Council Rock Preps For Back-To-School With Appointments

NEWTOWN, Pa. — The Council Rock School District is ramping up for the new school with another round of key administrative hirings.

During the August 8 meeting of the school board, the last before the start of the new school year, the board appointed Emily Otero as principal at the Churchville Elementary School. Otero succeeds Jill Kingston, who is now principal at Rolling Hills Elementary School.

Otero is coming to Council Rock from the Methacton School District where she is the Dean of Students at Skyview Upper Elementary School for grades five and six.

Otero brings an impressive instructional background to the job having taught at the 1st, 2nd, and 6th grade levels for more than 15 years. Otero also has proven leadership experience as a math specialist, curriculum coordinator, math Title 1 building coordinator, and K-4 reading
department coordinator.

“We are confident that Mrs. Otero will be an asset to the Churchville community, and we warmly welcome her to the Council Rock Family,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrew Sanko.

The board also appointed Don Mihalek as manager of district security.

Mihalek’s experience both nationally and locally is extensive, and he has a deep knowledge and understanding of how to plan, develop and implement security measures for organizations of all sizes, said Sanko.

Mihalek has served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, the United States Park Police, and with the United States Secret Service.

“We take our commitment to providing our students and staff with the most up to date and comprehensive security very seriously ... We believe Mr. Mihalek will use his talents to ensure the safety and security of our district and welcome him to the Council Rock family,” said Sanko.

In other back to school news, Sanko briefed the board on preparations for the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

“The Hillcrest Elementary School renovation project is nearing completion and the building looks great. I think Hillcrest students and families will appreciate and be proud of the updates and the newness of the building,” he said.

The Sol Feinstone Elementary School renovation project is progressing as scheduled, added Sanko. “John Harlan and his team are preparing and excited to welcome students and families back to Sol Feinstone for the new school year.”

In addition, Sanko said discussions regarding the Richboro Elementary School renovation project are underway at the finance committee level.

“Council Rock administrators and teachers are already beginning their preparation for the new school year,” said Sanko. “Last week all administrators met as a group and discussed the upcoming year, our goals as well as our Students First Always vision,” said Sanko.

“Our goals center around three concepts summed up in these words - classroom, culture and community,” he said. “As we begin work on our comprehensive plan these concepts will play a large role in defining our collective vision for the future.”

Sanko added that some teachers have been in their classrooms throughout the summer preparing for students, but their official return date will be Tuesday, August 23.

A teacher and staff opening kickoff will be held Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30 a.m. at Council Rock North High School.

“As our students and families are preparing to return, we want the community to know that our Home Access Center opens on August 15. Parents can access the HAC from their home school website or through the link on the district’s homepage.”

Sanko said the administration has also been working “collaboratively and hard” with Durham Transportation, which took over the district’s bus system effective August 1.

“Durham’s first two days of runs did not come without challenges. We met with Durham leadership to remind them of their commitment and our expectations,” said Sanko. “Durham is continuing to work through the process of onboarding additional drivers and we will continue to partner with Durham to meet any challenges that may arise regarding routes, times and bus stops, which is a typical occurrence at the start of every school year.”

Safety features on the district buses this year include front- and rear-facing cameras inside the bus, updated GPS, and two-way radios. Fifty-six of the larger buses and some smaller vehicles are propane-fueled. For the 2023-24 school year, all buses will be propane-fueled.

The first day of school is August 29 for grades K-6 and 7 and 9. On August 30, all students will report to class.