Posts Tagged ‘North Allegheny’

Class of 2013 Elementary Class Sizes

Posted: May 2, 2013 in Community Information, The Impact
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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):

  1. The Class of 2013 NEVER had an elementary section above the district’s guidelines.
  2. There was NEVER an elementary class with 30 or more students.
  3. The average class size for 3rd grade was BELOW 25 students. Thus, 3rd grade operated as a primary grade.

Compare that to today (see chart below):

  1. There are currently 13 elementary sections operating ABOVE the district’s guidelines.
  2. There are currently 8 elementary classes with 30 or more students.
  3. The average class size for 3rd grade is ABOVE 25 students.  Thus, 3rd grade is operating as an intermediate grade.

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.

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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

May 22nd Proposed Date for Voting on Peebles Closure

Posted: April 3, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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The administration has recommended that the board take a vote on May 22nd regarding the closure of Peebles Elementary.

Based on the information presented at the March 20th board meeting, if class sizes are capped at 29 students for intermediate grades and 24 students for primary grades, the district will NOT have enough spare classrooms if Peebles is closed. This means the district will be wed to higher class sizes both now and in the future.

To read more, please click here.

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SaveNASchools has ordered yard signs that will be available this week for distribution. If you preordered a yard sign, you will be contacted this week with further details.  If you did not pre-order a yard sign, you can email savenaschools@gmail.com  to purchase one from the remaining stock.

yard sign pic

Former Board Member Appointed to Vacant Seat; Superintendent Recommends Delaying Peebles Closure

Posted: March 21, 2013 in Community Information, Press Coverage
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North Allegheny Patch

Karen Boujoukos Elected to North Allegheny School Board

During a public interview Wednesday night with the North Allegheny School Board, board candidate Karen Boujokos promised that, thanks to her 10 years of prior service on the board, she would be able to “hit the ground running.”

To read more, click here.


North Allegheny Superintendent Recommends Delay In Closing Peebles Elementary

To the surprise of several members of the North Allegheny School Board, Superintendent Raymond Gualtieri recommended Wednesday night a one-year delay in the proposed closing of Peebles Elementary School.

To read more, click here.

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  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Karen Boujoukos appointed to North Allegheny school board

Karen Boujoukos on Wednesday was appointed to the North Allegheny school board.  Mrs. Boujoukos, of Franklin Park, served on the board for 10 years, leaving the board in 2011.

To read more, click here.

If North Allegheny closes Peebles, transition would take one year

If the North Allegheny School Board votes in May to close Peebles Elementary School, the move will not take effect until the 2014-15 school year.

To read more, click here.

Redistricting Scenarios: Balancing Enrollment Versus Closing Peebles

Posted: March 15, 2013 in Community Information
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On Nov. 14, 2012, the administration presented a redistricting scenario that would “balance enrollment” by keeping all seven elementary schools open. Under this scenario, the average enrollment per building would be:

–780 students = McKnight and Marshall
–400 students = BWE, FES, HES, IES, and PES

On Nov. 28, 2012, the administration presented a redistricting scenario that showed enrollment totals in the six remaining elementary schools if Peebles were to close.  Under this scenario, the average enrollment per building would be:

–850 students = McKnight and Marshall
–460 students = BWE, FES, HES, IES, and PES

SaveNASchools believes the district should “balance enrollment” by keeping all seven elementary schools open. This would allow the district to shift students from buildings that are over-capacity (i.e. Franklin) to buildings that are under-capacity (i.e. Hosack). Keeping all seven buildings open will provide the district with the space necessary to:

  1. keep class size within the district’s guidelines
  2. adequately administer elementary programs (music, ESAP, GOAL)
  3. reasonably accommodate future growth

The chart below shows the impact on each elementary building based on the redistricting scenarios presented at the Nov. 14 and Nov. 28 school board meetings. The district has not provided maps or other information related to these scenarios.

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Video of School Board Member Linda Bishop’s Comments on Growth

Posted: March 13, 2013 in Community Information, Videos
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In the fall of 2011, when Bradford Woods was being considered for closure, School Board Member Linda Bishop stated, “I think the new housing plays a greater role, almost, in predicting what’s going on and what’s going to happen than the live birth data.”

