June News for Council Rock: Proposed New Roles, Full-Day K Update, and More
June 15, 2024 - Volume 2
This past week, as I shook hands and handed out diplomas to our 2024 high school graduates, I was again reminded what a privilege and opportunity it is to serve on the Council Rock School Board. I was also reminded of when my mother served on a committee of working moms fighting to bring full-day K to our district. I was attending half-day Kindergarten at the time, and a friend's parent asked me if I had younger brothers or sisters. When I told her I didn’t, she said, "I wonder why your mother would go to all that effort if there are no younger siblings who would benefit." What she didn’t understand, of course, was that my mother was advocating for all children in our district, and for families who lacked the time or resources to do so for themselves.
Today, more than 30 years later, I’m so proud to have “taken up the baton,” and, if FDK is approved for Council Rock, I’ll be gratified to have had a role in making that happen. I, too, don’t have children who would directly benefit, but the work we do as school board directors, all of it as volunteers, is on behalf of all district students and families—those here now and those who will be in years to come.
It was inspiring to meet our CR graduates just as the next exciting phase of their lives begins. Their reflections on their time in Council Rock reminded me of the difference our community makes in so many lives. I’m so proud to be working together to make sure their futures are bright.
This second newsletter is again divided into our three main objectives for this year. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Please, please, subscribe and forward it to some friends in our district 🙂
Student Well Being
At our May Education meeting the CHOP Youth Heart Watch presented their program that provides funding for school districts to increase educator training and access to AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillator). According to Dr. Sanko, Council Rock can expect to become a “HeartSafe” school district within the next school year. As I mentioned at our school board meeting, when my father experienced sudden cardiac arrest, his life was saved by an AED, so when I was approached by a Council Rock parent about this program, I was enthusiastic. Learn more here.
Dr. Kasey Black, Supervisor of Student Services at Council Rock, described the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Framework that she and her team are working on. They will identify areas within the Council Rock student population where students are struggling, and then recommend providing more resources in these areas.
After receiving feedback from a committee of parents, students, and administrators, and attending presentations from two cafeteria vendors (Chartwells and Aramark), we selected Aramark to replace Chartwells as our cafeteria vendor. In my view, the administration did a great job of considering the feedback, negotiating pricing, and is now taking steps to ensure that current Chartwells employees transition comfortably to Aramark. Our students will notice the improvements next year, with cafeterias branded more like restaurants and even more tasty menu choices.
The proposed new budget, which we will vote on in June, has several new positions the administration has been requesting for years. I want to draw your attention to just two new positions at the middle school level: school resource officers and hall monitors. These positions will increase student safety, help minimize behavior and substance use problems, and help set the tone and culture at the schools. Middle school can be a challenging time so I’m supporting the administration’s request for additional resources to help those students.
Educational Excellence
We continue to review the opportunities and potential drawbacks of Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK) which we plan to vote on at the June board meeting. I hope you took the community survey regarding FDK. We received more than 3500 responses! The results were overwhelmingly positive, with 75% of respondents strongly supporting FDK.
Curriculum and Course textbook selection continues with recommended textbooks on display for community members in the Chancellor Center. Most focus on the science curriculum that we need to update in order to maintain compliance with Pennsylvania’s new Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (STEELS) standards.
Communication
I’m proud of the initiatives the district has taken to keep our community informed about the behind-the-scenes work of the administration and board. Our Kindergarten Survey was a great success. If you weren’t able to attend the Full-Day Kindergarten Forum on June 4th, you can watch it here. CR Kindergarten teachers explained that with a half-day program, our students have an abridged reading curriculum and reduced time for math studies. A full day would enable teachers to complete the curricula, add time for specials, and add more time for purposeful play and learning social skills.
At the budget forum on May 29th, residents heard directly from the Business Administrator about the proposed budget and asked questions about the budget. The administration is proposing a 2.64% tax increase this year. You can see how it breaks down here.
The maximum tax increase that schools in Pennsylvania are allowed this year was set at 5.3%. The board and the administration worked hard to keep our tax increase to less than half the amount of some other districts. Most of the school’s budget goes to salaries which increase contractually each year. The budget also allows for an increase in debt service, enabling us to prepare for upcoming renovations at our high schools and some other buildings.
Thanks for taking the time to read this month’s newsletter! I hope you’ll subscribe and forward it to a friend!
Tracey