In my prior blogs as Superintendent of Hopatcong Public Schools I emphasized the unusual challenges we face this year as a result of the uncertain economic times. These circumstances cause us to do things as a school board that under normal conditions would not be even thought of. The idea that a massive reduction-in-force is taking place nationwide seems unreal given the potential that 275,000 public school employees may out of work this July 1, 2010 (AASA 5/4/2010). This is unprecedented. The Public Schools of Hopatcong are in a similar position with a serious budget shortfall looming, increased mandated expenses, and other necessary contractual obligations pending.
We anticipated the loss of about twenty-four key positions prior to our budget election. Due to the defeat of the school budget it appears that the governing bodies may reduce the proposed budget even further. Historically and unfortunately, this has been the pattern in Hopatcong. During these difficult budgetary times of increased expenses and state reductions any further cuts will no doubt result in the additional loss of staff members. By extension, the loss of additional teachers will be certain to affect instruction at the classroom level as class sizes rise across grade levels.
According to the American Association of School Administrators (5/4/2010), Projection of National Education Job Cuts for the 2010-2011 School Year, a survey documenting personnel cuts in education found that school systems across the nation are facing serious challenges as a result of the economic downturn. AASA asserts that 82% of school districts reporting will cut or eliminate education jobs by July 1, 2010. The 300,000 jobs saved last year by virtue of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act will likely be reduced by 92%.
According to the Economic Policy Institute every 100,000 education jobs lost translates into roughly 30,000 jobs lost in other sectors due to reduced spending by school districts. Schools have been insulated from the impact of the economic conditions to this date due to the lag in contracts and the variation in their fiscal year - typically from July 1 through June 30. However, when July 1, 2010, rolls around the educational community could find itself short over 300,000 jobs. This will not be a good thing for the American economy nor her schools. Regardless of this fact, over 48 million students will show up for the 2010-2011 school year in all fifty states and we will have to be prepared to teach them.
American schools may be unwillingly entering a new chapter in the long history of public education. The progress that we have made over the past decades may take a back seat as valuable resources shrink or disappear from view. The future remains very uncertain as we attempt to find the means to individualize and customize educational experiences for a wide variety of young people. We must prevail in these uncertain times-our very future depends on it.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Open Letter to NJ Governor Christie
The following letter was penned by a colleage and superintendnet of schools David C. Verducci of Glen Rock, New Jersey. I believe it captures the entire perspective of Governor Christie's attack on public school teachers and administrators in New Jersey. Please read the excerpts below:
“Governor Christie, most people in New Jersey, myself included, agree that the State's financial situation is dire, that the funding process for public schools is broken and needs to be fixed, that pension reform is critical, and that the time to begin addressing these issues is not tomorrow, but now. But where we disagree comes to the fore with regard to how this all came about and how we/should go about fixing it.
What follows, then, are concrete suggestions for remedying this crisis situation without decimating our public schools. These ideas are designed to form the basis of a larger plan to place the state on firmer fiscal ground. Simultaneously, the implementation of the roadmap outlined below is also intended to build up our weakest schools with out driving our very best public school districts -institutions which could serve as models of "how to do it right'-into an inevitable downward spiral.
Make us -ALL of the stakeholders here-a partner in the process. This first item is the most important of all. Please stop talking ill us! Talk to us! We are not the enemy! Make us a partner in the endeavor to fix New Jersey. From the superintendent of schools to the part-time cafeteria worker, the overwhelming majority of us who spend our professional lives in the public schools are hard-working people who want to see children succeed. Building a coalition with the educational community for the betterment of the common good will not happen if you simply continue to dictate the terms of change. We have a lot of good ideas. We can help you accomplish your goals. We also want things to be different, but true systemic change will not take root if the only tools you use are blunt instruments that punish instead of encourage. We are people of intellect who want to be treated as such, not like the victims of a school-yard bully. Governor, I think you will find a very receptive audience among educational professionals and the citizens-at-Iarge if you simply approach the whole situation differently. Leaders don't just demand or dictate. They build consensus through persuasion and reason. Change this dynamic and you have a chance to change things even beyond your own greatest aspirations.
New Jersey's fiscal problems did not occur overnight and should be fixed over a period of time. Consider the case of an individual who doesn't use credit responsibly and gets into financial trouble. Should the person be required to pay back his or her debt at such a rate (i.e., in time and amount) that he or she could no longer afford food &shelter? Doesn't it make much more economic good sense to phase in controls that will get the system onto the right track -and then keep it there-over a period of time? Sustained change needs time. It is not accomplished overnight, or in our case, one or two budget years. As it stands now, all that is happening is that districts, in an effort to avoid the dismemberment of their school districts, are in many cases just shifting the burden. In Glen Rock, we are very sensitive to the financial condition of our residents. Since we won't burden them with a school tax rate any higher than it absolutely must be, my only choice is to make drastic cuts in staff programs. No matter how you slice it, no matter how it is portrayed politically, kids WILL be hurt by what you are doing and how you are doing it. Students know this, and Governor, please give kids a bit more credit. Our students, like those who staged a walk-out recently in Cliffside Park, are not "pawns" of teachers or administrators, no matter how much more palatable it might be to believe. Our kids are Vibrant, intelligent people who think for themselves, see what is really happening, interpret their own experiences, see things clearly, and, il1 short, are seething with anger over the cuts that THEY will be forced to endure.
Stop demonizing public school teachers and administrators! I have been a professional educator for almost thirty years and along the way teachers somehow stopped being thought of as a noble breed. What is fascinating to me is that this transformation over time roughly corresponds to the timeframe of professional educators actually beginning to earn a livable wage. In the early 1970s, my first teaching job paid $5,000 with no benefits! For years teaching salaries were so bad that in 1985 Governor Kean had to sign the Teacher Quality Employment Act into law, guaranteeing teachers a minimum salary of $18,500! At the time, more than 80% of New Jersey's teachers made less than that amoul1t. Benefits and a decent pension were the only inducements available to encourage good teachers to stay in the profession over the long term. Look at tenure for superintendents, abolished in 1992. Despite the warnings of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, this created a system of "free agency," forcing up salaries for a position that requires decades of training and experience in a wide range of fields. The long and short of it is when salaries began to rise to a level approaching something like a "livable wage," and the true cost of a quality educational product became more widely known and understood, things changed. These days, many of those who are now demanding teacher salary cuts conveniently forget that in boon times we were not the ones who received huge cash end-of-the-year bonuses. Further, our teachers and administrators are "giving back." Glen Rock's union contracts already have an employee pay component for health benefits. Tuition reimbursement programs and the like are already tightly regulated. We do not get paid overtime. We do not fly to work in helicopters or chauffeur-driven cars. Teachers and administrators are not in the top one percent of wage earners (and this even includes well-paid superintendents!) who make over $400,0001 While deserving the merit of full and fair consideration, pay freezes are not a panacea. Ultimately, what it will serve to do is to drive the "best and brightest' out of the education field completely. Where will our schools be then? Incidentally, Governor, do you pay for your own health benefits or do benefits for you and your family come as a perk of being a state employee, albeit an elected one? If this is the case, why has no one heard you speak of your own voluntary pay-back? I think everyone would certainly love to see some of your leadership by example.
