East Penn presents $2 million in staffing priorities, links them to proposed tax increase
March 25, 2024 | East Penn SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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Superintendent Doctor Campbell presented the first set of 2024'25 budget priorities to the East Penn School District Board on March 25, asking the board to consider making four ESSER-funded student-support positions part of the base budget.
Campbell said the four priorities highlighted that night—English Language Arts interventionists, a STEP teacher for the middle level, student advisors and two Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs)—"total approximately $2,000,000," and noted that the draft budget that includes those positions currently shows a 5.95 percent tax increase. He added that fully removing the priorities would reduce the tax increase to about 4.1 percent.
Presenters explained the rationale for each role. Denine Leshinski, an instructional support teacher at Laura MacKenzie Middle School, described reading interventionists as small-group specialists who use screening data and interventions such as Orton-Gillingham and Lexia to move students toward grade-level skills. Leshinski and slides shown to the board said 492 students in grades 6'8 scored at or below the 40th percentile on FastBridge screens; district staff reported they currently service 401 of those students and that losing the positions would restrict services to students below roughly the 15th percentile.
Megan Freeman, the STEP teacher at Lower Macungie Middle School, said the STEP program serves students with attendance, anxiety and behavioral barriers and that parent feedback has been strongly positive; she told the board that "100% of the parent respondents" (18 of 18) reported improvements in behavior and academic performance for students who participated. Tom Roof and student advisors Lenny Jenkins and Gerald Brown described more than 2,500 targeted student contacts and restorative practices that advisers use to keep students engaged in school.
On the behavior-support side, Director of Special Education Jody Fried outlined the district plan to move two contracted BCBAs to district staff to expand applied-behavior supports, provide Functional Behavioral Assessments, and train teachers and families. Fried said bringing services in-house would expand capacity for autistic-support and emotional-support classrooms.
Board members asked about cost, overlap with special-education case managers and ESSER funding balances. One member summarized the incremental cost for the items presented as roughly a 0.9 percentage-point increase in the millage and called it "one of the best nine-tenths of a percent we've ever spent," citing student-support outcomes. Administrators said about $1.2 million in ESSER funds remained to help phase positions during 2024'25 and that some roles will be phased or re-evaluated in future budget rounds.
No final budget vote occurred that evening; administrators said the board will continue budget deliberations in April and will return for additional priority presentations and millage planning.
Campbell said the four priorities highlighted that night—English Language Arts interventionists, a STEP teacher for the middle level, student advisors and two Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs)—"total approximately $2,000,000," and noted that the draft budget that includes those positions currently shows a 5.95 percent tax increase. He added that fully removing the priorities would reduce the tax increase to about 4.1 percent.
Presenters explained the rationale for each role. Denine Leshinski, an instructional support teacher at Laura MacKenzie Middle School, described reading interventionists as small-group specialists who use screening data and interventions such as Orton-Gillingham and Lexia to move students toward grade-level skills. Leshinski and slides shown to the board said 492 students in grades 6'8 scored at or below the 40th percentile on FastBridge screens; district staff reported they currently service 401 of those students and that losing the positions would restrict services to students below roughly the 15th percentile.
Megan Freeman, the STEP teacher at Lower Macungie Middle School, said the STEP program serves students with attendance, anxiety and behavioral barriers and that parent feedback has been strongly positive; she told the board that "100% of the parent respondents" (18 of 18) reported improvements in behavior and academic performance for students who participated. Tom Roof and student advisors Lenny Jenkins and Gerald Brown described more than 2,500 targeted student contacts and restorative practices that advisers use to keep students engaged in school.
On the behavior-support side, Director of Special Education Jody Fried outlined the district plan to move two contracted BCBAs to district staff to expand applied-behavior supports, provide Functional Behavioral Assessments, and train teachers and families. Fried said bringing services in-house would expand capacity for autistic-support and emotional-support classrooms.
Board members asked about cost, overlap with special-education case managers and ESSER funding balances. One member summarized the incremental cost for the items presented as roughly a 0.9 percentage-point increase in the millage and called it "one of the best nine-tenths of a percent we've ever spent," citing student-support outcomes. Administrators said about $1.2 million in ESSER funds remained to help phase positions during 2024'25 and that some roles will be phased or re-evaluated in future budget rounds.
No final budget vote occurred that evening; administrators said the board will continue budget deliberations in April and will return for additional priority presentations and millage planning.
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