Posts Tagged ‘North Allegheny School District’

Keep NA Moving Forward

Posted: May 14, 2015 in 2015 Primary Election, Community Information
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Two years ago, a bipartisan group of NA residents came together to advocate for change on the North Allegheny School Board.   At that time, most of the school board members had been on the Board for over a decade, including Maureen Grosheider–who has been on the Board for 2 decades.
 
Under Grosheider’s Leadership, NA lacked a long-term strategic plan:
  1. The Board raised taxes for 3 years in a row (2010, 2011, and 2012).
  2. Inaccurate projections led to the recommendation to close an elementary school–the District projected an $8 million deficit, but ended the year with a $5 million surplus and an increase in elementary enrollment.
  3. Elementary classes operated above class size guidelines (11 sections were above the guidelines at the start of the 2012-13 school year).
  4. Classroom technology fell behind comparator districts (including Hampton and North Hills).
  5. The District was not compliant with Board Policy #4125–which requires that the District maintain a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to provide feedback on important District matters.
As a result of these issues, the district-wide movement to Save NA Schools took hold and 3 new members were elected to the NA School Board.  After the 2013 election, board members chose new board leadership and began the process of moving NA forward.
 
Under New Board Leadership, the following changes have occurred:
 
  1. A new Budget and Finance Committee, comprised of 3 Board Members, was created to help prioritize District expenditures and develop a long-term plan with respect to fiscal management and tax increases.
  2. A new Technology Advisory Committee, comprised of teachers, parents, and taxpayers, was created to provide a variety of stakeholders with the opportunity to develop recommendations around advancing classroom technology. 
  3. A new Elementary Class Size Policy was created to provide guidelines for determining the number of elementary sections at the start of the year.
  4. A new Alternative Revenue Initiative was created for soliciting “payments in lieu of taxes” from large, non-profit organizations that reside in the District and benefit from the NA brand.  
  5. A new Citizen’s Advisory Committee was reinstated to give NA constituents the opportunity to provide feedback on important District matters.
 
As you can see, many positive changes have occurred under new board leadership.  We believe it’s important to keep that momentum going.  
 
Vote FILIAGGI, FINLEY, MAHLER, MEYER, DISQUE, & BLACKBURN on May 19th to Move NA Forward!

Meet the Candidates: Suzanne Filiaggi

Posted: May 4, 2015 in 2015 Primary Election, Community Information, Take Action
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pic Suzanne FiliaggiSuzanne Filiaggi is a 1986 graduate of North Allegheny. She grew up in the Ingomar area and she currently resides in the Brook Park Manor neighborhood of Franklin Park.

She obtained her baccalaureate degree from Washington & Jefferson College and then graduated from Duquesne University Law School. She began her legal career as a private defense attorney but ultimately moved to the Allegheny County Office of the District Attorney. In 2007, she was appointed to the position of Hearing Officer. In 2010, Ms. Filiaggi “retired” from the practice of law to raise her three children and support her family’s business, Sir Pizza. Nicholas (8th grade), Maggie (5th grade) and Anna (2nd grade) have all flourished, attending McKnight Elementary and Ingomar Middle School.

Over the past several years, Ms. Filiaggi applied to fill the two vacancies on the NA School Board and she currently serves on three District-wide committees—the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, the Technology Advisory Committee, and the Gifted Advisory Committee.

With three generations of her family residing in the North Allegheny School District, Ms. Filiaggi understands the concerns of both families with school-age children as well as retirees living on fixed incomes. In seeking the two-year term of School Director, she hopes to bring the financial acumen that comes with running a successful business to District operations. Her close connection with district initiatives and her legal and business backgrounds will be assets to District leadership and will help the North Allegheny School District maintain its course on the dual pathway of fiscal responsibility and continued student excellence.

Ms. Filiaggi is running for the two-year seat.

For more information on the candidates and their platform, please click on the following link: www.moveNAforward.com

2015 Primary Election

Posted: April 28, 2015 in 2015 Primary Election, Community Information, Take Action
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SaveNASchools has reinstated its Political Action Committee (PAC) to support candidates for the North Allegheny School Board in the 2015 Primary Election. 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 6 candidates:  Libby Blackburn, Kevin Mahler, Suzanne Filiaggi, Christopher Finley, Christopher Disque, and Michael C. Meyer.

Group photo

First row: (l-r) Libby Blackburn, Kevin Mahler, Suzanne Filiaggi Second row: (l-r) Christopher Finley, Christopher Disque, Michael C. Meyer

 

These candidates comprise a District-wide slate as residents of Franklin Park, Marshall, and McCandless. Three are incumbents with Board experience and three are newcomers with fresh ideas.

In 2013, the NA School Board – which included 3 newly elected members – chose new Board leadership and began the process of moving NA forward. The 6 candidates on this slate are the only individuals who can be counted on to keep that momentum going, particularly through their support of three general principles:

Avoid Annual Tax Increases by growing alternative revenue and prioritizing District expenditures. The incumbents on this slate are the only candidates who supported the 2014-2015 budget – which did not raise taxes. They’re also the only candidates who supported the Administration’s recommendation to retain a consultant to provide suggestions for expanding the District’s fundraising efforts.

