South Williamsport superintendent, school board congratulate students in music programs, FBLA
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The South Williamsport Area School District heard a mid-year report from Superintendent Dr. Eric Briggs, and approved several items at their monthly meeting this week.
Ahead of conducting business, Briggs highlighted the accomplishments of three members of the musical department.
Representing the band was Althea Street, who participates in several clubs including Model U.N. and National Honors Society, has been a member of the band since fifth grade, and has participated in several PMEA competitions.
Representing the choir was Blake Barckley, Kendall Cardone and Allie Nolan, who recently participated in the PMEA District 8 Choral Festival held at Bloomsburg University.
"To the four of you, congratulations and thanks for your great work," Briggs told the students.
During the Jan. 27 meeting, Briggs highlighted the FBLA.
"FBLA is a program focused on the development of leadership, innovation and professional growth. Through hard work and commitment, the students in the FBLA develop the skills and mindset needed to succeed in the ever-evolving world of business," Briggs said in a statement to the Sun-Gazette.
"Most importantly, these skills are life skills that the students of South Williamsport will be able to use to be future leaders in our local, regional, national and global societies," the statement continued.
Calling it his "state of the union" of the district, Briggs highlighted several improvements across the district's three schools, giving credit to their respective administrators and faculty.
At Central Elementary, though they did not meet the interim goal, the students are on an upward trend towards a proficient or advanced level in English, and maintained their proficient level in mathematics. Regular attendance has also improved from the previous school year, according to Briggs.
Due to these improvements, Central Elementary is no longer part of the state's targeted school improvement initiative, Briggs said.
Several metrics showed improvement over the previous school year at Rommelt Elementary School, including proficiency and growth in English and proficiency in mathematics.
Two areas that saw significant advancement were their career standards benchmark, which jumped from 71.2% to 96.7%, and the numbers of students attending regularly, which increased from 56.4% to 76.3%.
Once a student misses 18 days of instruction, they are considered chronically absent, Briggs explained.
"That drastic growth is the fact that we put a system in place through our school counselors and our administrative team to effectively store artifacts our kids create career portfolios," Briggs explained.
The district goal is around 85%, while the statewide performance is 94%.
Students at the junior/senior high school maintained their level of proficiency in English, while meeting the target for expected growth in the subject, and reversed downward trends for expected growth in English and mathematics, Briggs' presentation showed.
Trends in mathematics at the high school level may be deceiving, Briggs explained, due to students advanced in algebra taking the district's algebra course, and focus on passing the algebra Keystone exam, keeping in mind that one pathway to graduation is by passing all three Keystone exams.
Therefore, the best math students are focused into an algebra curriculum, rather than a generalized mathematics course of study.
As with the other schools, attendance trended upwards, improving from 61.4% to 75.1%, with the career standards benchmark also increasing from 62% to 68%.
The district's overall graduation rate stands at 92.8%, more than five points above the current statewide average, according to Briggs' presentation.
The student population earning credits by attending the Williamsport Career and Tech program measured at 30.7%, in line with statewide performance standard.
In other matters, the board approved an agreement with Keystone/Red Rock Jobs Corps, at no cost to the district, to allow a second chance for students who are at risk of not graduating to earn a diploma while simultaneously learning a trade; an agreement with Williamsport Area School District to allow for the enrollment of approximately 60 students in the Career and Technical Education programs through the 2029-30 school year; and the 2025-26 school year calendar.
In staffing, the board approved various volunteers, musical and athletic staff with stipends ranging from $2,500 to $3,538.
Five school director positions will be on the primary ballot on May 20, 2025: two four-year terms for region 1, which covers the eastern side of Curtin Street to the eastern borough line; one four-year term for region 2, which covers the western side of Curtin Street to the borough line; and one four-year term for region 3, which represents DuBoistown Borough, Susquehanna Township and Armstrong Township.
Those members serving in those positions are Ben Brigandi, Nathan Miller, Steve Rupert, Jason Lewis and Cathy Bachman, respectively.
The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, March 10.