Gail Corey recapped the NJSBA delegate assembly.
Tabernacle Board of Education member Gail Corey recapped the New Jersey School Boards Association delegate assembly at this week’s meeting.
Corey touched on the topics of special education funding and regionalization that were discussed at the assembly.
Corey said former commissioner of education Lucille Davy spoke and said special education funding is determined by the percentage of students in a district rather than the percentage classified, and that was done because some districts would classify students just to get more funding.
Corey noted that Davy said the state does not want to take away funding from all students, it should not be a burden on the taxpayer and they’re aware that when classified students come into the district, expenses need to be picked up by the district, and they are trying to find a solution for that.
Davy said there is special education extraordinary aid funding and that should be paid by the state, and there is a plan that is going to be developed to focus on the placement of special education students. There’s a proposal for the formation for a special education commission to study special education placement.
As far as regionalization, Davy said there is no intent to shut down small districts, but a need to provide opportunities for all children to give them the best education they can to be better prepared for high school.
An example was explained by Corey, saying that students in kindergarten through eighth grade districts with 160 students would be better served if middle school-aged students attended middle school in a different district, and the original district would keep teaching kindergarten through fourth-grade students.
This discussion stemmed from a developing issue of middle school students from different districts entering high school at different levels, some one to two years behind their peers, and regionalization may improve that.
In other news:
- A $500 check from Community Champions Grant was provided to the district in support of the Adaptive Playground Equipment Project at Tabernacle Elementary School. First-grade teacher Donna Layne is the head of the collaborative effort, along with Ashley Kimble, Danielle Hare, Julie Haynes, Jennifer Valleau and April Janicki.
- Superintendent Glenn Robbins discussed his plans to reach out to a critical response group as a means of better assisting first responders in the case of an emergency situation. This group would help to set up a mobile app for all responding officers to download and view the layout of the buildings, since not all responders are familiar with the schools. The maps would show fire alarm and water main locations, as well as other important information in hopes of creating a faster response time.
The next regular board meeting will be held on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Kenneth R. Olson Middle School.
