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North Allegheny School Board President: Peebles Elementary Staying Open
At the beginning of Wednesday’s North Allegheny School Board meeting, board President Maureen Grosheider announced that Peebles Elementary School, once slated for closure, would remain open.
To read more, click here.
Many NA residents have now seen large signs and received campaign information from a group calling themselves “NA United.” The group’s slogan is, “Fund Education, Not Empty Classrooms.” Here is what you should know:
Meanwhile, no fear-mongering or negative campaigning has been undertaken by the other township organizations that are supporting candidates in this election. These groups have played by the rules in an effort to protect the integrity of the political process and allow the best candidates to prevail.
North Allegheny School Board President Maureen Grosheider made the announcement Wednesday evening.
Suggesting that the proposed closure of Peebles Elementary School had become a distraction to the board and the community, North Allegheny School Board President Maureen Grosheider announced at Wednesday’s meeting that a vote on the issue would be delayed indefinitely.
To read more, click here.
The North Allegheny School Board will not vote next week on an administration proposal to close Peebles Elementary School for the 2014-15 school year.
School board president Maureen Grosheider said Wednesday that board members would like to wait until there is new enrollment data, and they won’t have that until late August.
To read more, click here.
The recommendation to close a building is based on a projected decline in elementary enrollment. However, based on the district’s records, the administration’s 5-year enrollment projections have understated actual enrollment by several hundred students.
The large discrepancy in projected enrollment v. actual enrollment for the last 3 years is a clear reason why no building in the district should be closed.
This information was obtained under the Right-to-Know Law:
Our endorsed candidates, FISHER-PAGONE-RUSSELL, have support from residents across the district because they have spent the last several months advocating that ALL SEVEN elementary schools should remain open in order to preserve the district’s successful education model.
By taking a district-wide approach, making fact-based arguments, and being passionate about education, our candidates have gained much recognition. We believe their credentials and community service are further testaments to their character and we have included a profile on each of them below.
Tara Zimmerman FisherTara (Zimmerman) Fisher grew up in Franklin Park and graduated from North Allegheny. She has an undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting from the University of Virginia. Ms. Fisher started her CPA career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, DC and was later assigned to their U.S. Tax Desk in London, England. She also spent several years working for Congress as an accountant with the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Ms. Fisher and her husband, Ryan, moved from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh six years ago so that they could be near family and raise their 3 children (ages 7, 5, and 3) in the North Allegheny School District. Ms. Fisher is a part-time business professor at the University of Pittsburgh and she enjoys teaching tax and accounting classes to undergraduate and graduate students. She also serves on the Memorial Park Christian Preschool Board.
Ms. Fisher believes the district needs a long-term financial plan to preserve the programs and curriculum associated with North Allegheny’s elite status. She wants to help the board budget and plan for future obligations so that the district is effective in making strategic decisions (e.g. establishing a reserve for state mandated pension contributions). She also wants to help the district forge ahead in areas like STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). She believes a tuition-based STEM education program could help the district generate new revenue.
Ralph J. PagoneRalph J. Pagone grew up in McCandless and graduated from North Allegheny High School. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh and has an Associate’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Mr. Pagone and his wife, Bridget, have 4 daughters: two that graduated from North Allegheny, one at NASH, and one at Carson Middle. He is the Regional Manager for Richard Goettle, Inc., a geotechnical engineering and construction firm.
Mr. Pagone is an active member of the community. He has been a volunteer firefighter in the Town of McCandless for nearly 30 years. Mr. Pagone was responsible for implementing Fire Prevention Week safety visits at McKnight Elementary over 15 years ago and they still continue today. He also is a CPR and First Aid instructor throughout the North Allegheny community. Mr. Pagone has been active in the Ingomar/Franklin Park Athletic Association, McCandless Athletic Association, and is the Head Coach of the North Allegheny Varsity Girls Slow-Pitch Softball team.
Mr. Pagone has served on the North Allegheny School Board since 2005. During his time on the school board, Mr. Pagone has been integral in implementing several initiatives for the betterment of the district. These initiatives include the construction of a new Student Council room at NASH, the creation of fitness trails at NAI, the implementation of a new CPR program for 9th grade students, and the expansion of the district’s drug prevention policies. Mr. Pagone recently submitted a report to the board that includes a variety of options for raising funds via alternative revenue sources.
Scott RussellScott Russell grew up in the Pittsburgh area and graduated from Penn Hills High School. He earned a degree in Computer Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Russell has 4 children: two at Carson Middle, one with special needs at Marshall Middle, and one at Hosack Elementary.
Mr. Russell is the IT Director for General Nutrition Centers (GNC), which is headquartered in Pittsburgh. He started his career with GNC 25 years ago as a programmer analyst. Mr. Russell is also an active member of the community. He has coached soccer, flag football, and served on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis GNC Challenge. His wife, Eileen, has served as the President of the Hosack PFA for two separate terms.
Mr. Russell believes the district needs a sound IT strategy to better prepare our students for the information age. He would like to help guide that process to make sure the district is meeting the needs of students, teachers, and parents. As a director at a large company, Mr. Russell is also equipped to confront the financial challenges facing the district. He has experience establishing and managing budgets, while considering the future needs of the organization. In addition, his hands on experience with special needs will provide the board with additional insight and sensitivities related to students with disabilities. Mr. Russell’s background in IT, financial planning, and special needs can benefit the district on many levels.
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 Ridge Forest, which is located off Nicholson Road, in Franklin Park.
From the Ryan Homes website:
“Ridge Forest is located in desirable Franklin Park, a growing community located northwest of Pittsburgh in the highly sought after North Allegheny School District. With quick access to I-79, I-279 and more, Franklin Park is within easy reach of the region’s retail centers, world-class universities, hospitals, Downtown Pittsburgh and cultural and recreational destinations like Blueberry Hill Park.”
To read more, click here.
Ridge Forest was also discussed at the the August 17, 2011 school board meeting. Board President Maureen Grosheider, who continues to push forward the agenda for closing a building, noted that these homes will be sold to families with kids.
Over the last 12 years, the district has adhered to an education model that kept elementary class sizes below the district’s guidelines (with only a few exceptions). This year, the district abandoned its successful education model by hiring fewer teachers and allowing class sizes to increase. As a result, there are currently 13 elementary sections operating above the district’s class size guidelines.
To correct class size, the administration said it would need to add 10-14 elementary sections. However, the administration only expects to have 14 spare classrooms after closing Peebles and expanding McKnight. If a building is closed, the district will not have enough classrooms to keep elementary class sizes below the district’s guidelines. The only way the district has enough capacity to close a building is if it accepts higher class sizes for our current elementary school students than what has been provided to the district’s elementary school students over the last 12 years.
Thus, if a building is closed, the model in place for the past 12 years, which kept elementary class sizes below the district’s guidelines, will no longer be adhered to with respect to our current elementary school students.
North Allegheny Senior High was recently ranked one of the best schools in the nation. We thought it would be interesting to look at the elementary class sizes for the Class of 2013.
Here is what we found (see chart below):
Compare that to today (see chart below):
Given elementary enrollment has been increasing, class sizes have been increasing, and there are 850+ proposed new homes across the district, NA will be wed to higher class sizes if the board votes to close a building.
If the board votes to close a building, the district’s successful elementary education model, which has withstood the test of time, would be replaced with a new model. The new model will include more sections per building, higher class sizes per section, and fewer spare classrooms to manage fluctuations in enrollment.
If the board votes to close a building, the district will be taking a gamble with our current elementary school students, and no one knows what the results of the new education model will be for the Class of 2025.
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.
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.
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
save NA schools 