PENNS VALLEY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTANNUAL REPORT2018-2019

Empowering our students every day to reach individual success

www.pennsvalley.org

SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGEBack in the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, we created a document synthesizing over a decade of conversations surrounding what we believe about education in Penns Valley. This document is titled the Penns Valley Learning Experience (PVLE). The PVLE helps measure and report our progress for both academics and culture, which we believe to be inextricably linked and equally valued. This annual report is intended to provide our community with information about our progress on many of the key components of the Penns Valley Learning Experience.

Academics: We desire that all learners be engaged and passionate critical thinkers. We recognize critical thinking as a mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinkers improvesthe quality of their thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing their thoughts. When we design learning experiences for our students, creating critical thinkers is the driving force.

Culture : We differentiate ourselves from other educational systems by acknowledging the important role that supportive relationships play in achieving our academic success. We value community and each other and know that out of this comes trust, shared understanding, and respect. We ask for opinions from our students, parents, and employees on their perception about cultural experiences within our schools. This information in turn helps guide programming efforts and reinforces the culture we desire.

Our faculty, staff, and administrators appreciate the opportunity to be part of such a magnificent school system. We know the importance our community plays in creating an environment that allows for our continued levels of high achievement. We are proud of our students and accomplishments of our district. This publication is intended to paint a clear picture of our progress toward the key components of our mission to "empower our students every day to reach individual success." Thank you all!

Brian K. Griffith, Superintendent of Schools

Brian GriffithSuperintendent

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ANNUAL REPORTContents Superintendent's Message .................................... 2

Table of Contents ................................................... 3Olweus Bullying Prevention ................................... 4Academic Growth and Testing ............................... 4PSSA Exams ........................................................... 5 PSSA Results ................................................... 5 PSSA Comparison ........................................... 5 PSSA Growth Data .......................................... 6Keystone Exams ..................................................... 7 Keystone Results ............................................ 7 Keystone Comparison .................................... 7Multi-Tiered Systems of Support ........................... 8 Academic Support ......................................... 8 Behavioral Support ........................................ 8 Schoolwide Positive Behavior ...................... 10Personalized Learning .......................................... 11 Year One Review .......................................... 11 The Platform ................................................ 11 2018-2019 Pilot ........................................... 11 Sixth Grade Learning Experience ................. 12 Ninth and Tenth Grade Learning Experience 13 Summit Learning's 16 Habits of Success ...... 14 Summit Learning's 36 Cognitive Skills .......... 15Community Outreach .......................................... 16Survey Feedback and Response .......................... 17Penns Valley Education Foundation .................... 182018-19 Tax Comparison ..................................... 202018-19 Financial Report .................................... 21Charter School Tuition Expenses ......................... 23Debt Service Budgeting ....................................... 24Facilities Report ................................................... 26 Newly Acquired School Land ................... 27

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ACADEMIC GROWTH AND TESTINGTo ensure we are meeting our mission of “Empowering our students every day to reach individual success”, the Penns Valley Area School District administrators and teachers review and monitor our curriculum and our teaching practices constantly. Part of our practice is to review student performance data on a variety of assessments including the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams (PSSA), Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS), Keystone Exams in Algebra, Literature, and Biology, Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT), and the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute tests (NOCTI). In addition to these assessments, we have also begun to survey our graduates one year after graduating to see if they felt prepared to enter college or the work force.

Finally, the Penns Valley Area School District reviews data on other school districts to confirm that we are providing our students with the education they need to be competitive in the world after high school. The sixteen comparable school districts that were chosen are rural districts with a similar population and similar socio-economic status. These school districts are:

Annville-Cleona Keystone Oaks Palmerton Area

Brandywine Heights Kutztown Pen Argyl Area

Burrell Lake-Lehman Salisbury Township

Central Cambria Lakeland Warrior Run

Central Columbia Oley Valley Westmont Hilltop

East Lycoming

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is typically repeated over time. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Education)

Since the 2011-2012 school year, the Penns Valley Area School District has been using the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). OBPP is a school-wide, comprehensive framework focused on systemic change to create a safe and positive school climate. The goals of the OBPP are to: reduce existing bullying problems among students, prevent new bullying problems, and achieve better peer relations. OBPP has over 35 years of research and successful implementation all over the world.

For the 2019-2020 school year, teachers, staff, and administration will receive updated training on the Olweus program. Additionally, training and informational opportunities will be offered to parents and the Penns Valley community as well. Students who have experienced bullying are able to report incidents to teachers and school counselors as well as use an online reporting form. The online form can be found on the district website under the “Students” tab.