Amend the proposals to repair the State's Pension System so that the "fixes" are more equitable to everyone concerned. Governor Christie, as teachers and as administrators, we have paid our share of pension costs for all of these years; we simply did not have a choice as it was deducted automatically from our paychecks. It was the State which did not. Not only didn't Trenton pay its share but it raided the pension system for cash and then promptly "took a bath" as the markets tanked and the huge fund of cash -OUR MONEY, PAID FOR BY OUR HARD WORK!-was lost in the markets through highly dubious investments such as the financial instruments known commonly as derivatives. Teachers and administrators were not responsible for this investment fiasco. Neither did we have any say when Trenton unilaterally raised our contributions from 5°1o to S1J2°/0 to make up, in part, for its own shortfall and poor decisions. We don't "double-dip" into the pension system. We never asked for the formula change a few years back which increased pension costs. Most importantly, why are legislators who take advantage of double-dipping (as well as lawmakers who serve on a part-time basis) and in the pension systems grandfathered when public school employees with 25+ years of service are not? What ever happened to what is "good for the goose is good for the gander?" To paraphrase George Orwell (a writer whose work I first explored in a public high school English class, by the way), it seems that when it comes to New Jersey lawmakers, some animals are, in fact "more equal than others." This is fair, how?
Enhance the size of the State's fiscal pie through increased revenues and eliminate the many absurdly wasteful and expensive subsidies that Trenton doles out. For starters, reinstate the "Millionaires Tax" on the top one percent of wage earners. I thought we were in a crisis. Most of us would probably agree that if an individual is in this top 1%, you are probably not in a bad way financially despite how it might personally feel to you. This would solve the 2010-2011 state aid problem in one fell swoop. Second, get rid of subsidies and "tax-incentives'! (read giveaways) to rich business owners who are making or stand to make multi-millions of dollars off the backs of school children. Xanadu. The Prudential Center. Atlantic City Casinos. These three areas alone have cost New Jersey, literally, hundreds upon hundreds of millions.
Dramatically scale back the N.J.A.S.K. I H.S.P.A. standardized testing program and do so immediately. Want to give me, as a superintendent of schools, tools that I could use (and would be happy to do so!) to Significantly reduce the local tax burden? Here is an important example. Specifically, immediately drop four of the seven years of state testing that are now required of all public schools, but particularly for those districts designated as "high achieving" by your own Department of Education. Students who can score an 85% passing rate year-over-year do not need to have instructional time wasted with over-testing. The solution is elegantly simple: return to the former system of testing in grades four, eight, and eleven. It is educationally valid, statistically reliable as a measure of student progress (assuming a sound standardized instrument), and millions upon millions upon millions of dollars cheaper! I assure you, sir, that Pearson Corporation, the State's test publisher, doesn’t need the money anywhere near half as much as we do!
Cut over burdensome unfunded mandates NOW! While the goals of these mandates are, in many cases, laudable, they are expensive to administer and require very substantial amounts of tax-payer dollars, running into the tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars when taken en toto. Just a few examples include bilingual education, "Right to Know" laws, bio-hazard training, radon testing, overboard anti-bullying and anti-violence & vandalism program and reporting requirements, "Pest Management" (i.e., bugs), school security overregulation, standardized testing, and many, many, many more. The elimination of the regulatory requirements of just the programs mentioned have the potential to plug a very large part of our budget deficit.
Reduce the rate of health care increases in the State Health Benefits programs. Reign in Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield's 20%-35% annual increases and your financial worries for New Jersey will be well on their way to being solved forever. How can we possibly be expected to stay within a spending cap of 2.5% in 2011-2012 and not destroy our school systems unless there are cost-containment efforts that are external to the individual school districts.
Place schools in New Jersey on a level playing field. For one, stop subsidizing the per-pupil costs of the students attending the Bergen Academies. The audited per-pupil expenditure is well over $20,000 per student per annum. Who even knows what the true costs are? Most public schools are somewhere in the neighborhood of half that amount. Secondly, stop the approval of charter schools in communities with high-achieving schools; save these approvals for failing school districts that need it. There is absolutely no reason to believe, for example, that a recent Charter School application filed from Bergen County will provide greater educational opportunities than its public counterparts, when the proposed school would almost exclusively from Fair Lawn, Paramus, Glen Rock, and Ridgewood. Schools in communities such as these do nothing, in the end, but siphon off public funds from these local school districts (which we should not forget is paid by the local taxpayer) and simply subsidizes private, and often religiously-based, schools. As I read recently, "Charter schools are, in most cases, for-profit operations that do not always make the right decisions for children based on education standards. They make decisions that affect their bottom line and in so doing the quality of education suffers." Governor, give public schools a fair chance. Either take away the unfunded mandates outlined above and/or require charter schools to operate in the same regulatory environment that we do. Now that would be fair.
Use positive incentives not negative inducements to promote change. This costs so very little -in some cases nothing-and has the potential to profoundly change the system. Go back to our example of the individual who over-used his or her credit cards. Doesn't it make more sense to set up tighter controls (on both future credit and repayments) on the individual instead of everyone? Is it fair for the credit-card issuer to place punitive credit controls on individuals who are responsible and meet their financial obligations? Do the same for public school districts. Provide some regulatory relief to those of us who consistently demonstrate that we play by the rules and get the job done well. For once try rewards instead of punishments. From the standpoint of school districts that are doing well, all we ask is that Trenton and the Department of Education leave us be in order that we can continue to do well. Let us just do our jobs. Concentrate your scarce resources on those places that need it. That would certainly save everyone time, energy, and most of all, money!”
What do you think? Thanks for reading this.
“Governor Christie, most people in New Jersey, myself included, agree that the State's financial situation is dire, that the funding process for public schools is broken and needs to be fixed, that pension reform is critical, and that the time to begin addressing these issues is not tomorrow, but now. But where we disagree comes to the fore with regard to how this all came about and how we/should go about fixing it.
What follows, then, are concrete suggestions for remedying this crisis situation without decimating our public schools. These ideas are designed to form the basis of a larger plan to place the state on firmer fiscal ground. Simultaneously, the implementation of the roadmap outlined below is also intended to build up our weakest schools with out driving our very best public school districts -institutions which could serve as models of "how to do it right'-into an inevitable downward spiral.
Make us -ALL of the stakeholders here-a partner in the process. This first item is the most important of all. Please stop talking ill us! Talk to us! We are not the enemy! Make us a partner in the endeavor to fix New Jersey. From the superintendent of schools to the part-time cafeteria worker, the overwhelming majority of us who spend our professional lives in the public schools are hard-working people who want to see children succeed. Building a coalition with the educational community for the betterment of the common good will not happen if you simply continue to dictate the terms of change. We have a lot of good ideas. We can help you accomplish your goals. We also want things to be different, but true systemic change will not take root if the only tools you use are blunt instruments that punish instead of encourage. We are people of intellect who want to be treated as such, not like the victims of a school-yard bully. Governor, I think you will find a very receptive audience among educational professionals and the citizens-at-Iarge if you simply approach the whole situation differently. Leaders don't just demand or dictate. They build consensus through persuasion and reason. Change this dynamic and you have a chance to change things even beyond your own greatest aspirations.
