North Allegheny officials say schools are ready; outline staffing, safety and curriculum updates
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Hyland told the board the district is prepared for the school year, noting about 8,500 students to serve and staff additions including social workers, a middle-school student assistance coordinator, and near-full school police staffing; the board also heard technology, curriculum and facilities updates.
Superintendent Dr. Hyland told the North Allegheny School District board on Aug. 14 that central and building teams completed summer work to prepare “for 8,500 students approximately,” praising custodians, administrative assistants and maintenance staff for campus readiness.
Hyland outlined personnel and program changes aimed at student support: new social workers, a middle-school student assistance coordinator, a universal screener pilot at five elementary schools and a new benchmark assessment, STAR 360, to replace Exact Path for grades 3–8 in ELA and math. “We are piloting our universal screener in the hope that we can catch some of those kids that may be having difficulties,” Hyland said.
Chief Harpster described safety training and school police staffing. The district will host Navigate360 ALICE instructor certification in October and completed a local Phase 3 ALICE session with about 60 participants. Harpster said the district will start the year with 10 officers in place and expects an 11th to begin Sept. 12; he listed building officer assignments and emphasized flexible campus coverage rather than fixed daily schedules.
Technology leaders reported that PowerSchool opened to families for schedules and bus information, that roughly 1,000 wireless access points were installed over the summer and that student and new-employee devices were ready for distribution. The presenters asked families to check PowerSchool for the latest bus-stop information because the system does not send automatic email alerts when bus assignments change.
Facility and operations staff said 29 capital projects were completed this summer, including Marshall campus repaving and resurfacing at several athletic areas; some sport-surface work remains pending. The communications team said it will expand social-media promotion of academic and arts achievements across district channels and use Newman Stadium video board recognition for student milestones.
The superintendent emphasized the district will continue program reviews and a new approach to parental open houses, and said the board is expected to consider adoption of a balanced scorecard next month. The board received the presentation and moved on to routine business.
