The Sanatoga Post

SANATOGA PA – The public service promotional slogan that advises drivers to “Lock Your Car. Take Your Keys” has renewed significance in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township.

Township police say they are continuing to investigate a series of reported thefts and attempted thefts, all said to have been committed on unlocked vehicles and alleged to have occurred during overnight hours last Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 4-5, 2011). The department said it received more than 10 reports of such incidents during that period on streets across several residential areas.

The alleged thefts are similar to others experienced during the past month, police added. Cash, electronic equipment and various other items were reported to have been taken.

The department has asked for public help regarding the thefts. They encourage residents to call Lower Pottsgrove police at 610-326-1508 “anytime they see or hear something suspicious in their neighborhood,” and it urged them to lock their vehicles when not in use.

Photo from Google Images

SANATOGA PA – Santa’s been known to change his mind on occasion. He’s not opposed, for instance, to moving children from the “naughty” to “nice” category when they merit it, or the other way around when they don’t. Rudolph hasn’t always been the lead reindeer. And there were a few years during which, at the Missus’ urging, the Jolly Old Elf shed a couple of pounds for health reasons, making him lighter but no less jolly.

So it should come as no surprise that he’s changed his mind, too, about his anticipated visit next Saturday (Dec. 17, 2011) to Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township. For the better.

Sanatoga Fire Company President Don Woodley Jr., in an e-mail Friday (Dec. 9) reported that the previously announced list of stops for the firefighters’ annual Santa Run – the one during which they accompany St. Nick to locations around the township for visits with children and parents – has undergone “a few adjustments” since it was initially published by The Post.

The good news: he’ll be out and about for an hour and 20 minutes longer than initially planned, and his list has expanded from 18 to 24 sites.

Here’s the revised list of planned times (all are approximate) and stop locations:

Rosewood Court  and South Sunnybrook Road, 10 a.m.;
Donna and Noel, 10:30;
Maplewood and Oaktree, 10:30;
Heather and Bradley, 10:50;
Bramblewood and 1st Ave, 11 a.m.;
Welsh and Oak, 11:10;
Creekside and Brookview, 11:20;
Welsh and Sunnyslope, 11:30;
Pinehurst and Raleigh; 11:40;
Sanatoga Village – top of hill, 11:50;
Pebble Beach and Julie, 12:05 p.m.;
Blackberry and Commons, 12:20;
Walnut Ridge at the Kepler Rd entrance, 12:25;
Allison and Shelly, 12:40;
Walnut Ridge at the Buchert Rd entrance, 12:50;
Oakdale and Woodmere, 1:10;
Rolling Hills at the office area, 1:30;
Oakdale and Rivendale; 1:30;
Rolling Hills at the Pleasantview Road entrance, 1:50;
Windhaven at the barn area, 2 p.m.;
Prospect Hill Lane, 2:25;
Shaner’s at the bus stop area; 2:25;
Sanatoga Fire House, 2:45; and
Evergreen Road, 3 p.m.

On other thing: In case of inclement weather, Santa and his elves will make their rounds on the following day, Sunday (Dec. 18).

Photo from Google Images

HAZMAT ACCIDENT – A truck leaking diesel fuel on U.S. Route 422′s eastbound lanes in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township required a hazardous materials response from local fire companies, Montgomery County fire safety officials reported Friday at about 9:50 a.m. Brandie Kessler, reporter for The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper, took this photo shortly afterward and posted it to the YFrog photo sharing website, noting that traffic on the highway was “crawling” and  “backed up from the Armand Hammer Boulevard exit to the Park Road overpass” in Sanatoga. A tow truck was en route to remove the leaking truck, and fire crews were busy with the fuel clean-up.

Photo by Brandie Kessler via YFrog

POTTSTOWN PA – As with so many other hot-button issues, the debate over a proposal to create grade-grouped educational centers at Pottsgrove School District elementary schools as a way to address classroom overcrowding and teaching efficiency has taken both sides to Facebook.

