In Great Valley
a monthly e-newsletter from the Great Valley School District
June 2020
Congratulations, Class of 2020!
2020-2021 Budget Approved
Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent Named
“Our School Board has every confidence that Dr. Goffredo will provide strong leadership,” said School Board President David Barratt. “As an 11-year veteran of the District, Dr. Goffredo has proven himself to be a skilled and capable leader in our school community. We are very pleased to appoint him to this position, and look forward to working with him on a smooth transition plan as Great Valley continues to pursue excellence in all we do.”
For more information, visit www.gvsd.org.
Board Review
The Great Valley Board of School Directors conducted two regular business meetings in June: June 1, 2020, and June 8, 2020.
Complete meeting highlights and meeting agendas are available on our website. Meeting broadcasts are normally available on GVTV (Comcast Channel 14 and/or Verizon Channel 36), or via our website. Note that during the COVID-19 closure, meeting broadcasts are not available on GVTV, but remain available online.
Board Approvals
The School Board issued the following financial approvals. For more information on any item, please view in BoardDocs.
- Authorization to Award Bids, Award Contracts, and Pay Bills
- CCIU Marketplace Agreement
- Photography Contract
- Donation to GVSD Food Program
- Insurance Renewals
- Ransomware/Disaster Backup Recovery Service Agreement
- Budget Transfers
- SOS Contract Renewal
- Renewal of Nursing Professional Services Contract
- Qualtrics Contract Renewal
- Educational Services Contract
- Educational Placement Contracts
- Contract for Speech and Language Services
- Contract with Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.
- Renewal of Professional Learning Management System
- Special Education Settlement Agreements
- Additional Sessions of GVSD Summer Learning Experiences
- Independence Blue Cross Administrative Agreement
Board Report: Council for Diversity & Inclusion
Highlights from the report include:
- A committee of teachers and administrators began meeting last fall to focus on hiring, recruitment, and retention of diverse teachers. Members of that committee attended several forums hosted by Villanova University and The Delaware Valley Consortium for Equity and Excellence which addressed ways to promote greater diversity in hiring practices. Additionally, the committee met with a consultant to help hone its approach to hiring more diverse candidates.
- Other district-wide efforts focused on diversity and inclusion include: curriculum work to embed units in grade 8-12 English courses, and the development of a new high school English elective focused on diverse voices; preparation for the implementation of Responsive Classroom in the 2020-2021 school year; increased professional opportunities on equity through a partnership with Delaware Valley Consortium for Equity and Excellence; revisions to gifted screening; increased translation for communications; and BASIS training for stakeholders (Belonging and Sociocultural Identities in Schools).
Moving forward, the District will be participating in an Equity Audit, conducted by the Penn Coalition for Educational Equity. The timing of the audit will depend on when schools reopen, as a large part of that work is classroom observations and interviews. The District will also continue to conduct BASIS training for all staff. Meetings of the Council will resume next school year. An area of effort will be to form subcommittees that will report back to the whole Council. Finally, work in the 2020-21 school year will include the development of a comprehensive communications plan that informs and involves the Great Valley community and promotes the work happening district-wide to further the Council’s mission. Minutes from Council meetings are available on the District's website at www.gvsd.org/cdi.
Will Schools Open in the Fall?
There are still many unknowns related to whether or not schools will reopen in the fall of 2020. During the week of June 1, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released “preliminary guidance” and planning materials for schools to reopen. A planning template was provided and the plan calls for the designation of a Pandemic Team and/or Coordinator. The reopening plan will require approval by the Great Valley Board of School Directors.
There are currently three scenarios for the fall: schools open normally; instruction continues entirely online; or a blended option (part-time in school and part-time from home). Much of the decision making will rely on whether Chester County is in the yellow or green phase and what those definitions mean.
"We need to be prepared for any scenario, " said incoming Superintendent Dr. Daniel Goffredo. "We understand that even if schools open normally in the fall, we could see a surge in cases later that causes us to again close schools and move back to virtual instruction. We will make sure that no matter what format we are in, Great Valley is prepared. We have learned a lot and know that we are even better prepared for next year, whatever it may bring."
According to Goffredo, the GVSD Pandemic Team is assembled and communication will occur throughout the summer. Families are urged to participate in the recent survey that was emailed to them and includes an opportunity for families to express levels of comfort for returning in the fall.
Information related to the GVSD response to COVID-19 is available on our website at www.gvsd.org/covid-19.
Online School Board Meetings
Contact us
Email: communications@gvsd.org
Website: www.gvsd.org
Location: 47 Church Road, Malvern
Phone: 610-889-2125
Facebook: facebook.com/GreatValleySD