June Message from Superintendent

June 23, 2017

Greetings to Pine-Richland Students, Parents, Staff  & Community,

Congratulations to each member of the Class of 2017! We were fortunate to have beautiful weather  for the students, families, and friends in attendance at graduation. The path for each graduate is unique. Each graduate also brings his or her own hopes and dreams for the future. For many, they will continue their career at a college or university. We have other students moving directly into a trade, technical program, or the workforce. We are proud that others have chosen to join the military. Congratulations to all!

With respect to our strong belief that learning happens inside and outside of the classroom, we are so excited to see the accomplishments of our students in the areas of academics, athletics, arts, and activities. Results from a variety of standardized measures show evidence of high achievement. In the most recent season, our girls’ lacrosse and boys’ baseball team earned two more WPIAL titles in athletics. One of our seniors, Jake Pedersen, won Best Actor in the prestigious Gene Kelly Awards…unbelievable!

Members of our staff and overall schools are also being recognized. Eden Hall Upper Elementary and Wexford Elementary schools were named to the Healthy Schools PA High Honor Roll for meeting rigorous criteria. Mr. Steve Smith was recognized as Principal of the Year in Pennsylvania and as a National Distinguished Principal. Mrs. Leslie Straub has been recognized with the National Advisor of the Year Award for her work with the Peer-to-Peer Empowerment Team. The Peer-to-Peer Empowerment Team traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Jefferson Awards. Mrs. Brittany Adams is the US Girls’ Lacrosse Western PA Coach of the Year! We are so proud of our students and staff.

The strategic plan continues to focus our action as a school district. As one initiative, we added a student and staff survey to gather satisfaction and engagement feedback. It was the third year that we gave the parent survey. With 753 parent respondents this year, some of the high-level feedback with a comparison to the past two years includes:

 

 

From a general perspective, respondents selected “strongly agree or agree” for the following:

2017

2016

2015

Q3

I am satisfied with the Pine-Richland School District.

92%

89% 

89%

Q4

I am satisfied with the overall academic program.

93%

91%

88%

Q5

I am satisfied with the support services and special programs.

88%

85%

78%

Q6

I am satisfied with the range of co-curricular and extra-curricular program offering.

92%

91% 

90%

Q7

I am satisfied with the district’s budget and use of funds.

82%

85%

76%

Q8

I am satisfied with the overall level of communication.

93%

86%

88%

We will share more survey data in the coming months. While we feel confident in the direction of the district, we also recognize the opportunities for improvement. This continuous improvement mindset is an important element of high performing organizations.

Thank you again for your support and engagement in the Pine-Richland School District.

Respectfully,

Brian Miller