Xrthnty

Neshaminy School District
Address
2250 Langhorne-Yardley Road Langhorne , Pennsylvania United States
District information
Type	Public
Grades	K-12
Superintendent	Joseph Jones III
Students and staff
Enrollment	8,616 (2017) [1]
Teachers	641
Other information
Website	neshaminy.org

Neshaminy School District serves the eastern Pennsylvania municipalities of Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville, and Lower Southampton Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Students from the Middletown divisions of Levittown also attend these schools. Neshaminy School District encompasses approximately 28 square miles (73 km²). According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 69,638. Per Neshaminy School District documents, in school year 2017-2018, the Neshaminy School District provided basic educational services to 8,916 pupils.^[2] Full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools was added starting in the 2014-2015 school year.^[3]

The Neshaminy School District serves a large and diverse population. Students comprise many different racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. District residents represent a wide range from lower-middle-class to highly affluent. Neshaminy is a Blue-Ribbon awarding school district, with Maple Point Middle School having received the award, as well as Neshaminy High School. In February 2017 the Neshaminy School District received the Charlotte F. Lockhart Award for Excellence in Literacy Education.^[4] and was named a 'Best Community for Music Education by the National Association of Music Marketers in 2017.^[5] Neshaminy HS was named a 'Best High School' by U.S. News & World Report in 2017, earning a silver medal.^[6]

History

The first public school in the area was established in Langhorne in 1836, and the District as it is known today was formed in 1950 by a conglomeration of smaller municipal districts.^[7]

Many Neshaminy facilities were constructed during the 1950s and 1960s following the development of the Levittown community at the southeast portion of the district. In 1975 a second high school was added (Maple Point) but was closed in 1982^[8] and later converted into a middle school following a renovation project completed in 1993. Eisenhower Elementary School and Neshaminy Middle School were closed and the properties sold.^[9][10]

In June 2006, the Neshaminy School District began a massive $82 million renovation of Neshaminy High School, which was originally constructed as a combination high school and junior high school in the 1950s. Much of the original structure was demolished and completely rebuilt. The auditorium, 2 gymnasiums and circular library media center were all pre-existing but received extensive renovations. New classrooms, science labs, music rooms, tech education rooms, offices and common areas were added along with new parking lots and an expanded bus loading area.

In 2015 the district started a three-phase 'Road Map' project to update older buildings, close three elementary schools to account for excess capacity (Heckman ES, Lower Southampton ES and Everett ES), and construct a new elementary school on the site of the old Tawanka Elementary School, which was demolished. Significant upgrades to several existing buildings (Sandburg MS, Poquessing MS, Ferderbar ES, Hoover ES, Miller ES and Schweitzer ES) were completed with funding from the federal Guaranteed Energy Savings Act including air conditioning, energy-efficient windows, roofing, lighting and other electrical upgrades. Additional upgrades included security features and online visitor registration kiosks.^[11] The final phase of the Road Map project was completed in August, 2017.^[12]

School board

Neshaminy is represented by a 9-member School Board of Directors. The district is split into three regions each of which elect three representatives. The 2017-2018 School Board President is Marty Sullivan and the Vice-President is Bob Feather.^[13] The Board normally meets at the District Administration office in Maple Point Middle School.

Intermediate Unit

Neshaminy School District is served by Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22.

Aerial view of Neshaminy High School

High school

Neshaminy High School

Neshaminy High School is located at 2001 Old Lincoln Highway in Langhorne, PA. Enrollment as September 2017 is 2,500 students in grades 9-12. 306 Neshaminy students attend the Bucks County Technical High School. Neshaminy has a graduation rate of 95% and offers a rich variety of courses and co-curricular activities including 20 Advanced Placement courses^[14]

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Neshaminy High School

Middle schools

Maple Point Middle School

Located at 2250 Langhorne-Yardley Road, Langhorne. Enrollement as of September 2017 is 1306 students in grades 5-8.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Maple Point Middle School

Poquessing Middle School

Located at 300 Heights Lane, Feasterville Trevose. Enrollment as September 2017 is 811 students in grades 5-8.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Poquessing Middle School

Carl Sandburg Middle School

Located at 30 Harmony Road, Levittown. Enrollment as of September 2017 is 737 students in grades 5-8.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Carl Sandburg Middle School

