| News & Information |
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McKeesport Area High School Receives Recognition
for Special Education Program |
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Earlier in the year, McKeesport Area High School was nominated for an award by Mrs. Candace Skinner, a parent in the district. Her daughter, Tessa, is part of the Project SEARCH initiative at the High School that teaches on the job training to students with special needs. Following the nomination, a special review team was dispatched to the McKeesport Area High School to observe specific evidence of special education inclusive practices, which refers to the inclusion of students with special needs in a regular classroom setting.
The award is being presented for “Exemplary Inclusive Practices,” and McKeesport will receive recognition in the areas of Leadership, School Climate, Student placement, Extra-Curricular Activities, Family Involvement, Collaborative Practices, Instructional Planning, and Use of Supplementary Aids and Services.
Although the award is generally only given in three areas, the review team recommended that it be presented to McKeesport in all eight areas, and additionally recommended that the district serve as a model for other school districts to follow.
Along with the award, the district will receive a grant of $15,000 to be used to continue the promotion of inclusive practices at the high school. Furthermore, the state has asked that staff members at McKeesport Area High School speak at a Pennsylvania Department of Education Conference about their use of inclusionary practices. Congratulations to the High School and the MASD Special Education Department! |
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(Current View of the Future Elementary School Site near Cornell Elementary) |
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Over the course of the last three years, McKeesport Area School district officials and board members have been discussing long term plans for school building projects in conjunction with the district strategic plan objectives.
In October, school board members gave preliminary approval to build new two new elementary schools within the McKeesport Area School District. Plans include the construction of two buildings focused on a "campus style atmosphere" housed on the grounds of both Francis McClure Intermediate in White Oak and Cornell Intermediate in McKeesport.
McKeesport Site
The process for selecting a location began with a thorough site analysis, including engineering and environmental studies. Through an extensive public involvement process, varying site location options were presented, and the respective sites received 'grades' according to officials at L.R. Kimball & Associates, the architect for the project. Grading was based on several factors, including proximity to students, available acreage for building dimensions, and costs relating to site preparation.
After a thorough vetting of the site locations, the Cornell site, which received the highest grade of any location, was chosen. Plans are now underway to finalize site designs, complete a thorough geotechnical review of the site, and work with the city of McKeesport to assess local road and traffic conditions.
White Oak Site
White Oak Elementary, as well as Centennial and George Washington Elementary schools, will be closed upon completion of the new buildings. Students who now live within the White Oak Elementary boundaries will be relocated to a new facility built on the grounds that currently house Francis McClure Intermediate. The benefit to this location includes limited costs associated with site preparation, as the district already owns the property.
Additionally, the campus environment has been increasing in popularity, and allows for a smooth transition from one building to another, allowing district officials to focus on continuity and small class sizes as MASD continues to focus on student achievement.
Moving Forward
Now that site selection decisions have been made, district officials can now continue to move forward with the PlanCon process, which is an outline including specifications and timetables approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The PlanCon process gives school districts the ability to be reimbursed by the state for certain aspects of building projects. As McKeesport Area School District continues to comply with the PlanCon regulations, architects will finalize site designs, and will move toward preparing a bidding package that will be publicly advertised to area contractors (most all government and school district entities must publicly bid projects exceeding a certain dollar amount.)
Once bids are awarded, construction may begin as early as the summer of 2009, with the hope that construction on both facilities will be completed by the start of the 2010 school year.
Because of smart fiscal planning by the district, thoughtful decision making by the board of directors, and strict adherence to PlanCon guidelines, the district will be able to complete these construction projects in a timely fashion, while holding the line on taxes. In addition, by reducing the number of district elementary schools from three to two, the district will be able to save valuable operating and maintenance costs. Moreover, advances in technology and energy efficiency will enable the district to realize long term savings in utility costs. In tough economic times, it's good to know that two new elementary buildings will be built - while the McKeesport Area School District remains on solid fiscal ground! |
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On Monday, October 13th, the McKeesport Area Boys Soccer Team
took on Penn Hills with a special senior recognition night
which took place between
the JV and Varsity games at 7:30 p.m
For more information, log on to www.tigersoccer.info |
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| MASD Family Support Group - October 2008 |
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