New Jersey's fiscal problems did not occur overnight and should be fixed over a period of time. Consider the case of an individual who doesn't use credit responsibly and gets into financial trouble. Should the person be required to pay back his or her debt at such a rate (i.e., in time and amount) that he or she could no longer afford food &shelter? Doesn't it make much more economic good sense to phase in controls that will get the system onto the right track -and then keep it there-over a period of time? Sustained change needs time. It is not accomplished overnight, or in our case, one or two budget years. As it stands now, all that is happening is that districts, in an effort to avoid the dismemberment of their school districts, are in many cases just shifting the burden. In Glen Rock, we are very sensitive to the financial condition of our residents. Since we won't burden them with a school tax rate any higher than it absolutely must be, my only choice is to make drastic cuts in staff programs. No matter how you slice it, no matter how it is portrayed politically, kids WILL be hurt by what you are doing and how you are doing it. Students know this, and Governor, please give kids a bit more credit. Our students, like those who staged a walk-out recently in Cliffside Park, are not "pawns" of teachers or administrators, no matter how much more palatable it might be to believe. Our kids are Vibrant, intelligent people who think for themselves, see what is really happening, interpret their own experiences, see things clearly, and, il1 short, are seething with anger over the cuts that THEY will be forced to endure.
Stop demonizing public school teachers and administrators! I have been a professional educator for almost thirty years and along the way teachers somehow stopped being thought of as a noble breed. What is fascinating to me is that this transformation over time roughly corresponds to the timeframe of professional educators actually beginning to earn a livable wage. In the early 1970s, my first teaching job paid $5,000 with no benefits! For years teaching salaries were so bad that in 1985 Governor Kean had to sign the Teacher Quality Employment Act into law, guaranteeing teachers a minimum salary of $18,500! At the time, more than 80% of New Jersey's teachers made less than that amoul1t. Benefits and a decent pension were the only inducements available to encourage good teachers to stay in the profession over the long term. Look at tenure for superintendents, abolished in 1992. Despite the warnings of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, this created a system of "free agency," forcing up salaries for a position that requires decades of training and experience in a wide range of fields. The long and short of it is when salaries began to rise to a level approaching something like a "livable wage," and the true cost of a quality educational product became more widely known and understood, things changed. These days, many of those who are now demanding teacher salary cuts conveniently forget that in boon times we were not the ones who received huge cash end-of-the-year bonuses. Further, our teachers and administrators are "giving back." Glen Rock's union contracts already have an employee pay component for health benefits. Tuition reimbursement programs and the like are already tightly regulated. We do not get paid overtime. We do not fly to work in helicopters or chauffeur-driven cars. Teachers and administrators are not in the top one percent of wage earners (and this even includes well-paid superintendents!) who make over $400,0001 While deserving the merit of full and fair consideration, pay freezes are not a panacea. Ultimately, what it will serve to do is to drive the "best and brightest' out of the education field completely. Where will our schools be then? Incidentally, Governor, do you pay for your own health benefits or do benefits for you and your family come as a perk of being a state employee, albeit an elected one? If this is the case, why has no one heard you speak of your own voluntary pay-back? I think everyone would certainly love to see some of your leadership by example.
Amend the proposals to repair the State's Pension System so that the "fixes" are more equitable to everyone concerned. Governor Christie, as teachers and as administrators, we have paid our share of pension costs for all of these years; we simply did not have a choice as it was deducted automatically from our paychecks. It was the State which did not. Not only didn't Trenton pay its share but it raided the pension system for cash and then promptly "took a bath" as the markets tanked and the huge fund of cash -OUR MONEY, PAID FOR BY OUR HARD WORK!-was lost in the markets through highly dubious investments such as the financial instruments known commonly as derivatives. Teachers and administrators were not responsible for this investment fiasco. Neither did we have any say when Trenton unilaterally raised our contributions from 5°1o to S1J2°/0 to make up, in part, for its own shortfall and poor decisions. We don't "double-dip" into the pension system. We never asked for the formula change a few years back which increased pension costs. Most importantly, why are legislators who take advantage of double-dipping (as well as lawmakers who serve on a part-time basis) and in the pension systems grandfathered when public school employees with 25+ years of service are not? What ever happened to what is "good for the goose is good for the gander?" To paraphrase George Orwell (a writer whose work I first explored in a public high school English class, by the way), it seems that when it comes to New Jersey lawmakers, some animals are, in fact "more equal than others." This is fair, how?
Enhance the size of the State's fiscal pie through increased revenues and eliminate the many absurdly wasteful and expensive subsidies that Trenton doles out. For starters, reinstate the "Millionaires Tax" on the top one percent of wage earners. I thought we were in a crisis. Most of us would probably agree that if an individual is in this top 1%, you are probably not in a bad way financially despite how it might personally feel to you. This would solve the 2010-2011 state aid problem in one fell swoop. Second, get rid of subsidies and "tax-incentives'! (read giveaways) to rich business owners who are making or stand to make multi-millions of dollars off the backs of school children. Xanadu. The Prudential Center. Atlantic City Casinos. These three areas alone have cost New Jersey, literally, hundreds upon hundreds of millions.
Dramatically scale back the N.J.A.S.K. I H.S.P.A. standardized testing program and do so immediately. Want to give me, as a superintendent of schools, tools that I could use (and would be happy to do so!) to Significantly reduce the local tax burden? Here is an important example. Specifically, immediately drop four of the seven years of state testing that are now required of all public schools, but particularly for those districts designated as "high achieving" by your own Department of Education. Students who can score an 85% passing rate year-over-year do not need to have instructional time wasted with over-testing. The solution is elegantly simple: return to the former system of testing in grades four, eight, and eleven. It is educationally valid, statistically reliable as a measure of student progress (assuming a sound standardized instrument), and millions upon millions upon millions of dollars cheaper! I assure you, sir, that Pearson Corporation, the State's test publisher, doesn’t need the money anywhere near half as much as we do!
Cut over burdensome unfunded mandates NOW! While the goals of these mandates are, in many cases, laudable, they are expensive to administer and require very substantial amounts of tax-payer dollars, running into the tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars when taken en toto. Just a few examples include bilingual education, "Right to Know" laws, bio-hazard training, radon testing, overboard anti-bullying and anti-violence & vandalism program and reporting requirements, "Pest Management" (i.e., bugs), school security overregulation, standardized testing, and many, many, many more. The elimination of the regulatory requirements of just the programs mentioned have the potential to plug a very large part of our budget deficit.
Reduce the rate of health care increases in the State Health Benefits programs. Reign in Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield's 20%-35% annual increases and your financial worries for New Jersey will be well on their way to being solved forever. How can we possibly be expected to stay within a spending cap of 2.5% in 2011-2012 and not destroy our school systems unless there are cost-containment efforts that are external to the individual school districts.
