100
Titusville Area SD
District Level Plan
07/01/2015 - 06/30/2018
100
District Profile
Demographics
Scheide House
221 N Washington St
Titusville, PA 16354
(814)827-2715
Superintendent: Karen Jez
Director of Special Education: Michael McGaughey
Planning Process
The School District utilizes a system of comprehensive planning under a shared leadership philosophy. The district currently has seven district level standing committees that meet on a regular basis. Those committees include: Curriculum Council, Coordinated School Health Council, Athletic Council, Information and Technology Council, Drug and Alcohol Advisory Council, Act 48 Professional Development Council, and the Administrative Team. These committees represent a cross section of people from administration, School Board Members, faculty, support staff, students and community. Special sub-committees are developed as the need arises.
The District utilizes the Middle States for Accreditation process to build this current comprehensive/strategic plan from the ground up. Each building created building teams which included community members, parents, students, teachers, support staff members and the administration. Each building team had representatives on the District steering committee who acted a liaison between the two groups. Utilizing the middle states process gave a voice to many people who helped to create a broad understanding and ownership of the District’s goals and beliefs.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Titusville Area School District, a partnership with parents and community members, is to ensure that all students are challenged by quality academic and social experiences to achieve their fullest potential as life-long learners.
Vision Statement
All students are equipped with the confidence, knowledge, and skills to meet life’s challenges as respectful, productive, and responsible members of a global society.
Shared Values
- Students develop at different rates and have varying learning styles.
- Students are responsible and accountable for their own choices and actions.
- Effective education develops the whole person – intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.
- Teachers/employees serve as positive role models.
- Teachers should set high expectations for student learning and achievement.
- Effective communication and regular, consistent feedback are expected from all involved in the school district.
- Administrators are responsible for maintaining a safe, orderly and healthy environment for learning.
- Community members recognize the school district as a valuable community asset.
Educational Community
The Titusville Area School District is located in northwestern Pennsylvania, approximately 45 miles southeast of Erie, Pennsylvania. The School District is comprised of Allegheny Township, Cherrytree Township, Oil Creek Township and Pleasantville Borough all of which are located in Venango County; Centerville Borough, Hydetown Borough, Oil Creek Township, Rome Township and the City of Titusville all of which are located in Crawford County; and Southwest Township located in Warren County. The School District covers approximately 200 square miles.
The total population of the district is 14,151. Just over 72.2 percent of population of the district is in Crawford County, with 24 percent in Venango County and 3.8 percent in Warren County. The district's population accounts for 11.76 percent of the Crawford County population, 6.1 percent of the Venango County population and 1.28 percent of the Warren County population.
The median age for the District’s population is 42.1 years. The median income is $35,069.00. The per capita income is $19,627.00 The education levels of adults in our community show that 47% of adults over the age of 25 have a high school diploma, while 34% have an education beyond a high school degree. The community reflects a single-parent household percentage of 14.5. The unemployment rate is approximately 9.9%.
The School District enrollment is approximately 2,130 students K4 -12. This is a decrease of about3% reduction in student populationsince 2008. 93% of the students enrolled are white. There is about 56% of our students who are economically disadvantaged and 15% have an IEP to support disabilities.
According to the 2014 PSSA data, the district-wide reading proficiency is 70%, math proficiency is 73%, writing proficiency is 64% and science proficiency is 68%. The classroom profile reflects a student per teacher ratio of 15 to 1. 100% of the teachers are highly qualified based upon PDE guidelines. The graduation rate currently stands at 94.5%. 63% of the District’s graduating seniors attend college, with 53% attending a four-year institution.
Fiscal Summary
The Titusville Area School District constantly tries to maintain a balance between funding the educational needs of the students and the ability of the community to pay for these needs. The 2014-15 fiscal budget consisted of expenditures totaling $29,958,268 with an estimated fund balance of $6,756,386. In 2006, the budget process drastically changed with the passage of Act 1. Districts are now required to seek voter approval if they need to raise tax rates beyond the Act 1 index. In order to seek this voter approval, districts have to accelerate the budget timeline. According to school code budget timelines, districts have to adopt a preliminary budget or a resolution stating they will not raise the rate of any tax by more than the index by January 31st annually. In light of shrinking financial resources, increasing expenditures and non-funded mandates, the District has been able to strike a balance. This balance is proven by the District’s state ranking for property tax which was in the bottom half of 500 districts while its students continue to exceed the state and federal standards.
