Clinton Township Newsletter

1 4 M a y 2 0 1 8 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com 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 Spruce Run School Spruce Run School Retirements: We are so fortunate to have had the support of both Mrs. Marianne Pendlebury and Mrs. Rainey Dul as an integral part of our preschool program at Spruce Run School for more than two decades! It is a bittersweet pleasure to announce their retirement at the end of this school year - with excitement for them, but sadness for our school, as we will miss them both greatly! They have been a preschool team together for the past 21 years, and it is only fitting that they retire together. All of us in the Spruce Run School community are so grateful for their many years of dedicated service to our students of Clinton Township. Mrs. Pendlebury is a teacher assistant in our preschool program, and she began in our school in 1991, dedicating the past 27 years to our students and families! Mrs. Pendlebury is most proud of "maintaining the integrity of the preschool program throughout the years no matter what changes we faced and we embraced those challenges and held on to the heart of the program." In the future, Mrs. Pendlebury's immediate plans are to celebrate her daughter's and new "son's" wedding and her long range plans are to take care of her family and hopefully be able to spend more time with her husband in the Adirondacks. Mrs. Dul is an inclusion preschool teacher, and she began in our school in 1997, dedicating the past 21 years to our students and families! Mrs. Dul is most proud that, "I have had the most incredible gift of teaching in the preschool, spending every day with students of amazing "abilities," sharing my passion for student success with gifted and talented team members, and working side by side with Marianne and her commitment to the program, the students, and families, and me for over 20 years." In the future, she is moving on to her next part of living and hoping to share more in her grandson's life, (and hopefully more grandchildren to follow), create a healthy lifestyle and enjoy even more free time with her best friend, her husband. She hopes to share all of this knowledge and experience she has gained over the years with anyone who asks. Both Ms. Marianne and Ms. Rainey are special and wonderful people, the epitome of kindness and caring, and the perfect role models to bring these traits to life on a daily basis for our students. They have poured their hearts and souls into our preschool program at Spruce Run School, and shared their passion and wisdom to lay the foundation for our phenomenal preschool program. Laughter, fun, and excitement are abundant in their classroom and can be heard and seen before even entering the room! A L e t t e r f r o m Dear Clinton Township Community Members: On March 26, 2018, the Clinton Township Board of Education approved the Preliminary 2018-2019 Budget to be sent to the county and state for a detailed review and approval. Once approved, the final budget will be presented at a Public Hearing on Monday, April 30, 2018, 7:30 p.m. in the Clinton Township Middle School Auditorium. The budget is a means of delivering a high quality program to the students of this district. The Preliminary 2018-2019 Budget includes the following enhancements. Expanding Student Learning Resources ◦ NJTSS (materials, data, testing) ◦ Schoolwide Resources platform (ELA) ◦ NGSS Materials ◦ STEAM/Design Lab materials (RVS) ◦ MobyMax (all content areas) ◦ Fact Fluency ◦ IDE: Problem Based Instruction ◦ Teachers College Columbia - Readers/Writers Workshop Professional Development K-8 Enhancing Technology Initiatives ◦ Chromebook 1:1 Refresh and Replacement ◦ Chromebook Access via Classroom Carts ◦ Design Lab at RVS Increasing School Security Measures • Full Security Audit for the District • Specific School Public Address Upgrades • Card Access for Staff In developing the proposed budget, the District considers enrollment, anticipated revenues and needed expenditures. ENROLLMENT: As with schools throughout the county and state, CTSD continues to experience a declining enrollment.We anticipate this trend continuing next year. REVENUES: The state has a "hold harmless" provision, and the District's state aid is remaining relatively constant for 2018-2019. In addition, the Board is proposing a 1.5% Tax Levy, and not seeking to use the maximum allowable cap of 2%. When comparing the originally approved 2017-2018 revenues with the Preliminary Budgeted 2018-2019 projections, an overall increase is anticipated. EXPENDITURES: The District continues to see a decline in expenditures since the 2015-2016 school year. For the 2018-2019 year, these categories of expenditures have proposed increases: • Employee Benefit costs have a significant impact • Special Education Private School Placement Tuition costs are forecasted to double • Legal fees are increasing due to special education cases, unilateral placements, contract negotiations and deliberations with the Township • Negotiations with the local collective bargaining group is in process • Substitute teacher costs were under-budgeted this year and need to be increased • School Security remains a priority and additional funds are being allocated for important projects Correspondingly, these categories of expenditures have proposed decreases: • General Supplies • Superintendent's Office • Cleaning, Maintenance and Repairs • Overall Staffing Positions IMPACT ON THE TAX PAYER: With the Preliminary Budget, the General Fund Tax Levy is 1.5%, which is under the 2% Tax Levy CAP. It is increasing by $347,177 over the current year, and the Tax Rate from last year is increasing by 1.5 cents. This is an increase of $58 for the average assessed home of $385,000, which is a monthly rate of $4.83. The Debt Service Tax Levy is $2,100,106, which is a difference of $398 from 2017-2018. In the 2017- 2018 Budget, the Board made a one-time application to the Debt Service Tax Levy of $391,723 of funds remaining from a prior building referendum. This year the tax rate was .079 per $100 of valuation; next year it will be .096 per $100 of valuation. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e C l i n t o n Township School District Preliminary 2018- 2019 Budget, go to: www.CTSDNJ.org, and please plan to attend the Public Hearing on April 30. – Pamela C. Fiander, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools As with schools throughout the county and state, CTSD continues to experience a declining enrollment. When comparing the originally approved 2017-2018 revenues with the Preliminary Budgeted 2018-2019 projections, an overall increase is anticipated. The District continues to see a decline in expenditures since the 2015-2016 school year. I N O U R S C H O O L S : Pamela C. Fiander, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools 1 2 3

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