Clinton Township Newsletter

1 6 j u n e 2 0 1 9 w w w . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . c o m C L I N T O N T O W N S H I P S C H O O L N E W S www.ctsdnj.org I N O U R S C H O O L S : Patrick McGaheran School As the weather warms up, our students are enjoying spending more time outside! Whether it be playing outside after school at home or on the playground during the day, outdoor time is especially appreciated after a long, cold winter. Students especially enjoy the opportunity to attend field trips to enhance our in-school studies. Second graders look forward to going to Merrill Creek to study the life cycle of a meadow and the interdependence of the meadow with all the wildlife and plants that inhabit the meadow, all while having outdoor fun! We also celebrate the arts at PMG! At the end of May, Arts Fest was a fun-filled evening celebrating THE ARTS! Families were able to browse the student-selected artworks in the hallways, experience live poetry readings and sculpture in the library and participate in art, music and enrichment hands-on activities! Families even had the chance to visit the special gallery in the All Purpose Room, where one could admire a piece of art from each student, framed and looking oh-so-professional! How impressive to see our students' artwork on display in a gallery format! Round Valley School 5th Grade Students Working on Courtyard Space: Mrs. Rivers, a 5th Grade Teacher, has often been asked about the courtyard space at RVS. She and her students have been thinking about ways to make the great outdoor space more usable for students. This year the answer presented itself to Mrs. Rivers as she attended a Project Based Learning workshop. Project Based Learning (PBL) enables students to work on a project over an extended period of time, while solving a real-world problem; in this case, what to do with the courtyard space. A L e t t e r f r o m Michele Cone, Superintendent of Schools This is budget time for schools across the state. As you know, we have had a glimpse of what is going to happen in Trenton, which affects all of us in education, since the Governor gave his budget message in February. I think all of us here understand the circumstances that we are confronting. I recently went to a superintendents' conference in Trenton and everyone there was discussing what they are going to have to do to meet this coming year's budget projection. It is clear to everyone that we are not going to get the money we need from the state to cover our budget estimations for next year. Let me be very clear about our priorities as we go through this process. This Board has always put the students and their needs at the forefront of everything that we do. Each year at about this time, we are required by state law to review and evaluate the Teaching Assistants based on student need and then we hire Teaching Assistants accordingly for the coming academic year. We are required by state law to inform all staff, including the Teaching Assistants, by May 15 that this assessment is in the process and that we will make decisions about hiring after this assessment is completed. Keep in mind that the state has essentially said to us that Clinton Township does not have the student population that it did 10 years ago, so they are cutting our aid. Now it is up to us to figure out how to deal with those cuts while maintaining the quality of education that we cherish here in this district. Dear Clinton Township Community Members: Due to the following factors – decreasing pupil enrollment, current and expected future reductions in state aid, and uncertainty regarding the district's staffing needs for Teacher Assistants – we are evaluating the teachers' assistant program for the 2019-2020 school year. That doesn't mean that we will not have teaching assistants. If there are certain student needs that require a teaching assistant, we will put out a notice and match the qualifications of the Teaching Assistants with the needs of the students. Currently, the Administration anticipates posting for open Teacher Assistant positions sometime in June 2019 and current Teaching Assistants are encouraged to apply to the District for employment at that time. I discussed this with the leadership of the Clinton Township Education Association on Tuesday, May 7 so that they were informed of what we were considering. Between the reorganization that we went through over the summer last year, and what we are doing this year with the Teaching Assistant program, we will maintain the tenured faculty that we now have and will comply with IEP driven recommendations regarding Teaching Assistants. Now it's up to us to deal with the cuts and continue to provide the quality education the district is committed to while matching student needs with qualifications of individual Teaching Assistants. We also feel that we will maintain the high standards of education that are the hallmark of this school system. Thank you, Dr. Michele Cone, Superintendent of Schools At the April 29, 2019 Clinton Township Board of Education meeting, the 2019 - 2020 budget was passed with a unanimous 8 - 0 vote by the members of the Board of Education. The budget minimizes the impact for tax payers of Clinton Township with a flat budget for the 2019 - 2020 school year. This budget: • Maintains academic offerings and extra-curricular activities • Makes improvements in transportation time • Makes improvements upon instruction through professional development • Increases staff salary and benefits built into budget • Addresses safety and security needs • Responsibly maintains and modernizes district buildings and grounds Staffing is adjusted due to declining enrollment, retirements and elimination of positions no longer needed. The district continues to adjust excesses through right-sizing staff based on declining enrollment and student needs. Beginning last year with the savings achieved through the reorganization of the district, the district continues to find ways to save money as well as bring revenue into the district to control expenses. The Board of Education and district administration continues to be committed to providing a first rate education that we all expect in Clinton Township while being fiscally responsible with your tax dollars. We look forward to the Spring Concerts, final sporting events and field days as the end of the school year quickly approaches. Dr. Michele Cone Superintendent of Schools

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