OLWEUS BULLYING PREVENTION

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PSSA Results

PSSA EXAMSAs a part of the federal regulation in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Pennsylvania has designed assessments to measure student proficiency in meeting the Pennsylvania Core Standards in the areas of English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. These assessments, called the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), are given in grades three through eight. The ELA and mathematics assessments are given yearly, whereas the science assessments are given only in the fourth and eighth grades. In addition to measuring achievement in meeting the Pennsylvania standards, these assessments provide teachers and administrators with information to help them improve curriculum and classroom instruction.

PV Grade 3

State Average

PV Grade 4

State Average

PV Grade 5

State Average

PV Grade 6

State Average

PV Grade 7

State Average

PV Grade 8

State Average

ELA Test 72.4 63.5 51.0 59.8 57.8 59.4 76.5 62.5 68.8 61.9 57.5 61.5

Math Test 59.2 54.1 45.2 43.5 68.5 45.2 61.2 39.6 58.3 38.9 26.4 31.1

Science Test 79.8 75.5 47.7 23.9

Chart shows the percentage of students who meet the "proficient" standard on the PSSA Test

School District RankEast Lycoming 1Central Columbia 2Burrell 3Keystone Oaks 4Annville-Cleona 5Warrior Run 6Oley Valley 7Kutztown 8Westmont Hilltop 9Brandywine Heights 10Penns Valley 11Central Cambria 12Salisbury Township 13Lakeland 14Palmerton 15

PSSA

Com

paris

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In addition to measuring achievement on the PSSA exams, Pennsylvania also provides school districts with a statistical analysis comparing student cohort data from year to year. This analysis, which measures a student's yearly growth, helps teachers and administrators ensure that students are on a path to proficiency. The following data shows the average growth within each grade level for Penns Valley.

PSSA Growth Data

4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade Growth over all grades

ELA

Math

Science

Significant evidence the district exceeded the standard for PA Academic GrowthModerate evidence the district exceeded the standard for PA Academic GrowthEvidence the district met the standard for PA Academic GrowthModerate evidence the district did not meet the standard for PA Academic GrowthSignificant evidence the district did not meet the standard for PA Academic Growth

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As a part of the federal regulation in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Pennsylvania has designed assessments to measure student proficiency in meeting the Pennsylvania Core Standards in the areas of ELA, Algebra I, and biology at the high school level. The Keystone Exams are designed to ensure students have the skills they need for life after high school, whether they pursue careers or post-secondary training.

Keystone Results Percentage of students who are "proficient" or "advanced" on the Keystone Exams

School District RankPenns Valley 1East Lycoming 2Kutztown 3Warrior Run 4Lake-Lehman 5Palmerton Area 6Salisbury Township 7Oley Valley 8Burrell 9Keystone Oaks 10Westmont Hilltop 11Central Cambria 12Pen Argyl 13Annville-Cleona 14Brandywine Heights 15Lakeland 16Central Columbia NA

Keys

tone

Com

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County Comparison Keystone Exam

School District Algebra I Biology LiteraturePenns Valley 86.6 83.4 90.8State College 83.9 79.9 83.1Bald Eagle 81.6 78 78.5Bellefonte 76.8 71.1 73.7State Average 65.2 64.4 72.7

KEYSTONE EXAMS

These assessments provide teachers and educators with information to help improve curriculum and classroom instruction.

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MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT (MTSS)

Academic SupportMTSS focuses on three tiers of instruction and intervention for reading and math.

• Tier 1: All students receive grade-level instruction based on our standards-aligned curriculum (90 minutes for reading, 60 minutes for math).

• Tier 2: In addition to Tier 1, 10%-15% of students receive Tier 2 support. Tier 2 typically runs 3 days per week for 45 minutes. The intervention focuses on re-teaching and pre-teaching classroom content in a small group setting.

• Tier 3: In addition to Tier 1, 5%-10% of students receive Tier 3 support. The intervention is daily for 45 minutes and based on a student’s specific needs. Tier 3 interventions are intensive and are provided in a small group or one-on-one setting.

Behavioral SupportPenns Valley uses School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) to provide MTSS support for behavior.

• Tier 1: All students are taught the school-wide expectations and lessons on appropriate behavior. Universal screening is completed for all students.

• Tier 2: In addition to Tier 1, students with at-risk behavior receive individual or small group re-teaching of the school-wide rules and skills support.

• Tier 3: In addition to Tier 1, students who need more structured support than provided by Tier 2 receive an individualized behavior plan to support the area of need and to determine the function of behavior.

