Neshaminy School District

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Neshaminy School District
NESHAMINY-COLOR.png
Map of Bucks County Pennsylvania School Districts.png
Address
2250 Langhorne-Yardley Road
Langhorne
, Pennsylvania
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesK-12
SuperintendentRob McGee, Ph.D.
Students and staff
Enrollment9,037 [1]
Teachers641
Other information
Websiteneshaminy.org

Neshaminy School District is a school district headquartered in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[2][3]

The district serves the eastern Pennsylvania municipalities of Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville, and Lower Southampton Township all in Bucks County. Students from the Middletown divisions of Levittown also attend these schools.

Neshaminy School District encompasses approximately 28 square miles (73 km2). According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 69,638. Per Neshaminy School District documents, as of January, 2020 the Neshaminy School District provided basic educational services to 9,037 pupils.[4] Full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools was added starting in the 2014–2015 school year.[5] A 1:1 Technology program was implemented beginning in 2015, deploying iPads for students in grades K-1 and Chromebooks for students in grades 2-12.[6]

The Neshaminy School District serves a large and diverse population. Students comprise many different racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. District residents represent a wide range from lower-middle-class to highly affluent. Neshaminy is a Blue-Ribbon awarding school district, with Maple Point Middle School having received the award, as well as Neshaminy High School. In February, 2017 the Neshaminy School District received the Charlotte F. Lockhart Award for Excellence in Literacy Education.[7] and was named a 'Best Community for Music Education by the National Association of Music Marketers in 2017, 2018 and 2019.[8] Neshaminy HS was named a 'Best High School' by U.S. News & World Report in 2017, earning a silver medal.[9]

History[]

The first public school in the area was established in Langhorne in 1836, and the District as it is known today was formed in 1950 by a conglomeration of smaller municipal districts.[10]

Many Neshaminy facilities were constructed during the 1950s and 1960s following the development of the Levittown community at the southeast portion of the district. In 1975 a second high school was added (Maple Point) but was closed in 1982[11] and later converted into a middle school following a renovation project completed in 1993. Eisenhower Elementary School and Neshaminy Middle School were closed and the properties sold.[12][13]

In June 2006, the Neshaminy School District began a massive $82 million renovation of Neshaminy High School, which was originally constructed as a combination high school and junior high school in the 1950s. Much of the original structure was demolished and completely rebuilt. The auditorium, 2 gymnasiums and circular library media center were all pre-existing but received extensive renovations. New classrooms, science labs, music rooms, tech education rooms, offices and common areas were added along with new parking lots and an expanded bus loading area.

In 2015 the district started a three-phase 'Road Map' project to update older buildings, close three elementary schools to account for excess capacity (Heckman ES, Lower Southampton ES and Everett ES), and construct a new elementary school on the site of the old Tawanka Elementary School, which was demolished. Significant upgrades to several existing buildings (Sandburg MS, Poquessing MS, Ferderbar ES, Hoover ES, Miller ES and Schweitzer ES) were completed with funding from the federal Guaranteed Energy Savings Act including air conditioning, energy-efficient windows, roofing, lighting and other electrical upgrades. Additional upgrades included security features and online visitor registration kiosks.[14] The final phase of the Road Map project was completed in August, 2017.[15]

In September 2015 the fifth grade, formerly at elementary schools, was moved to middle schools.[16]

School board[]

Neshaminy School District is represented by a 9-member School Board of Directors. The district is split into three regions (Region 1, Region 2, and Region 3). each of which elect three representatives. The 2019–2020 School Board President is Stephen Pirritano (Region 1) and the Vice-President is John Allen (Region 2). The Seven Other Board Members are Marty Sullivan (Region 3),Cyndie Bowman (Region 1), Irene M.Boyle (Region 3),Tina Hollenbach (Region 1), Adam J. Kovitz (Region 2), David Marrington (Region 3), And Paul C. Saraullo (Region 2) Paul Is the newest Member of the School Board beating Incumbent Bob Feather (Region 2). For a Region 2 seat on November 5, 2019 (Election Day) and then was sworn onto the School Board on December 2, 2019 [17] The Board normally meets at the District Administration office in Maple Point Middle School twice a month. All meetings are broadcast on the NSDTV channel on Verizon and Comcast cable TV systems in the Lower Bucks County area or can viewed on the Neshaminy School Board Channel on YouTube

Intermediate Unit[]

Neshaminy School District is served by Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22.

