Council Rock School District

Council Rock School District
School district map of Bucks County, PA
Address
30 North Chancellor Street Newtown , Bucks , Pennsylvania 18940 United States
Information
Type	Public
Superintendent	Mark J. Klein, Esq.
Grades	K-12
Mascot	Indians (CR-North), Golden Hawks (CR-South)
Website	http://www.crsd.org/

The Council Rock School District also known as CRSD is located in lower Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Districts administrative offices are located in one of the original school district buildings in the Borough of Newtown. The building, The Chancellor Center, (formerly known as The Chancellor Street school) dates back to 1871 and was remodeled in 2003. Monthly enrollment by building can be found here: http://www.crsd.org/Page/325. It spends over US$ 12,000 per secondary student per year (not including special education students). Demographic make-up of the district can be found here: http://febp.newamerica.net/k12/PA/4206960 The district operates two High Schools, three Middle Schools and ten Elementary Schools, and an alternative High School.

The district covers 75 square miles (190 km²) and comprises five Bucks County municipalities:

• Borough of Newtown
• Newtown Township
• Northampton Township
• Upper Makefield Township
• Wrightstown Township

Overview

As of the 2010 census, the total population of the school district is 72,458. The school district educates 12,000 students, K-12, and has approximately 956 teachers and supervisors, as well as clerical, custodial, maintenance and cafeteria employees who support the instructional program. The school district is by far the largest employer in the area. The school district operates sixteen schools total: ten elementary schools (grades K-6), three middle schools (grades 7-8), two high schools (grades 9-12) and one alternative high school. Council Rock is also one of four participating school districts in the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology located in Jamison, Pennsylvania.[1]

Council Rock had only one high school until the 2002-2003 academic year, when the high schools split into CR-North (the Indians) and CR-South (the Golden Hawks). Before 1969, the high school was located in the building now used for the Newtown Middle School. Prior to that, the high school was located in a smaller building on Chancellor Street in Newtown; a building that later became Chancellor Street Elementary school before closing in 2002. The Chancellor Street school was extensively modified, and reopened as the Chancellor Street Center, 1 of three buildings housing district administration. The other 2 buildings are the Sloan Alternative School, housed in space in Newtown Borough that is leased from the Law School Admissions Council, and the 101 Twining Ford facility in Richboro. The Twining Ford facility houses maintenance and records for the district. The site on Twining Ford Rd was originally the command and control center for a Nike Missile installation located nearby.

Standard & Poor's performed an evaluation of the district in 2002.

Schools in the Council Rock district

High schools

• Council Rock High School North
• Council Rock High School South

Middle schools

• Newtown Middle School
• Holland Middle School
• Richboro Middle School

Elementary schools

• Goodnoe Elementary School, Newtown, Pennsylvania
• Sol Feinstone Elementary School, Newtown, Pennsylvania
• Newtown Elementary School, Newtown, Pennsylvania
• Churchville Elementary School, Churchville, Pennsylvania
• Hillcrest Elementary School, Holland, Pennsylvania
• Holland Elementary School, Holland, Pennsylvania
• Maureen M. Welch Elementary School, Churchville, Pennsylvania
• Richboro Elementary School, Richboro, Pennsylvania
• Rolling Hills Elementary School, Holland, Pennsylvania
• Wrightstown Elementary School, Wrightstown, Pennsylvania