Providing early interventions so that students can succeed

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At Penns Valley, this is our sixth year of utilizing the MTSS process for reading, math, and behavior. MTSS continues to be our foundation for providing supplemental, research-based interventions to students who need support beyond core classroom instruction. The MTSS process uses multiple steps to ensure student needs are appropriately met:

• Universal Screening: All students in grades K-8 take reading and math assessments three times per year to determine their current levels of proficiency and identify any instructional needs. For behavior, teachers complete ratings of all students in K-12 multiple times a year to identify any students who are emotionally or behaviorally at-risk.

• Grade-level meetings: After students complete a universal screening to determine present levels of functioning, teachers, counselors, and administrators meet to discuss the results. At these meetings, students in the bottom 20% of their grade level are considered for Tier 2 support. Students in the bottom 10% are considered for Tier 3 support.

• Tier 2 and Tier 3 Support: Students receiving Tier 2 and 3 support work with an interventionist or a mentor in a small group or one-to-one setting. Progress is monitored through bi-weekly or weekly measures or through behavior tracking forms. This data is used to evaluate the success of the intervention.

• Tier 2 and Tier 3 Data Meetings: Teachers, counselors, administrators, and interventionists meet monthly to review progress monitoring data for students in Tier 2 and Tier 3. If progress is not developing as expected, the team considers changing the intervention or increasing time for support.

As a result of our successful use of MTSS, all of our K-4 and K-6 schools have been granted permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to use our progress monitoring data through MTSS to determine if a student qualifies for special education services with a disability in reading. All elementary buildings have also been recognized by PDE for our use of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support.

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Daily life at Penns Valley provides us with a number of opportunities to make choices. There are countless quotes that can be referenced to inspire people to make effective choices that will help lead them to a successful future; however, making a single isolated effective choice will not prove beneficial in the long run. Making prudent choices needs to become a habit. That is the belief of the Penns Valley High School RAMS Leadership Club (RLC).

This student organization is helping encourage students to make wise behavioral choices through the use of RAMS Cards. Similar to RAM Stars at the lower levels, students earn RAMS cards for respecting themselves and others, accepting responsibility, maintaining integrity, and striving for excellence. When students exhibit these positive behaviors in the classroom they can earn a RAMS card.

But what’s a piece of paper worth to a junior or senior high student, anyway?

For some students, that small recognition of receiving the card is enough to put a smile on their face and reinforce the positive choice they made. For others though, a little more is needed. This is where the RLC steps in!

Every month the RLC organizes a raffle for students to enter using their RAMS cards as raffle tickets. Popular raffle prizes have included gift cards, Penn State Men’s Ice Hockey tickets, PV apparel, bluetooth speakers, and wireless headphones. The club also organizes a snack cart that has alternated between going to individual classrooms during Ram Time and being stationed in the cafeteria during lunches so students can use their RAMS cards as currency to buy snacks. The club has also partnered with student council to organize events such as the "Jingle Bell Jam" last year, for which students needed to buy their “golden ticket” for entry using RAMS cards. Last May, every department got involved and teachers put together a basket that reflected their individual departments to enter in a grand end-of-year raffle and students went wild! By the end of the year, there were close to 8,000 RAMS cards collected!

The club is working hard to carry that momentum and success forward to continue creating incentives for students to want to earn RAMS cards and make positive behavior choices. This March, the club organized a “March Madness” event that included a raffle drawing every Friday during the month and culminated with an opportunity for students to use their RAMS cards to win the opportunity to pie a teacher in the face.

None of these positive school-wide events or incentives would be possible if not for our incredible teachers and staff members supporting the club efforts. The snack cart is almost entirely stocked with teacher donations and they are the ones giving out the RAMS cards when they catch students doing exemplary work. Having the teachers on the lookout for exemplary behavior keeps everyone focused on the positive aspects of our school and our students.

Schoolwide Positive Behavior at PVHS

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING

As a global economy continues to drive education and its policies, we as educators are left to design instruction that will meet the ever changing needs of our students. In our efforts to individualize our instructional approach, we turned to a learning platform known as Summit Learning. The 2018-2019 school year has been a pilot for this platform in grades six, nine, and ten. In the following paragraphs we will attempt to define the Summit Learning platform and outline what the experience has been like for our students throughout the year.

The PlatformSummit Learning is built on the idea that students need 16 habits of success and 36 cognitive skills in order to be successful in their future endeavors. The habits of success include skills like establishing self-direction, building empathy and relationship skills, developing a sense of self-efficacy, and finding purpose or drive in life. The cognitive skills are broken down into seven key domains to include using sources, products, and presentations, synthesis and analysis, inquiry, speaking and listening, textual analysis, and composing and writing. Each of these domains is further broken down into measurable objectives. Summit believes that these habits and cognitive skills can and should be applied across all curriculum areas to help develop a well-rounded individual who is ready to perform in the workplace or in a post-secondary educational setting.