Facilities
The district operates an early childhood center (K4-K5), three elementary schools (grades 1-5), a middle school (grades 6-8), a senior high school (grades 9-12), and one alternative education school. These broad-based facilities enable the district to expand the horizons of the students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. All of the schools offer a general curriculum with supplementary programs for gifted and special needs students.
In a continual effort to provide the best educational facilities for our students, Titusville Area School District reviews buildings and grounds plans annually and maintains a long-range plan of five years. The plan addresses maintenance and modernization programs for each building in the district. Moving forward in the 21st century, the district’s three-phase building and renovation project, which concluded in 2002, provided major upgrades that enhance the delivery of educational programs and support student success.
The district completed a major renovation of the Pleasantville Elementary School in July of 2011. This scope of this project focused on the upgrading of the infrastructure to meet the energy demands of today and address structural concerns. Other area of emphasis included creating a safe and healthy school environment, use of technology for curriculum and instruction, and community needs.
Organization and Central Administration
According to population, the School District is a third class school district. It operates under and pursuant to the School Code, as amended and supplemented. The School District is governed by a nine member Board of Directors, comprised of residents of the School District who are elected on a staggered basis for four-year terms of office. The daily operations and management of the School District are overseen by the Superintendent of Schools, who serves as the chief educational officer of the School District.
The Central Administration Office is comprised of the Superintendent, Business Manager, and Assistant Business Manager. The Administrative Team includes; building level principals and assistant principals, six directors of specialized programs which include the following positions: Director of Student Services, Federal Programs and Curriculum, Special Education, Athletics, and Vo-Tech. There are three directors of support programs which include: Directors of Food Service and Transportation, Buildings and Grounds, and Technology. There are also twelve department chairpersons that assist in the oversight of curriculum development.
Employment and Employee Relations
There are presently employees 283 of the School District, including 17 administrators, 148 professional/instructional employees and 118 full or part time support personnel.
The School District’s Administrative Team follows the current Act 93 Administrative Compensation Agreement. This agreement expires on June 30, 2018. The School District’s teachers are represented by the Titusville Area Education Association, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), under a contract with the School District, which expires on June 30, 2015. Clerical, maintenance, custodial, daycare, cafeteria workers and educational aides are represented by the Titusville Educational Support Personnel Association. The contract expires on June 30, 2015. Employee relations in the School District remain favorable.
Technology
Technology continues to be a major focus for the District. An integrated learning system is currently in place at the middle school and all of the elementary schools. Both the middle school and the senior high school emphasize the use of technology across the curriculum. Through grant funding, the district recently added a technology coach position to provide support at the elementary level. The technology coach assists with the implementation of curriculum by providing assistance in the school computer labs.
The District provides networking and internet connectivity for students and staff, recognizing that these features are key components to promoting technological competence. In addition, the district maintains a website that is updated periodically through the cooperative efforts of students and staff members. In order to stay abreast of technological advancements, the district has entered into a Wide Area Network (WAN) agreement with the Riverview Intermediate Unit 6. Through this agreement students and staff will be provided with the latest in technological capabilities.
The District has been awarded EETT grant funds during the 2009 - 2010 and 2010 - 2011 school years. These funds were utilized to enhance teacher performance and utilization of technology within the classrooms through various professional development opportunities. Additionally, the District was awarded a federal grant upon Congressman Peterson's retirement which was specifically designed to enhance the technology infrastructure at the high school.
Education and Curriculum
The needs of all students of the Titusville Area School District are addressed by the administrators, guidance counselors, department chairpersons, and individual teachers participating in an annual review of curricula. They then make recommendations to the School Board of Directors for changes and additions to course offerings.
