The meeting of the regional high school board was back to business with less controversial, but still important business with regards to the administration of the schools. The meeting began with an introduction of a new rep from the NJ School Board Association who offered some general guidance on goal setting which was the subject of the meeting.
The Board is addressing three areas where goals should be set: District Goals, Board Goals, and Superintendent Goals. Due to conflicting schedules, the meeting was adjourned early and a limited amount of discussion took place. A recitation of last years goals and achievements was read into the record, and the floor was open to the public. Two residents supported a goal of including some type of SAT prep inhouse for the students. As the SAT continues to be a primary factor considered by most colleges, and many parents already opt for additional prep courses, it seemed to be a practical service for students to receive in school.
A brief overview of the new mid/final exams was offered, and it is believed that the new final which will not be cumulative of the entire year will improve efficiency in the classroom and provide a better indication of a student’s comprehension on the subject matter.
The district will be fulfilling its obligations with regard to the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum Act. This mandated monitoring program from the state entails approximately 142 pages of categorized analysis that will allow the state to identify deficiencies in the school district and be a basis for improvements. Once completing the report, the board may choose to re-align their goals.
Besides obvious goals such as passing the budget and hiring a superintendent, other items under consideration at this point include goals focusing on special services, long range facility planning, a comparative budget analysis and an evaluation of the grading process. The one item of the grading evaluation required further discussion so as to assure that all members understood the purpose. Those readers who have gone to high school and/or college are probably familiar with a situation where one teacher is always to be avoided since their grading criteria is much more stringent than others. The analysis of the grading process would hopefully allow department heads to work at rectifying situations like that should any be identified.
The next board meeting is scheduled for October 6th, and the discussion of goals will be further discussed, and the new website for the district will hopefully be launched by October 1st.