Got an opinion about redistricting? Let The Post know! Comment on our Facebook page.

Opponents and advocates of what is called the “centers model,” under consideration in Pottsgrove, this week both announced they created pages on the world’s most popular social media platform to distribute information to similarly minded district residents.

The district is wrestling with how it can best reduce and balance class sizes at its three elementary schools: Lower Pottsgrove, West Pottsgrove, and Ringing Rocks. One proposal would redraw attendance boundaries for each school; a second would reconfigure grades at the schools to create two kindergarten through second grade centers, and a 3-5 center.

The first Board of School Directors’ meeting at which the public was allowed to comment on either proposal was held Tuesday (Dec. 6), with a substantial number of about 200 in attendance voicing opposition to a centers plan. On Wednesday and Thursday (Dec. 7  and 8), two new Facebook pages arose to address the topic.

• “Pottsgrove Parents Against Creating K-2 and 3-5 Centers,” a Facebook group page created by centers opponent Rick Rabinowitz, can be found here. As of Friday at 6 a.m., it had 129 members.

Rabinowitz offers several informational links to studies that refute the centers concept or point to its problems. So far, however, the majority of posts there consist primarily of supportive comments from other members. Demonstrating community opposition to the proposal is a goal, he noted: “… We need our (membership) numbers to get over 600, I think to send a clear message!,” he wrote in a comment on the page.

• “Pottsgrove Redistricting Informational Site,” a Facebook community page created by centers advocate Danielle O’Brien, can be found here. As of Friday at 6 a.m., it garnered 5 “likes.”

In a comment on the page, O’Brien noted she is not out to change minds, but inform them. “We are here for informational purposes only for BOTH options,” she wrote. “What you decide is up to you only.” To that end, she has posted links to eight different studies or external websites, most of which support the centers concept or purported gains from some of its use. She also has allowed links to data from visitors with opposing views.

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

• Both Sides In Pottsgrove Redistricting Head To Facebook
• Pottsgrove Crowd Vocal In Opposing Educational Centers
• Advocate: Pottsgrove Centers ‘Best Access’ To Resources
• Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
• No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
• Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
• Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
• In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
• Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
• As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
• Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
• Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered

HARRISBURG PA — Monday (Dec. 12, 2011) will be D-Day for all levels of Pennsylvania’s political redistricting process, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reported Thursday (Dec. 9).

With state legislative and congressional redistricting still waiting to be completed, lawmakers in charge of the two separate procedures have pointed to Monday as the day they will each take respective big steps toward finishing new maps.

At the state level, the five-member Legislative Reapportionment Commission plans to hold a final voting meeting at noon to approve the new state House and Senate maps that will be used for the next decade. Republican chairmen of the House and Senate State Government Committees, which handle the drawing of the new congressional district maps, plan a joint informational meeting on the same day to make the new congressional map public for the first time.

The congressional districts have been negotiated behind closed doors, and as of Wednesday afternoon, details still needed to be worked out, said House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny. Turzai said he expects the map will be ready by Monday. The new map will include only 18 congressional districts, as Pennsylvania is losing one due to lower population growth than the national average.

• Read a story by reporter Eric Boehm, titled “PA’s congressional maps will be made public Monday” and published Thursday by The Independent, here.

POTTSTOWN PA – About 200 people turned out Tuesday night (Dec. 6, 2011) to voice their opinions on Pottsgrove School District redistricting proposals to the Board of School Directors, and a majority – according to The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper – seemed to turn down a plan that would create grade-grouped educational centers at three elementary school buildings as a way to balance the student population and gain teaching efficiencies.

What district administrators refer to as their “centers model” would establish two kindergarten through second grade groups at Ringing Rocks and West Pottsgrove elementary schools, and one of grades 3-5 at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary. Newly renovated Ringing and Lower, a former middle school campus, have an abundance of classroom space, while pupil seats at West have been in increasingly shorter supply.