Place schools in New Jersey on a level playing field. For one, stop subsidizing the per-pupil costs of the students attending the Bergen Academies. The audited per-pupil expenditure is well over $20,000 per student per annum. Who even knows what the true costs are? Most public schools are somewhere in the neighborhood of half that amount. Secondly, stop the approval of charter schools in communities with high-achieving schools; save these approvals for failing school districts that need it. There is absolutely no reason to believe, for example, that a recent Charter School application filed from Bergen County will provide greater educational opportunities than its public counterparts, when the proposed school would almost exclusively from Fair Lawn, Paramus, Glen Rock, and Ridgewood. Schools in communities such as these do nothing, in the end, but siphon off public funds from these local school districts (which we should not forget is paid by the local taxpayer) and simply subsidizes private, and often religiously-based, schools. As I read recently, "Charter schools are, in most cases, for-profit operations that do not always make the right decisions for children based on education standards. They make decisions that affect their bottom line and in so doing the quality of education suffers." Governor, give public schools a fair chance. Either take away the unfunded mandates outlined above and/or require charter schools to operate in the same regulatory environment that we do. Now that would be fair.
Use positive incentives not negative inducements to promote change. This costs so very little -in some cases nothing-and has the potential to profoundly change the system. Go back to our example of the individual who over-used his or her credit cards. Doesn't it make more sense to set up tighter controls (on both future credit and repayments) on the individual instead of everyone? Is it fair for the credit-card issuer to place punitive credit controls on individuals who are responsible and meet their financial obligations? Do the same for public school districts. Provide some regulatory relief to those of us who consistently demonstrate that we play by the rules and get the job done well. For once try rewards instead of punishments. From the standpoint of school districts that are doing well, all we ask is that Trenton and the Department of Education leave us be in order that we can continue to do well. Let us just do our jobs. Concentrate your scarce resources on those places that need it. That would certainly save everyone time, energy, and most of all, money!”
What do you think? Thanks for reading this.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
New Jersey's Budget Crisis in Public Education
Overview
On March 16, 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie delivered a historic speech demanding serious if not unprecedented budget cuts in response to the lagging economic conditions. There are serious implications for New Jersey public schools as we expect an $820 million reduction in state support for education. In order to help offset budget reductions, the Governor proposed additional legislative changes as follows:
1) A proposal that would require all employees to contribute a percentage of salary to their health benefits;
2) A proposal that would assist districts in contract negotiations by helping to sustain the last best offer;
3) A proposal that would affect pensions for anyone retiring after August 1, by proposing changes to the way pension benefits are calculated, and also by requiring contribution to health benefits for retirees.
Please note that these proposals would require legislative approval and therefore are not certain to be passed (but are likely to be passed in some form or another).
The Governor has also proposed a Constitutional Amendment that would require voter approval that would reduce the current 4% tax levy cap to 2.5%. This reduction would not only affect school districts, but also municipalities and the state budget as well.
Implications for Suburban School Districts
The Governor made no apologies for his stance and was clear about the need to halt the spending in New Jersey. We applaud him for demonstrating fiscal restraint at a difficult period of time, but are very concerned for the disproportionate means utilized to calculate funding cuts to localities that depend upon a significant portion of state aid for operational purposes. Hopatcong ranks 2nd of forty-nine area school districts in the percent of state aid to the district (38% of total budget). Eighty per cent of our school budgets account for salaries and benefits with the balance toward supplies, transportation, energy costs, maintenance, etc. Any reduction in state aid will have a devastating impact on our overall bottom line for 2010-2011.
The problem with the approach that the New Jersey Governor has outlined is that suburban districts like Hopatcong will suffer the lion’s share of budget cuts. Over the past several years the Hopatcong School District exercised serious restraint and cut its administrative team by 1/3 and implemented several other significant cost saving measures.
In the past two years Hopatcong’s budget has only grown by a little more than 1% in 2008 and less than ¼ of 1% in 2009 while expenses have increased by 22%. The gap promises to be much wider this year as our funding tanks into the negative digits (thanks to the state funding cuts). On the other hand, expenses in fuel, electric, textbooks, supplies, maintenance, health insurance, buildings and grounds insurance, liability insurance, paper, ink, pencils, crayons, markers, out of district tuitions, services for special needs children, charter school expenses, and yes, salaries & benefits continue to rise.
The only way to produce a balanced budget when you are operating as lean and mean as possible (as Hopatcong is) is to reduce expenses. The only expenses that can be controlled will result from the dismissal of employees. We have no ability to increase the revenue stream. So if Governor Christie and the New Jersey State Legislature impose a 2.5% tax cap on localities, every school district in the state that depends on state aid will begin a process of lay off employees to balance budgets. (Remember the effect of Proposition 13 on California’s public schools?)
We are not empowered to reduce the number of days we operate, we cannot suspend the thousands of state mandates imposed on us, we cannot decide not to teach anyone, we cannot reduce services to our student population of special needs for example.
The Governor and Legislature assumes that there is excess in school budgets and thus we can afford to cut 5%, 10%, 15% or even 20% of our budgets. But this is where they are absolutely wrong. Every penny Governor Christy is determined to extract from our state aid budget will find its way to the classroom. This means that our teachers will have classes much larger in future years, they will have less resources with which to practice their craft, they will be accountable for more results, and will have to work with less technology. But the same number of students will enter our classrooms with the same needs as they always have. So, how can we produce the same results with less funding, less resources, or with less teachers?
If we cut our budget input and in balance were able to cut our product output this would make sense. But the Governor wants to cut input (revenue) and expects the same output (results: number of students taught, number of days worked, exceptional state test scores, etc.) without regard to consequence.
Let’s use a business model: If one cannot produce a balanced equation (input vs. output) and revenues do not match expenditures the only logical choice is bankruptcy. That is the cumulative effect of the current state reductions and may be where public education is heading.
I agree that the State of New Jersey must restrain spending but object to the “quick fix” that will certainly take its toll on the children of public education. A much more mature approach will be to reduce expenses incrementally over time and not place our most valuable resource at risk: our children.
The Hopatcong School Board will continue its analytical and thoughtful options as more budget information is revealed. Our business team is doing an excellent job of complying with all state regulations and mandates and produces accurate and accountable public records that are recognized by our auditors as exceptional. We will produce a balanced ledger as we finish out the 2009-2010 school year, as we have done every year for the past several decades. Unfortunately, the state has not been as fiscally responsible as school districts have over the years. The State of New Jersey is about to change the face of public education in forever.
One last thought for Governor Christy and the State Legislature: The teachers are not the enemy- you are. Our teachers are hard working individuals who have pursued multiple college degrees and thousands of hours of professional development in order to work in an honorable profession of service to our community and to America. They deserve to be compensated adequately, to have health benefits, to look forward to retirement, and to raise families. For years the teachers of this country were underpaid and expected to produce exceptional results when the whole of society was failing American children.
The American teaching force endured and persevered many decades as undervalued and underappreciated professionals in our society. They negotiated their status into a highly respectful professional and competitive one over the years. I respect all of them for their achievements in American education.
No other society on earth can educate the diverse population that exists in these United States in public schools. We are a heterogeneous mix of the world’s population and the diversity of individualism is the greatest challenge in America’s classrooms. When critics of American education make international comparisons they would be wise to remember this.
