Wow, a plethora of congratulations are in order for CCSD students. First, the Forensics team had a successful season; coaches and students alike worked hard to prepare and compete. Second, the CES Odyssey of the Mind team placed second in their division on the regional level and are advancing to the state level. Third, wrestlers Ben Rager and Tony Risaliti qualified for states. Ben had a great showing and season at 126 lbs., and was recognized among the Altoona Mirror 2nd team All Stars. Tony placed 4th at states, made the Altoona Mirror 1st team All Stars at 160 lbs, and was named Wrestler of the Year by the Altoona Mirror. Tony now holds the school record for wins (127 – 40) and for pins (83). Fourth, our 4 x 100 freestyle relay team (Newcomer, Chiappini, Brady and Westrick) qualified for states and broke the CCSD 4 x 100-school record. Finally, congratulations go to Kelsie Conrad for qualifying for states and returning with a new school record in the 100 meter backstroke. Whew! We are proud to note that CCSD is home to quite a talented group of young men and women!
The first official day of spring is March 20 but, with the temperatures and sunshine we have had this season, it seems as if spring started in February. I realize that some people do miss the activities that are possible only in the cold and snow, but I have heard very few complaints. Truthfully, the mild weather has been a blessing for our district: we have had very few rescheduled events, we’ve used far less than the usual amount of salt and anti-skid material, and we’ve had to spend vey little in overtime pay for plowing. Of course, we may still get one of the spring snow events, so don’t put that shovel away yet (are you knocking on wood right now, or crossing your fingers?!).
Kudos to all staff involved in the education of our students with special needs. We recently went through an exhaustive PDE audit of the programs and delivery of services for our students with IEPs. Parents, students, teachers, aides, and administrators were interviewed by the team from PDE. I am happy and proud to say that we had an excellent monitoring review. An official document will be sent to our district in a month, but the exit meeting was very encouraging and PDE had almost nothing to cite in terms of non-compliance within our district.
Many of you are now aware of the governor’s proposed budget. Once again, public education and local entities are bearing the burden of financing unfunded mandates:
• There is no real money for full day kindergarten.
• The transportation subsidy is to be cut.
• There is no increase in funding for special education for the fifth year in a row.
• The pension debacle continues to drain district coffers.
Once again, we must do more with less money. I am committed to continuing with full day kindergarten, as I believe it leads to many positive results. At the same time, I am determined to keep our district out of deficit spending. Unfortunately, this may involve some painful cuts and unpopular decisions in the months and years ahead. Be assured that my focus remains the preservation of a quality curriculum for our children. Many thanks to our booster clubs and PTOs for helping with so many fundraisers and monetary perks for our students.
Although this budget dilemma has caused considerable anxiety for educators, parents, and communities, we at Central Cambria are handling it in the best way possible: while some might wait or spend as if the problem might just disappear, we know the wiser course of action is to prepare for next year’s deficit and plan for an uncertain future in ways that maximize opportunities for our students.
I again encourage you to take a few moments to contact your local legislator. Ask for the renewal of Block Grant monies to school districts, and ask lawmakers to rescind the other cuts in the proposed budget. Thank you for supporting Central Cambria and public education.
I promised my older brother Dan that I would mention him in one of my blogs. He, like me, is a devoted Steeler fan. We spend inordinate amounts of time debating the “right” call on defense or offense – mostly to impress each other with our football prowess. He lives in the Downingtown area, home to a prosperous district that has two campuses and is growing steadily. Comparing notes with Dan on the state of education is always interesting. While he is not an educator, two of his children work in public schools. All in all, I am confident that our students are as successful – academically, athletically, and artistically – as those in his area.
Enjoy this unexpectedly mild start to the spring season by attending some of our spring sports. Track is a runaway favorite with my wife, and baseball and softball are in full swing (every pun intended!).
Speaking of sports, it was great to see the Pens win 11 in a row, but I’m still reeling from the abrupt end to their streak. I was staggered to see them lose to the Flyers with only .9 seconds left in overtime – I still can’t believe it. Oh, and hang in there, football fans, there are only 36 (long) days until the NFL draft….
Dr. D
Monday, March 19, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Those budget blues are singing once again....
