The Council Rock School District is starting a special math program to address slippage in math proficiency among some students and learning loss caused by the pandemic and other factors.
Called “Nights 4 Learning,” the program was unanimously approved by the school board at its Dec. 1 meeting and it will involve several teachers and volunteer high school honor students providing extra math instruction to students in grades 3-8 referred to the program by their classroom teachers, or to any student in those grades not referred but who just wishes to take part.
The program will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays from Jan. 5 to April 27 at a location yet to be finalized, Director of Elementary Education Nicole Crawford said. So far, 112 students have been referred, she added.
Nights 4 Learning will “serve as an ancillary and supplemental facet of the CR Summer Academy in providing math remediation support,” according to a memo from Crawford, Director of Secondary Education Al Funk and Human Resources Director Christine Taylor. Teachers will be paid $45.30 an hour, same as the Summer Academy rate. Staffing costs for the program are estimated at $63,456.
Board members expressed a lot of enthusiasm about the program at the Dec. 1 meeting.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea and think it will lead to some great changes,” Bob Hickey said.
“We’re the only district in Bucks County doing this,” board President Ed Salamon added.
In a reorganization meeting held just before the regular meeting, board members unanimously selected Salamon to serve another year as president and picked Michael Roosevelt in a narrow 5-4 vote to succeed Michael Thorwart as vice president.
The selection of Roosevelt sparked a discussion among board members at the end of the meeting about whether there is North-South divisiveness in the district. Northampton Township, by far the largest of the five municipalities that make up Council Rock, has generally been considered to comprise the southern part of the district and the other four municipalities of Newtown Borough and Newtown, Upper Makefield and Wrightstown townships to comprise the northern part.
Board members are elected not at large but from nine different geographical regions, with five of the regions in Northampton. This is the second straight year both the president and vice president are from Northampton and it might be better if the two positions were split among the North and South, Upper Makefield board member Yota Palli suggested.
Roosevelt, from Northampton, beat out Newtown Township resident Ed Tate by one vote for the vice president position.
“I think it makes sense to share leadership,” Palli said. “In talking to a lot of people, there is an impression that the South is favored. We will continue to work together but the board will have to find ways for the North not to be left out in many cases.”
Wrightstown board member Kristin Marcell said she respectfully disagreed with Palli.
“I think all of us strive to be one Council Rock,” Marcell said. “I appreciate your comments. I just wanted to add that.”
Salamon had similar thoughts but was quick to add that if there is a lot of resentment among northern residents, it needs to be addressed.
“When an email comes in, I don’t really look where it’s from,” he said. “If there is an issue in the North, I jump on it. It’s all one Council Rock to me. But I am concerned there is a sense of us versus them. We have to fix that. That’s unacceptable.”
Roosevelt added he also accepted the challenge to fix any problem that might exist.
“I have an open channel for any polite discourse,” he said.
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