To meet the goals of Summit Learning, every lesson is broken down into two major categories: personalized learning time (PLT) and projects. PLT is the time students spend fully involved in learning the content on their own. The teacher works with individuals or small groups, but the idea is that the students explore the concepts on their own to develop a richer understanding of the material. Projects are the group- or teacher-centered learning experiences. The teacher delivers the content in a more traditional method, clearing up any misunderstandings the students may have. Once the material is taught, students must demonstrate their proficiency through a number of different options, such as presenting their findings in an oral report, taking a test, creating a project, or writing a paper.

The third component to Summit Learning is the mentoring component. The students are assigned an adult in the building to be their guide through the learning process. Mentors meet with their students to discuss their progress in their classes and beyond. Each meeting lasts between five and ten minutes depending on each student's needs and priorities.

2018-2019 PilotSummit Learning has impacted our students on multiple levels throughout the year. The impact has been dependent upon the grade level and subject matter of participation. To further explain how students have interacted in this new learning experience we will break it down by grade level on the following pages.

Year One Review

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Sixth Grade Learning ExperienceStudents in sixth grade began the year with a thorough introduction to the Habits of Success. The teachers felt that in order to create a truly personalized approach to learning, students would need to understand their own learning styles and why they need to grow in the soft skills that will be crucial to their success in school and beyond. The students’ responses led to the developing of an approach that blended traditional lesson delivery with time for students to deepen their understanding through personalized learning.

Through the personalized learning approach, students reflect on their goals, their action plans to meet learning goals, and their personal progress toward mastery. Following a traditional lesson delivered by the teacher, students choose resources such as videos, articles, or websites to master the content. During their personalized learning time, students work independently, in pairs, in small groups, or in teacher-led workshops to deepen their understanding. When students feel they are adequately prepared, they take a final assessment. This approach has empowered our students and has given them the tools to move themselves forward at their own pace.

Mentor time is equally valuable to the students. Teachers meet with students weekly to discuss areas of success and any setbacks to their personal progress. The students also talk about their study techniques. The connection between the teacher and the student becomes stronger, making mentor time an important part of each day.

In this first pilot year, the teachers have noticed a stronger development in skills such as agency, tenacity, self-direction, and management. Moving forward, students will enter middle school with a stronger skillset in these areas.

Who wouldn’t want an individualized learning experience for their children based on their learning styles and needs?

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The high school Summit Learning experience has been student and teacher dependent. Some of our students love the idea of working at their own pace while exploring concepts individually. They like the presentations, videos, and articles that accompany the content and feel that the material is explained in multiple ways making it easier for them to learn. They like that when they finish one concept they are free to move on to the next without waiting on their classmates.

Other students feel they learn better in the more traditional environment. They like it when the teacher tells them specifically what is important about the content. They prefer guided notes as they provide less opportunity to deviate from the teacher’s point of view. This group of students still likes the group collaboration that exists in both types of learning. They like working with their classmates to accomplish a task or on projects and presentations. Some students prefer Summit to the traditional classroom model and vice versa.

Regardless of personal preference on classroom delivery, both groups feel mentoring has the ability to be a positive experience for all students. Many of the students feel that their conversations with their mentors help them stay on track and check in on their assignments. Meeting with a mentor on a regular basis lets them know that someone is checking in on them and they simply cannot fly under the radar. The biggest complaint about mentoring is that many students wish they could meet with their mentors more often.

It is hard to argue with the idea of personalized learning. Who wouldn’t want an individualized learning experience for their children based on their learning styles and needs? Providing the best learning experience possible for every student that crosses our path is always our goal.

Ninth and Tenth Grade Learning Experience

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Summit Learning's 16 Habits of Success

Attachment StressManagement Self-Regulation

Independence andSustainability

Perseverance

Mindsets for Selfand School

SchoolReadiness

HealthyDevelopment

Self-Awareness Empathy/Relationship Skills

ExecutiveFunction

GrowthMindset

Self-Efficacy

Sense ofBelonging

Relevanceof School

Resilience Agency AcademicTenacity

Self-Direction Curiosity Purpose

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Inquiry Asking questions Hypothesizing Designing processes and

procedures

Anaylsis andSynthesis

Speaking andListening

TextualAnalysis

Composingand Writing

Identifying patterns andrelationships

Comparing/contrasting Modeling Interpreting data/info Making connections and

inferences Critiquing the reasoning

of others Justifying/constructing an

explanation

Discussion/contribution Preparation Norms/Active Listening

Theme/central Idea Point of view/purpose Development Structure Word Choice

Argumentative claim Informational or

explanatory thesis Narrative Counterclaims Selection of evidence Explanation of evidence Integration of evidence Organization Introduction and

conclusion

Using Sources

Products andPresentations

Selecting relevantsources

Contextualizing sources Synthesizing multiple

sources

Style and language Oral presentation Multimedia in written

production Multimedia in oral

production Conventions Precision

Summit Learning's 36 Cognitive Skills

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When schools and community organizations work together to support learning, everyone benefits. Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their education are more likely to:

