Full Day Kindergarten

Improving student achievement at all levels should be the primary goal of every school district and it is my focal  point as a board member.  Implementing full day kindergarten and doubling the amount of time our youngest children are in schoo, would help our young students establish a more solid foundation for all future learning as well as promote the development of better social skills.  I was the first member of our Board to openly support the establishment of FDK and the only Board member to sign a petition urging its adoption.  

 

After the "full day kindergarten ladies" thankfully made FDK the focal point for discussion at the Board level, I set out to understand the educational side of the issue   Common sense told me that with more instructional and social times our young students would do better but I wanted more.  My process brings to the forefront what makes me not just the best candidate for this job but also a superior Board member.

 

I participate each year the BREA;s wonderful "Teacher for a Day Program," which permits lay people to work side-by -side with our teaching staff to better understand what a real day in school is like.  To confirm my assumption on FDK, I asked to be paried with a kindergarten teacher for this year's program to see first-hand what the day of a kindergartner is like and to speak with the real experts:  our wonderful teachers who have chosen to be elementary education teachers. I witnessed the time contraints kindergarten teachers deal with in fitting the required curriculum and play time into a short segment of the day and heard first hand from the experts how valuable more time with the students would be.  Going the extra mile in really learning about issues enables me to make an informed and independent judgment on issues before the Board.

 

Full day kindergarten would play an important role in helping our students meet the new standards set as a result of the adoption of Common Core Standards (see below).  The stronger a child’s educational foundation the better he or she will perform throughout his or her school career.  FDK is particularly important for the academically “at risk” student. Children who aren't strong readers by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out of school in later years.  In addition, those who struggle in math may get shut out of college track classes in middle and high school. The consequences for children not reaching proficiency in language arts and math in elementary school is dire, making FDK all the more important for this group of students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implementing FDK is not an easy task.  It requires a thorough examination of our facilities and population trends.  It will very likely require some redistricting.  And we need to find the money to pay for it.  To help find answers to these questions and to keep the issue "hot", I volunteered for the District's recent Steering Committee and more recently have been asked to partipate on the FDK Committee.  Being close to data allows me to focus on issues in the appropriate order and setting.

 

It is also important to note that I have significant first hand experience in tackling issues like this and including the public as appropriate.  When the Adamsville School was clearly overcrowded, as Board President I convened a task force of all interested stakeholders and with their help the Board arrived at a solution to the problem in a quick and efficient manner.  Those leadership skills will of couse be helpful in this context.  For more on my views on FDK, please see my essay and comments here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FullDayK4Bridgewater/

 

 

IMPELENTATION OF COMMON CORE STANDARDS

 

New Jersey has adopted the Common Core standards (CCS). Simply put, the CCS are a new set of K-12
standards in most academic subjects. The CCS are internationally benchmarked, meaning that the goal is to set the academic K-12 standards at the state level to compete favorably with the rest of the world’s
academic standards, which are often historically higher. As a result of the CCS, the rigor of all major
subjects K-12 are increased significantly and the bar is raised for all students. According to some, the
“The impact of the Common Core Standards will loom large as this is perhaps the biggest shift in
educational philosophy in the history of the United States.” (http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/a/Common-Core-Standards.htm)

 

It matters not whether one believes the CCS are a good or bad thing; they have been adopted in NJ and Bridgewater-Raritan is required to implement them through our curriculum and instruction.  Because of the increased rigor, our students at all levels will be required to learn more. These new requirements will likely raise the stress levels of students, parents and educators. The best way to address these challenges, of course, is to prepare our students as best we can to meet them.

 

Preparing our District for the new CCS will require a great deal of support for our teachers, administrators, and other staff.  If they are to continue to provide the excellent education to our children as they've been doing, they need the support of the District in helping them to deliver the new curricula as effectively as possible. 

 

To make this happen, it is important that you elect Board of Education members who support our teachers and value the great work they do.  In this regard my record is again clear.  As I have said often, our great District has achieved great things due to the outstanding work of our teachers and staff who are tasked to help our children achieve.