American education has been the envy of the world and over the course of the last hundred years our country has led the world into the 21st century. When foreign dignitaries visit American schools they wonder and marvel at the level of differentiation that exists and variations in our learners. Our teachers have excelled at leveling the playing field for children from all walks of life in our public schools.
When state or local officials publically discredit our teachers for the excellent work that they do and then decide to summarily dismantle public education they need to be aware of the damage that they will do-now and in the future.
On March 16, 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie delivered a historic speech demanding serious if not unprecedented budget cuts in response to the lagging economic conditions. There are serious implications for New Jersey public schools as we expect an $820 million reduction in state support for education. In order to help offset budget reductions, the Governor proposed additional legislative changes as follows:
1) A proposal that would require all employees to contribute a percentage of salary to their health benefits;
2) A proposal that would assist districts in contract negotiations by helping to sustain the last best offer;
3) A proposal that would affect pensions for anyone retiring after August 1, by proposing changes to the way pension benefits are calculated, and also by requiring contribution to health benefits for retirees.
Please note that these proposals would require legislative approval and therefore are not certain to be passed (but are likely to be passed in some form or another).
The Governor has also proposed a Constitutional Amendment that would require voter approval that would reduce the current 4% tax levy cap to 2.5%. This reduction would not only affect school districts, but also municipalities and the state budget as well.
Implications for Suburban School Districts
The Governor made no apologies for his stance and was clear about the need to halt the spending in New Jersey. We applaud him for demonstrating fiscal restraint at a difficult period of time, but are very concerned for the disproportionate means utilized to calculate funding cuts to localities that depend upon a significant portion of state aid for operational purposes. Hopatcong ranks 2nd of forty-nine area school districts in the percent of state aid to the district (38% of total budget). Eighty per cent of our school budgets account for salaries and benefits with the balance toward supplies, transportation, energy costs, maintenance, etc. Any reduction in state aid will have a devastating impact on our overall bottom line for 2010-2011.
The problem with the approach that the New Jersey Governor has outlined is that suburban districts like Hopatcong will suffer the lion’s share of budget cuts. Over the past several years the Hopatcong School District exercised serious restraint and cut its administrative team by 1/3 and implemented several other significant cost saving measures.
In the past two years Hopatcong’s budget has only grown by a little more than 1% in 2008 and less than ¼ of 1% in 2009 while expenses have increased by 22%. The gap promises to be much wider this year as our funding tanks into the negative digits (thanks to the state funding cuts). On the other hand, expenses in fuel, electric, textbooks, supplies, maintenance, health insurance, buildings and grounds insurance, liability insurance, paper, ink, pencils, crayons, markers, out of district tuitions, services for special needs children, charter school expenses, and yes, salaries & benefits continue to rise.
The only way to produce a balanced budget when you are operating as lean and mean as possible (as Hopatcong is) is to reduce expenses. The only expenses that can be controlled will result from the dismissal of employees. We have no ability to increase the revenue stream. So if Governor Christie and the New Jersey State Legislature impose a 2.5% tax cap on localities, every school district in the state that depends on state aid will begin a process of lay off employees to balance budgets. (Remember the effect of Proposition 13 on California’s public schools?)
We are not empowered to reduce the number of days we operate, we cannot suspend the thousands of state mandates imposed on us, we cannot decide not to teach anyone, we cannot reduce services to our student population of special needs for example.
The Governor and Legislature assumes that there is excess in school budgets and thus we can afford to cut 5%, 10%, 15% or even 20% of our budgets. But this is where they are absolutely wrong. Every penny Governor Christy is determined to extract from our state aid budget will find its way to the classroom. This means that our teachers will have classes much larger in future years, they will have less resources with which to practice their craft, they will be accountable for more results, and will have to work with less technology. But the same number of students will enter our classrooms with the same needs as they always have. So, how can we produce the same results with less funding, less resources, or with less teachers?
If we cut our budget input and in balance were able to cut our product output this would make sense. But the Governor wants to cut input (revenue) and expects the same output (results: number of students taught, number of days worked, exceptional state test scores, etc.) without regard to consequence.
Let’s use a business model: If one cannot produce a balanced equation (input vs. output) and revenues do not match expenditures the only logical choice is bankruptcy. That is the cumulative effect of the current state reductions and may be where public education is heading.
I agree that the State of New Jersey must restrain spending but object to the “quick fix” that will certainly take its toll on the children of public education. A much more mature approach will be to reduce expenses incrementally over time and not place our most valuable resource at risk: our children.
The Hopatcong School Board will continue its analytical and thoughtful options as more budget information is revealed. Our business team is doing an excellent job of complying with all state regulations and mandates and produces accurate and accountable public records that are recognized by our auditors as exceptional. We will produce a balanced ledger as we finish out the 2009-2010 school year, as we have done every year for the past several decades. Unfortunately, the state has not been as fiscally responsible as school districts have over the years. The State of New Jersey is about to change the face of public education in forever.
One last thought for Governor Christy and the State Legislature: The teachers are not the enemy- you are. Our teachers are hard working individuals who have pursued multiple college degrees and thousands of hours of professional development in order to work in an honorable profession of service to our community and to America. They deserve to be compensated adequately, to have health benefits, to look forward to retirement, and to raise families. For years the teachers of this country were underpaid and expected to produce exceptional results when the whole of society was failing American children.
The American teaching force endured and persevered many decades as undervalued and underappreciated professionals in our society. They negotiated their status into a highly respectful professional and competitive one over the years. I respect all of them for their achievements in American education.
No other society on earth can educate the diverse population that exists in these United States in public schools. We are a heterogeneous mix of the world’s population and the diversity of individualism is the greatest challenge in America’s classrooms. When critics of American education make international comparisons they would be wise to remember this.
American education has been the envy of the world and over the course of the last hundred years our country has led the world into the 21st century. When foreign dignitaries visit American schools they wonder and marvel at the level of differentiation that exists and variations in our learners. Our teachers have excelled at leveling the playing field for children from all walks of life in our public schools.
When state or local officials publically discredit our teachers for the excellent work that they do and then decide to summarily dismantle public education they need to be aware of the damage that they will do-now and in the future.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Reflections on Arne Duncan and Malcolm Gladstone at AASA
From a blogger’s perspective the overall scope and depth of this year’s AASA conference is incredibly professional and enlightening. There are so many sessions that appeal to all of us who are engaged as educational leaders it is hard to choose which to attend! The Thought Leader sessions are very popular and well attended as are the concurrent sessions offering insight into many different and specialized areas of educational leadership. I attended the two keynote addresses (yesterday and today) and will comment on both.
To say that Malcolm Gladwell was very well received is an understatement. Malcolm ignited the superintendents yesterday with his insight about Capitalization in a presentation he labeled “Outliers”. Gladwell defines the Capitalization Rate as the “Ratio of which people in a group achieve what they are capable of doing” and encouraged us to maximize the potential and power of education to reach children. Most importantly, Malcolm pointed out that “What happens outside the four walls of the classroom really matters” and with that as a springboard moved the discussion to a broader arena.