Many of those who spoke told directors they considered the centers approach a too-radical change. Instead, The Mercury reported, they preferred to have the district even out class sizes by redrawing attendance boundaries and more simply determine where students would attend schools under current K-5 grade configurations.

Centers model advocates, who Tuesday appeared to be in the minority, argued it would improve learning by giving students greater access to teachers and resources. Opponents contended the centers represented an “experiment” that lacked sufficient research to prove them worth considering.

• Read a story by reporter Evan Brandt, titled “Crowd cool to proposal for Pottsgrove elementary centers” and published Wednesday (Dec. 7) by The Mercury, here.

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

• Pottsgrove Crowd Vocal In Opposing Educational Centers
• Advocate: Pottsgrove Centers ‘Best Access’ To Resources
• Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
• No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
• Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
• Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
• In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
• Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
• As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
• Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
• Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered

POTTSTOWN PA – Students at Pottsgrove High School, 1345 Kauffman Rd., Pottstown PA, were named Monday (Dec. 5, 2011) as having achieved “distinguished honors” on its honor roll for the 2011-2012 school year’s first quarter, and dozens more were named with “honors.”

On the honor roll were, from:

Grade 12 Distinguished Honors

Samantha Brockway,  Donna Chu,  Matthew Cimino,  Gwendolynne Davis,  Amy Defnet,  Joe Di Paolo,  Lauren Edmunds,  Maura Hannum,  Jennifer Korb,  Mallory McMenamin,  Casey Payne,  Deanna Robles,  Alexandra Schurr,  Cordelia Urquhart,  Michael Vennettilli.

Grade 12 Honors

Jordan Adkins,  Steven Ambs,  Ahmed Amer,  Lauren Antenucci,  Bethany Berry,  Alexander Bostic,  Emily Bowen,  Kaitlin Bowen,  Rokhaya Boykins,  Ian Brennan,  Carley Butler,  Amy Cherico,  Ceara Coseo,  Stephanie Cruz,  Matthew Dao,  Emily Delena,  Shelby Edelson,  Erica Edwards,  Kassandra Forster,  George Gantert,  Tyreaka Garcia,  Benjamin Greiss,  Tyler Gross,  Holly Harrar,  Ryan Ivins,  Ashleigh Kleinschmidt,  Stephen Klotz,  Achilles Kontostathis,  Elliott Koss,  Matthew Krieger,  Megan Lazowicki,  Douglas Ludy,  Meghan Luna,  Caitlin Macfarland,  Gabrielle Mack,  Benjamin Macluckie,  Rowan Meador,  Branden Mercier,  Daniel Michaels,  James Middleton,  Danielle Moffa,  Megan Monzo,  Matthiew Natale,  Passone Nettles,  Madeline OBrien,  Taylor Pastorius,  Vincent Pellechio,  Alexis Pfister,  Kevin Phillips,  Joseph Polli,  Brian Price,  Justin Purdom,  Victoria Queen,  Brooke Rafalowski,  Ashleigh Read,  Taylor Robinson,  Jenna Saylor,  Nicholas Sotera,  Megan Stevens,  Emily Stump,  Anthony Tremble,  Lakeya Tremble,  Jared Valentine,  Nicholas Viscardi,  Christopher Walmsley,  Maurice Webster,  Lara Weisbach,  Allison Weller,  Jessica Williams,  Jessica Wrubel,  Yinan Xiong,  Paige Yerger,  Colleen Young.

Grade 11 Distinguished Honors

Zachary Birch,  Nathan Breidenbach,  Nathan Fretz,  Adam Maynard,  Daniel McNamara,  Tanmay Patel,  Kevin Rathgeber,  Ian Yanusko.

