LTSD School Resource Officer Changes

Loyalsock Township School District Program Spotlight:

 

Pennsylvania State Police SRO (School Resource Officer) Service

 

As you are likely already aware, LTSD contracted with the PA State Police for a School Resource Officer during the 2012-13 school year.  Because of its overall effectiveness since then and legitimate increased need, the Loyalsock Township Board of Supervisors graciously allocated additional funding in conjunction with the School District to be able to provide more hours per week for a SRO to be present in each of our buildings and grounds. 

Beginning this school year, this additional funding has provided the opportunity for the State Police to utilize up to three individual State Troopers within our schools.  Trooper Mike Knight continues to provide service to the district as he did during the 2012-13 school year.  In addition, Trooper Jeff Vilello has recently joined Trooper Knight in providing services to the school district.

Trooper Vilello

Some of the services our two SRO individuals provide include:  safety, security, and perimeter control in and around our schools; risk assessments; assistance at after-school athletic events; traffic and parking control in and around campus; safety and security exercises with faculty and staff; assisting with potential school-based crimes involving drugs and alcohol; drug dog searches on a periodic basis; and, educational/classroom guest-teaching sessions in courses like Statistics, Health and Wellness, and LIFE - a chance for juniors and seniors to ask realistic legal questions about becoming an adult and their responsibilities.

Although we are more than pleased to have the services of two State Police officers in our buildings providing these services, please be aware that they are not the only source of law enforcement available to you and your families.  Should you experience a related bus accident to/from school, unsafe motor vehicle use in one of our parking lots, threat/harassment/other notable incidents that relate to school but occur in the evening or weekend privately, Trooper Knight and Vilello encourage you to contact the State Police barracks in Montoursville directly, and certainly if necessary, 911.  There are times when waiting until the next school day or after the weekend is not an option, and it is always better to contact law enforcement immediately if such a need exists.

Please join us in welcoming Trooper Jeff Vilello to our school district.  We appreciate all that he and Trooper Knight do for us on a daily basis in providing the best possible opportunity for students and staff to feel secure in our schools.

Lancer Foundation now taking applications for the 2013 Distinguished Graduate

The Lancer Foundation has established a selection process for nominating persons for the Distinguished Alumni Award.

The candidate must be of good moral character and a graduate of the Loyalsock Township High School. Designation as a distinguished alumni award recipient shall be a credit to the Distinguished Alumni Award, The Lancer Foundation, and the Loyalsock Township School District Foundation.

Nominations for the award must be received by January 1 of each year. The candidate(s) will be determined during the January meeting of the board. Successful candidate(s) will be inducted at a spring awards ceremony.

Nomination forms will be available on the website and at the District Service Center. The chairman of the selection committee will review the nominations with the selection committee with recommendations presented to The Lancer Foundation. The candidate needs a 2/3 vote of approved to be a recipient. The selected recipient(s) will be presented to the Loyalsock Township School District Board of School Directors.

Nominations will be valid for five (5) years.

There will be a public announcement of the recipient. 

 

Visit the Alumni Web site for application 

Congratulations to the Class of 2013!  We are PROUD of you!!!

Loyalsock One-One iPad Iniative Approved

We are excited to announce the recent approval of a comprehensive technology iniative for grades 8-12.  In the 2013-14 school year, all students in the included grades will be provided with an iPad to use during school hours and at home for homework and extension activities.  Our teachers have already received their iPads with initial professional development activities.  We will also host three professional development days over the summer and one prior to the start of school in an effort to prepare our teachers for the integration process.  Keep checking back over the next several months on updates to our project.