Malcolm suggests that we begin to “change the conversation” about education and described the obvious constraints standing in our way as: 1) Poverty; 2) Stupidity; and 3) Attitudes. Malcolm emphasized the role of teacher quality, perseverance, time, bias, and societal expectations throughout his presentation. Finally, he advocates that we “speak out” and begin to articulate the obvious self-imposed limits that we appear to accept as the norm in favor of innovation and change. (I am certain you will read elsewhere on the conference website a more detailed account of Malcolm’s remarks.)
Today we heard from US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who gave an overview of what the present administration in Washington needs to do to move the nation’s educational agenda forward. He emphasized that the upcoming year will be a “brutal year” for superintendents as difficult if not impossible personnel and programmatic decisions will need to be made. The shrinking state budgets will challenge superintendents to rethink their priorities and perhaps will shape a new future for education. Arne suggested that we “Never let a serious crisis go to waste…” and that the time may be right for a serious introspective view of how we do business. He pointed out that distance learning, data solutions, better teacher training and recruitment, a better return on investment, and enhanced college and career readiness be in the forefront of our thinking. Duncan outlined the Four C’s: Courage, Collaboration, Capacity, and Commitment, as the foundation of forward thinking about the jobs we are charged to do in public education.
According to Duncan, ARRA funded over 300,000 educational jobs that would have been lost to the economy last year. However, he cautioned that the “funding cliff” created by AARA will be imminent in the upcoming year and with that outlined the Obama administration’s new priorities for the reauthorization of ESEA. What was refreshing to this blogger was Duncan’s proclamation that the USDOE would cease to be a “Compliance Machine” and should become “An Engine of Innovation”. This would be a very welcome change and could be an overall game changer! But as my dad always proclaimed, “Action speaks louder than words,” so we shall see…
Six core areas were mentioned by Secretary Arne Duncan: College and Career Readiness, Well Rounded Students, Student Supports, Diverse Learners, Teachers and Learners Programs, and Innovative Programs. He willingly acknowledged the obvious shortcomings of ESEA in the present form and pledged to bring growth models into the picture along with higher expectations. Duncan advocated for “Local flexibility,” something that is missing in NCLB and vowed to strike a balance between punitive measures and support for what works in public schools. Absent from the conversation today was any mention of the Charter Schools push by this administration and rather focused on the support mechanisms that the federal government needs to put into action rather than political prescriptions for America’s public schools.
Footnote: With an impending Tsunami of massive budget cuts rushing to the shores of American Public Schools it is difficult for this blogger to envision the implementation of the necessary changes outlined in both Secretary Duncan’s speech and Malcolm Gladwell’s vision of the future. If a crisis does represent an opportunity, we will have to endure the shock waves and deconstruction of public education in its present form prior to the rebuilding and reconceptualization that will be necessary for us. Many of us (superintendents) are hoping for our schools merely to survive in the next few years as the multi-layered variables that shape education are challenged and altered by forces far beyond our control. The good news is that superintendents are strong and resilient people, and the support of AASA and our new place at the table in the reshaping of federal priorities for education might just help us all turn the corner.
To say that Malcolm Gladwell was very well received is an understatement. Malcolm ignited the superintendents yesterday with his insight about Capitalization in a presentation he labeled “Outliers”. Gladwell defines the Capitalization Rate as the “Ratio of which people in a group achieve what they are capable of doing” and encouraged us to maximize the potential and power of education to reach children. Most importantly, Malcolm pointed out that “What happens outside the four walls of the classroom really matters” and with that as a springboard moved the discussion to a broader arena.
Malcolm suggests that we begin to “change the conversation” about education and described the obvious constraints standing in our way as: 1) Poverty; 2) Stupidity; and 3) Attitudes. Malcolm emphasized the role of teacher quality, perseverance, time, bias, and societal expectations throughout his presentation. Finally, he advocates that we “speak out” and begin to articulate the obvious self-imposed limits that we appear to accept as the norm in favor of innovation and change. (I am certain you will read elsewhere on the conference website a more detailed account of Malcolm’s remarks.)
Today we heard from US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who gave an overview of what the present administration in Washington needs to do to move the nation’s educational agenda forward. He emphasized that the upcoming year will be a “brutal year” for superintendents as difficult if not impossible personnel and programmatic decisions will need to be made. The shrinking state budgets will challenge superintendents to rethink their priorities and perhaps will shape a new future for education. Arne suggested that we “Never let a serious crisis go to waste…” and that the time may be right for a serious introspective view of how we do business. He pointed out that distance learning, data solutions, better teacher training and recruitment, a better return on investment, and enhanced college and career readiness be in the forefront of our thinking. Duncan outlined the Four C’s: Courage, Collaboration, Capacity, and Commitment, as the foundation of forward thinking about the jobs we are charged to do in public education.
According to Duncan, ARRA funded over 300,000 educational jobs that would have been lost to the economy last year. However, he cautioned that the “funding cliff” created by AARA will be imminent in the upcoming year and with that outlined the Obama administration’s new priorities for the reauthorization of ESEA. What was refreshing to this blogger was Duncan’s proclamation that the USDOE would cease to be a “Compliance Machine” and should become “An Engine of Innovation”. This would be a very welcome change and could be an overall game changer! But as my dad always proclaimed, “Action speaks louder than words,” so we shall see…
Six core areas were mentioned by Secretary Arne Duncan: College and Career Readiness, Well Rounded Students, Student Supports, Diverse Learners, Teachers and Learners Programs, and Innovative Programs. He willingly acknowledged the obvious shortcomings of ESEA in the present form and pledged to bring growth models into the picture along with higher expectations. Duncan advocated for “Local flexibility,” something that is missing in NCLB and vowed to strike a balance between punitive measures and support for what works in public schools. Absent from the conversation today was any mention of the Charter Schools push by this administration and rather focused on the support mechanisms that the federal government needs to put into action rather than political prescriptions for America’s public schools.
Footnote: With an impending Tsunami of massive budget cuts rushing to the shores of American Public Schools it is difficult for this blogger to envision the implementation of the necessary changes outlined in both Secretary Duncan’s speech and Malcolm Gladwell’s vision of the future. If a crisis does represent an opportunity, we will have to endure the shock waves and deconstruction of public education in its present form prior to the rebuilding and reconceptualization that will be necessary for us. Many of us (superintendents) are hoping for our schools merely to survive in the next few years as the multi-layered variables that shape education are challenged and altered by forces far beyond our control. The good news is that superintendents are strong and resilient people, and the support of AASA and our new place at the table in the reshaping of federal priorities for education might just help us all turn the corner.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Promise of Emerging Technologies
I am trying something new today. The hyperlink below should get us to YouTube and an item called the ISchool Initiative. Try to cut and paste the link below to your browser and access the site. Then watch the short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU
Now that you viewed the clip, what do you think?
The reason for sharing this with all of you is obvious(as per the video). As an educational institution, public schools in America are changing ever so slowly in order to adopt to the emerging new technologies driving today's society. Too slowly, perhaps. With state budgets shrinking dramatically public schools are pressed to extract additional savings from existing budgets. With technology accelerating the rate of information that our youth will need to absorb and learn schools face a huge dilemma. How can we meet the new demands of a global learning community with ever-shrinking resources?