• Adapt well to school

• Attend school more regularly

• Complete homework more consistently

• Earn higher grades and test scores

• Graduate and go on to college

• Have better social skills

• Show improved behavior

• Have better relationships with their parents

• Have higher self-esteem

Additionally, linking community activities to the classroom

• Improves school-related behaviors

• Positively impacts academic achievement

• Reduces school suspension rates

At Penns Valley Area School District, we believe that a strong school-community relationship is imperative to the success of our students. This involvement takes on many forms:

• Grandparents’ Day

• STEAM Nights

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)

• Donuts for Dads/Muffins for Mom

• Science Night

• Talent shows

• Career fairs

• Art Shows

• Chorus and Band Concerts

• Track and Field Day

• Title I and MTSS Parent Nights

• Back to School Nights

• Homecoming Parade

These events allow us to showcase our students’ learning and talents with our community. We are continually looking for more ways to involve the community in our schools.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

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The Penns Valley Area School District embraces the drive to be better tomorrow than we are today. We have established continuous improvement processes to evaluate our effectiveness in pursuit of our vision. We also seek input from our community to help us, not only to evaluate our progress toward our goals, but also to establish a vision for the future.

Annually (last conducted May 2018) we conduct the following surveys:

1. Parent Surveys – The survey data revealed increases in the percentage of parents who feel welcome in their child’s school. Also scoring higher is the percentage of parents who believe the school has a good public image. Last year marked a decline in the percentage of parents who strongly agreed that their children felt safe at school. Since the parent survey we have implemented a community-wide safety survey and began implementing safety trainings for our faculty, staff, and students.

2. Student Surveys – The surveys regularly indicated students feel safe, supported, and cared about by both teachers and parents. The surveys also indicated that they don’t always feel challenged academically, and that learning is not always relevant. We have trained our staff on ways to make learning more relevant. Administrators observed classrooms and looked for student engagement. Additionally, we have implemented teacher development and personalized learning strategies as a pilot program for grades six, nine, and ten.

3. Faculty Surveys – The surveys indicated that teachers are committed to continuous improvement, building administrators support shared decision making, and that parents treat them with respect. Support staff and faculty indicated that morale was an area to focus on for improvement in the future. We have implemented Professional Learning Communities at our high school encouraging faculty to develop strategies to address identified concerns. We have also implemented several staff recognition items to celebrate our success and appreciate the contributions from our faculty.

4. Support Staff Surveys – The surveys indicated that support staff feel like they belong, are cared about by others, and are recognized for good work. The surveys indicated that they would like to be more informed and be treated with more respect from parents. Principals have expanded the opportunities for para-educators to be involved and informed. Additionally, we are providing annual trainings to our para-educators on best practices in student instruction and behavior.

5. Student Athlete Surveys – After each sport season student athletes complete surveys to report on their experiences. Survey data is used in post-season debriefing with coaches. Each sport has its unique strengths and areas for growth. For example, based on the survey feedback, one coach might find it important to clarify how playing time is determined, whereas in another program athletes indicated they needed to work on team cohesiveness.

Beyond these surveys we have also conducted a school safety survey and land use master planning survey for the entire community. The Board is considering the feedback provided by the community in order to inform future decision making in these areas.

SURVEY FEEDBACK AND RESPONSE

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The Penns Valley Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization created to procure, manage, and distribute funds to enhance the educational opportunities for students of the Penns Valley Area School District beyond what local, state, and federal tax monies can support. All board members are volunteers and the foundation does not receive funding for operational support from the Penns Valley Area School District.

Educational Improvement Tax CreditThe foundation saw growth this year both in dollars raised and the number of businesses contributing to PVEF through this state tax credit opportunity. Together five local businesses contributed $7,500 to be used to support innovative classroom projects.

Thrivent Financial Choice DollarsPVEF is now enrolled in the Thrivent Choice program. Thrivent investors can recommend where Thrivent distributes some of its charitable funding. Thrivent clients donated over $1,500 of their “choice dollars” to the foundation in 2018.

Senior Awards and ScholarshipsIn May 2018, twenty seven students were recognized for outstanding achievement through funds that have been established through PVEF. These awards totaled $7,275.

