Elementary STEM C & I Supervisor Michele James provided an opportunity for the East Penn Board of School Directors to review the district’s efforts to upgrade how elementary school report cards are processed at the Feb. 25 regular meeting. A committee of teachers, administrators and parents have been working for the past 18 months on a comprehensive reporting system for student progress.

James said the committee determined the report cards should clearly communicate academic progress, report behaviors that promote learning and provide future learning goals. To achieve that, she said the grading periods will be divided into trimesters for elementary students to allow the educators to have more time to clearly assess a pupil’s progress. Currently the grading periods are held quarterly for all levels.

Vice President Paul Champagne asked if the upper grades would also change to trimesters. James replied, “It would be unchanged for the middle and the high school.”

After educating the teachers on the new system during summer 2019, parents will be informed of the changes at the fall meet the teacher night. Report cards would be issued during parent-teacher conferences in December and March 2020, with final grades sent out in June 2020. James reported the committee recommended bringing back printed report cards. She said communication to parents would be ongoing throughout the grading periods by electronic means like apps, phone calls, newsletters and Friday folders. Student orientations, meet the teacher night, open house and family information nights would be utilized to keep families informed.

When asked what a report card draft would look like, James replied the committee was still working to see which templates would best fit into the student information system electronically.

Director Adam Smith praised the committee’s efforts to create an “ongoing process” for tracking student progress throughout the year.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent Doug Povilaitis presented a draft of the 2019-2020 East Penn School District Student/Teacher Calendar with Aug. 26 as the first student day and ending June 10, 2020. There would be three inclement weather makeup days built in. The tentative graduation date would be June 14, 2020. Board members suggested moving more instructional time from the end of the year to the middle by shifting professional development time to the start or end of the school year.

The directors pointed out that with eight days off for the holidays, the Keystone Exam window between Dec. 3-13 and early dismissal for elementary parent-teacher conferences, December was left with only a few full days of student instruction.

Superintendent Kristen Campbell brought another installment on the administration’s 2019-2020 budget for board review. This time the focus was on a $750,000 ongoing cost for Phase 3 of the district’s three year technology plan. This would include leasing iPads for grade three students and purchasing Chromebooks for grades six, nine and 12. Charging and storage expenses for the iPads have also been figured in, Campbell explained.

There is a need for an additional instructional technology specialist to provide coaching, instruction and other support services to teachers and various departments with technology integration, Campbell said. So far those duties are split between two tech specialists. The impact to the district would be a recurring cost of around $90,000, including salary and benefits.

The superintendent wrapped up the evening’s presentation with identifying a need to purchase “Balanced Literacy Resources” for a one-time cost of $180,000. These would include acquiring Fountas & Pinnell interactive read aloud books and materials and a Benchmark Assessment System for kindergarten and resources for independent, guided, interactive and shared reading, as well as phonics and BAS for first through third grade.

Other district needs are to be discussed at the next meeting with a target date of June 10 for adoption of the final 2019-2020 budget.

In her district update Campbell said April 18 and June 12 and 13 will be used as makeup days for instructional days lost to the recent snow and ice storms. June 14 and 17 will be makeup days for Emmaus High School only. Graduation remains scheduled for June 9.

Campbell also announced agendas, minutes and other materials will be available to the public through BoardDocs via a link on the district website starting with the next meeting. This will be the last time printed paper copies would be available at board meetings.

Emmaus High Student Government Association representatives Sajan Patel and Emmalin Moyer reported on the SnoCo dance and other events rescheduled because of snow. They also announced a blood drive March 9 at the high school and a “Shave for the Brave” fundraiser benefiting pediatric cancer research March 8.

A request to address the board was granted to Emmaus resident Lynn Donches who expressed gratitude for the directors’ decision to videotape meetings. She also asked, “What are you doing to stop the taxes from going up?”

The directors unanimously approved the 2019-2020 operating budgets, etc., for the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit, Lehigh Carbon Community College and the Lehigh Career and Technology Institute.

East Penn District rep Ann Thompson promoted the economic value of LCCC and encouraged the board to allow Emmaus High School to participate in a College Scholars Program at the community college that would enable juniors and seniors to earn transferable college credits with an associate degree, while still enrolled in high school. The cost for a full-time student in the program would be $2,150 per semester, she said.

The directors held a second reading of minor changes to updated board policies regarding nondiscrimination in school, including harassment, hazing, bullying and cyber bullying.

President Ken Bacher said there was no executive session prior to the public meeting. He mentioned they participated in a BoardDocs training session before convening.

The East Penn Board of School Directors meet regularly 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for March 11 in the board room of the administration building.