Dear Lower Moreland School District and Community, The theme of the District’s 2022-2023 Annual Report is “Growing and Learning.” This past year has highlighted what can be achieved when our students, parents/guardians, faculty and staff, School Board, and community members grow and learn together. The District is growing in a physical sense as enrollment over the past two years has increased. More students are entering from the newest two Township developments than projected studies indicated, and there has been a large turnover of homes in the Township due to the soaring housing market prices and families with multiple children occupying these same homes. The new high school is fully designed and plans to accept students in winter 2024 and for the foreseeable future. Due to increased K-12 enrollment over the past two years, the decision to retain Murray Avenue School was also made. Capacity issues at both Pine Road Elementary School and the size of the current high school, which was scheduled to become the new middle school, coupled with the already mentioned enrollment spike over the past couple of years made the decision to operate four buildings, instead of three buildings, necessary and most cost effective for taxpayers. Realizing that it is far better to utilize current building space available to us by retaining Murray Avenue, we are significantly saving money for taxpayers in 2024-25 by not having to build or renovate any K-8 buildings. Operating four buildings starting in 2024-25: New High School (grades 9-12), new Middle School (grades 7 & 8 in the current high school building), Murray Ave. School (grades 4-6), and Pine Road Elementary School (grades K-3) allows for ample current and future space to continue to grow and learn. Before we look to the future, the District is immensely excited to share this annual report summary with you and highlight the achievements of the district’s students and staff from 2022-2023. Sincerely, Scott Davidheiser, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools LETTER FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 2022-2023 | ANNUAL REPORT Lower Moreland Township School District Growing Learning &
AROUND OUR SCHOOLS: POINTS OF PRIDE Lower Moreland High School n The Lower Moreland High School Mini-THON raised $203,497.08 for the Four Diamonds Fund, a leader in childhood cancer care, treatment, and innovative research. n Lower Moreland High School and the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk Committee of students and staff invited the entire Lower Moreland community to participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Campus Walk on April 22. The Campus Walk is intended to bring suicide prevention to the forefront and offer hope to those affected. The 199 participants were spread over 16 walking teams and raised $8,588.00. Collectively, they walked 24.97 miles. n The Mock Trial Team, led by Social Studies teacher John Haldeman, came in second place at the County-level for their Mock Trial competition. The County competition took place inside an actual courtroom in the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown before an actual judge. The jury was composed of volunteer lawyers. n The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) led by Business Teacher Ted Miller, sent six students to the State Leadership Conference in Hershey, PA. Two of the six won a spot at the national competition in Atlanta, GA. n Students auditioned for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District, Region, and State Ensembles. This highly competitive group of students won spots in performing groups that feature musicians from Montgomery County (districts), Southeast Pennsylvania (regionals), and all Pennsylvania (state) high schools. Four students qualified for districts and two continued on to the regional and state level. n LMHS Senior Liz Neeld was selected for the 2022 ALL-STATE Softball 1st Team at Shortstop. Sophomore Sophia Azzarano was selected to the 2nd Team as Catcher. Murray Avenue School n For the school’s Martin Luther King Day of Service project, students made blankets and donated toiletries to a shelter that helps teens experiencing homelessness. n Thirty 7th and 8th grade students from Murray Avenue School presented their scientific research at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) regional meet at Souderton Area High School. Of those 30 presenters, 16 of them moved on to present again at Penn State University in May. Three of the 8th grade presenters received perfect scores on their presentations. n 6th Grade Gifted Support Students participated in a year-long STEM / Robotics competition through Sphero EDU. This challenge was designed to inspire creativity, innovation and teamwork for students K-8. In February, all three of Murray Avenue’s competition teams advanced to the Global Finals in the Middle School Bolt bracket. The teams placed 3rd, 4th and 6th globally. 2
