Superintendent's Report
May 20, 2019
From the Desk of Dr. Steve Yanni...
Kudos and Congratulations - Over the last few weeks, I hope everyone had the opportunity to attend one of our many student-centered events. From concerts to showcases, recitals to art shows, and from musicals to children's productions, our students' talents have been displayed proudly. An Upper Dublin education is not predicated only on the "3Rs" but also on the many opportunities in fine arts that are available to students.
Go Team - Congratulations to all of our student athletes for their hard work and dedication this spring season! It is truly inspiring to see our student athletes excel in sports just as they excel academically.
A Commitment to Equity - The concept of educational equity requires that each student receives what they need to succeed. Educational equity benefits all students, and our entire community. The District is committed to all students graduating ready to succeed in a diverse national and global community. Strategies to achieve this shall include the following:
- Providing every student with equitable access to high quality curriculum, instruction, facilities, and other educational resources and differentiating resource allocation as needed;
- Establishing of policies which support the promotion of equity;
- Recruiting and retention strategies to promote diversity in the District workforce;
- Creating a welcoming culture and inclusive environment;
- Partnering with families and the community as sources of expertise in promoting an inclusive educational system;
- Providing multiple pathways to success to meet the needs of our diverse student body;
- Providing training and professional development in cultural proficiency; and
- Providing instructional materials and assessments that reflect diverse cultural perspectives.
As a District we are working hard to ensure that we promote educationally equitable practices. Our community has the commitment of our leadership team and staff to continually strive for equitable practices that support ALL students.
All People Have Value - While there is much to be proud of in Upper Dublin, no District (or community) is immune from negative actions from time to time. Recently, we have dealt with several instances where students have used inappropriate racial terms when dealing with their peers. While these things are often hidden from view or swept under the proverbial rug, in the interest of transparency, we would like to share with our community how we have dealt with these situations.
- When students engage in these types of behaviors, they receive discipline via our Student Code of Conduct. Discipline includes a series of consequences up to and including suspension.
- We know, however, that discipline alone does not shape behavior. Therefore, it is vital that we have a restorative piece that accompanies discipline. This restorative piece includes, but is not limited to, counseling to understand one's own behavior.
Hate and intolerance have no place in Upper Dublin. We are one District - one community - committed to ensuring the best environments for our students. We thank everyone in our community for their support of the positive culture and climate that we want to create and sustain in our schools.
Transitioning from Coordinators to Supervisors - As our community knows, we have several administrative positions in our District known as Coordinators. On this evening's agenda, there is a motion to redefine these positions as Supervisors. Each of our Coordinators (now Supervisors) are highly-qualified educational leaders. The change in titles do not equate to additional compensation. Our Coordinators turned Supervisors include:
- Mr. Tony Giammarco - Supervisor of Social Studies (6-12)
- Mr. Chris Horn - Supervisor of Allied Arts (K-12)
- Ms. Meg Kowalski - Supervisor of Mathematics (6-12)
- Ms. Kim Small - Supervisor of Science (6-12)
- Ms. Bryna Vandergrift - Supervisor of English/Language Arts (6-12)
- Ms. Donna Ward - Supervisor of Guidance (6-12)
Advocacy for Public Education - In a previous report, I made the community aware of proposed legislation to reduce the amount of money that districts must pay to cyber charter schools for students who attend those institutions. The PA House Education Committee has passed four cyber charter bills, but none of them address funding. We will keep the community updated on this topic.
Upper Dublin Triathlon - Congratulations to all Upper Dublin residents who took part in yesterday's triathlon. The commitment and resilience shown by each of the participants was inspiring. Thank you to everyone who supported the event!
Upper Dublin Medals - The 35th Annual Medals Program recognized outstanding Upper Dublin community members including two UDHS students. The winners were:
- Citizen: Howard Schmuckler
- Educator: Erin Loch
- Non-Profit Organization: Peace & Shake
- Students: Ryan Goodman & Hannah Xiao
Strategic Action Planning - We express our gratitude to the community members who took the time to provide input and feedback regarding our draft strategic action plans. The insight garnered from our community has been very helpful! Over the next week, we will revise our plans based upon the input and feedback received, and each subcommittee will receive final plans in the next two weeks. We plan to bring our full set of action plans to the Board for approval on June 24th.
Join Us for Upcoming Events - Please check out our District calendar to stay up to date with all of the activities happening in May. There is no shortage of events to attend, all of which showcase our students' talents! #UDProud!
Stay Tuned - Please remember that there are multiple ways to stay up to date with what is happening in the Upper Dublin School District. Check out our website, my Superintendent's blog, and eNotifications. Please do not forget to like our page on Facebook and to follow us on Twitter.