Aerial view of Neshaminy High School

High school[]

Neshaminy High School[]

Neshaminy High School is located at 2001 Old Lincoln Highway in Langhorne, PA. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 2,573 students in grades 9-12. 327 Neshaminy students attend the Bucks County Technical High School. Neshaminy has a graduation rate of 95% and offers a rich variety of courses and co-curricular activities including 20 Advanced Placement courses[18]

Middle schools[]

Maple Point Middle School[]

Located at 2250 Langhorne-Yardley Road, Langhorne. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 1345 students in grades 5-8.

Poquessing Middle School[]

Located at 300 Heights Lane, Feasterville Trevose. Enrollment as January, 2020 is 931 students in grades 5-8.

Carl Sandburg Middle School[]

Located at 30 Harmony Road, Levittown. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 755 students in grades 5-8.

Elementary schools[]

Pearl S. Buck Elementary School[]

Located at 143 Top Road, Levittown. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 587 students in grades K-4.

Joseph E Ferderbar Elementary School[]

Located at 300 Heights Lane, Feasterville. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 473 students in grades K-4.

Herbert Hoover Elementary School[]

Located at 500 Trenton Road, Langhorne. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 672 students in grades K-4.

Walter Miller Elementary School[]

Located at 10 Cobalt Ridge Drive in Levittown, PA. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 506 students in grades K-4.

Albert Schweitzer Elementary School[]

Located at 30 Harmony Lane in Levittown, PA. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 432 students in grades K-4.

Tawanka Elementary School[]

Located at 2055 Brownsville Road in Feasterville, PA. The current building was completed in August, 2016 and opened for the 2016–2017 school year. It was built in the same site as the previous Tawanka Elementary School building, which opened in 1964 and was demolished to make way for the new facility. Enrollment as of January, 2020 is 763 students in grades K-4.

Special education[]

Neshaminy School District provides the following services:[19]

Learning support – for children whose greatest need of support is in the areas of reading, writing, math, or speaking or listening related to academics.

Emotional support – for children whose greatest need is for social, emotional, and behavioral help Life skills support – for children whose greatest need is to learn academic, functional, or vocational skills that will allow them to live and work independently.

Blind and visually impaired support – for children who require services related to visual impairments or blindness. The IEP for these students must address the extent to which Braille will be taught and used.

Deaf and hard of hearing support – for children who require services related to deafness or hearing impairment. The IEP for these students must include a communication plan to address language and communication needs Speech and language support – for children who have speech and language impairments and require services to develop communication skills.

Physical support – for children who have a physical disability and require services in functional motor skill development.

Autistic support – for children with autism who require services in the areas of communication, social skills, or behavior.

Multiple disabilities support – for children with more than one disability, the combination of which results in severe impairment, and who require services in academic, functional, or vocational skills necessary for independent living.

Gifted education[]

Neshaminy School District recognizes the unique abilities of intellectually gifted students and strives to meet their individual needs. Based on multiple criteria, students with outstanding intellectual ability and creativity and the need for a specialized educational experience are identified to participate in the AE (Academic Enrichment) program. AE classes provide opportunities to promote the growth of skills and knowledge necessary for gifted students to achieve their potential and to fulfill their future roles in our ever-changing global society.[20]

In 2015 a comprehensive review of the Academic enrichment was started and a Task Force report presented in June, 2016.[21] Based on the recommendations from this report changes were made to the program.[22]

Education Foundation[]

The non-profit 501(c)(3) Neshaminy Education Foundation was established as part of the District's Strategic Plan in 1993. It supports classroom grants and several scholarships for graduating seniors through a variety of fundraising activities throughout the year. The Foundation is managed by a group of volunteer Board Members who meet monthly during the school year.

