ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 830 OLD CLAIRTON ROAD JEFFERSON HILLS , PA 15025 PHONE 412.655.8450 FAX 412.655.9544 www . wjhsd . net
A MESSAGE FROM
Dr . Janet Sardon , West Jefferson Hills School
District Superintendent est Jefferson Hills
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
As we enter the last nine weeks of the 2023-24 school year , the district continues to make strides in numerous areas , including academics , capital project planning , school safety , and comprehensive strategic planning .
We are at a very exciting time in the district , with increasing student achievement and growth , and continuing expansion in district growth in district enrollment , planning for the future has become critical . For this reason , the district has engaged in developing a feasibility study to review current facilities , while analyzing our enrollment and projections . The purpose of the study will be to develop a capital project plan over the next 5-10 years that allows for thoughtful planning and growth surrounding facilities and programming . The district is at the beginning stages of this process and will look to approve a working capital project plan this Fall .
In addition to the capital project plan , we are finishing up the final phase of the Thomas Jefferson High School project , which is the demolition of the old TJHS . The district approved bids in February for demolition of the building . The building is scheduled to be razed beginning this March and to be completed by the end of July . Once completed , the plans are to install a new parking lot to accommodate the long-standing need for additional parking at TJ stadium . The parking lot project will be bid this Spring and will begin after the demolition is complete . As a district , the plan is to keep using the stadium throughout the project with some minimal restrictions on travel around the building , based on the areas being completed . Notifications of this project will be made through our social media and other means of communication .
Safety and security continues to be at the forefront of planning and programming within the district . On March 20 , the district held a symposium with 17 different sessions that focused on various aspects of student safety . This included threat assessment , ALICE , Safe2Say , social media , mental health , drug / alcohol usage , and other resources to help our parents continue to navigate keeping their children safe ,
inside and outside of school . A special thank you to all those that made the event possible .
The district approved some minor revisions to the comprehensive plan that should be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the years 2024- 2027 . We continue to focus on professional development to staff that is tailored to meet the district needs , while focused on the individual staff members as well . In the calendar for the 2024-2025 school year , we have built in three Act 80 days , in place of two-hour delays , to afford more substantial time to meet our professional development needs , as well as the mandates set forth by state and federal agencies .
The district continues to complete items on the five-year working plan . Plans for academics , as well as departmental plans , for the next five years can be located on the district website at www . wjhsd . net . This document is updated several times a year , items highlighted in gray have been accomplished . All stakeholders within the district give input regularly into these items . We welcome any additional community thoughts , ideas , or suggestions .
Lastly , I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the school board of the West Jefferson Hills School District . All of our work is supported by the school board . Working together as a team continues to prove to be a successful strategy to move our district forward . Recently , the WJHSD School Board was recognized as a Distinguished School Board through the Tri-State Study Council and the University of Pittsburgh . They were honored for their time , dedication and hard work .
As a superintendent , our theme this year has been “ Teamwork is the Heart of Achievement ,” and I believe we continue to model that in the best interest of our students , staff and community . Have a great spring , and let ’ s continue to do our best and go above and beyond as we enter the final quarter of the school year .
Sincerely , Dr . Janet Sardon Superintendent
38 WEST JEFFERSON HILLS