Click on the link to watch the video.

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Elementary Enrollment Trends

2011: Board members express concern about enrollment projections

School Board President’s Comments on Growth and Closing a Building

Community group questions North Allegheny enrollment projections

Video of School Board Vice President’s Comments on Increasing Enrollment

Posted: March 12, 2013 in Community Information, Videos
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In the fall of 2011, when Bradford Woods was being considered for closure, School Board Vice President Dan Hubert challenged the administration’s declining enrollment projections and noted that elementary enrollment has “increased.”

Mr. Hubert said, “I don’t think we’re going to see the decrease in enrollment that is being projected.”

Click on the link to watch the video.

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Related posts:

Elementary Enrollment Trends

2011: Board members express concern about enrollment projections

School Board President’s Comments on Growth and Closing a Building

Community group questions North Allegheny enrollment projections

Elementary Enrollment Has Increased Since the Start of the School Year

Posted: March 5, 2013 in Community Information
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Based on the district’s records, elementary enrollment has increased by 31 students since the start of the school year.

Peebles and McKnight Elementary have seen the largest number of new students. Since the start of the year, Peebles Elementary has increased by 9 students and McKnight Elementary has increased by 14 students.

At Peebles, 4 of the 9 new students are in first grade, which illustrates the importance of operating classrooms below class size guidelines at the start of the school year.

Peebles started the year with 3 first grade classes of 23, 23, and 24 students, but those sections are now operating at 25, 25, and 24 students.

The chart below illustrates changes in elementary enrollment at each building for the current year. All information was obtained from the district under the right-to-know law.

Enrollment_Changes_3_

Momentum is Growing; Board Members are Listening

Posted: February 15, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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The community had 15 days following the January 30th public hearing to submit information into the public record (the deadline was midnight on February 14th). In the last two weeks, over 400 letters were sent to the North Allegheny School Board opposing the closure of Peebles Elementary.  All 400+ letters will become part of the final record.

We want to thank each and every member of the community who has taken the time to advocate on behalf of the 3,500+ elementary students in the district as part of this movement.  Our message is being heard by board members.

Please join us for the Save NA Schools Spaghetti Dinner on Monday, February 25th from 6-8pm at the Franklin Park Volunteer Fire Hall.  This event will be an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy a fun-filled evening of food and games, while discussing the final strategy leading up to the vote.  Catered by Park Cafe and Catering, the meal will include spaghetti with your choice of sauce (meat sauce or marinara), Breadworks bread, tossed salad, and homemade cookies for dessert.  A Chinese auction will be available thanks to the participation of several local businesses. Join the fun, order yard signs, ask questions, and become part of the effort.  Dinner tickets are $5 for kids under 10 and $10 for everyone else.  We request that you purchase dinner tickets in advance.

You can order dinner tickets on-line by clicking here or by clicking on the flyer below. We look forward to seeing you on February 25th!

Spaghetti Dinner Flyer

Moving Forward: What You Can Do

Posted: February 4, 2013 in Community Information, Take Action
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We are encouraging residents to do the following 3 things this week:

1) Email Rep. Mike Turzai and ask him to advocate on behalf of Peebles the same way he did for Bradford Woods. In the fall of 2011, when Bradford Woods was proposed for closure, Rep. Turzai met with school board members and told them he did not want Bradford Woods to close. We are requesting that you email Rep. Turzai at mturzai@pahousegop.com and ask him to tell the school board he is opposed to closing ANY elementary building in the district.

2) Send a letter to the school board by emailing school board secretary Rose Mary Ryan at rryan@northallegheny.org. If you spoke at the hearing, simply draft your comments into a letter and address it to the entire board.

3) Mark your calendar for Monday, February 25th. SaveNASchools will be holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 6-8pm at the Franklin Park Fire Hall. This event will be an opportunity for the community to get more information, discuss strategy, and order yard signs. Click here for the Spaghetti Dinner Flyer and here to purchase tickets.

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