Clinton Township Newsletter

1 6 a u g u s t 2 0 2 3 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 A MESSAGE FROM DR. STAGER, CTSD SUPERINTENDENT: D e a r C l i n t o n T o w n s h i p C o m m u n i t y Members, As we enter the 2023-2024 school year we are excited about some meaningful changes positively impacting the district. We are updating our Mission Statement. Our Strategic planning committee, made up of community members, parents, teachers, and administrators set a new vision. The new statement reads: Every student inspired, every team member supported, and every family engaged. This will complement our slogan: CTSD: Where Children Come First. This, along with the logo released last year, conveys that we are a student centered district that works in partnership with the community. We value the staff who serve our children in multiple ways, and we will use those connections to move the district forward. Please check out our website this fall for more information on the strategic plan for 2023-2028. We are proposing that work on the strategic plan initiatives becomes one of the district's goals to be adopted by the Board of Education. We are continuing to update and enhance our buildings and grounds and additional updates are planned, including: • Removal of old carpet from our buildings • Updating our security system • Adding a sidewalk to Grayrock Road • Upgrading staff technology • Upgrading the audiovisual equipment in the Clinton Township Middle School Auditorium. In addition to all of these improvements we continue to work on smaller scale projects to keep our district facilities up to date. We applied for a grant with the state of New Jersey to address HVAC, windows, and additional upgrades and necessary repairs. Finally, as we have shared in the past, through a partnership with the Clinton Township Police Department (CTPD), in the 2022-2023 school year we were able to have a School Resource Officer support our district. The goals of the pilot have been exceeded, and we would like to continue to have School Resource Officers (SRO) available to offer safety, education, and connection for our students. We are putting this out to the public to decide through two ballot questions. When you go to vote in November, we are asking the public to fund two School Resource Officers in our district. Each officer will cost taxpayers 58 cents (58¢) per month, per $100,000 in assessed property value. The average home value in Clinton Township is $400,000 so the average household cost would be $2.33 per month, per officer. This will cover the full cost of a police officer, including pension and benefits, while ensuring the CTPD still has the necessary staffing it needs. As education has changed, having a community police officer as part of the Clinton Township School District offers a level of support and connection. Voting for these two questions ensures we have SRO support regardless of changes in funding. We will share more information in the October issue and we will host a community night to answer any questions. Enjoy this last month of summer and we look forward to starting school for students on August 30th! – Sincerely, Dr. Melissa Stager, Ed.D Superintendent, CTSD One of our recent graduates, Ava Vallely, has left her mark at CTMS. Ava, a very talented artist, has created a mural at the middle school featuring the Red Mill of Clinton! If you are ever at the middle school, please make sure to stop and see the mural just outside the cafeteria. Thank you so much, Ava – it is a spectacular masterpiece! • Wednesday, August 30: First Day of School; Early Dismissal • Thursday, August 31: Early Dismissal IMPORTANT DATES TO KEEP IN MIND THIS MONTH – Please see the District website (www.ctsdnj.org) for summer office hours.

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