Advance NA’s Education Model by supporting small class sizes, improving classroom technology, and promoting STEM initiatives. The incumbents on this slate are the only candidates who voted for a policy to support smaller elementary class sizes.  This slate of candidates also supports new initiatives to help NA forge ahead with classroom technology and STEM education, areas where NA fell behind comparator districts under prior Board leadership. 

Encourage Community Involvement by supporting the Citizen’s Advisory Committee which was reinstated last year under new Board leadership.   Under prior Board leadership, the District was not compliant with Board Policy #4215, which requires that the District maintain a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to provide feedback on important District matters.  This slate of candidates values the community and their input.

To read more about these candidates, click here.

 

 

Tech committee recommends one-to-one initiative for North Allegheny schools

Posted: March 27, 2015 in NA School District Communications, Press Coverage
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A technology advisory committee has recommended that the North Allegheny School District begin a one-to-one technology initiative, starting in the 2015-16 school year. The recommendation was presented at the school board meeting on Wednesday, March 25.

To view the North Allegheny School District e-Report, click here.

To view the presentation given at the school board meeting, click here.

To read coverage from the Post Gazette, click here.

North Allegheny school board president and vice-president change positions

Posted: March 19, 2015 in Press Coverage
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North Allegheny school board president Chris Jacobs and vice-president Tara Fisher have changed positions.

Mr. Jacobs, who became president in December 2013, said he would not be able to attend many board meetings “in the foreseeable future” because of his work-related travel.

“It has truly been an honor to serve in this capacity,” he said.

To read more, click here.

North Allegheny and teachers’ union ratify contract

Posted: February 26, 2015 in Press Coverage
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The school board approved the contract by a 9-0 vote Wednesday. The North Allegheny Federation of Teachers ratified it on Monday.

The five-year pact includes salary increases of approximately 2.5 percent annually, an increase in the amount members will pay for health insurance and adjustments to supplemental contracts for teachers who sponsor extracurricular activities or sponsor sports teams.

To read more, click here.

NA Moves Forward with 3 New Initiatives

Posted: December 5, 2014 in Community Information, NA School District Communications
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The North Allegheny School Board held its annual reorganization meeting on Wednesday night.  Chris Jacobs was re-elected President and Tara Fisher was re-elected Vice President.

The Board also took action on three new initiatives– a Budget and Finance Committee, a Citizens Advisory Committee, and an Information Technology Report.

1. The newly formed Budget and Finance Committee, comprised of three Board Members, will work with the Administration to gather information and make recommendations related to the budget and other financial matters.

2. The newly organized Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised of community members, Board members, and administrators, will address a variety of important issues facing the District.

3. The newly established Information Technology Report, prepared by District administrators, will be included in the Board folder to highlight the measures the District is undertaking in the area of technology.

To read more about the developments from Wednesday night’s meeting, please click here.

 

Elementary Enrollment Continues to Beat Projections

Posted: September 30, 2014 in Community Information, Policies and Guidelines
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Third day enrollment records for the 2014-15 school year show the District has 3,553 elementary students–160 students higher than projected.

In 2012, the District hired a consultant who predicted elementary enrollment would decline to 3393 in 2014.  The consultant recommended closing an elementary school.  Last year’s elementary enrollment beat projections by 150 students and was the highest enrollment the District had seen in 15 years.  This year’s elementary enrollment is the 3rd highest in 15 years.
 
Third day enrollment records for the 2014-15 school year also show the impact of the new elementary class size policy, which was adopted in May 2014.
 
Under the new policy, the District is operating 158 elementary sections and no sections started the school year above the class size guidelines.  Compare this to 2012, when 11 sections started the school year above the class size guidelines because the District only operated 145 sections.
 
[Third day enrollment data: 2014 vs 2012]

Third day enrollment data: 2014 vs 2012

Class size guidelines are 25 students for grades K-2 and 30 students for grades 3-5.  The new class size policy states that the Administration shall determine the number of elementary sections in a manner that ensures that no section exceeds 29 students in 4th-5th grade, 27 students in 3rd grade, and 24 students in Kindergarten-2nd grade, when sections are created in early August.

North Allegheny revamping proposed policy on background checks for school volunteers

Posted: September 10, 2014 in Community Information, Policies and Guidelines
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The North Allegheny School District is revamping its proposed policy on background checks for parents who volunteer in the schools.

School board President Chris Jacobs said Aug. 27 that the district will seek more community feedback on the policy, which had been scheduled for a vote that evening.

To read more, click here.
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The proposed policy is included below.
volunteer policy

 

PG: North Allegheny addresses elementary school class sizes

Posted: May 1, 2014 in Press Coverage
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North Allegheny school directors who were elected on the platform of elementary class size made good on a campaign promise. They have proposed a method to determine the number of sections of each elementary grade.

To read more, click here.
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