Bucks schools get good report card
Link to report:
The news is mostly good for Bucks County public schools, according to a report released Tuesday by an education advocacy group.
Twelve of 13 districts in Bucks boast above-average graduation rates, the report said. Standardized test scores are similarly high, and several districts have had success closing performance gaps between students from different economic backgrounds.
"Right now, Bucks County school districts are doing great," said Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), the group that released the report.
There are still areas for improvement in Bucks, Cooper said, and trends that bear monitoring. The number of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches, for example, rose by 42 percent over the last four years, she said, and access to full-day kindergarten, often cited as a way to boost early-stage learning, is only accessible to 26 percent of Bucks students. In Montgomery County that number is higher than 50 percent, Cooper said.
In addition, like many counties around the state, Bucks districts are dealing with a decrease in state funding after 2011 cuts, and 11 of 13 districts have raised property taxes within the last three years, according to the report.
But many of the numbers included are positive, such as a county-wide graduation rate of 93 percent - the state average is 83 percent, the report said - and having more than 80 percent of students score advanced or proficient on state assessment tests, also above the state average, according to the report.
"There's an awful lot" that Bucks districts can be proud of, Cooper said.
29 comments:
Bristol Borough, not Morrisville, is the 1 district with a below average graduation rate.
"The number of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches, for example, rose by 42 percent over the last four years"
This is very unfortunate. Made me sad when I read it. So many struggling families.
Thank you for this article. I'll take being lopped in with the rest rather than being the odd man out so to speak.
Morrisville comes off decently in this report.
People don't like that 3-12 grades are all in one school building. Think it's not safe. Guess who's majorly responsible for that?
Answer: Hellmann and his merry band of followers (Mihok, Radosti, Buckman, Farrell, Stout, Worob, Ruthrauff...). Also failed to put in the 'partitions' they promised to separate older & younger kids. The new school board had to follow though with that broken meager promise.
Guess who on council supported Hellmann & friends?
Burger, Ledger, Dreisbach, Sanford, Smith, .... They can say all they want on facebook , ask people involved in the schools. They were more or less invisible during this time. Except Burger with MOEF. Never publicly spoke against adding grades 5, 4, 3 to the building.
Wonder why some people aren't so trusting of them, their motives or versions of events?
Don't forget to also blame Ferrara and DeAngelo. They let it happen.
Who hired them?
You want to talk about lack of transparency? You want to talk about angry stares when you asked questions? You want to talk about not following rules? You want to talk about political nonsense? Look no further than School Board 2007-2011.
Ah the good old days when you knew who your enemy was. Nowadays people are friendly one moment and the next moment they are rolling their eyes at you. The lines have gotten blurry.
Are there minutes available from school board meetings?
Maybe Eileen can file a RTK for them and post them. Show the town who really worked for the town. If you don't believe the school is the backbone of the town, you're a fool.
Oops! Posted in wrong place before. Minutes @ link below going back to 2008. Look for E. Dreisbach public comments. Good luck with that!
http://www.mv.org/board_education.cfm
For the amount of money being spent, we should expect to see better results for Morrisville.
to the person above you are a fool. have you checked out the budget for the MSD? maybe you should, its public info and on their website. This school is doing exceptional with very limited resources. I know, I have kids in the building too and they do great and Im thrilled with the teachers and the attention they get one on one.
More miserable people who don't even bother to find out the facts before forming an opinion.
Unfortunately they have a penchant for running for office, and don't think they're that way at all. It's everybody who disagrees with them that's the problem.
"For the amount of money being spent, we should expect to see better results for Morrisville."
Similarly, for the amount of self-righteous hot air expended by our armchair quarterback citizenry regarding the schools and boro governance, I expected better results for Morrisville.
Pa. schools see threefold jump in sports fees
Posted: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 1:51 pm
Associated Press |
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new survey finds Pennsylvania public school districts are nearly three times more likely than three years ago to charge students to participate in sports.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association said Wednesday its survey found that 38 percent charge sports participation fees, up from 13 percent in 2010.
The survey said the fee sizes are also increasing and now average $80, while 11 percent of districts have cut sports, most commonly basketball, soccer or golf.
Schools have been under increasing financial pressure in recent years. Many districts increased real estate taxes, cut staff and programs, or both.
The survey also found that about one in five districts currently charges fees for other activities, such as band or chorus.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/bucks-county-schools-see-spike-in-low-income-students/article_8e7d06ff-c2ba-52b5-9d01-b817d6ce147b.html
Is the Thanksgiving football game on? I see on the wepage we canceled this weeks game? Anyone know whats going on.
Was Ms. B making 50,000 a year plus benefits like her replacement is getting? Because Ms. B did nothing at all, she may unretire if we have a policeman in the school.
I served with B. I knew B. B is a friend of mine. Sir, you are no B.
Is the Thanksgiving football game on? I see on the wepage we canceled this weeks game? Anyone know whats going on.
- there are ineligibility issues, injury etc that prevented from fielding a full team.
As of last night the Thanksgiving game was unsure at the board meeting but by all accounts since Bristol is still in the playoffs they will likely decide not to play us on that day. should know today or tomorrow and announcement will go out per bill ferraras report last night
I wish her well, but I think things will run more smoothly without Mrs B.
That's a given.
I couldn't pick her out of a police lineup ... nor would I want to but ... all I ever heard was how bad she was at her job, how she thought she had powers way beyond her job description, and hung way too much with Police Chief Jones and Al Radosti during school hours. With all the people shown the door over the years it's a wonder how she survived. She must have had pictures.
Ms. B thinks the school has honored her by calling one of the Halls B-Hall. The door can't slam fast enough behind her. Ferrara will miss her she is one of his few allies. Blind leading the blind.
No B did not make $ 50,000 and did a small percent of what the new person will have to do.
So B was a waste of space.
She may have been a waste of space but she was a protected waste but her time has come and the district will be rid of her.
Morrisville comes off horrible in this report. The report clearly states that the gap between economic disadvantaged and no economic disadvantaged students is much lower here and only at 7% difference. But despite the school being below the state average of Advanced and profficient in both reading and math, it is the entire student body that is suffering.
Nobody who is concerned about schools will be buying in Morrisville.
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