The Central Bucks Board Note
April 2019.....................................Vol. 1, No. 7
Please share any feedback with Angela Linch, communications and public relations administrator, at alinch@cbsd.org or by calling 267-893-2073.
A Little Smooth Jazz
Congratulations PMEA All State and All Eastern Division Musicians!
The Board and Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki presented certificates of recognition to the high school musicians who were selected to the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Music Ensemble and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-Eastern Division Music Ensemble.
The audition process began in November for these students, who were among 1,000 students from Bucks and Montgomery counties who auditioned for the district level band, orchestra, and choral ensembles. Select students then moved on to the regional ensembles, which include students from Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Bucks, and Montgomery counties. Finally, a select number of regional participants moved on to the all-state ensemble.
"The students who competed represented the Central Bucks School District in the highest regard," Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki said.
Of special note, the all-state jazz ensemble only has 18 members statewide, and three of these musicians are from Central Bucks. Invited to join the all-state jazz ensemble are Derek Diehl (CB East), Maxwell Du (CB West), and Max Fabiszewski (CB South). Tom Russo (CB South) will join the all-state concert band, and Aditya Gunturi (CB East) will join the all-state choir. Joining the all-eastern division band is Natalie Wang (CB East), and the all-eastern division choir, Seth Wohl (CB East). Congratulations to all!
Pictured above are Natalie Wang and Derek Diehl, along with School Board President Glenn Schloeffel and Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki.
Gayman Teacher is a Role Model for Students
The Board and Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki recognized Gayman Elementary School fifth grade teacher Josh Isaacsohn for his work to encourage kindness and gestures of support for the U.S. Military.
Each month of every school year for the past three years, he has provided stacks of notes and drawings by his students to the “West Point Moms,” who add them to care packages for servicemen and women.
Dr. Kopicki thanked Mr. Isaacsohn for his dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to our nation's military, "You are an excellent role model for your students, and truly for all of us. Thank you again.”
Two CBSD Teachers Among Finalists for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
The Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Program recognizes excellence in teaching by honoring K-12 teachers in public education who have made outstanding academic contributions to Pennsylvania's school-aged children.
School districts are encouraged to acknowledge the efforts of teachers in their community who have worked to achieve excellence in the classroom by nominating an outstanding educator. The 12 finalists in the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year program have been announced - and two CBSD teachers are among them - CB West’s Leanne Jarossy and CB South’s Will Melvin.
Ms. Jarossy was present at the Board meeting, and Superinttendent Dr. John J. Kopicki took a few moments to recognize her and take a quick photo.
Both Ms. Jarossy and Mr. Melvin are completing the final steps in the competition, participating in interviews and submitting a recorded lesson that exhibits effective instructional strategies. "We wish them the very best of luck," Dr. Kopicki said, "Their work is not yet finished, but they have already achieved a great accomplishment in being named among the finalists."
The 2020 PA Teacher of the Year will be announced in December of 2020.
Proposed Final Budget for 2019-2020 Includes No Tax Increase
Central Bucks School District's Director of Finance Brian Loftus presented the proposed final budget for the 2019-2020 school year.
The proposed final budget is balanced at $342,248,613; with no tax increase recommended. The budget supports the district's goals and objectives relative to technology, capital planning, staff development, and most importantly, a continued commitment to educational excellence - meeting every Central Bucks student's educational, social, and emotional needs.
Positive developments on the revenue side and additional savings from debt defeasance have enabled the administration to close the $920,000 deficit in the preliminary budget. While expenditures related to a one-year spike in curriculum costs associated with the purchase of educational resources for Math in Focus and social studies presented a challenge, the district was able to manage this impact by moving the social studies resource expenditure to the current budget year and accelerating savings from the debt defeasance. This continued commitment to the advanced payment of debt will result in a savings of $2.2 million in the coming year. In addition, this pre-payment will also accelerate Plan-Con reimbursements totaling $460,000 from the Commonwealth, as associated with previous capital projects.
The district is also expecting some subsidy increases, including an increase in Title 1 federal funding and state revenues of $32 million dollars - a return to pre-recession levels. With that said, the district's budget relies primarily on local revenue sources. Real estate transfer taxes, interim taxes, and current real estate taxes are all projected to grow, albeit at modest levels of 4%, 3%, and 1% respectively. Modest growth is also projected in the district's earned income tax revenues.
Overall, revenues are projected to increase 1.4% over current year projections, and expenditures 1.8%. With the budget deficit closed and the budget balanced, and with support from the Board of School Directors, the 2019-2020 budget will reflect a zero tax increase for the fifth consecutive year, and sixth in the past seven years.
Final budget approval is scheduled for the June 11, 2019 meeting of the Board of School Directors.
Follow the budget preparation and download previous presentations on the district's website here.
Board of School Directors in its entirety.
Central Bucks School District
Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month except for February, July, August, October, November and December. In February, the board will meet on the first and fourth Tuesdays. In July and August, the board meets on the fourth Tuesday only. In October, the board will meet on the third and fifth Tuesdays. In November, the board meets on the second Tuesday only. In December, the board meets on the first Tuesday only. Meetings are held at the Central Bucks Educational Services Center at 16 Welden Drive in Doylestown. All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend. Members of the public who wish to address the board prior to action items may sign up at the lectern before 7:30 p.m. Comments are limited to three minutes or less, depending on the number of speakers.
Correspondence for the Board of School Directors should be sent to Stephanie Radcliffe, Secretary to the Board, at sradcliffe@cbsd.org.
Email: alinch@cbsd.org
Website: www.cbsd.org
Location: 20 Welden Drive, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-5800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbschools/
Twitter: @cbsdinfo