NW PA Superintendents Combine Voices at Annual Summit

Jake Bauer

Published April 28, 2016 5:07 am

NW PA Superintendents Combine Voices at Annual Summit

GROVE CITY, Pa. – Superintendents from fifteen counties in northwest Pennsylvania came together on April 22 to share education concerns and propose solutions to some of their most pressing issues.

The Northwest Pennsylvania Superintendents’ Summit brought together school district administrators and legislative leaders to discuss and consider how state and federal decision making regarding the state education budget, programs, testing requirements and mandates affect local school districts and the education of their students.

The Summit included 81 superintendents and IU administrators from the service regions of Midwestern Intermediate Unit #4, Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit #5, Riverview Intermediate Unit #6, Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit #9, and Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit #27.

This event was the second of its kind, held at Grove City College, for northwest Pennsylvania superintendents and is designed to provide a forum to discuss current education challenges and topics. The goal of the conference is to gather questions, comments and solutions that can then be shared with legislators and the PA Department of Education.

Participants were welcomed to Grove City College by Education Department Chair, Dr. Connie Nichols before beginning their day of break-out sessions. Small group break-out sessions were facilitated by the Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Education, David Volkman; Congressman Glenn Thompson; and members of the Summit planning committee.

Highlights of the day included a keynote address from the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Pedro Rivera. Secretary Rivera also took the time to have an informal question and answer session with the group.

Also in attendance were Press Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Nicole Reigelman; and PASA President-Elect, Pat O’Toole. Morning refreshments were provided by On Demand Energy Solutions; and lunch was sponsored by NaviGate.

The Summit, coordinated by Superintendents and staff from IUs 4, 5, 6, 9 and 27, was well received by attendees and is part of ongoing regional efforts to join the voices of small and rural school districts.

For more information on the Northwest Pennsylvania Superintendents’ Summit, contact Tina Gibbs, RIU6 Communications and Operations Manager, at tgibbs@riu6.org or 814-297-5114.