Grade 11 Honors

Dominic Bridi,  Nicole Chu,  Patrick Collins,  Danielle Czekaj,  Jessica Diaz,  Nicole Finn,  Jessica Fiore,  Nia Gonzalez,  Mackenzie Gross,  Kiera Howard,  Tory Hudgins,  Nicholas Hunsberger,  Brittany John,  Julia Kemper,  Benjamin Kunrath,  Kelsey Lloyd,  Marc Ludwig,  Troy Lutcavage,  Michael Makoid,  Ashley Monzo,  Justin Munro,  Aaron Roberts,  Alexandra Rodriguez,  Andrew Rodriguez,  Brandon Ruppe,  Hannah Short,  Caitlin Smith,  Jamira Stephenson,  David Stone,  Abbey Sullivan,  Max Trythall,  Bridgette Vuotto,  Kaitlyn Wagner,  Jasmyn West,  Meagan West,  Sean White,  Shaina Wood.

Grade 10 Distinguished Honors

Jeffrey Adams,  Arizona Brennan,  Jacob Hunsberger,  Kelsey Lee,  Gabriella Tammaro,  Hayley Tomaselli,  Kylie Yuchimiuk.

Grade 10 Honors

Ethan Abdalla,  Alexis Adair,  David Bieleski,  Teodoro Calabretta,  Kacy Carroll,  Joshua Chamberlain,  Karly Conrad,  Daniel Czerpak,  Erinn Dugan,  Audrey Eiland,  Charles Fry,  Kylie Fulmer,  Ferryn Garner,  Noel Geniza,  Angelica Glaeser,  Charles Gulick,  Elizabeth Harley,  Amanda Hartman,  Christopher Haslam,  Gaia Houseal,  Brianna Hyndman,  Taylor Inhof,  Allyson Lance,  Dana Landes,  Jaid Mark,  Jalen Mayes,  Shelby Miley,  Natalya Nodolski,  Brittany Opokwu,  Sene Polamalu,  Kayla Polen,  Anthony Pond,  Paige Porter,  Nicole Raimondi,  Morgan Schreiber,  Thomas Sephakis,  Kaleigh Tillman,  Heather Trump,  Christopher Vecchio,  Daje Walker,  James Walmsley,  Chase Weikel,  Grant West,  Maxton Wickward,  Jacob Witty,  Darby Wood,  Jay Young,  Alicia Youtzy.

Grade 9 Distinguished Honors

Danielle Buchanan,  Damian Creasy,  Patrick Finn,  Renee Hunsberger,  Chloe Klaus,  Katherine Likman,  Andrew Phillips,  Kyle Reed,  Kristi Shultz,  Alexandria Thierry.

Grade 9 Honors

Andrew Bayless,  Joseph Buchler,  Joshua Buck,  Matthew Bush,  Aubrey Christman,  Danielle Cook,  Nikolas Cortez,  Brianna Costira,  Joshua Crocetto,  Chad Flannery,  Macie Frame,  Caitlin Gillette,  Bailey Gilmore,  Samantha Goins,  Andrew Heuer,  Mitchell Kleege,  Derek Lopez,  Henrietta Lukacs,  David Macartney,  Eric Mitchell,  Wendy Ni,  Mikaela Pahowka,  Cassandra Shields,  Rebecca Smith,  Bernard Steyaert,  Julia Tartaglia,  Irie Tillman,  Hailee Tyson,  Gianfranco Vennettilli,  Courtney Weaver,  Evan Weneck,  Allison Wentzel,  Brianna West.

Photo from Clipart.com

POTTSTOWN PA – Dozens of students at Pottsgrove Middle School, 1351 N. Hanover St., Pottstown PA, were named Monday (Dec. 5, 2011) as having achieved “distinguished honors” on its honor roll for the 2011-2012 school year’s first quarter, and dozens more were named with “honors.”