Penns Valley Alumni FundThe foundation established a fund for Penns Valley alumni to recognize outstanding achievements of students and fellow alumni, and to support alumni activities such as homecoming and the 50 Year Alumni Reception. A special thank you goes to the Class of 1968 for getting this fund off the ground.

Golf Tournament FundraiserThe second annual Golf Tournament fundraiser, held at Mountain View Country Club in June 2018 generated over $10,000 for Foundation projects. Fifty individual and local business sponsors, as well as 72 golfers joined efforts to make this event a lot of fun and a huge success.

THE PENNS VALLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION (PVEF)

Major ContributionsCarolyn Foust, Chair

LeDon Young, Vice ChairPatti Schwier, SecretaryDoug Welch, TreasurerShelly Beamesderfer

Stephen FoustDenny McCloskey

Bill RockeyJohn Zerby

Contact Information:Carolyn Foust: (814) 364-2468

PVEF Board

PVEF Benefit Golf Tournament

June 14, 2019 - Noon

Mountain View Country Club

Call for Information: (814) 574-004618

PVEF was able to expand educational opportunities for students through a competitive Genesis Grant application process which was open to all teachers, coaches, and extra-curricular advisors. This year PVEF funded eight projects totaling $9,727. The following is a list of these new educational innovations.

Donor Dollars at WorkGenesis Grants

Breakout Boxes

Laura Fragassi created breakout boxes that teach students to work together, think creatively and critically, and complete challenges.

iPads for Workouts

Ben Barnhart used iPads to implement workouts incorporating fitness concepts learned in class.

Pedometers to Track Activity

Ben Barnhart purchased pedometers to measure the daily activity of students in physical education classes.

STEM Materials

Cassie Vincent purchased STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) materials for the newly developed STEM lab to create more hands-on learning experiences.

Journal Publishing

Sarah Farrant used her grant to fund the publication of Asylum, the high school literary and art journal.

Artist In-Residence

Steph Ripka was able to bring in an artist in-residence to mentor painting classes in the impressionist style.

Flexible Seating

Second grade in Centre Hall purchased yoga ball chairs to create more flexible seating options that improve concentration and reduce fidgeting.

Camp Library

Kathy Wert funded a large, continually refreshed collection of books to increase reading options.

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2018-19 TAX COMPARISONComparing tax rates amongst school districts is often difficult because of several variables, including millage rates, assessed property valuation, and earned income tax rates. All of these items impact the total school taxes paid by the four Centre County school districts' residents.

Attached is a comparison of Centre County school taxes paid per median household, by school district. In order to make the comparisons relative, median property values in each district are used to calculate relative school district real estate taxes, and median county household income figures are used to calculate earned income tax. Using this comparison, Penns Valley residents pay the lowest total amount of school related taxes.

School District Mills***

Median Assessed Value** RE Tax EIT Rate***

Median Income EIT Tax

Per Capita

Tax Total TaxPVASD 48.0995 44,255 2,128.64 1.30% 56,466 734.06 2,862.70BASD 49.4484 46,245 2,286.74 1.05% 56,466 592.89 2,879.63BEASD 57.98 34,730 2,013.65 2.05% 56,466 1,157.55 10.00 3,181.20SCASD 45.206 71,960 3,253.02 0.95% 56,466 536.43 3,789.45

* Source-US Census Bureau (https ://www.census .gov/quickfacts/fact/table/centrecountypennsylvania ,US#)

** Source- Centre County Homestead-Farmstead Report May 2018

***Source-Centre County Webs i te 2018-19 Real Es tate Mi l lage (http://centrecountypa.gov/index.aspx?NID=423)

Centre County Median Income est. 2017* $56,466Centre County School District Tax Comparison

0.00

1,000.00

2,000.00

3,000.00

4,000.00

PVASD BASD BEASD SCASD

2,862.70 2,879.633,181.20

3,789.45

Total School Taxes

Total SchoolTaxes

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All Pennsylvania school employees are required by law to participate in the Pennsylvania School Employee Retirement System (PSERS). Both employees and employers make annual contributions to this fund. Due to decisions made by the state legislature to reduce contribution rates in the early 2000s, today PSERS is facing significant unfunded liabilities.

In an effort to correct this underfunded situation, in 2010 the legislature passed Act 120. This law mandated substantial increases in employer contribution rates, from 5.64% in 2010-11 to a projected rate of 37.39% in 2026. With salaries at approximately $9.6MM, every 1% increase in the employer retirement contribution rate costs Penns Valley Area School District an additional $96,000. Over the past eight years, the District’s retirement contribution rate has increased from 5.64% in 2010-11 to 33.43% in 2018-19, a 493% rise. In 2019-20, the employer contribution rate will increase again, to 34.29%. Fortunately, the annual 4% increase in contribution rates began to level off in 2017-18. Currently the state reimburses the District 50% of these contributions, but there is no requirement that they continue to do so.