Budget[]

In June, 2020, the Neshaminy Board of School Directors adopted a Final Operating Budget of all funds in the amount of $183,616,556 for the 2020-2021 school year.

Of this amount $120,718,369 was for instruction,$49,241,388 for support services and $2,370,141 for non-instructional services.

A tax increase of 1.6% (the 2020-2021 PA Act 1 index maximum is 2.6%) was approved. This is the fourth tax increase since 2010.[23]

Contracts[]

Neshaminy Federation of Teachers: The current teacher contract runs from July, 2019 to June, 2024.[24]

Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association: The current support contract runs from July, 2018 - June, 2022.[25]

Real estate taxes[]

In June, 2020 the Neshaminy School Board approved a tax increase of 1.5% for the 2020-2021 school year budget. This amount is less than the 2.6% maximum allowed under Pennsylvania Act 1. This increase equates to 2.5 mills, or $69 in additional annual taxes for a resident with a property assessed at the district average of $27,587.[26] The district offers a Senior Citizen Tax Assistance Program each year. Eligible low-income seniors can apply for a rebate of up to $650.[27]

References[]

  1. ^ Neshaminy School District BoardDocs, January 2, 2020
  2. ^ "Contact Us". Neshaminy School District. Retrieved 2021-04-05. Administrative Offices 2250 Langhorne-Yardley Road Langhorne, PA 19047
  3. ^ "Zoning Map". Middletown Township. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  4. ^ Neshamniny BoardDocs Enrollment Totals, January, 2020
  5. ^ "Neshaminy to launch full-day Kindergarten in elementary schools, scraps home economics courses".
  6. ^ "Technology Services / 1:1 Deployment * Learning Anytime - Anywhere" Check |url= value (help). http. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  7. ^ Timothy Reilly (March 6, 2017). "Neshaminy School District teachers receive honors". Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  8. ^ "Access Denied".
  9. ^ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/districts/neshaminy-sd/neshaminy-high-school-17121
  10. ^ "About Us / Overview".
  11. ^ http://neshaminyfootball.com/history/notable_eras/maple_point/1975-1982.htm
  12. ^ "Former Neshaminy Middle School sold to St. Mary Medical Center for $6.6 million".
  13. ^ "Settlement on Former School Pending". 3 September 2013.
  14. ^ https://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib/PA01000466/Centricity/Domain/1777/flier-042115-sm.pdf
  15. ^ "District Newsletters / August 2017".
  16. ^ "2015-2016 Road Map Update" (PDF). Neshaminy School District. March 2016. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  17. ^ "Board of School Directors / Overview".
  18. ^ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/districts/neshaminy-sd/neshaminy-high-school-17121/test-scores
  19. ^ "Special Education Services / Overview".
  20. ^ "Academic Enrichment / Academic Enrichment/Gifted Education".
  21. ^ https://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib/PA01000466/Centricity/Domain/1916/AE-report-040116.pdf
  22. ^ https://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib/PA01000466/Centricity/Domain/1916/ae-recommendations-121515a.pdf
  23. ^ https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/nesh/Board.nsf/files/BQXH44452C42/$file/PDE%2020208%20Final%202020-21.pdf
  24. ^ "Human Resources / NSD Employment Contracts".
  25. ^ "BoardDocs® Agenda Item: 4.01 NESPA Collective Bargaining Agreement 2018-2022".
  26. ^ English, Chris. "Neshaminy board approves $187M final budget with 1.5% tax increase". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  27. ^ "Financial Services / Senior Citizens Tax Assistance".

External links[]

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