East Penn board hears detailed K–8 realignment plan, proposes new "Innovate" special and house system

East Penn School District administrators presented a programmatic plan for K–8 realignment that would move fifth grade out of elementary buildings and create K–4 elementary schools, a 5–6 center and a 7–8 building. The changes are scheduled to be effective for the 2028–29 school year and will be phased in with further programming and facility work.

District Superintendent Dr. Campbell and a team of principals and curriculum staff told the board the realignment work has involved dozens of educators and hundreds of stakeholders over the past eight months. The presentation focused on program details for three levels: K–4, 5–6 and 7–8, and summarized community feedback collected through focus groups.

At the K–4 level, Jefferson Elementary Principal Sam Hafner said the district will keep the revised elementary schedule introduced last summer and maintain separate intervention and enrichment blocks for English language arts and math (referred to as INE). Hafner said no students would miss core instruction during INE periods. The elementary day would continue to operate on a five-day rotation for specials (art, music, wellness/PE and library) and administrators propose adding a fifth special called “Innovate.”

Dylan Peters described Innovate as a K–4 special built on eight pillars — including technology/engineering, entrepreneurship/career exposure, environmental literacy and design/innovation — aligned to state and industry standards. Peters said Innovate curriculum would be developed with instructional coaches to ensure students receive foundational materials before fifth grade and that the special would use spiral review to keep learning consistent across elementary buildings.

For the 5–6 building, Curriculum Supervisor Dr. Murphy and Mrs. Yancho recommended a longer related-arts period of 50 minutes daily and a rotation through six exploratory subjects (art, family and consumer science, music, wellness/fitness, health and Innovate). The plan preserves band, chorus and orchestra as daytime ensembles. Mrs. Yancho said related-arts cycles would run 28–30 consecutive days to reduce transitions and support younger learners.

The 5–6 model also calls for a team-based “house” structure at each grade (approximately eight teams per grade, with homerooms of about 22–27 students and teams supporting 70–80 students). Core classes would be delivered in three 85-minute blocks for ELA, math and a combined science/social studies teacher. The 85-minute blocks include time for intervention/enrichment, enabling small-group supports without pulling students from exploratory classes.

For 7–8, district staff described a 9-period schedule with a three-tiered approach to reading intervention that creates space for an introduction-to-world-language exploratory in seventh grade and full year World Language 1 in eighth grade for students who advance. The plan would also consolidate several specialized programs at the Lorna McConlogue site.

Administrators said decentralized student-support suites (two administrative suites per building, each including assistant principals, counselors and other specialists) would increase adult visibility and reduce response times. The presentation also recommended intramurals for 5–6 and more clubs and activity-bus days to increase participation, with pilots in selected buildings.

The district said library instruction in the 5–6 building would not be a stand-alone scheduled class but that librarians would continue to provide scheduled time for classes and research supports — similar to how middle-school libraries currently operate. Building leaders also proposed maintaining two theater productions and keeping the district’s extracurricular offerings comparable to current levels.

Board members asked detailed questions about Innovate staffing and curricular alignment with PSSA/STE(A)M standards, lunch and recess logistics in the 5–6 day (administrators described 30-minute lunch windows and flexible scheduling), and whether world language exposure could be accelerated for students who demonstrate readiness. Administrators said curriculum development and implementation details will be refined in the coming years and that additional staffing and some facility changes will be needed.

The presentation emphasized continued stakeholder engagement: community focus groups will meet again before the April board meeting to review schematic designs and provide feedback. The district did not take a vote on programmatic recommendations at this meeting; staff said further work on curricular detail and facilities will return to the board later this spring.

Ending: Administrators said programmatic planning will continue over the next several years, with additional presentations on schematic facility designs and long-range financial planning scheduled for March and April.