2018-19 FINANCIAL REPORT

Salaries continue to be the District’s single largest expense. In the Penns Valley Area School District, for the past eight years, salaries have been nearly flat, increasing only 3.94% since 2008-09. In fact, salaries had declined in the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2015-16, and 2016-17 school years. This has been the result of judiciously realigning staff through attrition due to retirements and resignations.

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Unfortunately, this trend has not been true for employee benefits, in particular health insurance and retirement, over which the District has little or no control.

For the 2010-11 school year, the District was facing a 35-40% increase in health insurance premiums due to the expiration of a fixed-rate insurance agreement. During contract negotiations in 2010, the District’s collective bargaining groups partnered with the District to reduce healthcare costs by adopting higher deductible medical insurance plans. These new plans helped mitigate the increase to just over 12% for the 2010-11 school year.

The District belongs to a health insurance consortium as an additional effort to reduce spikes in insurance premiums due to high claims. Even with this added level of protection, Penns Valley experienced several high claim events in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, again causing an increase in rates. In an effort to minimize health insurance cost increases, effective July 1, 2016, the District implemented a Qualified High Deductible Health Plan, coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA), for all District employees. The District will continue to explore health insurance options that provide quality care at an affordable price.

2018-19 FINANCIAL REPORT

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CHARTER SCHOOL TUITION EXPENSESAfter salaries and benefits, one of the District’s highest expenses is tuition paid to charter schools. A common misconception is that charter schools have no impact on a local district’s expenses, when actually charter schools are also public schools funded by the home district of the students attending. During 2017-18, Penns Valley had 90 students at 9 different charter schools. The tuition for each regular education student was $12,105 and the tuition rate for each special education student was $21,140. The total annual expenditure for charter school tuition was $1,277,784 for the 2017-18 school year, a 5.8% increase from the prior year and an 86% increase from 2013-14. Since 2014-2015 the District’s annual costs for charter schools has exceeded $1 million each year.

(Per pupil)

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PVASD Board Worksession - March 1, 2017

Rate 2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-33Series 2012 2.39% 376,162$ 368,122$ 379,422$ 1,375,422$ 1,374,622$ 1,377,059$ 1,372,253$ 1,455,253$ 928,983$ Series 2016 - New Debt 2.67% 263,393$ 263,343$ 263,288$ 263,225$ 263,150$ 263,050$ 262,950$ 507,850$ 952,850$ 1,738,850$ 1,982,350$ 1,983,300$ 1,983,850$ 1,982,750$ -$ Series 2017 (Refinance Existing 09A, 09AA, 10) 2.23% 1,629,480$ 1,641,922$ 1,628,361$ 629,353$ 626,865$ 629,154$ 631,109$ 277,729$ 276,931$ 276,021$

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2031-32Existing Debt $2,005,642 $2,010,044 $2,007,783 $2,004,775 $2,001,487 $2,006,213 $2,003,362 $1,732,982 $1,205,914 $276,021 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

New Debt $263,393 $263,343 $263,288 $263,225 $263,150 $263,050 $262,950 $507,850 $952,850 $1,738,850 $1,982,350 $1,983,300 $1,983,850 $1,982,750 $0Capital Maintenance $43,248 $38,896 $41,212 $44,283 $47,646 $43,020 $45,972 $71,451 $153,519 $297,412 $329,933 $328,983 $328,433 $329,533 $2,312,283

Total Debt Service $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283

Debt Service Budgeting

$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2031-32

Debt Service Budgeting

Existing Debt New Debt Capital Maintenance

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

$0

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23376,162$ 368,122$ 379,422$ 1,375,422$ 1,374,622$263,393$ 263,343$ 263,288$ 263,225$ 263,150$

1,629,480$ 1,641,922$ 1,628,361$ 629,353$ 626,865$

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23$2,005,642 $2,010,044 $2,007,783 $2,004,775 $2,001,487

$263,393 $263,343 $263,288 $263,225 $263,150$43,248 $38,896 $41,212 $44,283 $47,646

$2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283

RateSeries 2012 2.39%Series 2016 - New Debt 2.67%Series 2017 (Refinance Existing 09A, 09AA, 10) 2.23%

Existing Debt New Debt

Capital MaintenanceTotal Debt Service

2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-232018-19

Debt service payments are made to pay back funds borrowed to finance District building or renovation projects. Or simply stated, debt service is the District's "mortgage". The above information indicates that the District's budget for debt service will remain level over the next 15 years and that the funds needed to pay for this new debt have been in the budget prior to taking on these new loans. No additional funds (i.e., no tax increases) are needed to finance the new debt service payments.

