Our Priorities

When students feel safe, they are free to learn, grow, and thrive. When their developmental and emotional needs are appropriately addressed, and when they are challenged academically in an environment of safety, they gain confidence and self control.

Student achievement as well as emotional and physical safety are elevated when class sizes are smaller and teachers are not overburdened. Students can engage in high quality learning experiences with fewer barriers to success. When more individual student needs are met, positive behavior and an improved educational environment are the natural results.

Our teaching staff and administrators are experts in curriculum and pedagogy best practices, and they want the best academic outcomes for the students of Hempfield. We will support them and honor their expertise by approving the curriculum and materials that teachers and other district staff have worked tirelessly to research, pilot, and recommend.

We are committed to ensuring our programs align with state core standards and keep pace with current educational research.

We will seek out and respect their recommendations for potential upgrades to classroom supplies, building improvements, and policies with the goal of maximizing achievement and safety in academics, arts, technology, and athletics.

We support the use of technology as a tool to enhance instruction rather than to replace it.

In April of 2022, a task force of teachers, administrators, counselors and board members recommended adding seven staff positions in the areas of school psychologists, school counselors, social workers and security or resource officers. They recommended these positions in part to bring ratios to recommended levels and to address the social emotional needs of students in the district. Of those seven proposed positions, only one social worker position was added when the budget was finalized in June 2022.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a ratio of 250 students to 1 school counselor. According to PSEA, the average ratio in Pennsylvania is 371/1. For the 2022/23 school year all of Hempfield’s elementary buildings had a ratio exceeding 450 students to one school counselor and as high as 600/1. We believe Hempfield deserves a ratio more closely aligned to recommended rates.

We will adhere to federal and state guidance when creating and adopting policy. It is the obligation of school boards to follow laws that protect students and staff from discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

We will support initiatives that focus on addressing the complex and diverse needs of our students. We will celebrate individual differences and appreciate the inherent value of our diverse community.

We will support initiatives that foster a sense of belonging for each of our students. We recognize a sense of belonging to a greater community is a necessary ingredient to improve performance and motivation.

We intend to work with staff, administration, and community stakeholders to ensure everyone on and within Hempfield’s campuses are physically and psychologically protected. We will explore further initiatives to improve safety by engaging with the safety and security team, evaluating our crisis response programs, and educating ourselves on community safety concerns.

We agree with the American Library Association position that "Like adults, children and teens have the right to find the information they choose. Libraries have a responsibility to provide information for a wide variety of users. If you are a parent or guardian, you have the right and responsibility to make decisions about what materials are suitable for your own family. No one has the right to make rules restricting what other people use, or to make decisions for other families."

We support our librarians’ ability to curate collections that represent the diverse worldviews and experiences of our community according to professional standards.

We also support library and materials policies that grant parents the ability to make decisions about what materials their children may access. Recently adopted policies 108 and 109 threaten to restrict that freedom and put the decisions about what is available in the hands of a select few, using procedures that have yet to be outlined or communicated to the public.

We acknowledge that a great deal is expected of our staff. We respect their depth of content knowledge, expertise in teaching methods, and dedication to our students.

We will respect the recommendations of our educational professionals when determining the effectiveness or shortfalls in our district curriculum and programming and will be informed by their experience and observations.

We will approve the adoption of effective curricula and resources that reflect the lives and backgrounds of all of our students.

We will support learning environments that promote the free exchange of ideas. Freedom means living alongside people with diverse world views. Our students gain critical thinking skills when they are exposed to new and sometimes difficult ideas.

Improved working conditions for teachers create effective learning environments for students. When we support teachers, we also support children.

We have heard many employees are leaving the district for “their dream job.” We want Hempfield to be a most-desirable place to work, where employees feel valued, challenged, and like they are making a positive impact on their community.

We aim to improve transparency beyond what the law requires to rectify current deficiencies. Transparency engenders trust. Currently, publicly posted board agendas and minutes are unnecessarily vague, there are no archived recordings of meetings, and the board has many executive sessions without community oversight.

We will create more opportunities for dialogue and cooperation between the board, administration, staff, students, and community.

We will continue to be engaged with our school community and model connected relationships among stakeholders at all levels of the district.

We will reflect our support of public education in our budget allocation, curriculum selection, and policy decisions.

We believe wise investment in our schools is necessary to build a strong foundation for today and the future, resulting in dividends gained for the entire Hempfield community.

We will demonstrate fiscal responsibility through proactive budgeting and long term planning for needed improvements in staffing, resources, and upgrades to our infrastructure.

Many choose Hempfield as their home based on the reputation of our schools to provide a top notch education. Our goal is to preserve and build upon that reputation.

Providing quality educational opportunities for all leads to a strong and sustainable community of future citizens, tradespeople, and professionals who will be well prepared to lead our thriving community.

Quality public schools correlate with residents who are invested in the community as well as to increased property values which provide financial stability to district homeowners.