School Board Approves Budget and New STEM Classes

WSSD School Board

Denise Citarelli Jones (l), director of secondary education, and Andrea LaPira, acting principal of Strath Haven High School, gave presentations at the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting on January 27. Photo: Mira Patel

At the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting on January 27, Denise Citarelli Jones presented several proposed new courses for the board’s approval. Citarelli Jones, director of secondary education, said the district hopes to better prepare students for careers in STEM, including computer science. Many future jobs in Pennsylvania will require STEM, computer science, and design thinking skills, according to statistics she presented. The district’s STEM Advisory Council, made up of teachers, administrators, and counselors, is helping determine what new courses are developed and how to incorporate STEM into more of the curriculum.

Andrea LaPira, Strath Haven High School’s interim principal, talked about two specific new classes. One, a financial-literacy class at the high school, would cover subjects like banking, budgeting, and college loans. Another class designed for seniors, “Applications of Mathematics,”  would cover topics like computer programming and statistics. LaPira also described a proposal to change the chemistry offerings to provide classes at different levels. Caitlyn Locke, a Strath Haven Middle School science teacher on special assignment in the curriculum office, talked about proposed computer science changes for Strath Haven Middle School, including teaching HTML and Python.

School Directors Chapin Cimino and Jennifer Lentz expressed some skepticism about the increasing emphasis on STEM and the effectiveness of the computer class in the proposed curriculum.

Calendar Changes

Also at the meeting, Superintendent Lisa Palmer presented a draft of the 2021-22 school calendar. The school year would begin on September 8 and end on June 18. Superintendent Palmer also said that the district had taken parent comments about early dismissals into account when putting the calendar together, moving them from midweek to Fridays to make the timing easier for parents. The board anticipated adopting the calendar at its February 10 meeting. 

Preliminary Budget Adopted

The board voted to adopt the preliminary General Fund 2020-21 budget, which is estimated at $87,129,381. Members also voted to approve the curricular changes outlined earlier in the meeting. 

School Director Recognition Month

Pennsylvania State Representative Leanne Krueger attended the meeting in honor of the commonwealth’s School Director Recognition Month. The bill designating January as such was introduced by Krueger, and passed unanimously by the legislature in Harrisburg, she said. She commended the school board members on their long hours of voluntary service and the personal commitment they have made to improving the district. 

To view this or any other school board meeting: swat.ink/school-board. The next meeting will be Monday, February 10, at 7 p.m., in the Strath Haven Middle School library.