I have been told that my blogs are very informative and uplifting; this blog is not. It is time for my yearly “grumbling and grousing” over the Governor’s proposed budget for next year. As I stated last year at this time, “…let me begin by stating this is not meant to be a complaint session. The governor’s budget is what it is.” In light of the current economic malaise, most districts in Pennsylvania are facing extremely hard times, with some unable to meet their bills even after extreme budget cuts. The Governor’s budget will do little to help and may put more districts in financial distress; against their own better judgment, districts are forced into deficit spending prior to passing a tentative budget for next year.
Central Cambria administrators have begun to once again scrutinize all areas of the district in an effort to present a balanced budget to the Board in May. Some of these areas include extra-curricular activities, conferences, out-of-district travel, staff realignment, staff reduction through attrition (these two latter items will necessarily result in larger class sizes), activity buses, AmeriCorps workers, technology, building budgets, dual enrollment and maintenance. There are other cost-saving ideas that are being discussed but have not been formally addressed.
Once again the Block Grant money (about $300,000 for our district) has been stricken from the Governor’s budget. This could affect our full-day kindergarten program; however, as I truly believe that full-day kindergarten enhances the academic potential of all students throughout their years in school, maintaining full-day kindergarten remains a top priority for our district. At this point we are planning to maintain full-day kindergarten classes for the 2012-13 school year.
As it currently stands, the Education budget for 2012-2013 proposed by Governor Tom Corbett on February 7 will shift more of the K-12 funding burden to local taxpayers. It will also dramatically cut state funding for higher education.
The proposed K-12 budget would “block grant,” or collapse into a new Student Achievement Education Block Grant, four current line items: basic education subsidy funding ($5.35 billion), pupil transportation ($542.3 million), nonpublic and charter school public transportation ($77.7 million), and $541.56 million of School Employees’ Social Security. This block grant show a modest increase in funding which Mr. Corbett uses to proclaim increased help for public education. However, this combined line block grant line item would provide an increase of only 3/10 of 1% over last year’s figure, or $21.8 million only enough to cover increased social security obligations; it provides no real increase for the basic subsidy to districts. Most other line items under the Governor’s PK-12 education budget were level funded (the same amount as in 2010-11) or received a 5 percent reduction.
I am doing my best to explain this to as many people as possible in order to prevent unwarranted optimism that our governor has mellowed in his attack on public education. With this in mind, please take a few minutes to contact your local legislator to ask - demand! - that Block Grant monies be renewed, and that, for the sake of Pennsylvania’s future, other educational cuts in the proposed budget be reinstated.
Once again, thank you for supporting public education and the efforts of your children’s teachers, support staff and administrators at Central Cambria.
And yes, thankfully, the NFL combines start this week into the weekend. While the Pens continue to play good/bad/ugly, I look forward to the NFL draft the last week in April.
Enjoy what little winter we have left. Dr. D.
Central Cambria administrators have begun to once again scrutinize all areas of the district in an effort to present a balanced budget to the Board in May. Some of these areas include extra-curricular activities, conferences, out-of-district travel, staff realignment, staff reduction through attrition (these two latter items will necessarily result in larger class sizes), activity buses, AmeriCorps workers, technology, building budgets, dual enrollment and maintenance. There are other cost-saving ideas that are being discussed but have not been formally addressed.
Once again the Block Grant money (about $300,000 for our district) has been stricken from the Governor’s budget. This could affect our full-day kindergarten program; however, as I truly believe that full-day kindergarten enhances the academic potential of all students throughout their years in school, maintaining full-day kindergarten remains a top priority for our district. At this point we are planning to maintain full-day kindergarten classes for the 2012-13 school year.
As it currently stands, the Education budget for 2012-2013 proposed by Governor Tom Corbett on February 7 will shift more of the K-12 funding burden to local taxpayers. It will also dramatically cut state funding for higher education.
The proposed K-12 budget would “block grant,” or collapse into a new Student Achievement Education Block Grant, four current line items: basic education subsidy funding ($5.35 billion), pupil transportation ($542.3 million), nonpublic and charter school public transportation ($77.7 million), and $541.56 million of School Employees’ Social Security. This block grant show a modest increase in funding which Mr. Corbett uses to proclaim increased help for public education. However, this combined line block grant line item would provide an increase of only 3/10 of 1% over last year’s figure, or $21.8 million only enough to cover increased social security obligations; it provides no real increase for the basic subsidy to districts. Most other line items under the Governor’s PK-12 education budget were level funded (the same amount as in 2010-11) or received a 5 percent reduction.
