Mission Statement:
Our mission is to prepare all students with the knowledge, habits, and skills they need to graduate ready for college or career and for engaged citizenship, all at the best value to our community.
In a continuing effort to improve transparency with the public, QCSD implemented paperless Board meetings on the Board Docs website where agendas and appropriate back-up materials will be posted effective June 26, 2014.
By clicking here, you will be taken to the BoardDocs web site where you can view and/or print agendas and associated documents for each future board meeting of the Quakertown Community School District. Archived meeting minutes are also available on BoardDocs under the "Library" tab.
A school board is a legislative body of citizens called school directors, who are elected locally by the district's citizens. School board directors serve as agents of the state legislature. Each board consists of ten members, including the Superintendent and nine members who serve four-year terms of office, without pay.
School directors, although locally elected, are really state officials, co-partners with the legislature. They are designated by school law to oversee the school system in each district.
In addition to the nine-member board, the board may employ attorneys to advise and administer school law, a secretary to maintain complete and accurate records of the school directors' meetings and other official business, and a treasurer who is in charge of the business and financial matters of the district.
The board also appoints the superintendent. The superintendent serves as the tenth non-voting member of the board and, along with an administrative team, acts as the professional resource for educational actions taken by the board.
Responsibilities of the Board
The school board sets the policies and engages in planning within the guidelines of the Pennsylvania School Code. The board's responsibility to provide a free public education basically contains three major functions: planning, setting policy, and evaluating results.
- Planning - The board is required to engage in long-range planning by regulations of the State Board of Education. Appropriate reports of the results of such planning are filed with the Department of Education. Long-range planning activities include enrollment projections, staffing needs, building usage, and budget requirements.
- Setting Policy - The central responsibility of the board is to be the policy-forming body. Policies governing the operation of the schools are formed in response to local needs and desires. Policy means the actions of the board that set written goals and objectives for the school.
- Evaluating Results - The board's third responsibility is to evaluate the results of planning. Evaluation occurs continually both formally and informally.
Some Required Duties
- Adopt courses of study in consultation with the superintendent.
- Specify time and place for board meetings.
- Establish the length of the school term.
- Adopt textbooks.
- Retain the minutes, the auditor's annual reports, each annual financial report, and other documents.
- Take action on certain matters only by an affirmative vote of the majority of all members of the board, showing how each member voted when necessary.
- Elect superintendent and hire necessary employees.
- Enter into written contracts with professional employees and into collective bargaining agreements.
- Adopt an annual budget.
- Levy taxes.
- Provide necessary grounds and school buildings.
- Provide special education for mentally or physically handicapped children.
The Board Meetings
Each board meeting follows a set agenda that is available prior to the start of each meeting. The agenda may be picked up at the table as you enter the boardroom. It is also available online on the district's Web site.
Welcome
The Quakertown Community School District invites all residents of the Quakertown area to attend School Board meetings. Decisions of the School Board affect the quality of our children's education, our tax rates, as well as the quality of community life.
Meeting Dates
The QCSD School Board generally meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room, District Services Center in the Milford Industrial Commons, 100 Commerce Drive, Quakertown, PA 18951.
Each December the Board establishes its meeting dates, times and locations for the upcoming year. If the Board deems it necessary to hold a special meeting to conduct urgent business, proper notice is given to local newspapers.
Addressing the Board
The board recognizes the value of school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in board meetings. The board provides a period for public participation at the beginning of the meeting and at the end of the meeting.
If you wish to address the board, you must sign in with your name, address, and your topic of concern. Request to Speak at a Board meeting forms are available online and at each meeting. Please deliver your form to the Board Secretary. Remarks of a personal nature directed against any individual will be ruled out of order. The Board President may request a limit to the discussion due to the length of the meeting agenda as well as designate a spokesperson when a group of residents shares the same topic.
Problems
Parents or guardians who have a specific concern about their child's education or school should bring the problem to the attention of the student's teacher, school counselor, school nurse or person closest to the situation. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be found, the matter should be referred to the assistant principal, then the principal. If further attention is required, the problem will be referred to the appropriate director, supervisor, or assistant superintendent, and then to the superintendent.
Contact information is on this website.
Contacting the Board
The Board recognizes that communication to and from them is important. You may contact all members of the Board, and Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman, by emailing [email protected]. Before bringing your matter to the attention of the Board of Directors, however, please be sure you have provided your local team with an opportunity to help: your child’s teacher(s), the building principal, and staff.
Individual Board members may be contacted through their district email below.
Please be reminded that Board members are volunteers and responses may not be immediate.
Region 1: Richlandtown Borough, Haycock Township, and Richland Township Election Districts 1, 2, and 3.
Region 2: Milford Township and Trumbauersville Borough
Region 3: Quakertown Borough and Richland Township Election District 4.
Non-voting member: Dr. Matthew Friedman, Superintendent
Non-member: Terry San Angelo, Board Secretary
Here is a map from the Bucks County Board of Elections of each municipality’s boundaries.