Congratulations to South Fayette! They are the new #1 in
Pittsburgh Business Times Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools.
As Reporter Justine Coyne and Social Engagement Manager Avery Hartmans found out in visits to the district, making connections between teachers, schools, disciplines, technology and traditional learning methods helped push South Fayette to the top of the rankings.
South Fayette unseats Mt. Lebanon as top-ranking school district in Pittsburgh region
Mt. Lebanon's Markham Elementary boasts top-scoring 4th graders
But just think, with the high school project nearing completion we won't have to endure many more of those inane photos of Dr. S. Dressed in hard hat and pointing to some ridiculous building feature hidden out of frame.
ReplyDeleteWay to go Dr., for keeping your eye on the ball!
One thing you can be sure of... we'll never, ever read a news story like the following about Mt. Lebanon.
ReplyDeletehttp://patch.com/pennsylvania/plum-oakmont/riverview-administrators-to-take-pay-freeze-next-year
I'm shocked that South Fayette reached number one, despite being exposed to dialogue that killing deer is OK. The culture of killing is so ingrained there that the community sponsors a hunting event for the disabled! How can anyone that lives in those killing fields become a productive citizen? Just imagine trying to learn your ABCs with the senseless slaughter of beautiful, sentient creatures going on around you.
ReplyDeleteAny bets on Herr Dr. Prof. Gruppenfuhrer S. & 9 Bobble Heads claiming, if pressed, that the Pittsburgh Business Times, like parents, lack any recognizable qualifications to rank school districts?
ReplyDeleteOf course, at the same time claiming the MTLSD is why people move here.
Wonder how the cost structure of South Fayette compares with Mt. Lebanon. This could be compared with several metrics, such as: cost per student; superintendent salary; building cost; and teacher salary scale.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! The students and the district should be proud of a job well done. 1st, 3rd, 5th. The exact number doesn't matter as it's clear the district is high performing in general. Let the vitriol begin.
ReplyDeleteI would never recommend choosing a school simply on achievement test scores. The PBT's review and rankings reinforces the problems that were previously discussed in another blog post. A narrow focus on test scores is harmful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, 8:58 AM and 11:28 AM for proving my point. All I did was copy and paste this thread. I said nothing about deer. No vitriol.
ReplyDeleteEven when I copy and paste, I get attitude. Thanks.
Elaine
12:23 I've decided to ignore those angry, harassment filled posters. I suggest you do, too. They demonstrate what I said in a separate post about the "bully culture" of western PA. If they had more power, they would be bullies. But sadly for them, all they can do is harass.
ReplyDelete11:04 AM. Your Gruppenfuehrer comment went a little too far, don't you think? Should have stayed awake during those long high school history classes.
ReplyDeleteMy are we sensitive 5:32. Gruppenführer is German for group leader.
ReplyDelete11:28, no mention of the parents that brought their kids up ready to read and achieve throughout their k-12 careers.
ReplyDeleteYou know those people that foot the bills, get involved in supporting extracurricular activities and go so far as to even put up bulletin boards for the teachers and will hire tutors to keep the kids on pace.
6:04 if the child does poorly, it's his fault--he has problems. If the child performs well, the district did it. Hooray!
ReplyDeleteThese rankings are worthless. Do you really believe schools change drastically in 1 year? This is a way for magazines/newspapers to sell their products. Looks at hard metrics.
ReplyDeleteThe District has a $2.4 million budget deficit and they haven't negotiated the new teachers contract yet. How much is the contract going to cost on top of the $2.4 million?
ReplyDeleteDr. Rondinelli was a finalist for the MTL super job.
ReplyDeleteA lot of SFayette's success is built on the work of three ex-MTL administrators.
I do agree with the poster who said these yearly rankings mean little, particularly because they're based on one metric.
As someone who went to HighSchool in the mid 70's it's amazing to know that South Fayette is now at the top of the list.. Back then South Fayette was very bluecollar with still a lot of acreage that was still being farmed. With a lot of business now being off of I79 and the selling of the farms, South Fayette has been able to build a lot of new communities which are desirable because of their close proximity to the highway.. When I moved to Lebo, 25 years ago, i was working in Oakland, so being next to public transportation was important. Today a lot of high tech, has moved away from Downtown and Oakland, thus a lot of new transplants to Pittsburgh housing near the Interstates is what is most desired.
ReplyDeleteNo attitude from me; only gratitude for your amazing job of keeping us informed! How sad that we're building that lovely 113 million before cost over-runs sports complex AND slipping in the rankings at the same time? Obviously, the folks who do the rankings aren't as impressed by our new state-of-the-art swimming pool as our Superintendent is!
ReplyDeleteThe locker room for the girls is really really bad. I used it last fall for a adult swimming class and couldnt not believe the drainage problems, the rust on the walls near the showers and the small amount of showers.. The new pool at Bethel Park is much much nicer.. I cant believe they did make the contractor redo the floors of the locker room to help with the water drainage.. it's a mess.
ReplyDelete7:09, yep those rankings are worthless, but apparently the muni PIO found the rankings from nerdwallet worthy enough for a posting on the Facebook page!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the grass isn't always greener:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2015/04/16/Passions-ran-high-at-South-Fayette-commissioners-meeting/stories/201504160178
Dave Franklin
Thank you for the link, Dave. Different governing body. Their commissioners are not part of their school district. I believe it works that way here too.
ReplyDeleteElaine