Pottstown Council, School Board Want To Work Closer

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to Acting Superintendent Jeff Sparagana for being proactive!

POTTSTOWN — When it comes to getting along, it could be said that the borough and school district governments in Pottstown sometimes get along like siblings on a long car trip.

Acting Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagana is among the first to admit that and did so Wednesday when he told borough council that “it is important to acknowledge and recognize there have been breakdowns in the relationship between the borough and the school district in the past.”

But he was also the first to offer an olive branch in pursuit of a new era of cooperation.

Appearing before council during the Wednesday work session, Sparagana prefaced a presentation of the district’s land development plans for Rupert, Franklin and Lincoln elementary schools with a statement — and an apology.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121209/NEWS01/121209423/pottstown-council-school-board-want-to-work-closer#full_story

Pottstown High School Students Doing Better Than Tests Show

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, PA — Although headlines last week proclaimed Pottstown High School an occupant of the state’s new “underachieving schools” list, that ranking, based in large part on a single standardized test, does not tell the whole story.

There are other ways to measure educational success and in several of them, Pottstown High School comes out on top, particularly when looking at the Career and Technology Program.

By several measures, these students, who study technical skills to prepare them for the workforce upon graduation, are succeeding in ways the Pennsylvania Legislature does not seem to consider as important.

This past year 100 percent of the school’s career and technical students graduated, compared to the 87 percent graduation rate for the general education students the same year.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120806/NEWS01/120809613/phs-students-doing-better-than-tests-show&pager=full_story

Pottstown Middle School Bans Fur-Lined Boots Over Cellphone Smuggling Concerns

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POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia middle school’s ban on a popular type of fur-lined boots isn’t about fashion, it’s about cellphones.

Pottstown Middle School parents were informed of the new ban on the unlaced boots on Wednesday.

District community relations director John Armato said students are using the boots to hide cellphones and bring them into class. Current school policy allows students to bring their phones to school but requires them to be kept in their locker during the day.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-fur-lined-boots-ban-pottstown-012712,0,1215528.story