Superintendent’s Report

September 28, 2026

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Eric J. Becoats, Ed.D.

Agenda

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• Special Thanks
• Community Announcements

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2

Opening of Schools

Operations

Opening of Schools - Operations - Food Service

Meals Served as of September 18, 2026

• Breakfast: 31,001
• Lunch: 40,338

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The food services team also assisted with several school opening activities and beginning of the year events involving WPSD staff. They are:

• Principal Meeting 8/14
• HR catering at DCIU 8/21
• Back to School Night at Penn Wood Middle School 8/26
• Park Lane and Ardmore back to school nights 9/16
• Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Aramark Head Chef Recipes @ MS and HS (9/18 & 9/22)
• Senior Staff meeting snacks 9/22

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The Aramark team is continuing to fill vacant positions within schools. Below are the recent new hires that have occured

• Walnut Elementary School - 2 staff members
• Penn Wood Middle School - 1 staff members

Opening of Schools - Operations - Facilities

District Work Order data for Quarter One

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Opening of Schools - Operations - Facilities

Custodial Services

· Provided recurring weekend event coverage across the district.

· Launched and continued summer cleaning, including support for move-up day, camps, and back-to-school activities.

· Maintained occupied buildings during summer camps.

· Cleaned Kerr Field Sports Complex and supported construction cleaning at the 9th Grade Academy.

Maintenance and Building Systems

· Completed district wide fire alarm, fire extinguisher, hood exhaust, safety-light, and related inspection activities.

· Addressed HVAC and mechanical needs, including the Ardmore chiller, portable AC at Walnut, HVAC pipe wrapping, water heater planning, and condensate pump work.

· Advanced flooring and finish work at Aldan, the Bus Depot, Colwyn, GAC, Ardmore, Middle, and other locations.

· Completed plumbing and restroom repairs, including flushometers, toilet seats, water fountains, drains, sink components, and leak investigation.

· Supported construction and campus readiness through furniture moves, furniture assembly, lighting work, key cutting, material acquisition, and site preparation.

Grounds and Exterior Maintenance

· Maintained Kerr Field, sports fields, and tennis courts throughout the reporting period.

· Completed mowing, weed trimming, and exterior trash removal districtwide.

· Removed overgrown bushes at Cypress, trimmed trees at Middle for roof work, and removed a dead tree near the Evans playground.

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Opening of Schools - Operations - Transportation

Below are the percentages of on time arrivals for routes at the schools listed below for 9/1/26 - 9/4/26: �

-Aldan - 93.5% -Evans - 91.6%

-Ardmore - 95.2% -Park Lane - 100%

-Bell - 96.1% -Walnut - 96.2%

-Colwyn - 100% -Penn Wood Middle School - 90.4%

-East Lansdowne - 100% -Ninth Grade Academy - 94.4%

-Penn Wood High School - 92.3%

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Total Performance Time: 94.9%

Opening of Schools - Operations - Transportation

Below are the percentages of on time arrivals for routes at the schools listed below for 9/7/26 - 9/11/26:�

-Aldan - 96.8% -Evans - 100%

-Ardmore - 100% -Park Lane - 87.5%

-Bell - 100% -Walnut - 88.8%

-Colwyn - 100% -Penn Wood Middle School - 97.4%

-East Lansdowne - 100% -Ninth Grade Academy - 100%

-Penn Wood High School - 99.3%

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Total Performance Time: 97.25%

Opening of Schools - Operations - Transportation

Below are the percentages of on time arrivals for routes at the schools listed below for 9/14/26 - 9/18/26: �

-Aldan - 97.5% -Evans - 93.3%

-Ardmore - 96.8% -Park Lane - 90.0%

-Bell - 96.6% -Walnut - 96.9%

-Colwyn - 100% -Penn Wood Middle School - 95.6%

-East Lansdowne - 100% -Ninth Grade Academy - 98.3%

-Penn Wood High School - 98.8%

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Total Performance Time: 96.7%

School Vacancies - As of 9/18/26

2026-2027 School year opened with 98 % fill rate!