No additional annual funds (i.e., no tax increases) are needed to finance the new debt service payments.

DEBT SERVICE BUDGETING

24

PVASD Board Worksession - March 1, 2017

Rate 2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-33Series 2012 2.39% 376,162$ 368,122$ 379,422$ 1,375,422$ 1,374,622$ 1,377,059$ 1,372,253$ 1,455,253$ 928,983$ Series 2016 - New Debt 2.67% 263,393$ 263,343$ 263,288$ 263,225$ 263,150$ 263,050$ 262,950$ 507,850$ 952,850$ 1,738,850$ 1,982,350$ 1,983,300$ 1,983,850$ 1,982,750$ -$ Series 2017 (Refinance Existing 09A, 09AA, 10) 2.23% 1,629,480$ 1,641,922$ 1,628,361$ 629,353$ 626,865$ 629,154$ 631,109$ 277,729$ 276,931$ 276,021$

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2031-32Existing Debt $2,005,642 $2,010,044 $2,007,783 $2,004,775 $2,001,487 $2,006,213 $2,003,362 $1,732,982 $1,205,914 $276,021 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

New Debt $263,393 $263,343 $263,288 $263,225 $263,150 $263,050 $262,950 $507,850 $952,850 $1,738,850 $1,982,350 $1,983,300 $1,983,850 $1,982,750 $0Capital Maintenance $43,248 $38,896 $41,212 $44,283 $47,646 $43,020 $45,972 $71,451 $153,519 $297,412 $329,933 $328,983 $328,433 $329,533 $2,312,283

Total Debt Service $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283

Debt Service Budgeting

$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

2018-19 2019-2020 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2031-32

Debt Service Budgeting

Existing Debt New Debt Capital Maintenance

2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-331,377,059$ 1,372,253$ 1,455,253$ 928,983$

263,050$ 262,950$ 507,850$ 952,850$ 1,738,850$ 1,982,350$ 1,983,300$ 1,983,850$ 1,982,750$ -$629,154$ 631,109$ 277,729$ 276,931$ 276,021$

2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-33$2,006,213 $2,003,362 $1,732,982 $1,205,914 $276,021 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

$263,050 $262,950 $507,850 $952,850 $1,738,850 $1,982,350 $1,983,300 $1,983,850 $1,982,750 $0$43,020 $45,972 $71,451 $153,519 $297,412 $329,933 $328,983 $328,433 $329,533 $2,312,283

$2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283 $2,312,283

2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-33

25

FACILITIES REPORTFor the last two years Physical Plant Director Bob Miller has stepped up to the challenge of not only managing the day-to-day operations of the school district, but also managing the construction project at the high school. The construction is complete and with it the transformation of the high school's new footprint. The renovations will benefit the students of our district for years to come. One of the goals was to improve safety and security, and another was to provide enhanced classroom experiences. From the newly designed secure entrance to the collaborative small group and classroom areas, we have given our students a building of which they can be proud.

The high school's new facade

New band room exterior Front entrance Library classroom space

Library collaborative spaces Main entrance foyer New gymnasium interior

Renovation photos courtesy of Steve Wolfe Photography

Auditorium interior Gymnasium exterior Collaborative spaces main hallway

26

Penns Valley's new Route 45 campus boundaries

Renovation photos courtesy of Steve Wolfe Photography

The construction is complete, and with it the transformation of the high school's new footprint. The enhancements will benefit the students of the our district for years to come.

In March of 2019, the School Board purchased 113 acres of farmland surrounding the high school and the Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School. Although it has yet to be determined how much of the land will be retained in the future, the additional land resource will give the District more options to enhance current safety and programming. So far the District has conducted numerous community meetings and two community surveys to find out what the community feels the priorities should be moving forward.

Many ideas have sprung up from the community meetings and surveys. For example, some people suggested the District maintain a working farm for agricultural education. Others pointed out the need for new parking and practice fields for athletics and band. Safety is always a concern as a recurring theme was to create safer pedestrian crossings on Route 45. The District hired the landscape architect firm, Derck and Edson, who specialize in transforming campuses, to help develop the vision for how to best utilize this new resource.

Newly Acquired School Land

27

Drone Photo by Richard Markle

Postal Patron

PENNS VALLEY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

PENNS VALLEY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

4528 Penns Valley RoadSpring Mills, PA 16875

Nonprofit Org.US PostagePAID 16875Permit No. 15