Superintendent Communications

Letters from the Superintendent to the WPSD Community

2023-2024 William Penn School District Budget Update - May 1, 2023

May 1, 2023

Dear WPSD Community Members,

I am writing to share information with our William Penn School District community about the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year. It was shared at our Budget Advisory Committee Meeting on April 20th which can be viewed here. The slide desk that was presented, which contains detailed information about the proposed budget, can be viewed here.

The proposed budget will be further discussed at our Budget and Finance Committee Meeting on Thursday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The adoption of the preliminary budget will take place at the Board Business Meeting on Monday, May 22, and the adoption of the final budget will take place at the Board Business Meeting on Monday, June 26. Both of those meetings will take place in-person at the WPSD Administrative Building on Green Avenue and via Zoom. Please see the calendar on our website for more details.

In the meantime, here are some key takeaways:

Budgeted revenues for the 2023-2024 school year are expected to increase by $5,120,537 (17%) from the 2022-2023 school year. This is due primarily to increases in state funding, the Ready to Learn Block Grant, and Title I funding. These are offset slightly by decreases in other programs, such as Level Up.
The District is projecting to add, a net, 36 new positions in schools, primarily in the form of new Instructional Assistants and Academic Interventionists to enhance academic achievement. Additionally, we have included a School Resource Officer for Penn Wood High School – GAC and other supports for our School Safety Officers. These are the primary increases in funding that we are requesting to support our students.
We are working to ensure that our teachers are on their correct salary step, so additional funding is required to help meet that goal. We have worked with the William Penn Education Association (WPEA) to identify staff that would be impacted.
Our current proposed budget shows total revenues of $115,934,862 and total expenditures of $119,696,548. This leaves us with a proposed budget gap of $3,761,686 which will need to be filled. Over the next few weeks, we will endeavor to see where we can secure additional funds to cover this gap or else we will need to make some difficult decisions about what needs to be modified or eliminated. Our mission is to nurture and empower all students to become career and/or college ready. We continually strive to ensure that we are doing all that we can to meet this goal and to have the resources we need to best serve our students.

Best regards,

Eric J. Becoats, Ed.D.

Tyre Nichols Statement - January 30, 2023

January 30, 2023

Dear WPSD community,

I always welcome the weekend as a chance to rest, reflect, and get reenergized. The school week is so busy for all of us that it is important to take the time to slow the pace down while connecting with family and friends and having some fun.

However, to start this past weekend, I was filled with anxiety with the scheduled release of the video of Tyre Nichols, a 29 year old Black man who was beaten to death by five policemen after a traffic stop in Memphis on January 10th. LIke all of us, I was horrified and heartbroken by the videos and images showing such a terrifying and senseless act.

My heart breaks for Tyre and his family, friends, and community who will always carry the pain of how tragically his life ended and the emptiness they will feel as they move forward without him. Collectively, this is another tragic reminder of the injustices faced by members of our Black, indigenous, and other communities of color who have been largely marginalized and devalued in our society.

At the William Penn School District, we vehemently and unequivocally condemn the killing of Tyre Nichols. We remain committed to ensuring all our students have the support, resources, and access to the success they all deserve. Moments like this only reaffirm how crucial that mission is, as well as how much work remains to be done, as we strive to advance racial equity, inclusion, and justice.

We acknowledge that our students, families, and staff will experience a variety of feelings including vulnerability, sadness, anger, fear, confusion, outrage, and even outright emotional fatigue at having to comprehend yet another unjustifiable death of a young black man.

As always, our school counselors and social workers are available for anyone who needs support. Teachers and staff also have resources to engage in age-appropriate conversations with students. Please encourage our students to reach out to ask for support or someone to talk to, if needed.

Below are resources to support families and caregivers in having these difficult conversations with children and young adults:

Resources to help facilitate discussions with students on race and ethnicity, police violence and rights and activism from Learning for Justice
Resources to Support Children’s Emotional Well-Being Amid Anti-Black Racism, Racial Violence, and Trauma – Child Trends
Age-appropriate resources for explaining the news to kids
Talking to Children About Violence: Multilingual Tips for Parents and Teachers

We will continue to provide culturally responsive, highly effective teaching and to build the positive and personal relationships our students need to feel valued, supported, and loved. The commitment and care of our community is our strength, and we know that together we can continue to create a community with a foundation in equity, inclusion, and justice.

Sincerely,

Eric J. Becoats, Ed.D.
Superintendent
William Penn School District