Dr. Vandrew Updates Club on Mechanicsburg Schools
Posted by Tom Burson on Jul 23, 2016
At the club meeting of July 20, Dr. Alan Vandrew, Assistant School Superintendent of the Mechanicsburg Area school District, updated the club about district.
Pictured (left) is club president Mark Dixon, presenting the club's golden ruler with the Rotary 4-Way test to Dr. Alan Vandrew.
At the meeting of July 20th, Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Alan Vandrew, spoke to the club about the Mechanicsburg Area School District. He is responsible for the non-instructional side of the district's operation. He begun by discussing the district's mission statement and how it drives the work of the district. They have developed a comprehensive plan with four main goals: curriculum and assessment system, growth of all learners, digital learning, and wellness--staff/students. He discussed each with some explanation. Alan noted that the school has 3,856 students and the numbers have been increasing about 250 per decade for the last four decades. They expect that to continue. They have done a comprehensive study of capacity and found problems in the elementary schools that will require some facility changes. They are currently working through three options in order to address the growth.
Alan also, noted that there are 553 staff members of which 305 are professionals (teachers) and that the annual budget is $64 million making it one of the largest organizations in the area. He pointed out that the sources of revenue were 75% local, 24% state, and 1% federal. 33% of the students have free/reduced lunches. The school serves 2,100 lunches per day plus breakfast to many students. The bus system covers 1,400 miles per day.
Alan discussed an number of other topics and took questions. He also noted that the school system was selected by US News and World Report as being in the top 10% of high school systems.
It is to be noted that Alan helps the club's Student of the Month program my managing the selection of the students each month not only at Mechanicsburg Area SD, but at the other schools which participate in the program. We thank him for that valuable support.