Each grade level has a specific role in fostering the educational process. The Early Childhood Learning Center, constructed in 1991, houses the district’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, the district made an even greater commitment to early childhood education by offering full day kindergarten. Although the same curriculum is taught, teachers have more time to incorporate activities. Additionally, the program has been enhanced by the Action Based Learning Lab program in Physical Education. Learning in full day kindergarten is tied to kinesthetic motion. These changes have been funded primarily through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Accountability Grant.
The elementary schools are committed to fostering the basic skills of communication through a balanced literacy program that includes phonics as well as reading and writing instruction. Instructors and administrators have implemented measures that promote improved performance in reading, writing and math. Such measures include the use of technology, such as Smart Boards, the introduction of math manipulatives, and the formation of reading and math clubs and summer programs, such as Partners Achieving Learning Success (PALS) Club. Supplemental reading instruction is provided through the Title I Program and subsidized with Federal dollars.
Another goal of the District is to provide a developmentally responsive middle level school which provides a curriculum that is challenging, integrated and exploratory. There are three significant components of a middle level curriculum. First, it enables students to discover their abilities, talents, interests, values and preferences. This self-knowledge helps students prepare for adult life, not only in terms of vocation, but also as family members and citizens (NMSA, 1998). Second, all courses and activities are taught in a way that reveals opportunities for making contributions to society. Finally, experiences acquaint students with enriching, healthy, leisure-time pursuits. We are extremely proud that the middle school was recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Middle School Association as a "2010-11 School to Watch". This is a national honor as well, as our school will be recognized at the National Middle School Conference in June of 2011.
Titusville High School has been accredited by the Middle States Association for more than 75 years and maintains an academic standing comparable to many larger schools in Pennsylvania. Students in the senior high school may elect to follow an academic, arts, business education or vocational-technical curriculum. Students choosing four years of college preparatory study, frequently acknowledge that their teachers prepare them well to compete academically at the college level. Business education students acquire proficient office and machine skills throughout their experience, which allows many of these students to be placed in cooperative job settings. Vocational students may choose to enhance their vocational education at the Venango Technology Center located in Oil City. For those who prefer to stay at the high school, career-based curricula in Art, Computer Programming, Family and Consumer Sciences and Technical Education are also available. Currently, the administration and staff are developing a transition program for incoming ninth graders to ease the challenges of moving from the middle school to the high school. Integration of the various curricular areas has also been a focus. The schedule is designed to accommodate the integration of English and social studies on several levels, as well as advanced math, physics and technology education. Computers and other types of technology are available across the curriculum for students. A Career Academy format has been developed and is fully operational.
Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities
A strong athletic program and a wide variety of extra- and co-curricular activities balance the many classroom activities. Facilities provided and maintained by the District include: Carter Field, a lighted playing field; Titusville High School Natatorium, complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool; Colestock Auditorium, a gift bestowed in 1931 from Mary Colestock; two fitness centers; a resistance-training room; a weight room; and several gymnasiums. Opportunities exist for students to participate in intramural games and interscholastic competition in a variety of athletic activities. Students are also encouraged to participate in clubs as well as academically competitive organizations.
Student Support Services
Our commitment to providing students with support necessary to help them develop into successful students and productive young adults is clearly reflected through the District’s many outstanding support programs. The Student Assistance Program is the cornerstone of our programming and activities. Through student assistance, at-risk behaviors are identified and assessed for each student referral. With parental cooperation, interventions are put into place to address student issues. Under the student assistance umbrella of programs, the District has implemented anti-bullying, peer helpers/mentoring, peer tutoring, substance abuse prevention and intervention, character education, advisory teams, crisis response teams, grief support, and academic support activities. A vital concern of the District is the health, safety and welfare of our students. The district developed and implemented a school-based mental health and drug and alcohol program in November 2010. This program provides a full-time therapist in each of the areas to support those students who are referred through our student assistance program. All programs offered through student support services are designed to promote overall wellness which also supports academic success.