I. TO CONTINUE OVERSIGHT OF THE FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

During summer 2005 renovations at Rutherford High School, Washington and Lincoln schools were substantially completed. This allowed for school to open on time as scheduled at all three buildings. Along with the re-opening of the facilities, students and staff across the district were reassigned to new locations due to the district re-organization with the schools now housing K-3, 4-8, and 9-12. Construction continued at Rutherford High School during the fall with all facilities being open to students by mid November.

 

Simultaneous with the completion of the work at these three locations, the bids were prepared
and advertised for the Union School project. Contracts were awarded based upon these bids at the October 2005 Board meeting and construction began at Union School in late November. Public ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Washington, Lincoln, and the high school were held in March 2006. Members of the community toured all of the facilities. A status report was provided to the Board of Education by CAS and EPIC in October 2005, prior to the awarding of the Union School project contracts.

 

Union School

 

Walking by Union School one can see the progress that has been made in the construction of the new addition. Additional classrooms, small group instruction areas and a multi-purpose room will be housed in this two story addition. Work will continue during the summer on the addition and interior renovations including the new library media center. Due to the extensive amount of interior work planned no activities are scheduled for Union School. Access to the building during the summer will be limited to the main office area. The new addition is now scheduled for completion in late winter 2007. Renovations should be substantially complete by late spring 2007.

Sylvan School

New classroom bathrooms and a chair lift are planned for completion by this fall. The Port Authority Noise Abatement Project is on schedule for work to begin in the summer of 2007 with a six month construction schedule. The Port Authority Project will likely require the relocation of all programs at Sylvan School for the 2007-2008 school year. Discussions with the YMCA and the South Bergen Jointure Commission will begin in the fall to plan for the subsequent year. There will be no changes at Sylvan for the school year that begins in September 2006.

Pierrepont School

The interior work at Pierrepont will now be done in two phases so as not to interfere with the school program. The renovated staff workroom and new handicap accessible restrooms should be done this summer. The updated health office, small group instruction rooms, conference areas, and library expansion will be scheduled for summer 2007. The district Gifted and Talented Office, currently housed at Pierrepont School, will be relocated.

Washington and Lincoln

The new playgrounds and bleachers were completed during this past spring season and all enjoying these amenities. The air conditioning systems contract was awarded in April and, depending on the arrival of equipment, may be in place for the fall. Other miscellaneous projects will be completed during the summer and fall, putting the finishing touches on each school facility.

Rutherford High School

There are several miscellaneous projects remaining for completion at the high school. These include the replacement of the Elliott Place entrance stairs and walkways, installation of a new security system, upgrade of the rear playing field, several door and window replacements projects, interior painting, and additional fire suppression equipment. These are all scheduled for various times over the next six to eight months.

Coordinating a multi-year $ 32 million project at all six school locations has required the substantial attention of many individuals over the last few years. The district and school administrations have worked to coordinate all projects with the least interruption to our school programs and the instructional process. In addition efforts are on-going to get the best possible construction value for each phase of the project. We greatly appreciate the cooperation and patience of all of our staff, students, parents and neighbors as this large undertaking that began with the passing of the 2002 facilities referendum enters its final stages.

 

II. TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES

During the summer months, school principals updated all school emergency management plans, taking into account changes in the buildings at various locations. The schools, with the cooperation of the Rutherford Police Department, also completed the school district security Best Practices field checklist and submitted that at the end of the summer. Throughout the fall, existing practices, policies and state guidelines were reviewed by building principals, the business administrator and the school-based crisis management teams.

The School Business Administrator attended the NJ School Boards Association Conference and informally spoke with several security consultants. Based upon his information, it has been determined that the district will conduct its own internal security review using information from the Best Practices field checklist. This was completed by the end of February. The high school principal, business administrator and superintendent consulted with other area superintendents and principals including a site visit at Becton Regional High School.

Based upon this information, a program security measures at Rutherford High School was proposed in May to begin implementing for the upcoming school year. These included the installation of security cameras and a monitoring system, installation of additional perimeter lighting, and consideration of a evening and weekend security patrol. It was noted that the security updates at the other schools do not rise to the magnitude of the high school due to the physical plant size and the age of the students in the high school facility.

 

III. TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT

During the summer months, school level goals were developed in all district schools to increase student performance levels on standardized assessments. Action plans were also identified to address these needs. During the fall, a series of workshops and professional development activities were conducted that increased the knowledge of the core curriculum content standards and the assessment formats. Documents verifying the conduct of these meetings are available in the district offices.

By the end of September, principals and supervisors monitored the development of professional improvement plans for teachers that focused on improving student performance on standardized assessments. In addition, a multi-year professional growth plan was developed by all administrators focusing on the same objective. Throughout the school year 2005-2006, staff professional development activities have been planned and are currently underway. These include reviews of assessment formats incorporating test-taking skills in classes and reviewing grade level curriculum/instructional strategies designed to improve student performance.

The Child Study Teams and Special Services Director, working along with the principals and the high school guidance director, have monitored IEP requirements to verify that students are required to take and pass the assessments upon their initial administration. The remedial education teachers at all levels have been working to improve test preparation skills for at-risk students. Principals and supervisors are continuously monitoring resource center and special education classes to be sure that these classes are following the regular curriculum for students at that grade level and are infusing test-taking strategies into their regular instruction.

In October 2005 the superintendent, research assistant, and the director of guidance provided a report on student achievement to the Board of Education and the public. Principals shared test results with staff and parents. This was designed to raise the level of awareness on the part of all as to our student performance levels.

The HSPA, GEPA and NJ ASK were administered in March. Testing in grades 5, 6 and 7 occurred in March and April. The results of these tests will be analyzed upon receipt during the summer months and reported at a public meeting.

 

BOARD GOALS

 

I. TO MONITOR IMPACT OF THE MEADOWLANDS DEVELOPMENT

 

The Board liaison to the council has attended several council meetings throughout the course of the year and reported back to the Board of Education on matters related to ENCAP and the development of the Meadowlands properties. The Highland Cross development project became the most critical development area. A board member represented the Board at several meetings of the township Visioning Committee and the Borough Council. Demographic materials were reviewed and discussed at several Board meetings. The Board invited the developer to make a presentation at the May 22nd meeting but the developer declined to attend. Subsequently the local governing body rejected the developer’s proposals for this Highland Cross project.

 

II. TO EXPLORE NEGOTIATIONS TECHNIQUES IN PREPARATION FOR NEXT ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS

 

Information was provided to the Board regarding various strategies for negotiations including the interest based bargaining (WIN, WIN) format. This information was prepared by NJ School Boards Association. The Board and the REA Executive Board attended two presentations from expert consultants regarding the WIN WIN format. In May the Board and the REA Executive Board determined to utilize the WIN WIN bargaining format in the next round of negotiations. A consultant will be hired to conduct training with both sides in the fall.

 

III. TO CONTINUE THE CYCLE OF POLICY REVIEW

 

In the fall, the Board of Education approved the five-year policy review cycle as a means to maintain the currency of its policies. The Policy Committee met two times and has completed its review of the By-Laws #9000 Series and Community #1000 Series. The district administration reviewed policies in Administration #2000 series and found no revisions needed. Several other policies were sent to the committee for review during the year as needed by changes in state law or the administrative code. These were approved by the Board in April 2006. Additional policies were sent to the Board committee in May for consideration.

 

Leslie O’Keefe Conlon

Date: June 5, 2006