Good Afternoon Students and Families,
August is always the busiest but most exciting time for us here in Central Administration. We are completing final preparations to launch another fulfilling school year. Our focus is always to create new opportunities for students while preserving the long traditions that have made the Woodland Hills School District a special place to learn. While always looking to stay progressive, this administration is also committed to fiscal responsibility and transparency. In 2021, the Woodland Hills School District residents were the 4th highest taxed in Allegheny County. As reported by Allegheny County this July 2024, Woodland Hills has now moved down the list to 17th in the County. Here is a link from the Allegheny County website. The “previous year” and “next year” buttons allow you to move between years. These are hard decisions we make daily to continue to publish a responsible budget, but that is what we are hired to do. In addition to lowering the tax burden on our community, the District also published a record $14.1 million dollar fund balance in November 2023.
Currently, we have two major projects underway at Edgewood Elementary School. The first project is a complete air conditioning installation that unfortunately will not be totally completed by the first day of school. Some classrooms will have air as the units are ready, and we have a total completion date for early Spring. Concurrently, Phase 1 of the building project at Edgewood is also underway. Phase 1 includes all of the exterior work and addresses most of our structural concerns. At the upcoming August 7th Committee Meeting, Mr. Bridge, along with the Construction Manager and Architect, will make a public presentation to update our community (about both projects). The Board and Administration want to hear the public input, so please attend if you are able!
Important Dates:
August 15th we welcome back all staff to our first in-service day at Woodland Hills High School beginning at 8:00 am. Our first day of school for all students in grades 1 through 12 is Tuesday, August 20th. All Pre-K and Kindergarten students start on Wednesday, August 21st, and their orientation occurs on Monday, AUgust 19th at 10:00 am. Open House is early this year...Tuesday the 27th - Middle School, Wednesday the 28th - High School, Thursday the 29th - Elementary Schools. Students do not have school Friday, August 30th and Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day.
Upcoming Board Meetings:
Committee Meeting - Wednesday, August 7th - 6:00 pm
Agenda Setting Meeting - Wednesday, August 14th - 7:00 pm
Legislative Meeting - Wednesday, August 21st - 7:00 pm
The administration is requesting that all Phase 1 construction items for the Edgewood Elementary School be voted on as special voting items at the August 14th Agenda Setting Meeting. The will all be explained publicly at the Committee Meeting on August 7th and then again on August 14th prior to the vote. We encourage anyone who is interested in hearing the update and progress to please attend.
Finally, our registration office is busy processing new enrollments for the 2024-2025 school year. Please make your appointments soon if you have a new student to enroll!
Enjoy our final days of summer!
Dr. Daniel Castagna
Superintendent