August 2022

Dear EPS Families,

As we look forward to the start of another school year, I am filled with gratitude and optimism – gratitude for your continued confidence in our mission, and optimism about the future that lies ahead. Though we are faced with recurring hurdles and new challenges, our district is, in many ways, heading into 2022-23 stronger than ever.

Thanks to an infusion of pandemic relief funding, we have been able to reduce our class sizes, fund afterschool and summer programs and hire additional mental health therapists and case managers for our schools, among other critical improvements. We have made critical security improvements to our buildings and spent $70 million to ensure our schools are warm, safe and dry places for our staff to work and our children to learn. We’ve committed to spend another $80 million in facility improvements, including the construction of a new Edison Elementary School, for a total of $150 million in capital investment.

Earlier this summer came the very welcome news that Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2022-23 budget includes a $18 million increase in basic education funding for our district, bringing our total basic education allocation to $104 million. The additional $18 million includes $6 million in Level Up funding, dollars earmarked for the state’s most critically underfunded districts.

This budget is a gamechanger, a historic investment in our district that helps level the playing field, allows us to continue offering the critical services we paid for with pandemic relief dollars, and directly supports student success.  It will also allow us to begin Phase II of our facilities plan. (You can view the full plan at eriesd.org.)

The safety and security of our staff, students and families remains our top priority. Throughout 2022-23, we will continue to evaluate all of our buildings and make improvements where necessary.

I’m proud to say that our district has made great strides in recent years, thanks to the unrelenting efforts of our administrators, teachers, support staff and, of course, our families. Even brighter days are ahead! Should you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to my office at 874-6002.

Sincerely,