The East Penn Board of School Directors discussed next school year’s district priorities and a longer-reaching state-required comprehensive plan at the April 25 regular meeting.

School Superintendent Kristen Campbell provided an introduction to each PowerPoint exhibit.

Another installment of the continuing presentations for the 2022-2023 district priorities was presented by assistant superintendents Laura Witman and Douglas Povilaitis, Elementary Curriculum Supervisor Erin Murphy, Supervisor of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction Michael Mihalik, Lower Macungie Middle School Principal Sallie Yencho and Eyer Middle School Principal Thomas Ruhf. Director of Special Education Linda Pekarik assisted with fielding board questions.

Much of the proposed priorities deal with COVID-19’s ongoing impact on education. Witman said East Penn students and those nationwide are experiencing difficulty paying attention, learning, and are experiencing feelings of increased isolation. This has resulted in more school absences, suspensions, expulsions, poor academic performance, increased risk of failure, as well as higher referral rates to special education.

Murphy described a multi-tiered system of supports to address this with a pyramid-shaped graph. The base is Tier 1 which provides core instruction and universal screening for all students. Tier 2 is for targeted intervention for small groups. Tier 3 is for students requiring intensive customized intervention.

Murphy explained Tier 1 teachers should work with less than 30 students per classroom and have more time for planning.

With Tier 2, more instructional support teachers and Virtual East Penn Academy coaching support are needed.

Tier 3 requires greater diagnostic assessment, customized and intensive academic interventions with daily progress monitoring.

This model also applies to student behaviors including motivation issues and bullying.

The committee places a high priority on hiring additional staff to make it work:

•A special education supervisor for special programs K-12 at $148,000

•A director of educational alternatives to directly supervise VESPA K-12, restorative in-school suspension, supportive out-of-school suspension and transition rooms at middle and high school levels at $180,000

•Two computer technicians at $59,200 each

•One custodian at $86,560

•Two elementary teachers each at $108,300

•Four special education teachers each at $108,300

•One special education teacher for Lower Macungie Middle School and another for Eyer Middle School at $108,300 each

Support for VESPA and other self-contained programs is dependent on:

•One English language arts teacher at $108,300

•One social studies teacher at $108,300

•One transition room teacher for Emmaus High School at $108,300

•One field study/internship coordinator at $108,300

Elementary level Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief-funded staffing priorities include 11 interventionists for grades one through three and behavior specialists.

Secondary level ESSER-funded position priorities are listed as one high school ELA teacher to seat ELA failures from 2020-2021, three middle school reading interventionists, one high school reading specialist to continue interventions currently offered in eighth grade, behavior specialists, three middle school math teachers, one high school math teacher co-teaching with one special education teacher for Tier 2 Algebra 1 with lab course, two-four potential transition/ES/VESPA support teachers for math and science and two middle school transition room teachers.

To fill the non-ESSER-funded positions, it may require a tax increase of 4 percent. The directors were reminded some of these had been held back from previous budgets due to pandemic concerns.

Director Alisa Bowman remarked this was a bit high, but understood the needs. She wanted to be able to assure taxpayers increases like this wouldn’t become a norm for the district.

A 2022-2025 comprehensive plan for curriculum was presented by Elementary Curriculum Supervisor Tricia Gutman, assisted by committee student advisor Anna Chavolla, as well as most of those participating in the previous presentation. They explained how this is required by the state every three years.

Demographics, mission, vision, needs assessment, goal setting and planning are components of a strategy to provide students with instruction and intervention, social and emotional learning, while achieving equity.

The plan includes using building-based universal screening data to enable 100 percent of students identified for tiered support to be assigned an intervention.

Based on district screening data, the overall percentage of students performing at grade level or above will increase by 10 percent under this plan.

There was one request to address the board made by Rebecca Mallozzi, of Emmaus. The local pastor expressed gratitude for the district’s partnership with East Penn Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

In her district update Campbell acknowledged the East Penn Neighbors Helping Neighbors partnership. She mentioned the Emmaus Rotary’s supplemental food program for East Penn disadvantaged families will continue through the summer.

She announced the EHS Interact Club is collecting new T-shirts for Zip With Us to benefit pediatric cancer patients.

Campbell remarked graduating senior sign sales continue and the district is still seeking volunteers for the Senior Citizen Advisory Council.

Emmaus High Student Government Association representatives Katelyn Cole and Maggie Machulsky reported on accomplishments in track and field, lacrosse, baseball, softball and volleyball. They spoke about Emmaus students inducted into the World Languages Honor Society and other successes in state history, science and other academic competitions.

Campbell introduced Beth Guarriello as the newly-hired principal for EHS, starting in late July. She will finish out her tenure as a high school principal in the Southern Lehigh School District before assuming duties in East Penn.

In other personnel matters, the directors accepted the retirement of EHS health/wellness/fitness teacher Michael Burrell and Willow Lane Elementary School third grade teacher Lori Merrill, effective mid-late June.

Also retiring are staff assistant Audrey Erb, from Lower Macungie Middle School and administrative assistant Annette Hoppes from Emmaus High School, effective early June and July respectively.

In addition to Guarriello, the directors voted to approve new hires art teacher Julia Palmer for EHS, special education teacher Laura Blacker for Alburtis Elementary School, teacher Sara Lechner for Macungie Elementary School and teacher Julie Mueller for Shoemaker Elementary School.

Board President Joshua Levinson said no executive session was held prior to the public meeting.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for May 9. The public can access documents through BoardDocs via a link on the district website. Live streaming of meetings is available on the district’s YouTube channel.