North Hills School District

The North Hills School District

The North Hills School District currently enrolls 4,245 students, and employs over 700 people.

The Administrative Staff is as follows:

Current Information about administrative compensation per the Tribune Review.' Three assistant superintendents in the North Hills School District have new contracts with raises and longer terms, despite concerns raised by one school board member. The board Oct. 16 extended contracts for Jeffrey M. Taylor, assistant superintendent for curriculum, assessment and special programs; Marilyn J. Cain, assistant superintendent for elementary education; and Johannah M. Vanatta, assistant superintendent for secondary education. With the new contracts, Taylor's salary will rise from the current $111,800 to $141,930 in July 2019; Vanatta's will increase from $109,300 to $139,110. Cain — who intends to retire at the end of the 2017-18 school year, according to her contract — will see her pay increase from $139,400 to $147,358 during her final year. Over the course of their five-year contracts, Taylor and Vanatta will get 27-percent raises over their current salaries. Cain will see about a 6-percent increase over the three years of her deal. Board member Jeffrey A. Meyer voted against the contracts for Vanatta and Taylor but approved the three-year deal for Cain. He was the only member to vote against the contracts. “I just think the contract is on the rich side of the fence,” he said, adding, “I don't object to anyone trying to better themselves or provide for their family. All I'm saying is enough is enough.” Board member Kathy A. Reid noted that Meyer had missed the discussion of the contracts during executive session, when the meetings are not public. Board member Annette Giovengo Nolish abstained on the contract vote and declined to explain afterwards, calling it a personnel matter. Assistant superintendents from districts of similar size in the county made an average of $127,872 last school year, according to a survey done by the district, North Hills spokeswoman Amanda Hartle said. Cain has worked all of her 47 years in education with North Hills. Taylor has 19 years of education experience, of which eight are in the district. Vanatta has worked six of her 13 years for the district. http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yournorthhills/yournorthhillsmore/6969605-74/contracts-assistant-board#axzz3H6wJCElZ

The teachers signed a contract where teachers at the top of the pay scale, which accounts for about one-third of current teachers, will receive a 1- to 2-percent raise each year, which means that their 5-year contract results in about an overall 10% pay increase which is about 17% less than that of the assistant superintendents who generally have less teaching experience than most of the faculty. http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yournorthhills/yournorthhillsmore/5463830-74/contract-teachers-agreement#axzz3H6wJCElZ

Schools and facilities

The District has six schools: 4 elementary schools (Grades K-6); a middle school (Grades 7-8); and a high school (Grades 9-12):

Governance

The school district is governed by 9 individually elected board members (serve four-year terms), the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The federal government controls programs it funds like Title I funding for low-income children in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates the district focus resources on student success in acquiring reading and math skills.

Academic achievement

In 2013, North Hills School District was ranked 92nd out of 500 Pennsylvania school districts for student academic achievement by the Pittsburgh Business Times, three spots lower than the district's 2012 89th ranking. The ranking is based on three years of student scores on the PSSAs for: reading, mathematics, writing and two years of science.

In 2013, the district was ranked 25th out of 105 western Pennsylvania school districts in a seven-county region by the 'Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking is based on three years of student scores on the PSSAs for: reading, mathematics, writing and two years of science for 105 districts in the region.

Graduation rate

2011-2012 - 94%

High school

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 26% of North Hills School District graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges. Many entered college as second-semester sophomores and even juniors.

Teacher Qualifications

As of the 2013-14 academic year, 3 of the teachers in the North Hills School District met or exceeded the national standards for highly qualified teachers, and 98% of the teachers in the district possessed advanced degrees.

Budget

The district administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $778. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398.

Libraries

The North Hills School District program emphasizes information literacy and collaboration between teachers and librarians. Each library is staffed with a librarian; and each library actively participates in the AccessPa Power Library Program, which allows students and staff to access quality resources 24 hours a day from home or school. Librarians also provide staff and faculty with in-service training on new information technologies and literacy skills.

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility to participate is determined by school board policy.

By Pennsylvania law, all K–12 students in the district, including those who attend a private schools, cyber charter schools and charter schools, as well as those who are home-schooled, are eligible to participate in all extracurricular programs, including athletics. They must meet the same eligibility requirements as students enrolled in the district's schools.

Arts

North Hills boasts successful programs in the arts. The drama club has produced both fall plays and spring musicals annually since 1989, and has one of the oldest theater programs of any Allegheny County public school. The district's annual "Arts Alive" program is a favorite community-based activity in May, when student art is displayed and various musical groups perform. North Hills also has a fantastic music program that has played at PMEA All-State and All-Eastern conventions.

Athletics

Students may choose from among 20 sports at the senior high and 21 at the junior high. North Hills prides itself on its football program. The North Hills Indians' successes include:

North Hills has an intense rivalry with North Allegheny. Their annual football game is scheduled last for each team, and despite season records, it the biggest game of each team's seasons. In 2009, North Hills lost in the regular season matchup, but NH traveled to NA to win in the WPIAL play-offs. In 2016, the WPIAL's new 6 classification system placed North Hills in Class 5A and North Allegheny in Class 6A, meaning that the teams will no longer meet in regular season play, the first time that has happened in over half a century. However, the two schools will continue their rivalries in all other sports, including basketball, softball, and baseball.

School Renovations

North Hills School District has completed a long-term elementary facilities plan resulted in the renovation and expansion of McIntyre and Highcliff elementary schools as well as the renovation of Ross Elementary.

The end result of the facilities plan was four comparable elementary schools (Ross, McIntyre, Highcliff and West View) with estimated enrollments of 500–550 students, although Ross Elementary was built to hold more than 600 students. The plan includes the closing of three small schools: Northway, Perrysville and Seville.

The Northway Elementary School attendance area merged with McIntyre Elementary in August 2009. Perrysville and Seville will close at the end of the 2009–10 school year. Students from Highcliff also went to Northway in 2010 due to expansions and renovations.

North Hills High School recently underwent a $26.5 million renovation that concluded in 2007. Built in 1972, this is the first major renovation of the facility.

North Hills Middle School recently went through a renovation, adding an A/C unit to the building. As well as repainted lockers and re-tiled floors. They worked on it through the 14-15 school year, and completed the project before the 15-16 school year.

Busing

In the 2013-14 school year, North Hills School District eliminated six to 10 buses in a cost-saving effort to lower transportation costs. The elimination of buses necessitated changes in arrival and dismissal schedules for each district building. The new schedule implemented in the 2013-14 school year is North Hills High School, 7:20 a.m. to 2 p.m.; North Hills Middle School, 7:50 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.; Highcliff Elementary, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; McIntyre Elementary, 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.; Ross Elementary, 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.; and West View Elementary, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.