios, make a donation, and learn more about the PAC, please click here.

Are You Registered to Vote on May 21st?

Posted: April 16, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action, Uncategorized
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May 21st is the primary election for school board candidates. Most of the time, school board members are determined in the primary election. The top 4 vote getters on the Democrat and Republican ballot are the only names that appear on the ballot in November.

To vote in the May 21st primary election, you must be registered by April 22nd as a Democrat or Republican. There are four school board seats up for election and each seat is for a four-year term.

Your vote on May 21st will impact the board’s vote on May 22nd.

How can I find out if I am registered to vote?

  • You can find out if you are registered to vote (and your party affiliation) by clicking here.  You will also be able to find your polling place.
  • You can also call the Allegheny County Elections Division at (412) 350-4510 to confirm your registration.



I’m not registered to vote.  Where can I register?

  • You can register to vote by mail.  Registration-by-mail forms are available online here.
  • You should download, print, complete and sign the form.

Then send it to:
Attn: Voter Registration Section
Division of Elections
Allegheny County
542 Forbes Ave.,
Room 609
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2953

  • Forms can be requested from the Allegheny County Elections Division by calling (412) 350-4510.



What if I want to change my party affiliation from Independent so that I can vote in this primary?

  • You can submit a new voter registration form.  When completing the form, ensure you select the box that says Change of Party [Box 2].



When do I need to register to vote or change my affiliation in order to vote in the primary?

  • Registration-by-mail forms must be postmarked no later than the voter registration deadline in order to be processed for the upcoming primary.  For the primary on May 21, your form must be postmarked by April 22, 2013.

Reminder: School Board Meeting This Wednesday Night

Posted: April 15, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action, Uncategorized
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There are two school board meetings this month:

1. April 17th = Work Session (open to the public)

2. April 24th = Regular Meeting (open to the public)

SaveNASchools encourages residents to attend the school board meeting this Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm. The meeting will be held in the Central Administrative Office Board Room.

Residents interested in registering to speak can do so by contacting School Board Secretary Rose Mary Ryan at rryan@northallegheny.org or 412-369-5437.

Based on the administration’s March 20th presentation, the district will not have enough classrooms to keep class size below district guidelines if Peebles Elementary is closed. You can read more by clicking here.

Letter to the Editor: Closing Peebles ‘misguided’

Posted: April 11, 2013 in Community Information, Letters, Press Coverage, Uncategorized
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Letter to the editor/North
April 11, 2013 4:57 am
Closing Peebles ‘misguided’

The North Allegheny School District administration presented a revised proposal regarding the closing of Peebles Elementary School at the March 20 school board meeting.

Its revised proposal consisted of:

• Delay closing Peebles Elementary until 2014-2015, which the administration believes will save $850,000 per year.

• Begin work immediately on creating five extra classrooms at McKnight Elementary, which the administration believes will cost $525,000.

However, the revised proposal still does not address the community’s biggest concern — class size.

Based on the district’s records, elementary enrollment has increased over the last several years. Based on information from real estate agents, new housing developments are projected to add more than 850 homes to the district.

On March 20, the administration said it would need to add 10-14 elementary sections next year to keep class size below district guidelines. And, officials said there will only be 14 spare classrooms if the district expands McKnight and closes Peebles.

Thus, all 14 spare classrooms that remain after closing Peebles and expanding McKnight would need to be utilized in order to maintain class sizes below district guidelines. This would leave no spare classrooms for fluctuations in enrollment.

It is time for the administration to stop using man-hours trying to find ways to support its misguided recommendation to close a school.

Keeping all seven elementary schools open is the only solution that ensures a quality education for the children of our community.

FRANK CORONA

McCandless

Growth in the District: Venango Trials

Posted: April 10, 2013 in Community Information, The Impact, Uncategorized
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A realtor with Howard Hanna recently submitted information to the school board that outlines 850+ proposed new homes located in the North Allegheny School District.

One of those developments is Venango Trails, which is located in northern Marshall Township.

venango picstitch

From the August 17, 2011 School Board Minutes:

GrosBouquoteVenangp

BishopVenangoTrails

Based on the administration’s March 20th presentation to the school board, Marshall Elementary will only have 2 spare classrooms after students are redistricted from the closure of Peebles Elementary.

14 spares

With many classrooms operating close to district guidelines, the two spare classrooms at Marshall Elementary could be utilized by adding just a few new students to the building. The administration has not addressed how it will accommodate the large amount of growth projected from the Venango Trails development.

 

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Related posts

New Housing Developments in the North Allegheny School District
Video of School Board Member Linda Bishop’s Comments on Growth
Videos on School Board President’s Comments on Growth and Closing a Building
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