On the honor roll were, from:

Grade 8 Distinguished Honors

Rammy Abbas,  Brianna Beitler,  Elizabeth Driehaus,  Gabrielle Ermish,  Alexandra Gallion,  Emily Glinecke,  Kevin Gulick,  Kolten Hendershot,  Olive Hernandez,  Benjamin Hnat,  Austin Leach,  Kyle Leach,  Noah Lear,  Eric Maynard,  Molly Mcgeehan,  Noah Nodolski,  Claudio Paez,  Avery Sicher,  Alexis Waldeck,  Hannah Windrim.

Grade 8 Honors

Molly Achuff,  Jacob Adams,  Kevin Basch,  Kerry Brennan,  Jordon Canny,  Kerri Carter,  Brady Custer,  Dalton Davidheiser,  Madison Davis,  Joseph Drager,  Stacey Edwards,  Janine Faust,  Samantha Favinger,  Emily Fisher,  Paige Fisher,  Denisha Footman,  Michael Gantert,  Katelin Gladback,  Landon Gonzalez,  Zachary Gottshall,  Dyani Hairston,  Matthew Harp,  Ashley Interrante,  Dominique Johnson,  Matthew Lance,  Kristen Lawhorne,  Erika Lessig,  Rachel Levengood,  Sydney Martens,  Amanda Martin,  Teresa McNamara,  Isabella Nelson,  Alyssa Oneill,  Sean Orrison,  Loriel Outterbridge,  Vanessa Pearson,  Danielle Pond,  Wyatt Porter,  Robert Poston,  Megan Radomicki,  Jackie Ramsey,  Caroline Remelius,  Paul Rinaldi,  Olivia Robinson,  Kiersten Rodgers,  Daniel Rodriguez,  Alexandra Rybacki,  Rebekah Schueck,  Rachael Sciarretta,  Courtney Sheffer,  Andrew Smith,  Amanda Smoyer,  Matthew Snader,  Nyanna Swans,  Kiana Szymkiewicz,  Brooke Toennies,  Jacob Townsend,  Katlyn Trapani,  Jenna Trythall,  Marissa Voynar,  Darren Waldt,  Amber Warren,  Brock Weir,  Thomas Williams,  Nicole Youtzy.

Grade 7 Distinguished Honors

Dalia Abbas,  Brady Ahern,  Andrew Barber,  Zoe Birch,  Liam Bradley,  Julia Buck,  Erin Carroll,  Karleigh Cimorelli,  Jordan Daniels,  Erica DeBlase,  David Dzordzorme,  Cierra Fekelman,  Ryan Finn,  Alyssa Geniza,  Katharine Harley,  Lillian Hunsberger,  William Kaiser,  Jared Krieger,  Ryan Laise,  Dwight Marazas,  Austin Nace,  Michael Neeson,  Nicholas Osborn,  Sarah Pennington,  Michael Ragusa,  Diana Randleman,  Zachary Rieker,  Cassidy Robinson,  Dylan Rolando,  Tyler Rolando,  Dustin Schreiber,  Michaela Sloan,  Nathan Smith,  Maya Stehle,  Madison Thierry,  Zachary Troutman,  Sophia Walton,  Dakota Williams,  Dana Wood,  Nathaniel Yuchimiuk.

