Perkiomen Valley Board reviews annual data; approves curriculum pilots and early-retirement incentive

Perkiomen Valley School District trustees met virtually for a special-topic session to review the district's annual data presentation and take a handful of routine approvals. The board approved two no-cost curriculum pilots (middle-school science and an i-Ready middle-school ELA supplemental resource) and voted to adopt an early retirement incentive plan for staff.

Dr. Russell opened the presentation by tying recommendations to the district's goals: "the data drive the recommendations," he said, and framed the district's priorities around future-ready outcomes, STEM emphasis and supports for English learners and students with IEPs. Administrators noted the full materials were posted in BoardDocs and asked that questions be saved until presenters finished.

Assessment and achievement highlights presented to the board included strong elementary results and mixed middle- and high-school trends. Evergreen Elementary principal Ryan Marsh pointed to district elementary percentile rankings that place the elementary band well above many peers. At the high-school level, principal Zach Fuller said Keystone algebra proficiency showed recent declines that staff are addressing through common-planning time and aligned assessments. "We have our algebra teachers and co-teachers meeting every six days to review where they're headed with our algebra program," Fuller said.

The high school also reported gains on college-preparatory measures: AP participation and performance were described as robust (presenters said a high share of AP test-takers scored 3 or higher), and the district reported a rise in SAT and PSAT composite scores; 386 juniors and seniors took the SAT last year, the district said. Career-technical students who attend North Montco Technical Career Center posted strong pass rates on industry assessments.

Administrators emphasized supports and community partnerships that supplement classroom instruction. Dr. Seamus Clune thanked the PV Foundation for mini-grants and highlighted PV Powerpacks, which provided weekend food and clothing supports and "provided food to 64 PV families" this summer. Presenters said these community efforts close gaps that can impede learning.

Board action and next steps: the board approved the two curriculum pilots as recommended by the Education Committee of the Whole and adopted the early-retirement incentive plan in the Personnel section by voice vote. Several trustees asked for follow-up, including additional information on co-curricular participation trends and PBIS data; Dr. Russell and administrators said those topics will be brought to the Education or Wellness committee for deeper review.

The meeting closed after a short question-and-answer period; the board noted an executive session had occurred before the meeting for personnel matters.