Elementary Schedule Changes, Budget Discussed in LMSD Superintendent Letter

Ways to reduce an estimated 4.4 percent tax increase and discussions about increasing the Lower Merion High School choice area are two of the major topics discussed by Lower Merion School District Superintendent Christopher McGinley in a letter posted Wednesday on the school district's website.

In McGinley's spring update to LMSD families, he also mentions recent studies of district elementary schools, with maximizing instructional time a primary goal.

The district aims "...to make the elementary school day a more organized experience so that students who receive support or enrichment services outside of the regular classroom are not missing new instruction," he writes. 

Elementary school principals will be recommending changes to the elementary school schedule for the 2013-14 school year, which will be finalized in the next month and discussed in a May 6 meeting of the Curriculum Committee, McGinley said.

Important dates discussed:

• April 5 at 8:30 a.m. - The Policy Committee will discuss language changes
  that would increase the LMHS choice area, with a vote expected at the April 15 board meeting.
• April 15 at 8 p.m. - LMSD Board of Directors meeting at which the final 2013-14 budget will be presented. The budget will be voted on in June. At the April 15 meeting, board members will vote on language changes that will increase the LMHS choice area.
• May 6 at 7 p.m. - Meeting of the Curriculum Committee to discuss changes to elementary school schedule

McGinley's full letter is reprinted below.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

With spring break behind us, I want to take a moment to inform you about a number of important matters that we are working on during the remaining months of the school year.

This Friday, April 5, 2013 at 8:30 AM, the Policy Committee of the Board will meet to discuss language changes to Policy 206 (Assignment of Pupils within the District) in preparation for a vote at the April 15 School Board Business meeting. The Policy Committee will also continue the discussion of high school enrollment growth and the proposal to expand the choice area for Lower Merion High School as a way to accommodate growth. This has been a discussion item at several public meetings since January. The policy meeting will be recorded and posted for viewing on our website, www.lmsd.org, and on our education access television channel. The committee will not take action on this issue on Friday. Additional discussion, and possible action will take place at the Board Business meeting on April 15. Please note that the School Board Education meeting scheduled for April 8 will not include this topic. For more information, please visit the Enrollment Growth section of our website.

The Curriculum Committee of the Board met yesterday to discuss the implications of Pennsylvania's adoption of the Common Core Curriculum Standards. This was a preliminary discussion of a national movement that will have long-term implications for how we teach and what we teach at all school levels. The Common Core is a curriculum movement that values depth over breadth and encourages the development of skill sets that will prepare students and communities for success in the changing global economy. The goal is for Common Core Standards to be adopted across states so that educators and parents have a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. There may be significant changes to secondary courses. For example, Advanced Placement courses are already being revised by the College Board. The District will schedule an informational meeting for parents on this topic in late May.

The Curriculum Committee also heard an update on an examination of the use of instructional time in our elementary schools. The issue is currently being discussed by the District's Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development Council. Our primary goal is to maximize the use of instructional time and to make the elementary school day a more organized experience so that students who receive support or enrichment services outside of the regular classroom are not missing new instruction. The elementary principals expect to recommend changes in the elementary school schedule for the upcoming school year. The recommendations will be finalized in the next few weeks and then discussed in an evening meeting of this committee scheduled for Monday, May 6 at 7 PM in the Board Room. Information about the reasons for examining the elementary schedule and the issues that are under review are posted in the Academics section of our website (under "Elementary Schools").

Last night, the Finance Committee of the Board met to discuss the District's budget for the upcoming school year. At that meeting, the administration identified expenditures that can be reduced (contracted services, for example) and one area where revenues are increasing (real estate tax collection rate). The administration will present the final proposed budget at the start of the Business Board meeting on April 15. The final budget will be adopted in June. Information about the preliminary budget is posted in the Budget Information section of the District website.

We encourage your input on these topics at public meetings and via email at communitycomments@lmsd.org. All public comments are reviewed by my office and shared with members of the Board of School Directors.

Finally, I am honored to share several extraordinary recent accomplishments:

• Congratulations to the Lower Merion boys basketball team for winning the 2013 Pennsylvania State Championship! The Aces finished the season 30-3, tied for the best record in program history and were named Team of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is Lower Merion's seventh state title and third for head coach Gregg Downer in five trips to the finals. Lower Merion High School will be hosting a championship parade and celebration for the team on Sunday, April 14 beginning at 1 PM in Suburban Square.
• Congratulations to Harriton senior Max Norris, winner of the 3,000 meter state title at the Pennsylvania Indoor Track State Championships! Norris was also named an All-American by placing second in the 5,000-meters at indoor nationals at the Armory in New York City. He closes the indoor season with the second fastest 5,000-meter and third fastest 3,000-meter time in the nation this season. These times also rank number two and number three, respectively, in the history of Pennsylvania.
• Lower Merion School District has been named one of the nation's "Best Communities for Music Education" by the NAMM Foundation. The District is one of only 307 communities across the country to earn the distinction, which honors schools for exceptional efforts to maintain music education as part of the core curriculum.
• Harriton's Abri Bernstein ‘13 and Lower Merion High School's Julia Kramer-Golinkoff '13 were recently selected as Distinguished Finalists in the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards – the nation's largest youth recognition program for outstanding volunteer community service. An independent panel reviewed more than 5,000 applications from PA with winners selected based on service that demonstrated personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth. Bernstein and Kramer-Golinkoff were two of only ten students in the state to be honored by the program. LMSD is the only district in the state to have two winners.

For more highlights and accomplishments, please visit our website.

Thank you for your continued cooperation, assistance and support. We look forward to a successful and productive final few months of the school year.

Sincerely,

Christopher McGinley, Ed.D.

Superintendent