Grade 7 Honors

Kayla Akers,  Mouje Amiri,  Kiley Band,  Madison Batzel,  Kevin Benitez,  Kirsten Bond,  Melissa Bonjo,  Maximillian Bungay,  Emma Burrus,  Marissa Burton,  Ryan Cassidy,  Rachel Cherubini,  Elese Christ,  Gabriel Claypoole,  Ariella Coronel,  Jessica Costira,  George Crock,  Ronald Crowell,  Nikolas Curnew,  Brian Czerpak,  Jazmyne Daniels,  James Dargan,  Nicholas DeCurtis,  Brett Dewees,  Cori Dickinson,  Laura Dorris,  Brenna Dugan,  Saylor Durr,  Elizabeth Galamba,  Bryan Goins,  Joseph Gordon,  Marissa Gratti,  Alex Hoffman,  Briana Hoffman,  Jasmine Hughes,  Emily Hunziker,  Malachi HurtRamsey,  Celina Irizarry,  Kierra Jones,  Alexander Keer,  Cameron Kegel,  Charlotte Kennedy,  Madison Kraichely,  Daphne Li,  Brett Lockey,  Lucia Marino,  Tahj Miller,  Spencer Mitchell,  Kathleen Moser,  Jessica Pasternak,  Jakob Perlstein,  Corey Peterman,  Abigail Pihanich,  Taele Polamalu,  Emma Powell,  Michael Prior,  Jenna Pruski,  Autumn Ricci,  Abigail Rieker,  Luke Robles,  Marissa Shukowitsh,  Tyler Smith,  Austin Spencer,  Madison Steffenino,  Jaime Suny,  Darrin Swavely,  Kaitlyn Thieme,  Shannon Thomas,  Nathaniel Townsend,  Elly Tran,  Logan Vandeweghe,  Rhys Wallace,  Damian Walsh,  Joseph Walton,  Alyssa Wehr,  Maya White,  Trezure Whitehurst,  Destiny Williams,  Madison Wise,  Carly Wood.

Grade 6 Distinguished Honors

Patrick Agnew,  Melanie Aguirre,  Sara Amer,  Jamie Auerbach,  Chase Banyai,  Kamryn Barton,  Jayden Blakey,  Regan Bradley,  Lauren Bush,  Amanda Carney,  Annabelle Chadderton,  Narissa Clements,  Alexis Cornwall,  Bailey Delp,  Julianna Dinnocenti,  Kathryn Drozdowski,  Melina Graves,  Tyler Hillman,  Casey Ivins,  Parris Janusek,  Aaliyah Jerry,  Cassandra Keller,  Joseph Kelley,  Casey Kuneck,  Kira Livezey,  Natalie Lobello,  Emily Long,  Macey Long,  Jenna Makins,  Patrick McLaughlin,  Anibal Mendez,  Celestine Owusu,  Michaela Sallade,  Aaron Schlosser,  Stephanie Snader,  Alexis Spanos,  Gianna Tecce,  Karli Tellis,  Brianne Tyson,  Charles Walsh,  Aimee Zimmerman,  Katelyn Zook.

Grade 6 Honors

Tyler Apple,  Savannah Bailey,  Christina Bautista,  Uther Berbaum,  Holly Bernhardt,  Nasire Birch,  Megan Brickel,  Alexis Brown,  Celeste Carlberg,  Alexandra Chancler,  Hayden Claypoole,  Sabrina Crocetto,  Riley Custer,  Alycia Desimone,  Alexandra Driehaus,  Alyssa Elko,  Wyatt Evans,  Abigail Flannery,  Ashley Flint,  Dssandra Garcia,  Paul Gerhart,  Madison Gillette,  Chloe Gilmore,  Austin Giraud,  Cole Goldcamp,  Kaitlin Gomez,  Sean Graham,  Avery Grant,  Corinne Hagopian,  Amanda Hanuschek,  Carissa Haraczka,  Corey Harris,  Jordan Harris,  Maxwell Hazel,  Matheson Heras,  Nathan Kasper,  Connor Keeney,  Brandon Knox,  Geoffery Lao,  Ashley Lessig,  Ryan Long,  Alyssa Lopez,  Olivia Lopez,  Tyler Marian,  Rayna Markle,  Kaitlyn Marsh,  Tyler Matz,  Arianna Mclane,  Cameron Mitchell,  Skye Morris,  Anna Myers,  Aaron Nealy,  McKenzie Novitski,  Emma Pilkington,  Gabriella Polce,  Abigail Reifsneider,  Rozalynn Roberts,  Alexander Robie,  Nicholas Rommel,  Miazziah Rose,  Jacob Ross,  Alexander Salata,  Christian Samilenko,  James Sanchez,  Morgan Scharneck,  Jenna Shade,  Abigail Sicoli,  Ryan Snyder,  Amanda Spaar,  Lucas Stehle,  Alexander Stump,  Stosh Swede,  Joseph Valentino,  Alexandra Vetrovec,  Kayla Weaver,  Hannah Weghorst,  Tyler Younkin,  Alexis Youse,  Andrew Zammetti,  Alexander Ziemba.

