Spring-Ford

B OA R D N O T E S
Spring-Ford Area School District
857 SOUTH LEWIs ROAD, ROYErsFOrD, PA 19468-2711 610-705-6000

September 2010
WWW.sprING-FOrD.NET

Renovation/Addition Project at 10-12 Center Coming to a Close; Work to Begin on 9th Grade Center Parking Lot
The renovation and addition project at SpringFords 10-12 Center is nearly nished, and both School Board members and Superintendent Dr. Marsha Hurda expressed their thanks at the Sept. 20th meeting to the employees who worked hard to get the building ready for the rst day of school. The project began last year to add on a new classroom wing, two art classrooms, three computer labs, six science rooms, a new faculty dining room and a large group instruction room. Renovations were also made to the lobby, existing media center, administrative ofces, family and consumer science classrooms, and the cafeteria so they can better accommodate students. Dr. Hurda, who helped direct student trafc in the cafeteria during the rst days of school, said the changes have helped tremendously with student ow. We can serve over 600 students in under 12 minutes in the new cafeteria, she said. The $22.1 million project will help address the high schools growing enrollment, which is projected to hit 1,700 students this year. Work will continue throughout the fall to wrap up various aspects of the project, and it is anticipated that construction will be complete by mid-November. As part of the same project, work is continuing at the 9th Grade Center parking lot to address safety concerns during arrival and dismissal times. On Sept. 27th, the School Board awarded a contract to Drum Construction to carry out the parking lot modication and bus lane improvement project at a cost not to exceed $170,303.70. This project will change the conguration of the front parking lot at the 9th Grade Center so that there are separate areas for car trafc and bus trafc. Currently, parents dropping students off are intermingling with buses dropping students off a situation which creates back-ups and safety hazards as students walk between buses to get into the building. This all generated out of concern for student safety, said Dr. Hurda. Theres not enough room. Its a hazardous situation. The project should take about a month to complete once construction begins.

Board Committees to Rene District Goals

Spring-Ford Area School Boards committees will spend the next month ne-tuning plans for student achievement, facility improvement, community engagement and nancial management so that a nal list of district goals can be approved in October. School Board President Joseph Ciresi asked Board members to contribute suggestions or additions to the draft list of goals that had been established in February. At the Sept. 27th meeting, Board members reviewed the compiled list and compared the goals with those set forth by the superintendent and the districts strategic plan. We never went back and dened these. They are at a lofty level and now we need to take each one of these and say, What do they really mean? said Vice President Thomas DiBello. The goals include: v Increasing recognition of the high school on an academic level by expanding curriculum offerings v Expanding the number of seats and access to Virtual High School v Improving academic achievement by measuring PSSA, SAT and other test scores v Expanding extra-curricular offerings starting in fth grade v Expanded community engagement through partnerships with the business community and seeking community input on various issues v Enhanced communication with local taxpayers regarding unfunded mandates (continued on back)

Not able to get to the Board meeting in person? Tune into RCTV-Comcast Channel 969 or Verizon Fios Channel 44, where work sessions and meetings are broadcast monthly. For a channel schedule, visit www.spring-ford.net.

Board Committees to Rene District Goals (continued from front)

v Improving indoor air quality v Establishing in-service/workshop opportunities for Board members Superintendent Dr. Marsha Hurda said she would like to see enrollment growth added to the list of goals. The recent high school renovation and addition has helped address large student populations at the secondary level, she pointed out that some large classes are coming through the districts elementary schools and will need to be accommodated at the middle school level. Mr. DiBello said he would like to see technology goals added to the list, while Board member Edward Dressler suggested improving communication between the School Board and the districts various parent groups, as well as with teachers. Board members agreed to take the draft goals back to the committee level, where they will be further dened. In addition, the committees will identify measurements that can be used to gauge the districts progress toward the stated goal.

Spring-Fords Golden Rams to March in Phillys Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Spring-Ford Area High Schools Golden Ram Marching Band has been selected to perform in the Channel 6 ABC/IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia again this year. The School Board approved John Eckstine, Director, to take the group of students and stay overnight in Philadelphia from Nov. 24th to Nov. 25th. An overnight stay in Philadelphia prior to the parade is required of all performers. The cost of the trip shall not exceed $200 per student or $210 per chaperone and will be paid for by participants. The Music Association will provide fundraisers to help students earn money toward the trip. This is the second year in a row that the Golden Rams will be performing in Philadelphias Thanksgiving Day parade. The Spring-Ford Middle School Band will perform at the annual Thanksgiving Day football game held in the district, said Superintendent Dr. Marsha Hurda.

School Board Votes Down Second Attempt to Approve Easement

A majority of Spring-Ford Area School Board members rejected a motion to approve an easement that would enable the district to build an additional entrance to the 10-12 Center in September. This is the second time that the easement agreement has been turned down by a majority of members. The Board rst voted on the issue in August to secure the easement, which is needed if the district is to construct an entrance from Walnut Street leading to the 10-12 Center. The secondary entrance was proposed initially as a way to alleviate trafc on Lewis Road when students arrive and are dismissed from high school. Board members, however, decided not to pursue the easement agreement after residents voiced concerns that the proposed entrance would negatively affect Fernwood Cemetery. In meetings following the August vote, School Board members Donna Williams and Mark Dehnert pointed out that a signicant amount of time and money has already been put into securing the paperwork and approvals for the easement. They questioned whether it wouldnt be prudent to approve the easement agreement so the district would have it in the event that the developer owning the property eventually decides to build a road. Approving the easement doesnt commit us to anything, said Mr. Dehnert at the Sept. 27th meeting. Are we just going to spend the money for nothing? Board Vice President Thomas DiBello said confusion exists around whether or not a road has actually been planned for that area, and called for consultation with Limerick Township. We need to have a meeting with the township because there seems to be a lot of different information out there. Somewhere in the middle is what we should do, and we need to nd that, he said. Mr. Dehnert made a motion to accept the easement agreement as proposed, but it did not pass. As an alternative, the Board agreed to have Solicitor Marc Davis talk with both the developer who is granting the easement and Limerick Township to clarify various details before making any further decisions.

School Board Initiates Process to Refund Bonds

Spring-Ford Area School Board members are hoping to save over $430,000 by refunding bonds and authorized the districts nancial consultant, Boenning and Scattergood, at the Sept. 20th work session to oversee the effort. The Board passed a resolution that gives the consultant and administration the authority needed to begin the process of issuing bonds that would be used to renance or refund various outstanding obligations of the school district. Solicitor Marc Davis noted that the resolution does not bind the Board to any actions and that the districts nancial consultant would make a presentation to the members prior to any bond sale. That presentation may take place at the end of October, according to Mr. Davis.

In Other Business
In other business at the Sept. 27th meeting, the Spring-Ford Area School Board: v Authorized the administration to seek bids to replace the Royersford Elementary School chiller. Costs are not to exceed $200,000, with a majority of the installation to be completed in-house. v Approved the construction of a eld irrigation system by the Spring-Ford Rams Youth Football (SFRYF) organization. All costs will be paid by the SFRYF.
The next Spring-Ford Area School Board work session will be held Monday, Oct. 18th. The next regular Board meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 25th. Both meetings will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the 10-12 Center.