n Murray Avenue’s 7th Grade Gifted Support participated in The Stock Market Game - a full year Sifma Foundation program competition. One of Murray Avenue’s teams placed 2nd in the Middle School Division of the Eastern Region. After investing in stocks following the real-time market from September 2022 through mid-April 2023, this group increased their portfolio by 11.82%. Pine Road Elementary School n In honor of Veteran’s Day, Pine Road held a breakfast for students and any family or community members who served in the military. n Pine Road celebrated Valentine’s Day with a gift from the heart. Students, teachers, and parents had their hair cut at Salon La Vogue and donated it to “Locks of Love,” an organization that provides custom wigs or hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children with medical hair loss. n Every month, the Pine Road community held a service project, including raising money through a pajama day for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and donating personal hygiene items to an organization that serves homeless individuals and families in Philadelphia. n For the Martin Luther King Day of Service project, Pine Road students and families made breakfast bags, gift cards, and other items for homebound community members, veterans, and seniors in the area. They also participated in a cleanup outside of the buildings. 3 • The District was ranked as the 22nd best district in PA and given an A+ rating by Niche.com • Lower Moreland High School was ranked as 26th out of 677 public high schools in PA and given an A+ rating by Niche.com In August, the District settled a three-year contract with the Lower Moreland Township Education Association that will help the District realize significant healthcare savings in the years to come. The District is recognized as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation. 2022-2023 DISTRICT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
LOWER MORELAND ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS: 4 League Champions • Girls Cross Country • Girls Tennis • Girls Soccer • Boys Tennis • Hannah Kideckel (Tennis Singles) • Sarah Kideckel, Rebecca Kideckel (Tennis Doubles) • Alex Kebuz and Joshua Simon (Wrestling) • Aaron Sandler (Tennis Singles) League Runners Up • Aidan Kasner, Jacob Heller (Doubles) District Team Champions • Girls Cross Country • Girls Tennis • Boys Tennis District I Individual Champions • Hannah Kideckel (Tennis Singles) • Amelia Ogawa (Cross Country) • Jack Becker (Cross Country) • Isabella Gioia, Macayla McIntyre, Esther Park, and Talia Wiggins (200 Medley Relay)* • Esther Park (200 Individual Medley) • Esther Park (100 Breaststroke)* • Jude Blumhardt, Ashton Feldman, Josh Ferker, & Nicholas Sleptsov (200 Medley Relay) • Jude Blumhardt (50 Freestyle)* • Jude Blumhardt (100 Butterfly) • Aaron Sandler (Tennis Singles) District Runners Up • Jude Blumhardt, Ashton Feldman, Josh Ferker, and Nicholas Sleptsov (200 Freestyle Relay) • Josh Ferker (200 Individual Medley) • Josh Ferker (500 Freestyle) • Aidan Meehan (100 Breaststroke) State Runners Up • Esther Park (200 Breaststroke)* State Champions • Aaron Sandler (Tennis Singles) *Set new school record Citadel Heart of Learning Award Ms. Colleen Cerruti, Murray Avenue Life Skills Teacher was recognized by the Citadel Credit Union as a recipient of the 2023 Citadel Heart of Learning Award. This prestigious award recognizes teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty and truly make a difference in their students’ lives. Citadel Credit Union honors teachers across the Greater Philadelphia area in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Lancaster and Philadelphia counties with the Citadel Heart of Learning Award. Each year, approximately 30 teachers are presented with this award. Teachers can be nominated by parents, former students, or colleagues. Citadel representatives surprised Ms. Cerruti in her classroom to inform her that she is a recipient of this year’s award. She received a glass vase in the shape of a heart, $1,000 in funds to be used for her classroom, and an invitation to a celebration in May where she was honored with her fellow award recipients. Mini-THON Four Diamonds Mini-THON recognized Lower Moreland High School at the 2022 Mini-THON Leadership Summit on August 5. Awards were given to Mini-THON schools that excel in areas including leadership, student and faculty participation, social media engagement and fundraising. Lower Moreland High School joined more than 400 student leaders and advisors for the annual Summit in Hershey, PA. Here they shared best practices and ideas, celebrated successes, and inspired each other to continue to fight to conquer childhood cancer. SAMS Club Project The Students Against Melanoma Club members completed a service project to support the non-profit organization “Cardz for Kidz” by creating one-of-a-kind cards to promote love and healing to kids and adults. These cards were mailed to Chicago to be distributed around the country to children in hospitals and foster care, and also to adults, seniors and veterans in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Students created over 75 cards to donate to this important cause. AWARDS