Photo from Clipart.com

POTTSTOWN PA – Using an educational centers model in the Pottsgrove School District to help level out class sizes and reduce overcrowding in one of its elementary schools could provide the “best education possible” for students “without raising taxes,” one advocate who is a member of Pottsgrove’s Elementary Redistricting Committee contends.

Danielle O’Brien, in comments made Monday (Dec. 5) on a Sanatoga Post article about the Board of School Directors‘ impending receipt of its committee’s report, said hours of independent research have led her to conclude that, while no “single grade configuration … will work for every school district,” she is convinced a proposal to create two Pottsgrove schools housing kindergarten through second grade, and a third school with grades 3-5, will offer “better access to educational resources” and avoid the under-utilization of teachers.

O’Brien expects to be among to be an audience of parents, teachers, other committee members, district administrators and the public when the board meets tonight (Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011) at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the high school on Kauffman Road, Pottstown PA. Receiving the report of the committee, which has gathered four times to discuss matters related to redistricting, is on the directors’ busy agenda. Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis has promised the meeting will be the first of several in which comment on the report will be encouraged.

At issue is how Pottsgrove can best relieve crowded conditions at West Pottsgrove Elementary, and make use of available classroom space in Ringing Rocks and Lower Pottsgrove elementaries.

• Read the committee’s report in advance of the meeting, here.
• [Summary]
• [K-5 Pros And Cons]
• [Centers Pros And Cons]
• [Boundary Options].
• Meet the committee members; read a list of the participants, here.

The more-than-30 member volunteer committee so far has talked over two proposals. One involves what might be labeled as traditional redistricting, in which map lines are re-drawn to determine where children who live within those boundaries would attend school. A second opts to reconfigure the schools as centers to teach children only in specific grades but from all geographic areas. West and Ringing would be used for grades K-2; Lower, for grades 3-5.

Both solutions have been proposed by Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis who, when pressed during committee grilling Nov. 29, acknowledged he favored the centers model as one that could efficiently accomplish the district’s educational goals.

To date, no other proposals have emerged. That doesn’t mean they’re not out there, O’Brien admitted. If others have solutions “that would be able to provide a better education than … using the current system and without raising taxes, I would be more than happy to hear it,” she said in her comments to The Post.

Some committee members who were vocal Nov. 29 have made it clear they doubt the centers model is better. They have opposed the approach as an overly complicated remedy to a simple problem, and argue that moving boundaries is an improvement with a lower impact on district families and students overall.

The conflicting views, strongly held on both sides, sets up what looms as at least two months of contention in coming board meetings. Directors have said they do not intend to rush their own study of the issue, although Landis reported he will ask board members for a decision by late January.

Action then, on either proposal, would give district residents’ eight months to prepare for coming changes, as Landis indicated he wanted to implement redistricting for the 2012-2013 school year.

Redistricting also coincides with the board’s deliberations over a budget for the coming school year, and whatever decision it renders may affect how district money is spent to put those changes in place. Directors tonight also are scheduled to hear a presentation on the district’s budget proposal.

Editor’s note: Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek is out of town on assignment and will be unable to provide first-person coverage of tonight’s meeting. Evan Brandt, The Mercury reporter who regularly covers Pottsgrove, said Monday he will attend and write a story for newspaper publication. The Post also encourages readers who attend the meeting to play the role of reporter themselves! If you go, offer your impressions as comments to our stories, or make observations in an e-mail and send it to Zlomek at sanatoga@yahoo.com, or add your thoughts on The Post Publications’ Facebook page, here.