School Vacancies

Academics

WPSD Back-to-School PD: August Leadership Retreat

Monday, August 10, 2026 - Friday, August 14, 2026

Preparing school leaders for the 2026–27 school year through professional learning, collaboration, and planning.

• Instructional Coaching: Coaches practiced building trust, listening, paraphrasing, and asking effective questions to better support teachers.
• Curriculum and Instruction: Leaders explored new ELA materials, ways to monitor student progress, and strategies for strengthening instruction.
• Restorative Practices: Algenoy Alexander, a restorative strategist with WiseWorks, led sessions on building a restorative culture across leadership, staff, and families, including approaches to conflict, accountability, and repair.
• Student Support: Sessions addressed special education, classroom systems that promote student independence, student services, attendance, and truancy.
• School Operations: Leaders received updates on food services, transportation, safety, facilities, and educator evaluations.
• Family Communication: Leaders reviewed communication priorities and ParentSquare data and identified ways to strengthen connections with school communities.
• Building-Level Planning: Teams worked on School Improvement Plans and aligned schedules and assessments for the year ahead.

WPSD Back-to-School PD: Fall Summit '26

Monday, August 24, 2026 - Thursday, August 27, 2026

Preparing educators (580) for a successful school year by providing professional learning, collaboration, and networking opportunities.

• Superintendent's Convocation: This year’s Convocation took the form of a Ted Lasso–inspired video, giving an overview of WPSD and Central Office operations.
• ELA Curriculum Adoption: Introductory training for ELA (K-12)teachers on new instructional materials.
• Student Support: Sessions on special education updates, de-escalation techniques, attendance, and student services.
• Data & Communication: Training on using Schoolytics for data analysis and ParentSquare for family engagement.
• Instructional Strategies: Sessions on mathematics routines and aligning science instruction with new STEELS standards.

Fall Diagnostic and Screening Window

Tuesday, September 8, 2026 - Friday, October 2, 2026

Acadience

(grades K-2: 947 Students)

Purpose: Determine student levels and appropriate tiers of support (Math/ELA)

MAP Growth

(grades 3-12: 3551 Students)

Student Services

Opening of Schools - Student Services

Special Education Programming

Serving More Students Within WPSD

Strengthening district-based supports so more students can be appropriately served in district.

• Continue comprehensive review of out-of-district placements and re-entry opportunities.
• Increase supports and services across district programs, including higher-intensity and specialized supports.
• Build transition processes that support students entering Kindergarten and students returning to district programming.

SY26-27 Total Percentage of Special Education Students In District:

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20%

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Finance

Opening of Schools - Finance

Business Office School Opening Update:

• The Finance team is actively working to close out the 2025-2026 fiscal year and begin preparations for the annual audit.
• Following completion of the accrual and analysis of prior year revenues and expenditures, an update will be provided on the fund balance as of the end of 2025-2026.
• 2026-2027 budget reviews are ongoing to ensure proper accounting of expenditures in alignment with the recently completed budget code restructuring.
• Monthly reviews taking place with District Cabinet to analyze expenses and track expenditure obligations against the budget.

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Opening of Schools - Finance

Current Cash Position:

• Tax revenue deposits are arriving now that we’re beyond the 2% discount period.
• 2026 Tax receipts through 9/25/26: $31,833,906.93
• 2025 Tax receipts through 9/25/25: $29,154,981.98

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• 2026-2027 TRAN: $7 Million borrowed, $3.5 Million remaining.
• Funds have been used to meet payroll obligations and process 26-27 invoices.
• The goal is to repay $3.5 million of the TRAN proceeds by December 31, 2026. We will continue to monitor the District’s cash flow and determine the timing for repayment of the remaining balance, with full repayment to occur no later than June 30, 2027.

Opening of Schools - Finance

Capital Funds:

• $14 Million in General Obligation Bond proceeds available to fund currently planned capital projects.

