Friday, March 4, 2011
SCHOOL BUDGET TIME
Specific information regarding the Blairstown Elementary School District Budget will be reviewed at a soon to be scheduled public hearing. It will also be posted here, in our electronic newsletter and on our school website. For now, the New Jersey School Boards Association has a new and unique website for you to visit. Go to www.voteapril27.com and you will see the focus on the importance of this upcoming election, the factors to consider when acting on our proposed school budget, the role of your local school board in the education system, and accurate and balanced information about the performance of our state's schools. There is also information about the campaign's mission, links to voter registration materials, and special messages for voters, parents, senior citizens and even college students. I look forward to hearing your feedback during the budget hearing process. Hope you all have a successful month of March!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
SNOW DAYS!
This has certainly been an extraordinary winter for us all and it's only half over! While no decision regarding the closing of school is ever take casually, some parents have asked how that decision is made. The first thing you should know is that this is not a decision made by any single individual. Our cluster, Knowlton, Frelinghuysen, Blairstown and North Warren Regional all communicate with each other before a collective decision is made. We do his because we share some transportation contracts with the same buses, and because the state, through the county office, insists we share services and cooperate with each other. Typically, our superintendent conversations take place the evening before a known weather event, with contact made with the state and local police and local departments of public works. This information is collated and discussed by all four superintendents. Other area superintendents are often consulted as well, typically Allamuchy, Hacketstown, Belvidere, etc. Only on rare occasions is a decision made the evening before as there have been many times where conditions improve or worsen overnight. And as we all know, weather forecasts are not always accurate. Any evening decision is always made prior to 9 p.m. Conditions are reviewed again in the morning, beginning with our phone calls at 5 a.m. I am always up by 4 a.m. checking the forecast and driving the local roads, if necessary, since both the superintendents of Knowlton and Frelinghuysen live far away. Even though the main roads may be passable and our parking lots and sidwalks clear, we must consider our hilly and narrow back roads and lanes in our considerations. Once a collective decision is made, calls are made to One Call Now System and the 554 notification calls begin. So, as you can see, this is not a decision that is made without due consideration for the safety of our children and staff. I am hopeful that though winter is far from over, we will escape any more snow days which interrupt the continuity of instruction!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Happy New Year Boards of Education!
Happy New Year to all!
I certainly hope that 2011 is better for us than 2010 was, at least from a budget and economic point of view. This month's post is curtesy of the National School Boards Association, and I thought it appropriate considering some of the Governor's rhetoric about abolishing local school districts and taking control by the state through the county offices of the DOE.
WHY SCHOOL BOARDS?
Are school boards necessary?
Should the present governance structure ofour nation's public schools remain in place?
The answer to both questions is, unequivocally, yes!
No one questions why planning boards, municipal governments, and state legislatures exist. And yet, some people advocate turning over control of school governance to those same bodies, saying we should let someone else take charge of the future of our children's future.
School boards, elected or appointed by their communities (ours are elected of course) represent the community's beliefs and values. Who better than these community representatives to shoulder the responsibility for preparing children to live productive and satisfying lives?
Consider these five reasons that the school board, which represents your community's beliefs and values, should be the decision maker in today's schools:
1. Your school board looks out for children - first and foremost. Education is not a line item in your school board's budget - it is the ONLY item.
2. Your school board is the advocate for your community when decisions are made about your children's education. The school board represents the public's voice in public education, providing citizen governance for what the public schools need and what the community wants.
3. Your school board sets the standard for achievement in your district, incorporating the community's view of what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Your school board also is responsible for working with the superintendent to establish a valid process for measuring student sucess and, when necessary, shifting resources to ensure that the district's goals are achieved.
4. Your school board is accessible to you and accoutable for the performance of the schools in your district. If the schools are not producing, it is your right as a voter to select new board members who will see to it that your students and your schools succeed.
5. Your school board is your community's education watchdog, ensuring that taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars. Public education is a $423 billion business. In the majority of districts, school boards have taxing authority. That direct oversight - and responsibility - should not be given to politicians whose first priority is something other than education.
So I hope you agree that local control of the schools belongs with the local community, not in Washington NJ at the county level, or in Trenton at the state level. All that being said, I am hopeful that our children have a productive and energizing 2011, and that all of our "resolutions" for the new year are achieved!
I certainly hope that 2011 is better for us than 2010 was, at least from a budget and economic point of view. This month's post is curtesy of the National School Boards Association, and I thought it appropriate considering some of the Governor's rhetoric about abolishing local school districts and taking control by the state through the county offices of the DOE.
WHY SCHOOL BOARDS?
Are school boards necessary?
Should the present governance structure ofour nation's public schools remain in place?
The answer to both questions is, unequivocally, yes!
No one questions why planning boards, municipal governments, and state legislatures exist. And yet, some people advocate turning over control of school governance to those same bodies, saying we should let someone else take charge of the future of our children's future.
School boards, elected or appointed by their communities (ours are elected of course) represent the community's beliefs and values. Who better than these community representatives to shoulder the responsibility for preparing children to live productive and satisfying lives?
Consider these five reasons that the school board, which represents your community's beliefs and values, should be the decision maker in today's schools:
1. Your school board looks out for children - first and foremost. Education is not a line item in your school board's budget - it is the ONLY item.
2. Your school board is the advocate for your community when decisions are made about your children's education. The school board represents the public's voice in public education, providing citizen governance for what the public schools need and what the community wants.
3. Your school board sets the standard for achievement in your district, incorporating the community's view of what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Your school board also is responsible for working with the superintendent to establish a valid process for measuring student sucess and, when necessary, shifting resources to ensure that the district's goals are achieved.
4. Your school board is accessible to you and accoutable for the performance of the schools in your district. If the schools are not producing, it is your right as a voter to select new board members who will see to it that your students and your schools succeed.
5. Your school board is your community's education watchdog, ensuring that taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars. Public education is a $423 billion business. In the majority of districts, school boards have taxing authority. That direct oversight - and responsibility - should not be given to politicians whose first priority is something other than education.
So I hope you agree that local control of the schools belongs with the local community, not in Washington NJ at the county level, or in Trenton at the state level. All that being said, I am hopeful that our children have a productive and energizing 2011, and that all of our "resolutions" for the new year are achieved!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)