Finally spring....

April has finally delivered some pleasant weather in our area, just as the spring sports season begins to wind down toward district competitions.  Although we had a milder winter this year, when compared to the last several, our grounds were still quite saturated and unplayable.  Despite this, this is the earliest, since the start of my tenure at CCSD, that we have had spring sports teams play on our fields – evidence of both the mild winter and the stellar care taken with our fields during off seasons.  Our Board has approved the creation of a girls’ golf team for next fall.  Keith Gilkey will be the head coach for both girls’ and boys’ teams; the open position of assistant coach has been posted.  Again, the Board’s commitment to the students and great fiscal planning made this and other projects possible.

Related to the above statement, the grounds committee has given the Board regular updates on possible field modifications, additions, and renovations.  They have been discussing the needs of our softball and baseball fields; they are also exploring the creation of a new multi-purpose field across from the high school.  Although some may think things are moving too slowly with respect to our grounds plans, please remember that this is an arduous process that requires, planning, permits, site analysis and a close examination of the district’s finances. The Board is committed to providing the best possible facilities and grounds that are safe and useful to our students and community.

Continuing with this sports-related discussion, the Board has approved many exciting renovations for our high school gym.  The gym floor will be replaced with a new maple floor, complete with new logos and lines.  The walls will be painted.  A new ceiling, with lighting that doubles what we currently have, will be included in the renovations.  With so much going on, the high school gym will be closed from May 2^nd until all renovations are complete.  Mrs. McDermott and Mr. Wilson have formed a committee of district and community members to oversee the layout and design of the gym.  Kudos to our Board for being so fiscally responsible to afford such a project in the face of limited state government funds.

Despite the lack of state funding, Central Cambria will hold the line on taxes again this year.  Several factors make this an impressive feat: first, employee costs, as well as our pension contribution, have risen significantly. Second, although Governor Wolf has promised to do more for public education, the Republican-controlled Legislature has not committed to his vision in this regard. For this reason, it looks as if another battle is in the offing for next year. Knowing that we face another year of fiscal uncertainty forces us to carefully prioritize and monitor every expenditure.

Some other news this month:

·      Students in grades 3-8 are currently taking the PSSAs.  The ELA tests are over and will be followed first by the math test and then the science assessment. In May, secondary students will take the spring Keystone exams. 

·      The secondary parent advisory group will meet Tuesday, April 26 in the high school library, and the elementary parent advisory group will meet Thursday, April 28, at CES.                   

·      Finally, our Policy committee is in the process of creating a Board policy for the use of Naloxone, a drug that counteracts the effects of a drug overdose. Core personnel will be trained to identify the need and, when warranted, to administer the drug.

Now it is time for some sports talk.  Yes, the Pens are again in the playoffs, but the momentum they might have had vanished on Saturday as they got walloped by the Rangers.  It is now a five game series, with Fleury tentative and Zatkoff looking rattled in the net.  How far they go is anyone’s guess.   And yes, I smell football in the air as many colleges have played their spring games (e.g., the Blue White game at PSU), the draft is at the end of this month, and the NFL schedules have been released.  Does anyone else smell that pigskin in the air….

Dr. D. 

April Fools?

Is winter over or are we in for an April Fool’s joke?  As the flowers planted last fall are already beginning to come through the ground, there is always a fear that a heavy frost will destroy the buds on trees and the fragile flower shoots.  I am sure Mother Nature has a plan that will eventually unfold.

Yes, winter has been extraordinarily mild this year, especially when compared to the last several years, with only one cancellation, two delays and a lone early dismissal.  As you may already know, the cancelled day will be made up June 2, which is both the last scheduled student day and graduation day.

Just the mention of graduation on June 2 brings to mind just how quickly another school year seems to be zipping by; spring sports are starting, and seniors can see graduation on the horizon.  Speaking of which, graduation will once again be held at St. Francis’ Stokes Gym on June 2 at 7pm.  As in years past, I will provide more information on the graduating class of 2016 during the month of May.

It has been a wonderful year with so many students giving stellar performances in sports and extracurricular activities.  Our wrestlers, swimmers, and girls basketball team all did a great job in Districts, Regionals and State finals.  Three students on our Forensics team advanced to the State competition level.  Our hockey team went to the LHAC finals and lost to an opportunistic St. College team.  They had a phenomenal season.

I am excited to tell you about an initiative spearheaded by Jenn Mesoras, the principal of Cambria Elementary School: Our district is collaborating with Cambria county preschool and day care providers to support a positive transition from preschool facilities to our district.  Mrs. Mesoras will house a Pre-K class in her building next year; she has attended many seminars and trainings dealing with early childhood education and is fast becoming our resident Early Childhood expert. 

