Clinton Township Newsletter

1 2 m a r c h 2 0 2 5 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 www.ctsdnj.org Clinton Township School District is award- winning and offers a high-quality education. In order to make that happen we rely heavily on our school budget, which is greatly supported by the taxpayers. As taxpayers, we know the cost of everything continues to rise. For our public schools, the cost of everything also continues to rise. Transportation costs have increased over $700,000 in the past two years. Our electricity bill has increased. Our health insurance has increased over $500,000. Our prescription drug costs have increased by over $100,000. All of these increases occur while districts are only able to increase tax revenue by 2%. As time progresses we are finding it harder and harder to address aging infrastructure, address and update technology, and keep the level of service and programming you expect from CTSD. As schools across the state have shared these concerns, legislators have told districts they can increase their tax rate by holding a vote. While this may be a fix for a few years, it can drive people from either coming to live in this area, or staying in the area as they evaluate the tax levels. As we create our 2025-2026 budget, we have carefully looked at areas of need and are working to run more efficiently. This means maximizing our students' time with our teachers, and falling into line with state averages for student levels for classes, cases, supports, and groups. We are also trying to decrease our reliance on fluctuating funding sources such as budget carryover and federal reimbursements, which have also been diminishing. When we present the budget on April 28th at CTMS in the Auditorium at 7:00 p.m., we can be confident that we have made careful choices in an effort to improve our schools and also think about future fiscal sustainability. With this budget we are able to increase our taxes to 3.4% due to banked cap and waivers. Even though the district would benefit from those additional funds, we also understand we have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers. Therefore, we will not go above 3%. New Jersey has some of the best schools in the nation, and also some of the highest taxes. The CTSD Board of Education keeps that in mind but also knows that great schools are the anchor of the community. As we look ahead, we will see that there will continue to be constraints. The abuse lawsuits from the 1960s and 1970s continue to exert pressure as there is no viable insurance. This means any judgment would come directly from the taxpayer- supported funds we use to educate our current and future students. Recent developments have Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements that do impact local school districts. We are working hard with our Mayor and the Township Council to ensure we come up with a solution while also keeping in mind that some businesses may be leaving the area, creating a lack of funds for both the school and the township. While we know it will not be easy, we know what a great district we have, and we are confident that collectively, our school board, our other elected officials, our administration, and our staff will do everything we can to make sure the district continues to grow and thrive. – Sincerely, Dr. Melissa Stager, Ed.D Superintendent, CTSD A MESSAGE FROM DR. STAGER, CTSD SUPERINTENDENT: Spruce Run School Spruce Run Preschool celebrates one hundred days of school! Spruce Run Preschoolers recently participated in a book swap event to celebrate the 100th day of school. Students were invited to bring a book in to swap or take home. This activity got students ready for Read Across America. For a week students will participate in various reading activities to encourage reading and promote literacy. Buildings And Wheels! Our unit of study on buildings came to an end. The students are now studying all about wheels! The Wheels Study helps children expand their understanding of wheels through investigative opportunities and takes their learning beyond tires on cars. This study provides meaningful experiences to support the development of language, literacy, math, technology, science, and the arts to investigate, learn, and represent their understanding of the wheels in the world around them. Patrick McGaheran School Reading Fun at PMG This March! Books are everywhere at PMG this month as students enjoy special reading celebrations! In January, students participated in READBowl, where students counted their daily reading minutes and showed their enthusiasm for books. In March we celebrate Read Across America Week, and students share favorite stories and discover new books to love. While reading happens every day at PMG, March brought extra fun as classes found new ways to celebrate stories together. From picking up new books to sharing recommendations with friends, PMG students showed that reading rocks! I N O U R S C H O O L S : Round Valley School READBowl! RVS students dove into READBowl, an exciting competition that transformed daily reading into a school-wide adventure. As homeroom classes tracked their reading minutes, weekly progress updates sparked enthusiasm and friendly rivalry among students. The initiative turned personal reading time into a shared celebration of literary achievement. The Golden Eagle Singers Showcase has struck a high note with 5th grade students, becoming so popular that it's offered in two sessions - fall/ winter and spring. Recently, the fall/winter performers took to the stage, dazzling a u d i e n c e s w i t h t h e i r theatrical talents. This new musical theater program, skillfully led by Amanda Livesey, gives students a chance to explore their passion for performance arts.

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