 

PREPARING FOR CHANGES IN DEMOGRAPHICS

 

In 2013 he Board retained a demographer to perform an in-depth study of our District with specific reference to our changing demographics.  The results will prove helpful in guiding us in many ways

 

The resulting report, which can be seen here   http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/files/filesystem/POWER%20POINT%20PRESENTATION%20-%20Bridgewater-Raritan%20presentation%203-25-14.pdf, predicts a fairly significant drop-off in our student population in the immediate future.  The decrease itself is not alarming as Bridgewater-Raritan is one of many NJ school districts that projects a smaller student body.  What is important, however, is that we plan for these changes in an effort to deliver our product – a great education – in the most efficient manner possible.

Managing changes in population requires advance planning.  To stay ahead of the curve, we have been tracking student populations for years.  An interesting fact relevant to Bridgewater is that, although some neighborhoods show a decline in the number of students living there, others buck the trend and show increasing student populations.

 

I have faced this issue before and been highly effective in responding to it.  As noted earlier, when the Adamsville School population increased beyond the building’s capacity, as Board President I convened a task force.  The task force, in turn, made several recommendations to the Board, and a plan of action was adopted and implemented, successfully relieving the burden.  The problem would not have been resolved as successfully as it was without the significant input that we received by residents and staff members who volunteered to serve on the task force.  I would urge the Board to utilize the same approach then the discussion inevitably moves to a possible redistricting in response to population changes.

 

 

STAFF MATTERS

I love a good double entendre.

 

First and foremost, our dedicated staff of administrators, teachers, aids, bus driver, maintenance workers, secretaries, and all others who don't fall into one of those categories matter.  A lot.  None of the success we've had in helping build the great District we have would be possible without their dedication to the children in our community.  "Kids First" is a fine motto.

 

For the current school year, as a result of several retirements and promotions and job shifts we have 18 administrators either new to the District or new to their assignnment.  That's a very large number.  One of those is our Superintendent, Dr. Victor Hayek.  Soon we will be replacing our Assistant Superintendent who has announced her departure.

 

With the amount of transtion at the highest levels that we will be experiencing, it is imperative to have consistency at the board level.  Of equal or greater importance is that we have Board members who are supportive of administrators generally, who let them do their job, and who rely on their judgment.  

 

For the last several rounds of collective bargaining with our four labor unions, the BREA (primarlily teachers), the BRPA (principals), the BRSA (supervisors), and the BRTA (bus drivers), I have served as one of three members of our negotiations team.  I was also Board President through the bulk of the most recent negotiatoins with the BREA.  I volunteer for these assignments for two reasons:  (1) it is an important job for Board members, and (2) in my "heart of hearts" (as my wife would say) that I believe I can do it best.  After all, for the last 31 years I've been professionally successful as a deal maker - I'm good at bringing people together.  

 

The last round of negotiatoins was admittedly difficult.  On the heels of massive budget cuts from Trenton, the Governor altered the landscape of negotiations by changing rules and speaking out against teachers.  There was, in essence, three parties at the table:  the union, the Board, and the Governor.  Through perseverance and direct and honest discussion we reached agreements with each bargaining unit.  Under these circumstances progress was slow and at times contentious.

 

Proper negotiations at the school board level require direct and honest communication and and understanding that each side has legitimate needs.  My reputation in the community as a direct and honest communicator who cares deeply about our District provides credibility.  With the District heading into negotiations with the BREA in the near future, my experience at the table as well as my understanding that negotiations done right inevitably requires compromise and prior experience make me an important asset to our Board during this process.

 

 

 

 

 

FACILITIES

We are very fortunate in Bridgewater and Raritan to have professionals in our business office and grounds department who not only maintain our facilities in excellent condition but also anticipate problems and plan for remedies in advance. 

 

We're also tremendously lucky to have partners in our facilities.  Over the past few years, as a result of investment by parent organizations and our Township, we've built and/or refurbished several fields.   The level of community support receive in Bridgewater and Raritan is exceptional.

 

Moving forward, we need to continue to anticipate and save for the inevitable rainy day.  We must maintain prudent reserves and understake major projects at the appropriate time.  Additionally we must continue to keep up the good work.