Many of you are aware of the state’s continued inability to pass a budget.  It is now nine months overdue and there is no budget compromise in sight.  Once again, public education and local entities must find ways to finance unfunded mandates.  This lack of budget is causing many hardships, some of which include:

·     Over $1billion dollars in loans and lines of credit have been taken by districts to make ends meet

·     To date $45 million dollars have been spent on interest and bank fees, costing the taxpayer unnecessary additional dollars

·     Many Districts have begun estimating when they will be out of money and are contemplating closing their doors early.

·     District reserves continue to dwindle as some districts use this money to meet their bills and payroll commitments.

·     On the subject of the budget, Harrisburg lawmakers continue to stand on opposing sides of the aisle while districts and social services are left to fend for themselves.

Once again, we must do more with less money.  Our District is holding its own, but things are getting tighter.  I have suspended all staff and student field trips unless they have already been approved or come at no cost to the district.  I urge you to contact your local representative at the state level to tell them they need to do their job and pass a fair, fiscally sound budget quickly.

Finally, while most people say happily that Spring is in the air, we fanatics see in this season a return to thoughts of football.   How can this be, you ask? Well, many colleges, including PSU, have begun spring practices.  NFL free agency trades continue, and there are just 33 days until the draft begins. All of these events are hitting the airwaves and adding to the notion that football is back. As I wait (patiently?) for football, I’m happy to note that our Pittsburgh Pens are providing us with excellent hockey performances. They are in a good position to secure a wild card spot for the playoffs. 

As time marches on at an increasingly rapid pace, it won’t be long before many of us will be avoiding the heat and complaining about cutting the grass. If you’re like me, objections will be minimal as we embrace the pleasures—and the challenges—of every season.

Until next month,

Dr. D.

It is still winter in Cambria County

This month is an excellent time to review our district’s snow delay/cancellation policy as outlined on the district’s home page under the link Guidelines for School Delays/Closings.   To date, we have had two delays, one early dismissal and one cancellation (see below).  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. 

                                    2014               2015               2016

Delays                          7                      6                      2

Early Dismissals     1                      6                      1

Cancellations           6                      3                      1

Our final day of school will be decided in the near future to allow parents time to plan for any trips or vacations.  We still have lots of winter left.  I am reminded of April 23, 2013 when I was in NY for the birth of my granddaughter, Eloise.  The district received 10” of very wet, heavy snow, prompting a cancellation.  Up until that point we had not had a snow cancellation.  So, while this winter has been comparatively benevolent, we should assume nothing about what is to come.

Our district recently tried something unusual for the February in-service day; we had staff volunteer to present a variety of technology sessions to district staff.  All told, 29 staff volunteered to present about tools or software with which they were proficient.  As I walked through the HS and MS, I heard nothing but rave reviews about the value of this day and that it was the best day of professional development in many years.  Kudos to Joe Strittmatter, our Director of Technology, for organizing and implementing this - to the 29 staff who volunteered to conduct sessions for their colleagues.   This has raised the bar pretty high for future in-service days. 

Time to resume my monthly place on my soap box and complain about the lack of funding from the State.  We have received approximately 45% of our BEF (Basic Ed Funding), or $5 million dollars.  This was much-needed help, but it only goes so far.  True, the Governor has already delivered his budget speech for next year, which includes another $200 million for public education—on paper, public education is well funded! Adding next year’s promised money to what he wanted this year is an historic $500 million dollars for public education.  But he and the legislators cannot agree on key issues, such as increasing taxes, pension reform, and liquor privatization; while they dance and dodge their responsibility to distribute our tax dollars according to a defined budget, the fiscal needs of the state are held hostage.  This is wrong on so many levels, most painfully in terms of the pain and lack of services it is creating.  Contact your local legislator and let them know they owe it to you, the taxpayer, to finalize this year’s budget; you might remind them that, while they’re at it, they might want to earn their pay by doing the same for the newest budget.

The Feds have finally reauthorized the ESEA, by replacing No Child Left Behind with ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). Included is a strong push to give local districts more control over educational decisions and to reduce mandatory testing.  There are many aspects to this new bipartisan Act that will return many decisions to professionals at the District level.

Kudos to our athletes and the season they have had.  Tonight, February 17, our boys’ basketball team plays Richland in District play while our girls play Phillipsburg-Osceola.  Good luck tonight.  Congrats to Gabby Gironda on attaining 100 wins as an individual at IUP over the past weekend.  And good luck to our wrestlers as they compete in D6 this weekend in Altoona.  Go get ‘em, Red Devils!

And now for some sports talk.  With all football over and the free agency set to begin, my focus turns to the Pens.  They have had an inconsistent season, replacing their head coach, and winning games by luck while losing games they should have dominated.  At this point they will make the playoffs but, with their level of play, their participation might be brief.    Sigh.   Although football seems a long way off, the April draft is not that far away.  Hopefully the Steelers will draft wisely; I’m also hopeful that they can avoid the injury bug that plagued them this year.   

Enjoy what is left of Old Man Winter’s visit to Cambria County!

Dr. D.