The solution: There appears to be untapped potential when we explore the proliferation of cell phones and handheld devices regarding access to the internet and computing capacity of such devices for educational purposes.
The video was very clear on the power of eductional applications embedded in these handheld "computing devices". Let's face it, cell phones have evolved into very powerful devices that rival laptops and netbooks in their ability to run multiple platforms and operating systems such as Windows. The audio and video, texting, interactive applications and internet capacity of today's cell phones make them attractive alternatives to traditional school pc's and laptops. Cell phones are far more powerful than the last generation of cell phones and light years away from the original ones released in the mid 1990's.
Cell phones may just be viable alternatives and true computer options for schools. The facts bear out the notion that mobile technologies demonstrate enormous untapped educational potential for schools and for teaching today's generation of youth brought up on these technologies. The development of modern applications have allowed more hands on engagement replacing what was traditionally accomplished with pen and pencil with animation and color, audio and video, in more depth and complexity than ever before. If school teachers and educational professionals are able to capitalize on the quantity and quality of applications that have made it into the learning environment then the students of today's schools may experience interactive education that is much more relevant to their learning styles.
There perhaps is no device more prevalent that plays a more active role in the lives of youth than cell phones. When we develop the capability and capacity to utilize mobile solutions, students will be able to download assignments, research related documents, explore teacher-created podcasts and galleries, contribute to an expansive knowledge base, retreive feedback and evaluative (formative) data from teachers, and collaborate in a real-time learning environment 24/7. Now we just need to get America's teachers to do the same.
This is in my opinion the new curve and cutting edge of teaching and learning for the 21st century and our schools must explore the revolution that emerging technologies are creating for young learners. If we fail to embrace cost effective and efficient ways to deliver enhanced curriculum and participative educational engagement to our youth then we may just fail ourselves in this new technological century of global possibilities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU
Now that you viewed the clip, what do you think?
The reason for sharing this with all of you is obvious(as per the video). As an educational institution, public schools in America are changing ever so slowly in order to adopt to the emerging new technologies driving today's society. Too slowly, perhaps. With state budgets shrinking dramatically public schools are pressed to extract additional savings from existing budgets. With technology accelerating the rate of information that our youth will need to absorb and learn schools face a huge dilemma. How can we meet the new demands of a global learning community with ever-shrinking resources?
The solution: There appears to be untapped potential when we explore the proliferation of cell phones and handheld devices regarding access to the internet and computing capacity of such devices for educational purposes.
The video was very clear on the power of eductional applications embedded in these handheld "computing devices". Let's face it, cell phones have evolved into very powerful devices that rival laptops and netbooks in their ability to run multiple platforms and operating systems such as Windows. The audio and video, texting, interactive applications and internet capacity of today's cell phones make them attractive alternatives to traditional school pc's and laptops. Cell phones are far more powerful than the last generation of cell phones and light years away from the original ones released in the mid 1990's.
Cell phones may just be viable alternatives and true computer options for schools. The facts bear out the notion that mobile technologies demonstrate enormous untapped educational potential for schools and for teaching today's generation of youth brought up on these technologies. The development of modern applications have allowed more hands on engagement replacing what was traditionally accomplished with pen and pencil with animation and color, audio and video, in more depth and complexity than ever before. If school teachers and educational professionals are able to capitalize on the quantity and quality of applications that have made it into the learning environment then the students of today's schools may experience interactive education that is much more relevant to their learning styles.
There perhaps is no device more prevalent that plays a more active role in the lives of youth than cell phones. When we develop the capability and capacity to utilize mobile solutions, students will be able to download assignments, research related documents, explore teacher-created podcasts and galleries, contribute to an expansive knowledge base, retreive feedback and evaluative (formative) data from teachers, and collaborate in a real-time learning environment 24/7. Now we just need to get America's teachers to do the same.
This is in my opinion the new curve and cutting edge of teaching and learning for the 21st century and our schools must explore the revolution that emerging technologies are creating for young learners. If we fail to embrace cost effective and efficient ways to deliver enhanced curriculum and participative educational engagement to our youth then we may just fail ourselves in this new technological century of global possibilities.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Reflections on the Challenges Ahead for Our Public Schools
The state of New Jersey and all of the associated municipalities are experiencing unprecedented budget reductions due to declining revenue streams. There is a relatively uncertain picture of how these budget shortfalls will affect school districts in the second half of the 2009-2010 school year. In fact, rumors are circulating that the state may not fully fund the financial obligations it committed to the current school budget-this is not good news. This uncertainty causes us to take action at this time to curtail spending at each of our schools, in the district, and at the operational level as well. As superintendent, I accept the responsibility to lead our small district through a period of uncertainty and instability due primarily to the financial squeeze all of us are facing these days.
Due to severe budgetary constraints and depleting funding sources we are curtailing spending wherever possible. All of our cost centers at each of our schools have been instructed to hold back on purchases and to exercise extreme restraint at this time. Most travel and staff development activities outside of the district have been reduced. Certain travel relating to grants or awards will be carefully reviewed and considered at the discretion of the administration in future months. We are doing everything possible to do as much as possible with less spending.
One area we cannot cut back on is to supply heat, electricity, water, and the necessary services to maintain clean and safe school buildings. We have an aggressive energy management plan that allows us to maximize energy efficiency at each of our aging buildings and permits us to set back the heat after school hours and at night. We also purchase our fuel oil on bid and lock in preferred pricing for several months. These measures have allowed us to stretch our dollars considerably this winter. Of course, we are in a reactive position when it comes to snow plowing and ice removal and will continue to do whatever it takes to keep ahead of the harsh weather that has come our way.
These difficult economic times will test our ability to continuously deliver a high level of educational services to our children and community. We ask that all of our parents and school personnel consider and understand the scope and magnitude of the challenges we face as we move into the next school year. It is our desire to work with all stakeholders in the community to preserve quality educational programs including student activities, arts and athletics for all of our district students.
Our staff continues to do an outstanding job of instruction in order to meet the needs of the children we serve and I am extremely proud of them. Your children are receiving the attention they deserve from our teachers during these challenging economic times and our public schools are one place that children can depend upon for stability and consistency in their young lives.
As we learn more from the state and federal government about the status of public school funding we will attempt to keep the lines of communication open in order for you to be informed. Thank you for your understanding to the above.
Due to severe budgetary constraints and depleting funding sources we are curtailing spending wherever possible. All of our cost centers at each of our schools have been instructed to hold back on purchases and to exercise extreme restraint at this time. Most travel and staff development activities outside of the district have been reduced. Certain travel relating to grants or awards will be carefully reviewed and considered at the discretion of the administration in future months. We are doing everything possible to do as much as possible with less spending.
One area we cannot cut back on is to supply heat, electricity, water, and the necessary services to maintain clean and safe school buildings. We have an aggressive energy management plan that allows us to maximize energy efficiency at each of our aging buildings and permits us to set back the heat after school hours and at night. We also purchase our fuel oil on bid and lock in preferred pricing for several months. These measures have allowed us to stretch our dollars considerably this winter. Of course, we are in a reactive position when it comes to snow plowing and ice removal and will continue to do whatever it takes to keep ahead of the harsh weather that has come our way.