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Communications

Back-to-School Kickoff

• Students, families, and staff came together for the third annual Back-to-School Kickoff on August 26 at Penn Wood Middle School.
• The event was coordinated in partnership with State Representative Joanna McClinton.
• All William Penn School District schools were represented, offering information, resources, and giveaways for attendees.
• Thanks to the community organizations, partners, and elected officials who joined to make this exciting event a success!

Convocation Video

This year’s Convocation video took inspiration from Ted Lasso and its upcoming new season to kick off the school year with a message of optimism and teamwork.

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Starring eighth grade student Liam Hatch-Mayer as “Kid Ted Lasso,” it introduced staff to the teams at Central Office and the District Office and how they support our schools.

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A “playbook” for the year tied it all together, with quotes and positive messages from the show to encourage staff as they welcomed students back.

First Day of School

The new school year got off to an energetic start! ��Students in grades 1 through 12 returned on September 1, followed by kindergarten students on September 8. We are excited to welcome our students back for another year of learning and growing together!

Back-to-School Nights

Teachers and staff across our school buildings and the PLC welcomed families for Back-to-School Nights, held September 9 - 17, 2026. ��Parents and students had a chance to tour classrooms, meet teachers, and explore what students will be learning this year. �

Thank you to all the families who joined us to help kick off another great school year!

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Social Media Content

Facebook

• Posts - 55
• Stories - 36
• Reels - 4
• Views - 189.8K
• Viewers - 38.0K
• Content Interactions - 3K
• Link Clicks - 172
• Follows - 93

Analytics: Monday, August 3 - Friday, September 25, 2026

Instagram

• # of Posts - 23
• # of Reels - 4
• # of Stories - 51
• Views - 185K
• Reach- 13.1K
• Content Interactions - 5.9K
• Link Clicks - 172
• Follows - 160
• Story Views - 46.1

Website Activity: Back to School

Analytics: Monday, August 3 - September 25, 2026

www.williampennsd.org

• 76,782 website sessions during the back-to-school period

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• 57% of sessions came directly to the site �(typed in address or used bookmark) �
• 41% came through organic search �(Google or other search engine)�
• 12 News stories shared

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• Note: A session is one visit; a pageview is one page being viewed.

Top Ten Days with the Most Website Visitors

1. Mon, 8/17 - 5,211
2. Weds, 9/9 - 3,619
3. Thurs, 9/10 - 3,385
4. Tues, 9/8 - 3,368
5. Mon, 9/14 - 3,186

6. Fri, 9/11 - 3,017

7. Fri, 8/7 - 2,773

8. Fri, 9/4 - 2, 144

9. Thurs, 9/3 - 2,059

10. Tues, 9/15 - 2,000

Central Office Front Desk Reception

Analytics: Monday, August 31 - Friday, September 25, 2026

• 722 contacts recorded across 18 dates�
• 423 calls and 299 visitors; contact type was missing for 50 entries�
• Registration/enrollment was the leading reason for both calls and visits�
• August 31 was the busiest logged day, with 120 contacts

Top Combined Reasons for calls and visits were:

1. Registration/enrollment - 183
2. PLC - 58
3. Transportation - 50
4. Internal IT/staff - 48
5. Returning a district/ParentSquare call, business/taxes, and special education - Tied at 36 each

ParentSquare

Support and Training

• ParentSquare info and FAQ page on the WPSD website.
• ParentSquare Help Request Forms
• Families
• Staff
• Help Desk google forms for families and staff.

Family Contactability

• Schools and Communications Office continually monitor information and make updates as needed (new phone #s or email addresses, troubleshoot issues, etc.)�
• Contactability (98.9% as of 9/26)
• 100% - 3 schools - Aldan, Colwyn, East Lansdowne
• 99% - 5 schools - Ardmore, Evans, Walnut, PWMS, PW9GA
• 98% - 2 schools - Bell, Park Lane
• 97% - 1 school - PWHS

District and Community Announcements

Penn Wood High School students Ismael Torres and Jack Schoettle are getting ready to launch a student-run podcast: The Penn Wood Playbook!

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They will be covering topics across the high school including sports, events, extracurriculars, and academics.

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Stay tuned for its launch this fall!

Student Podcast: The Penn Wood Playbook