Elementary schools

Pearl S. Buck Elementary School

Located at 143 Top Road, Levittown. Enrollment as of September 2017 is 563 students in grades K-4.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Pearl S. Buck Elementary

Joseph E Ferderbar Elementary School

Located at 300 Heights Lane, Feasterville. Enrollment as of September 2017 is 437 students in grades K-4.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Joseph Ferderbar Elementary

Herbert Hoover Elementary School

Located at 500 Trenton Road, Langhorne. Enrollment as of September 2017 is 642 students in grades K-4.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Herbert Hoover Elementary

Walter Miller Elementary School

Located at 10 Cobalt Ridge Drive in Levittown, PA. Enrollment as of October, 2017 is 466 students in grades K-4.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Walter Miller Elementary

Albert Schweitzer Elementary School

Located at 30 Harmony Lane in Levittown, PA. Enrollment as of October, 2017 is 432 students in grades K-4.

• Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Albert Schweitzer Elementary

Tawanka Elementary School

Located at 2055 Brownsville Road in Langhorne, PA. The current building was completed in August, 2016 and opened for the 2016-2017 school year. It was built in the same site as the previous Tawanka Elementary School building, which opened in 1964 and was demolished to make way for the new facility. Enrollment as of October, 2017 is 793 students in grades K-4.

• 
  Pennsylvania School Performance Profile - Tawanka Elementary.

Special education

Neshaminy School District provides the following services:^[15]

Learning support – for children whose greatest need of support is in the areas of reading, writing, math, or speaking or listening related to academics.

Emotional support – for children whose greatest need is for social, emotional, and behavioral help
Life skills support – for children whose greatest need is to learn academic, functional, or vocational skills that will allow them to live and work independently.

Blind and visually impaired support – for children who require services related to visual impairments or blindness. The IEP for these students must address the extent to which Braille will be taught and used.

Deaf and hard of hearing support – for children who require services related to deafness or hearing impairment. The IEP for these students must include a communication plan to address language and communication needs
Speech and language support – for children who have speech and language impairments and require services to develop communication skills.

Physical support – for children who have a physical disability and require services in functional motor skill development.

Autistic support – for children with autism who require services in the areas of communication, social skills, or behavior.

Multiple disabilities support – for children with more than one disability, the combination of which results in severe impairment, and who require services in academic, functional, or vocational skills necessary for independent living.

Gifted education

Neshaminy School District recognizes the unique abilities of intellectually gifted students and strives to meet their individual needs. Based on multiple criteria, students with outstanding intellectual ability and creativity and the need for a specialized educational experience are identified to participate in the AE (Academic Enrichment) program. AE classes provide opportunities to promote the growth of skills and knowledge necessary for gifted students to achieve their potential and to fulfill their future roles in our ever-changing global society.^[16]

In 2015 a comprehensive review of the Academic enrichment was started and a Task Force report presented in June, 2016.^[17] Based on the recommendations from this report changes were made to the program.^[18]

Budget

In June, 2018 the Neshaminy Board of School Directors adopted a Final Operating Budget of all funds in the amount of $183,916,326 detailed as follows:

General Fund in the amount of $177,278,120

Capital Projects in the amount of $2,380,051

Federal and other programs in the amount of $3,507,335

Carry-over purchase orders of $750,820 ^[19]

An tax increase of 2.4% (the PA Act 1 index maximum) was approved. This is the second such tax increase since 2010.^[20]

Contracts

Neshaminy Federation of Teachers: The current teacher contract was signed in August, 2016 and expires in June, 2019.^[21]

Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association: The current support contract was signed in October 2014 and expires in June, 2018.^[22]

Real estate taxes

In June, 2018 the School Board approved the second tax hike since the 2009-2010 school year, a 2.4% increase of 3.7 mills to 159.5 mills. This is the maximum increase allowed under the Pennsylvania Act 1 index. The district was granted an exemption that would have allowed a higher increase but the board chose not to use that option.^[23]
The district offers a Senior Citizen Tax Assistance Program each year. Eligible low-income seniors can apply for a rebate of up to $650.^[24]

References

External links

• Neshaminy's official website


• Neshaminy Federation of Teachers


• Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association


• Bucks County Intermediate Unit