HIGH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Construction on the new Lower Moreland High School is in progress and is expected to be completed in late 2023 or early 2024. The District’s goal is to make the move from the old building to the new one over President’s Day weekend in February 2024. Plans for the new building began in 2019 due to increased enrollment projections. The new high school will be a 187,000 square-foot building for 1,000 students. D’Huy Engineering Inc. has been on site daily, working with contractors to keep all aspects of the construction on schedule. The initial opening projection was for the start of the 2023-24 school year, but construction was delayed four months in mid-2021. This was due to the necessary obtainment and review process of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which is related to water infiltration. Fortunately, a mild winter didn’t lead to any inclement weather delays. Classroom designs will provide flexibility in how space is utilized and maximize the student experience with movable desks, chairs and multi-use spaces. Architects received input from the high school’s administration, staff, and students early on in the process, taking all ideas into consideration. The building is four total stories, but no more than three stories high at any given point. The new high school gym will be located close to the Murray Avenue fields, and the District hopes to better utilize those fields for sports and physical education classes. The District is currently using nearby turf fields at Bryn Athyn College and Academy of the New Church, both a short drive from the new high school. Because of continued increased enrollments in grades K-8, the District decided to not demolish Murray Avenue School. The District will realign grades as follows: UNDERSTANDING THE 2023-24 BUDGET 5 During the 2023-24 budget planning process, the School Board passed a resolution to not exceed the Act 1 Index of 4.1%. Starting with a preliminary budget increase of 3.97%, the administration worked diligently to get the final budget increase down to 3.86%. On the expense side, the new budget allows for the addition of 6.8 teachers/staff members to support the District’s growing student enrollment, which has resulted in over 100% capacity within two of our buildings. Learning loss and an increased need for social/emotional support continues to be a post-COVID-19 shutdown consequence in the District and across the nation. Fortunately, federal ESSER funds still exist and will be used to continue to provide student services in these areas. On the revenue side, unprecedented factors have been addressed and will continue to be monitored carefully. The most notable is the sudden jump in interest rates. While it had been the District’s assumption that new housing developments would yield more revenues from the earned income taxes of new residents, we are now faced with a potentially cooler housing market. This economic shift is particularly challenging for our District, where 90% of our revenue comes from homeowners and a mere 10% coming from the small commercial base within our community. Larger interest earnings are projected for the 2023-24 school year based on the federal borrowing rate increases. As always, the School Board and administration strive to be careful stewards of tax dollars while delivering an excellent education to LMTSD students. REVENUES 76.97% 18.81% 15.03% 19.65% .48% 2.90% Local Revenue State Revenue Federal Revenue Fund Balance Where the Money Comes From Total Revenue $59,907,459 Local Revenue 46,107,812 (76.97%) State Revenue 11,771,662 (19.65%) Federal Revenue 289,985 (.48%) Fund Balance 1,738,000 (2.90%) 59,907,459 41.82% 24.41% 7.47% 13.59% 4.62% 7.91% .18% Other Purchased Services Contracted Services Salaries Benefits Budgetary Reserve Debt Service/ Fund Transfers Supplies/ Equipment 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Salaries 25,053,050 (41.82%) Benefits 14,620,542 (24.41%) Contracted Services 4,476,289 (7.47%) Other Purchased Services 8,141,530 (13.59%) Supplies/Equipment 2,770,158 (4.62%) Debt Service/Fund Transfers 4,735,890 (7.91%) Budgetary Reserve 110,000 (0.18%) Where the Money Goes Total Expenditures $59,907,459 Pine Road Elementary School K-3 Murray Avenue School 4-6 Lower Moreland Middle School 7-8 Lower Moreland High School 9-12
Lower Moreland Township School District 2551 Murray Ave., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 WWW.LMTSD.ORG Of the 216 Lower Moreland High School Class of 2023, 95% plan to attend 60 different universities, colleges, and community colleges. Graduates are also attending five different technical schools. The Class of 2023 has earned over $4.1 million in scholarships. Some of the colleges/universities that the Class of 2023 plan to attend include the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Northeastern University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Some of the declared majors include computer sciences, biology, and business studies. We wish all our graduates success and joy on their journeys ahead! LET’S CONNECT! Visit our website lmtsd.org under the “Announcements” section to submit your email address to receive monthly newsletters and invitations to special events. 6 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023! National Merit Finalists Noam Abraham Adriana N. Ciuciu Phillip M. Duarte Nicholas G Guntsadze Daniel M. Popotov National Merit Commended Scholars Nihal Bankulla Ava Devlin Leah Melnikov