Clinton Township Newsletter

1 4 J u l 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 At a special meeting on Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Clinton Township Board of Education voted to reorganize the District's four school buildings. Beginning with the 2018–2019 school year, students in preschool and prekindergarten will attend Spruce Run School, grades K-1-2 will attend Patrick McGaheran School, grades 3-4-5 will attend Round Valley School, and grades 6-7- 8 will attend Clinton Township Middle School (see table). The Board made the final decision to reorganize after this plan was presented by a special ad-hoc committee and the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Pamela Fiander. The presentation was the culmination of a four-year-long process of information collection, research and analysis. During this process, results and next steps were consistently shared with members of the Board and the public, all of whom were invited to ask questions and make comments at any time. The grade reorganization will provide enhanced educational experiences for our students while addressing operational challenges resulting from a sharp decline in student enrollment, unavoidable increases in healthcare benefits, and the rising cost of staff salaries, unfunded state mandates, aging buildings, and the delivery of special education services. Maria Grant, President of the Clinton Township Board of Education, said, "We believe that the adoption of this plan will better serve our students and their families and will address head-on the operational challenges facing our community. Over the years, the Board of Education committed to not take any action that would negatively change or negatively impact the education that we deliver to the children in our community. The Board and the District's administration are dedicated to completely supporting the social, emotional, and academic growth and well-being of our children. The District will not exceed the county or state average in class size, and class size composition will remain the same in each of our buildings. The only differences that the children will experience under this reorganization are that kindergarten and first grade students will be in Patrick McGaheran School earlier than in the past. Third grade students will enter Round Valley School one year earlier than they have traditionally, and sixth grade students will attend Clinton Township Middle School a year earlier than in recent years. The reorganized District will now resemble the configuration of a more traditional school district, with all early elementary students in one building (Patrick McGaheran), elementary students in another (Round Valley), and all middle school students in their own building (Clinton Township Middle School)." Student Benefits of Reorganization – According to David Hespe, Esq., former NJ Commissioner of Education, and educational consultant to the CTSD Board, "There are many benefits that the children in Clinton Township will realize with this reorganization, including fewer transitions and additional co-curricular activities, along with enhanced social, emotional, and intellectual activities and opportunities." Some of these benefits include: • Grade three students, soon to attend Round Valley School, will have new co-curricular options like instrumental music. • Children in sixth grade will have access to more co- curricular programs when they attend Clinton Township Middle School. For example: sports teams, art club, video journalism/online news, Camerata Singers, drama club, Law Fair Adventures, movie making, student council, yearbook, Relay for Life, and poetry club. • Clinton Township Middle School was designed and built to teach students utilizing the middle school model, including departmentalized instruction and schedules that provide them with a solid bridge to high school. Sixth grade students will now be able to take advantage of this building's layout and structure. • Students in kindergarten and first grade will benefit from a larger recess space at Patrick McGaheran School. • All children will be attending school with students in clusters that are closer to their developmental stages of maturation. • Students will attend each school for a longer period of time than in recent years and will therefore have fewer transitions from building to building over their elementary and middle school period. This permits students to remain in familiar surroundings with the same staff for more time, allowing them to establish, build and sustain relationships. • The reorganization increases the total number of students per building, facilitating more student involvement in activities; this enriches their overall academic, social and emotional experiences. • Special education transitions will have a three-year span, allowing students with special needs to remain in a familiar environment for a longer period of time. Repurposing Spruce Run School – The reorganization plan allows Spruce Run School to be repurposed as an Early Childhood Center capable of serving as a revenue-generating educational program facility. The committee believes that the implementation of several small revenue-generating educational programs at Spruce Run School will allow the District to break even with the operating costs of that building. The committee recommended against leasing the building to a non- educational entity or selling it outright, so that the District can maintain it as an educational facility if the student population grows in the future. The operation of the school as an educational facility provides the District with the option of moving students back into Spruce Run School if enrollment increases. This could be done without needing to upgrade the facility to new building codes, which saves the District an enormous amount of money. Superintendent Dr. Pamela Fiander outlined the potential uses under consideration for this space: as an Early Childhood Care Center for children ages two to four, as the new Hunterdon County Center for Professional Development, or as a satellite school serving children with special needs. Dr. Fiander states, "Spruce Run School has four separate, private entrances. This would allow each program to have its own entry, so that those in existing programs will not be interrupted by those entering and exiting the building. Spruce Run School holds many possibilities for educational program expansion and services to our community." Also, according to Dr. Fiander, "With this reorganization plan, the estimated savings is over $900,000 in the first year, with one-time reorganizational costs of $140,000 to $150,000. The anticipated full savings to the District of over $1,000,000 annually is projected to be realized beginning in the 2019-2020 school year." Savings from the reorganization will be achieved through a reduction in transportation and personnel costs, primarily through the redeployment of staff. Impact on Personnel – Accounting for retirements and resignations this year, anticipated reductions can be made through attrition rather than terminations. This means that, while not everyone will hold exactly the same position he/she has this year, transfers can be made in keeping with certification requirements, and it is anticipated that personnel will remain employed. In fact, this year there are "coincidental" retirements in positions that, with this reorganization, do not have to be filled. Had the reorganization been postponed, those positions would have been filled for one year, and most likely resulting in the loss of employment for those people after only one year in the District. Overall Impact – The overall results of the reorganization are as follows: • Class size standards will remain the same • Buildings will be used more efficiently • Non-tenured personnel will remain employed • Round Valley School's starting and ending times will change to 8:50 am–3:10 pm • Transportation routes and riding times will be the same as this year, averaging 30-35 minutes • Robust curricula will continue to be delivered, with opportunities for program enhancements • The District anticipates saving over $900,000 in the first year and over $1,000,000 each year thereafter Updates on Progress of Reorganization – The community, parents and staff will be continuously updated via e-mails, at monthly Board meetings, in the Board's monthly newsletter, on the District's website, in the Clinton Township Newsletter and, through "Moving Forward: A Weekly Update for the Community." Below are links for viewing reorganization updates from the District: 1. District Website: http://ctsdnj.org/home 2. Board's Monthly Newsletter: http://ctsdnj.org/board_of_education/ 3. Clinton Township Newsletter: www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com There is a new tab on the front page of the District's website entitled, Reorganization (http://ctsdnj. org/reorganization), and it will contain historic and the most recent information regarding this reorganization plan. It will be updated regularly. Also, interested community members, who do not have children attending school in the District, can sign up to receive e-mail updates by clicking on the Reorganization tab. *These grades will be educated in a different building beginning in the Fall of 2018. c l i N t o N t o W N s h i p s c h o o l D i s t r i c t r e o r g A N i z A t i o N p l A N 2 0 1 8 - 2 0 1 9

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