Governor's Proposed State Budget 2013-2014

A short review of Governor Corbett’s proposed 2013-2014 state budget presented on February 5, 2013 includes these items:

Ø Basic Education Funding – Increase 1.7% ($90 million)

Ø Accountability Block Grant – Flat Funded

Ø Pre-K Counts/Head Start Supplement Assistance – Increase 5% ($6.4 million)

Ø Transportation – Increase 2.5% ($13.6 million)

Ø Special Education – Flat Funded (3^rd year)

Ø Food Service – Increase 2.4% ($762 million)

Ø Social Security – Flat Funded

Ø Retirement – Increase 26.2% ($224 million)

Ø Total PDE – Increase 3.4% ($338 million/$224 million for pension increase)

 

The Governor’s proposed budget includes two aspects of the need for legislative action. The first position is pension reform as outlined by the budget secretary. Charles B. Zombie recommends the following:

Ø new employees of the Commonwealth be required to enroll in a 401(a) plan,

Ø most state employees be required to contribute at least 6.4% of his or her salary to their plan,

Ø public school employees be required to contribute at least 7.5% of their salary,

Ø reduce the multiplier in the formula used to determine future pension benefits by .5% for all employees that are currently locked into a multiplier above the 2% level, except for those who previously bought up to the higher multiplier above the 2% level,

Ø current employees may keep the higher multiplier by paying a higher contributions rate,

Ø cap the pensionable income at the Social Security wage base (113,700 for 2013), and

Ø change the calculation for final retirement income by increasing the number of years used in the calculation.

Ø Moving forward, if current employees choose to withdraw contributions, their pension payments will be based on the amount remaining in their pension account.

Another aspect involves the sale of state liquor stores. These funds would produce one-time revenue for all public school districts across a four-year timeframe and would be used to support early child childhood programs, teacher retention, and safety/security staff.

 

The Governor’s 2013-2014 state budget contains no new tax revenue, which drives the cost of education to taxpayers through higher property taxes and cost-saving program cuts. The cuts to basic education funding for the past two years coupled with flat funding threaten to reduce the ability of school districts to continue to provide the educational opportunities our children need to compete in a global society.

 

The Governor’s proposal on pension reform does not address the issue of public school funding on a long-term basis. Additionally, the Governor’s continued support for cyber/charter schools pulls state and local tax dollars away from strained school budgets.

 

Governor Corbett’s proposed 2013-2014 budget provides more questions than answers for the residents of Pennsylvania. Legislators will need to work together to answer these important questions

LTSD Proposes a one-one iPad initiative in our middle and high school.

As our culture evolves technologically, we need tools that are mobile, compatible with many different environments, and able to be technologically upgraded at minimal cost—the iPad fits all of these requirements.

The cost of a mobile laptop 1:1 program was also considered. Laptop and tablet PC programs can be
draining on school operations from a staffing and troubleshooting standpoint. iPads provide the
best opportunity to leverage available staff and professional training necessary to maintain a mobile
technology program. There is an established and growing base of teacher resources available for the
iPad. The long battery life and portability of iPads also far outweighed laptops and tablet PCs as
viable options

 

Our goals for the project

 

Enhance teacher use of technology to facilitate new and existing curricula in the classroom and on
the world wide web through BlendedSchools.net.

Successfully prepare all LTSD students for proficiency on all Keystone exams in grades 8-12.

Attract students away from non-LTSD virtual education opportunities.

With these goals in mind

All 8-12 grade students will receive a 32GB wifi only iPad 3

iPads will be the responsibility of the students and their families

Each iPad will be managed by a mobile device management software

Each student is provided with an iPad case. Power adapters are included with the iPad.

You will hear more about this exciting proposal over next few months.  If you have any questions or
comments about this proposal, please feel free to contact me.

School Safety and Security

In light of the recent event at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, I felt compelled to talk about what we are doing as a school community to keep your children safe.    Although incidents like this are very rare they are horrifying and make us realize that we live in an unpredictable world.   You can be assured that when you leave your children with us they will be safe at ALL times.  We have safety and security procedures in place to protect our students and staff while they are in our care.  Although tensions are high, I want our school days to look like business as usual to our children.  That said, I don't want you to be alarmed when you see State Police vehicles outside our buildings and our School Resource Officer, State Trooper Mike Knight, visiting each of our school buildings.  The newly hired SRO has already conducted a security audit on our administrative procedures.   Our counselors are prepared to assist any students, parents, or staff who may have difficulty dealing with their emotions.  Please be aware that we have a link on our school websites for guidance to parents about how to talk to your children about such events.  Please feel free to contact our schools if with any questions or if we can be of any assistance.