Excellent Schools a Draw for Residents

The Pennsbury School District is one of the reasons people move to Yardley and Lower Makefield. It is in the top 12% of the districts in the state. It has a low student-teacher ratio and a proven track record in helping students achieve academically. These achievements contribute to the property values of every homeowner in our two towns.

The district is divided into three regions. Region 1 covers Yardley and northern Lower Makefield. Region 2 covers Tullytown and portions of Falls Township, and Region 3 covers southern Lower Makefield and the rest of Falls Township. Each region has three school board members, and all nine members are currently Democrats.
 
School board members ensure that district policies reflect the will of the people. As current board member Linda Palsky notes, board members run the district in conjunction with the superintendent who they hire. While district administrators handle day-to-day matters and formulate policy, that policy—including curriculum changes and hiring decisions—must be approved by the board. 

Notable recent accomplishments include successfully negotiating a new teachers’ contract without a strike and hiring a new Transportation Director who substantially increased the efficiency of that operation. Other recent developments include increasing the use of technology in the district—all students now receive Chromebooks, for instance—and substantially improving building security.
 
The district faces two big interlocked issues: the need to build a new high school and the need for a decision about merging with the Morrisville schools. Because they are complicated, they will be the subject of a future newsletter issue.