These difficult economic times will test our ability to continuously deliver a high level of educational services to our children and community. We ask that all of our parents and school personnel consider and understand the scope and magnitude of the challenges we face as we move into the next school year. It is our desire to work with all stakeholders in the community to preserve quality educational programs including student activities, arts and athletics for all of our district students.
Our staff continues to do an outstanding job of instruction in order to meet the needs of the children we serve and I am extremely proud of them. Your children are receiving the attention they deserve from our teachers during these challenging economic times and our public schools are one place that children can depend upon for stability and consistency in their young lives.
As we learn more from the state and federal government about the status of public school funding we will attempt to keep the lines of communication open in order for you to be informed. Thank you for your understanding to the above.
Monday, December 14, 2009
High Quality of Public Education in New Jersey
The residents of the great state of New Jersey have invested in a high quality public school structure for the youth of this state. Each locality maintains local control over the system of local public schools under a larger umbrella of state oversight. The collaboration of both state and local educational officials in defining learning expectations for all students has resulted in some very good news for pubic schools in New Jersey. By extension, all children enrolled in Hopatcong Public Schools benefit from the very high expectations and teacher preparation that serve as the foundation of our public schools. In turn, the schools in Hopatcong Borough are very proud of the contribution we make to the overall success for students in our state.
Here are some of the things that residents have an investment in and have reason to be proud:
• Writing scores are the best in the nation (National Center for Education Statistics)
• Math scores are among the nation’s best (NCES)
• Reading scores are in the top of the nation (NCES)
• Public school students outperform private schools in AP testing (College Board)
• High school graduation rate ranks number one nationally (Education Week)
• Students are near the top for college preparation (National Center for Public Policy)
• New Jersey is among the “Smartest States” based on the quality of public schools (Education State Rankings 2007-2008)
• Leading the nation in the number of children attending preschool (Education Week)
• Leads the nation in reducing the achievement gap (NCES)
With over 2,500 schools in the state and close to 600 school districts the efforts of our teachers and administrative leaders clearly has a high payback. Over 1.3 million children attend our schools each day for 180 days. The investment that New Jersey makes each year to support public education is indicative of the effort needed to sustain and continue providing a strong foundation for the children and youth who live here.
As superintendent of Hopatcong Public School and member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), I oversee the education of about 2,200 of New Jersey’s young people from pre-K through high school. The success of our schools is due largely to the commitment of local citizens and authorities. We have dedicated and committed teachers and educators who are highly motivated to provide quality instruction for all children. Hopatcong continues to set high goals and expectations for our schools and we are constantly receiving positive feedback on our efforts.
I received a call from the NJEA Classroom Close-Up project informing us that a television crew would be visiting Tulsa Trail Elementary School on January 27, 2010 to film a segment in one of our award-winning classrooms. Danielle Kovach, our $10,000 classroom makeover winner and her class will be the focus of this effort. Principal Jeff Nesnay expressed pride and commented on how well deserved this recognition is for the school and community.
Not all recognition is this highly visible. Principal Tracey Hensz of the Hudson-Maxim Elementary School forwarded a letter she received from a happy parent. She attended a musical event at the school and said the following: “I would like to take a moment to express how wonderful this event was. I thought all of the children did such a lovely job with learning all of the songs and delivering them to us the audience loud and proud. I would also like to say how impressive it was to see how well all of the faculty interact with the children.”
There are countless examples of the positive connections our schools make with the community of Hopatcong. Two weeks ago my wife and I attended the high school drama club production of “The Three Muskateers” and were thrilled with the quality of the overall performances. The students of our schools are under the mentorship of excellent adult role-models and master teachers in all disciplines.
Our students are fortunate to attend school in a place where education is highly regarded and the achievement bar is set so high. The four “A’s” of education are each valued and attended to in Hopatcong: Academics, Arts, Activities, and Athletics, and our young clients-the future citizens of an expanding global society-are the beneficiaries of this enormous effort to bring world-class educational experiences to our children. The AASA and NJASA support our efforts to teach the “Whole Child” not only the cognitive skills needed but the rich experiences all youth need to thrive in a democratic society. These accomplishments in New Jersey and nationwide serve as a source of pride and prove that a continued investment of funding and energy for public education has a real and measurable payoff.
Here are some of the things that residents have an investment in and have reason to be proud:
• Writing scores are the best in the nation (National Center for Education Statistics)
• Math scores are among the nation’s best (NCES)
• Reading scores are in the top of the nation (NCES)
• Public school students outperform private schools in AP testing (College Board)
• High school graduation rate ranks number one nationally (Education Week)
• Students are near the top for college preparation (National Center for Public Policy)
• New Jersey is among the “Smartest States” based on the quality of public schools (Education State Rankings 2007-2008)
• Leading the nation in the number of children attending preschool (Education Week)
• Leads the nation in reducing the achievement gap (NCES)
With over 2,500 schools in the state and close to 600 school districts the efforts of our teachers and administrative leaders clearly has a high payback. Over 1.3 million children attend our schools each day for 180 days. The investment that New Jersey makes each year to support public education is indicative of the effort needed to sustain and continue providing a strong foundation for the children and youth who live here.
As superintendent of Hopatcong Public School and member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), I oversee the education of about 2,200 of New Jersey’s young people from pre-K through high school. The success of our schools is due largely to the commitment of local citizens and authorities. We have dedicated and committed teachers and educators who are highly motivated to provide quality instruction for all children. Hopatcong continues to set high goals and expectations for our schools and we are constantly receiving positive feedback on our efforts.
I received a call from the NJEA Classroom Close-Up project informing us that a television crew would be visiting Tulsa Trail Elementary School on January 27, 2010 to film a segment in one of our award-winning classrooms. Danielle Kovach, our $10,000 classroom makeover winner and her class will be the focus of this effort. Principal Jeff Nesnay expressed pride and commented on how well deserved this recognition is for the school and community.
Not all recognition is this highly visible. Principal Tracey Hensz of the Hudson-Maxim Elementary School forwarded a letter she received from a happy parent. She attended a musical event at the school and said the following: “I would like to take a moment to express how wonderful this event was. I thought all of the children did such a lovely job with learning all of the songs and delivering them to us the audience loud and proud. I would also like to say how impressive it was to see how well all of the faculty interact with the children.”
There are countless examples of the positive connections our schools make with the community of Hopatcong. Two weeks ago my wife and I attended the high school drama club production of “The Three Muskateers” and were thrilled with the quality of the overall performances. The students of our schools are under the mentorship of excellent adult role-models and master teachers in all disciplines.
Our students are fortunate to attend school in a place where education is highly regarded and the achievement bar is set so high. The four “A’s” of education are each valued and attended to in Hopatcong: Academics, Arts, Activities, and Athletics, and our young clients-the future citizens of an expanding global society-are the beneficiaries of this enormous effort to bring world-class educational experiences to our children. The AASA and NJASA support our efforts to teach the “Whole Child” not only the cognitive skills needed but the rich experiences all youth need to thrive in a democratic society. These accomplishments in New Jersey and nationwide serve as a source of pride and prove that a continued investment of funding and energy for public education has a real and measurable payoff.
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