PSBA honors Jenkintown SD as a 'Great Pennsylvania School'; district leaders outline academic and extracurricular progress
November 11, 2024 | Jenkintown SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Becky Duesinger of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association presented Jenkintown School District with a Great Pennsylvania School designation during the board s Nov. 11 combined work session and business meeting, praising the district s academic rigor, community engagement and financial practices.
"This honor recognizes schools that demonstrate a commitment to academic rigor, community, resilience, and financial health," Duesinger said, offering a banner and a box of customized materials for the district to display. The PSBA representative asked the board to celebrate and promote the designation.
District staff followed with a monthly progress report describing October accomplishments. A district director said elementary teachers received professional development on differentiated instruction, the district added a "best buddies" co-curricular offering for middle and high school students, and a five-year PSSA report and multiple benchmark uploads were added to the district's LinkIt assessment portal. The presenter noted that AIMSweb benchmark data was compared to PSSA results in a data presentation to the board.
Officials also highlighted community and extracurricular successes: homecoming activities, induction of six hall-of-fame honorees, and the football team's victory. Student-facing announcements included the GTA production of The Little Mermaid (7:30 p.m. Thurs Sat; 2 p.m. Saturday meet and greet) and Career Day on Nov. 26 featuring alumni presenters.
Board members thanked staff for behind-the-scenes work supporting the celebrations and the PSBA application. The chair also told the meeting the district had received concerns about text messages containing racist terminology sent to local schools and reiterated the district's commitment to inclusion and a "zero tolerance" stance on discriminatory communications.
The meeting proceeded to routine business after the presentation; the board later entered an executive session for assessment appeals and information items only.
"This honor recognizes schools that demonstrate a commitment to academic rigor, community, resilience, and financial health," Duesinger said, offering a banner and a box of customized materials for the district to display. The PSBA representative asked the board to celebrate and promote the designation.
District staff followed with a monthly progress report describing October accomplishments. A district director said elementary teachers received professional development on differentiated instruction, the district added a "best buddies" co-curricular offering for middle and high school students, and a five-year PSSA report and multiple benchmark uploads were added to the district's LinkIt assessment portal. The presenter noted that AIMSweb benchmark data was compared to PSSA results in a data presentation to the board.
Officials also highlighted community and extracurricular successes: homecoming activities, induction of six hall-of-fame honorees, and the football team's victory. Student-facing announcements included the GTA production of The Little Mermaid (7:30 p.m. Thurs Sat; 2 p.m. Saturday meet and greet) and Career Day on Nov. 26 featuring alumni presenters.
Board members thanked staff for behind-the-scenes work supporting the celebrations and the PSBA application. The chair also told the meeting the district had received concerns about text messages containing racist terminology sent to local schools and reiterated the district's commitment to inclusion and a "zero tolerance" stance on discriminatory communications.
The meeting proceeded to routine business after the presentation; the board later entered an executive session for assessment appeals and information items only.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