I am doing my best to explain this to as many people as possible in order to prevent unwarranted optimism that our governor has mellowed in his attack on public education. With this in mind, please take a few minutes to contact your local legislator to ask - demand! - that Block Grant monies be renewed, and that, for the sake of Pennsylvania’s future, other educational cuts in the proposed budget be reinstated.
Once again, thank you for supporting public education and the efforts of your children’s teachers, support staff and administrators at Central Cambria.
And yes, thankfully, the NFL combines start this week into the weekend. While the Pens continue to play good/bad/ugly, I look forward to the NFL draft the last week in April.
Enjoy what little winter we have left. Dr. D.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Standing Up for Public Education
Last year at this time our district had several snow delays and cancellations. This year (knock on wood) we have had only one delay. Although we still have many weeks of winter left, it does not appear that we are having a typical snow/ice/delay/cancellation year – yet! For those of you not familiar with our delay/cancellation weather procedure, it can be found on the district’s home page, under the link Guidelines for School Delays/Closings. I realize that my decisions about weather-related schedule changes will not please everyone. However, when it comes to our children, student safety is a far greater priority than convenience. As always, my phone, door and email system remain open and available for any concerns, issues or suggestions.
January is the month when our nation celebrates Martin Luther King’s birthday and all the work he did in the area of Civil Rights. January is also School Director’s recognition month. Our district is blessed with very competent, caring and involved school directors. Although this is not a “paid” position, Board members are charged with making many important, sometimes unpopular, decisions. Their tutelage and experience help to guide our district. Each director has the best interest of students, the district and the community at heart. They base their decisions on information, not on emotion. I am proud to work with each of them. At a time when state monies dwindle and public education is under fire from every side, the school board works diligently to maintain a quality education for all of CCSD’s students.
January is also a good time to redouble our efforts to educate those groups that bash public education. They need to recognize the successes among our students and those across the state. Case in point: Pennsylvania has shown eight consecutive years of improvement in student achievement in math and reading. Locally, the achievement scores of Central Cambria students continue to improve, as evidenced by our district consistently achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the standard by which the Department of Education measures successful teaching and learning. Success can also be seen in the fact that Cambria elementary school was awarded a $600,000 competitive grant for the i3 initiative (Investing In Innovation), which is an inquiry based science initiative. And we cannot minimize the many triumphs of our district’s fine arts and musical programs as they continue to garner regional and state awards and produce outstanding musicians.
So I encourage you to share the successes your child has experienced, either currently or as an alumnus. Let’s all “Stand Up For Public Education.”
Since we all know how Pennsylvania weather can change, I recommend keeping gas in your snow blower and ATV, and having your shovel at the ready until that first sighting of a robin. Stay safe and warm.
(I can’t write a blog without referencing football – which has now been put back on the shelf as I look forward to next season. FYI: as of this date – January 18 – there are 68 days until the NFL draft on April 26.)
Dr. D.
January is the month when our nation celebrates Martin Luther King’s birthday and all the work he did in the area of Civil Rights. January is also School Director’s recognition month. Our district is blessed with very competent, caring and involved school directors. Although this is not a “paid” position, Board members are charged with making many important, sometimes unpopular, decisions. Their tutelage and experience help to guide our district. Each director has the best interest of students, the district and the community at heart. They base their decisions on information, not on emotion. I am proud to work with each of them. At a time when state monies dwindle and public education is under fire from every side, the school board works diligently to maintain a quality education for all of CCSD’s students.
January is also a good time to redouble our efforts to educate those groups that bash public education. They need to recognize the successes among our students and those across the state. Case in point: Pennsylvania has shown eight consecutive years of improvement in student achievement in math and reading. Locally, the achievement scores of Central Cambria students continue to improve, as evidenced by our district consistently achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the standard by which the Department of Education measures successful teaching and learning. Success can also be seen in the fact that Cambria elementary school was awarded a $600,000 competitive grant for the i3 initiative (Investing In Innovation), which is an inquiry based science initiative. And we cannot minimize the many triumphs of our district’s fine arts and musical programs as they continue to garner regional and state awards and produce outstanding musicians.
So I encourage you to share the successes your child has experienced, either currently or as an alumnus. Let’s all “Stand Up For Public Education.”
Since we all know how Pennsylvania weather can change, I recommend keeping gas in your snow blower and ATV, and having your shovel at the ready until that first sighting of a robin. Stay safe and warm.
(I can’t write a blog without referencing football – which has now been put back on the shelf as I look forward to next season. FYI: as of this date – January 18 – there are 68 days until the NFL draft on April 26.)
Dr. D.
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