Jenkintown School Board Brief

Dear Jenkintown Community:

It's been a busy month for our Board as we continue the search for our next district Superintendent. I would like to thank everyone who participated in our community focus groups and surveys, and the panel of volunteers giving their time to assist with interviewing the candidates. This is one of the most important and challenging decisions resting on the Board and we hope to have additional updates as the process moves forward. I hope everyone is looking forward to warmer spring weather and getting out to do some gardening, including volunteering to clean up our school garden through our Home & School Association.

Warm wishes,

Carolyn Riley

"Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's Party'!" - Robin Williams

At the Curriculum Committee Meeting on Monday, March 9th, Mr. Steve VanMater provided an update on the Amplify Math curriculum roll out, followed by a discussion regarding digital wellness and the use of AI technology for our teaching staff. Dr. Ernesto Ortiz gave a presentation on the mid-year elementary school assessment data and an update on the cursive handwriting mandate.

At the Board Business Meeting on Monday, March 16th, the board reviewed and discussed the regular agenda items and reports in BoardDocs, including the following items:

• Approval of the technology purchase price quote with Apple, Inc.
• Approval of the Amplify Math curriculum price quote
• Approval of the Elementary School Gaming and Art Clubs job descriptions
  
  

As a reminder, the 2026-27 Final Budget Proposal will be available for public view in April.

All items can be reviewed in detail at Agenda - 250 West Avenue | Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 19046 | 215-885-3722 BoardDocs® LT

The Legacy Park Project is moving right along and there will be a "Goodbye to the Castle" picnic this Friday, March 20th beginning at 3:30pm. Dinners can be ordered through the Legacy Park website at: https://legacy.jsdef.org/. Additional fund raising information, such as the silent auction for Jenkintown-themed items, and the "Name the Link Circle raffle, is available through the Legacy Park Facebook page, which is linked below. Volunteers can also sign up to participate in the Community Build Week - July 27th through August 2nd this summer. We hope to see new and familiar faces at the picnic this Friday!

Monday, March 30th - April 3rd - District Closed for Spring Break

Wednesday, April 8th, 6:30pm - Jazz Jam at Springfield School District

Monday, April 13th, 7:00pm - School Board Work Session

Friday, April 17th, 7:00pm - Ultimate Challenge Basketball

Monday, April 20th, 7:00pm - School Board Business Meeting

Monday, April 20th - Friday, May 1st - PSSA Testing

Saturday, April 25th - High School Adjudication Trip

Thursday, April 30th, 7:00pm - Spring Band Concert

At the January 12th Board meeting, the school calendars for 2026-27 and 2027-28 were approved with an earlier start date at the end of August. This is a change from the usual post-Labor Day start date, and we want to make sure all of our school families are aware of this change well in advance. As always, please reach out to your building principals if you have any questions about the new start date. Please click on the links below to view the calendars.

Please use the links below to access the Jenkintown School District Board webpage, which lists board members, meeting dates, and and board policies. You can also access the public BoardDocs site to review past and current meeting agendas and minutes.