Deer Lakes School District was recently designated as a Great Pennsylvania School. The Great Pennsylvania Schools (GPS) designation recognizes Pennsylvania public schools that provide students with access to rigorous programming, are community-centric, demonstrate financial well-being and display resilience.

“We have an excellent, hard-working staff in our district,” Deer Lakes School District Superintendent Dr. Janell Logue Belden said. “I could not be prouder of how caring and invested they are in engaging, educating, and empowering every student to excel inside and outside of the classroom.”

To receive this designation, districts must meet the criteria established in each of the four categories. Districts that provide students with academically rigorous programming must confirm that 100% of their teachers are certified and that students have access to career and technical education, gifted education, and advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses.

To demonstrate a district’s position as the centerpiece of the community, it must exemplify innovation in school programming, regularly celebrate the successes of students and staff, and provide academic and extracurricular offerings for the benefit of students.

The final criteria – resilience and fiscal health – measure a district’s planning efforts that ultimately lead to successful academic programming. To meet the resilience criteria, a district must implement an emergency preparedness plan and provide mental health supports to students.

A district meets the financially healthy criteria by having an elected or independent auditor conduct a financial audit annually, making the final district budget available for public review prior to adoption, and following School Code requirements for bids and quotations when purchasing goods and services.

In addition to the GPS designation and success stories from schools across the state, the campaign website also houses information about the role and responsibilities of a school board, how to run for a position on a local school board, and a collective vision for the future of public education in Pennsylvania.