As president of the 2017-18 Northwestern Lehigh School Board, Bill Dellicker listed some of the accomplishments by the board ending Dec. 7, 2016.

He said with four new members, the board was relatively new.

Dellicker said the facilities master plan was revitalized and prioritized.

The high school modernization plan has been designed in scope and financing and a construction manager was chosen.

He noted legal and educational problems at the charter school, Circle of Seasons, were addressed and the charter was renewed.

Dellicker also mentioned the baseball booster club was disbarred for policy violations and discussion about all-day kindergarten was begun and will continue in 2017.

He thanked the board for what was accomplished, in addition to what he mentioned, to make Northwestern Lehigh a better school district.

In other matters, Superintendent Mary Anne Wright and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Holman attended a winter concert. Wright said there were 51 students in the band, which has doubled in size, and sounded fabulous.

There are 45 members of the chorus and Wright lauded their skill, grace and professionalism.

In a survey of preschool attendance, 9.6 percent of parents said their children did not attend preschool.

Six preschools had 15 or more students who went on to attend Northwestern. The district wants information from day care providers, also.

Wright, who attended the parent-teacher meeting at each school, gave an overview of the modernization project in the high school.

She attends one of these meetings each year and tries to have some subject of interest to discuss.

Dellicker said parents of preschoolers and kindergartners are excited about the survey. The district would like to have a common denominator for what is taught.

A new camera, and voice-operated microphones should make the broadcasts of the meetings more understandable, Wright said.

Middle school Principal William Dovico and Assistant Amy Stauffenberg gave an overview of student achievement.

They explained the student performance profile was 73.3. Science is a strength for the school. Among Lehigh County schools only two were higher.

In English Language Arts only 29 percent were at basic or below but they were still above the state average.

In algebra Keystones 100 percent were proficient or advanced but only 27 took the test.

The math test is described as rigorous.

The middle school will continue to align instructional and assessment practices.

Leann Stitzel, director of curriculum, said math keeps changing but science has been basically the same for 10 years.

Board member Darryl Schafer asked if the School Performance Profile is going by the wayside.

Wright said she thinks there will be new indications of performance and the negative focus has gone too far.

“Good instructors will produce good learning,” Wright said. “Teachers need more freedom to make decisions on their teaching.

“A test is only one point in time.”

High School Principal Aileen Yadush said its SPP score is 93.9, the top in Lehigh County.

“There are 18 data points in the SPP and in 14 we are in the highest level,” she said.

She said they have been working on biology a lot and have seen a significant increase.

Assistant Principal Don Allen said the focus on chemistry will come after biology.

In algebra there was 50 percent proficiency but it went up rapidly.

The plan for student success is to focus on building and individual professional goals. There will be remediation plans for students who do not make proficiency or advanced status.

Community education classes begin Jan. 9, 2017, with Sharon Schnyder offering yoga Jan. 9-March 27, 2017, and April 3-June 5, 2017; Heather Browning with Zumba, March 21-May 30, 2017; Julie Jarrah, yoga, March 28-June 6, 2017; strength and endurance, Jan. 9-March 15, 2017 and April 3-May 15, 2017; Debbi Zvanut, basketweaving, Jan. 24, 2017; Feb. 21-28, 2017; March 21-28, 2017; April 11-18, 2017; May 9, 2017; and June 6, 2017; Cathy Brasten, Country Heat LIVE workouts, Jan. 13-March 9, 2017, and spring March 16-June 1, 2017.

There is a fee to attend but without enough participants, classes will be canceled.

Yadush said there are new programmatic revisions to courses but there will be new ones for the Keystone tests.

An approved agreement permits Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 to rent buses from the district at $150 per day. The district rents vans from CLIU 21 at $65 per day.

Weisenberg Elementary students will visit Quiet Valley Historical Farm, Stroudsburg, at a cost of $413.

Northwestern Elementary students will visit the IronPigs at a cost of $1,005.

Both trips are being paid for from the student activity fund.

Stitzel said Jeremy Smoyer, math teacher and advisor to the Makers Club, made ornaments for members of the Northwestern Lehigh Education Foundation in thanks for the mini grants.

He used equipment purchased with funds from the foundation.

Lehigh Carbon Community College has 14 students in the honors program. They received scholarships to Bucknell University. There are agreements with many other colleges.

Under public comment Ray Nemeth suggested earned income taxes be tracked more closely so there are more exact figures for working on the budget.