More Information

All together, there are 15 schools in the district. Council Rock has a good reputation in the state. High schools there participate in the PIAA Suburban One league. North and South are arch-rivals. The district is bordered by the New Hope- Solebury, Central Bucks, Pennsbury, Centennial and Neshaminy school districts. Often athletic events between the two high schools are nicknamed the "Civil War". The high schools also compete in other events. North does better than South in academic standardized tests, per many data. Both schools have music programs. They have bands and orchestras. Middle schools have their own stories to them. Three middle schools serve the 7th and 8th grade population of the school district. Newtown Middle is old. It was originally the site for Council Rock High School, until population concerns caused the high school to be moved to a location within a mile from there. The school has two floors. Richboro Middle is in Richboro. Many primary schools were in that area up until the creation of Richboro Middle School. Expansions have been done recently. The school was a feeder for both Council Rock North and South until 2013. Holland Middle School is in the southern part of the district. Plays like Mary Poppins have been performed there and some kids sing Supercalifragalisticexpialodocious in the hallways. The school is not really close to CR South. Newtown's mascot is the Indian, Richboro's mascot is the Raider and Holland's mascot is the Golden Hawk. Three middle schools have participated in the Mathcounts competition and Newtown usually beats the other middle schools in it. Each of the high schools has sports teams. Unfortunately for Richboro, the middle school often struggles in athletic events because of its small student population and less money. Holland, Newtown and Richboro are named after the towns they are in. Elementary schools across the district have their stories to them. Churchville elementary school is in Churchville, hence its name. Many students there live close to Holland. Nature center named Churchville Nature Center is near the school. Goodnoe elementary school is in southern Newtown, PA. Some of the kids that go there live incredibly close to Langhorne and the Newtown athletic club. The school is named after a Goodnoe who also inspired the name of an ice cream restaurant named Goodnoe's. Hillcrest elementary school is near the Southampton part of Centennial School District.People usually overlook the school when trying to decide what elementary school to send their kids to. Yet despite its name, the school is closer to Holland Middle than Holland Elementary is. Next elementary school is Holland elementary school. As the most famous school that send its kids to Holland middle, the school has a vibrant student life.

Leadership

The current Superintendent of Schools is Mark J. Klein, Esq.

Board Members (Listed in order by which they joined the board):

• Richard Abramson, 1999 to current term expires 12/2015
• Jerold Grupp, 2000 to current term expires 12/2015
• Patricia Sexton, 2003 to current term expires 12/2015
• Wendy Thomas,2008 to current term expires 12/2015
• Kyle Mckessy, 2008 to current term expires 12/2017
• William Foster, 2011 to current term expires 12/2015
• Denise Brooks, 2013 to current term expires 12/2017
• Andrew Block, 2013 to current term expires 12/2017
• Mark Byelich, 2013 to current term expires 12/2017

Independent Organizations Associated with District Wide Activities

This section was added in April 2014 to assist the public in differentiating 3 organizations which have frequently been confused or intermingled in recent newspaper articles and commentaries.

Citizens For Education

This group ran voter registration drives for students in April 2014 in conjunction with the high school Political Science clubs. Incorporated as a Pennsylvania non-profit, this organization was formed specifically as an advocate for public education, but is not aligned with any political party, nor does it make endorsements or donations involving political campaigns. Similar to how individual schools have PTOs and Home & School associations, this group works across the district, more focused on issues impacting academics and student well being and informing the Council Rock community to involve the community in the decision making processes affecting educational quality. It does not collect money other than membership fees to defray it's operating costs. It produces newsletters that are distributed to its membership at least twice per year. There are no paid staff members. Website: www.citizensforeducation.com

Council Rock Education Foundation

This is a 501c3 charity which is not aligned with any political party, nor does it make endorsements or donations involving political campaigns. This organization raises money to donate to specific initiatives related to education within the schools. The leadership comes from parents, staff, administrators, citizens and local commercial institutions, most notably banks. CREF has donated more than $100,000 to projects in the district in recent years. This organization has 1 paid part-time director. Website www.creducationfoundation.org

....In 2013, a citizen complained that a board member of this organization had spoken publicly regarding planned activities of CREF, while wearing a campaign pin for a candidate, although the comments made by the speaker were devoid of any political content. The allegation was that this constituted a political endorsement, and violated the terms of the 501c3 registration with the IRS. The allegation was found to be without merit. The person making the allegation subsequently passed away.

Council Rock AWARE

This was a group established almost 20 years ago, and was specifically a political action committee. This entity has ceased operations. Many people involved in this organization continue to be residents of the community and involved in school district activities, both individually, and as members of other organizations, including the ones mention previously. When active this group did not have any paid staff members.

External links

• Council Rock School District