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

• Advocate: Pottsgrove Centers ‘Best Access’ To Resources
• Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
• No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
• Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
• Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
• In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
• Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
• As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
• Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
• Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered

POTTSTOWN PA – When members of the Board of School Directors receive a report Tuesday (Dec. 6, 2011) from the Pottsgrove School District‘s Elementary Redistricting Committee, it likely will contain highlights of an interview the committee conducted last week with an official from schools in Springfield (PA) Township, which consolidated into educational centers like those Pottsgrove is now considering. Her verdict: reconfiguring grade levels so far seems to have been worth some initial pain.

At least one elementary parent, however, said he has collected evidence that suggests similar centers in Pottsgrove will create more, not fewer, problems.

The first public showdown over competing proposals to even out attendance at the district’s three elementary schools is expected to occur as directors hold their first meeting of December beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Pottsgrove High School, Kauffman Road. Their agenda indicates they will accept delivery of a report with information compiled during a month’s worth of committee study over how balancing class sizes at Lower Pottsgrove, West Pottsgrove and Ringing Rocks elementary schools can be best accomplished.

Directors are looking at elementary redistricting in two ways: one, to simply re-draw map lines that determine which children attend which schools; or second, to overhaul the buildings’ populations by creating two centers housing kindergarten through second grades, and a third with grades 3-5. The effort also coincides with the prospect of more state and federal funding cuts in the district’s 2012-2013 budget, only five months away.

One advocate of the centers model, Carol Rohrbach, director of curriculum and staff development at the Springfield schools, spoke by telephone last Tuesday (Nov. 29) to assembled committee members. Because of space limitations there, Springfield reconfigured its buildings into four centers that allow it to “focus our mission on the students. It’s really been a plus,” she said.

Students seemed to have adapted quickly to their new buildings, teaching staffs, and grade companions, Rohrbach observed. Instead, she said, it was teachers who appeared to face a more difficult adjustment, in part because they came to new schools where educational and leadership cultures were different from earlier ones. “It was a rocky road. We had to put extra time into getting teachers comfortable,” Rohrbach admitted. “A building’s culture is really important.”

Concentrating the Springfield district in the centers model seemed to make sense, Rohrbach noted, because the district is relatively small. She conceded that while “parents are basically happy now,” they weren’t always so. “When we started (two years ago), the disgruntlement was flying so fast I couldn’t catch my breath,” she said.

Some disgruntlement is already on the rise in Pottsgrove. Rick Rabinowitz, the parent of a Pottsgrove elementary student who would be affected by the centers model, in comments on a Nov. 30 Sanatoga Post story said he and other parents opposed it as a “radical change” with “negative consequences academically and socially.”

“I will be coming to the (directors’) meeting,” Rabinowitz promised, “and I will present the evidence that I have found from the extremely small number of school districts that have embarked” on creating centers. It indicates that scores for some students on state standardized tests decline when centers are introduced, he claimed. “If test scores go down, then ultimately so will real estate values,” offsetting any savings the district might realize from consolidation, he added.

Parents on both sides of either proposal are anticipated to arrive in force at the board meeting. The discussion, which was assured by Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis, could make for a long night. Board members agendas also show they are prepared to discuss a preliminary 2012-2013 budget, and undergo their annual board reorganization and selection of officers.

The agenda is available for download, here. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Editor’s note: Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek is out of town on assignment and will be unable to provide first-person coverage of Tuesday’s meeting. However, The Post encourages readers who attend the meeting to play the role of reporter themselves! If you go, jot down your thoughts, observations and impressions in an e-mail and send it to Zlomek at sanatoga@yahoo.com. Or post your thoughts on The Post Publications’ Facebook page, here.

Other coverage:

• Pottsgrove redistricting options to be presented at Tuesday meeting (The Mercury)

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

• Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
• No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
• Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
• Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
• In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
• Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
• As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
• Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
• Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered