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Governor Phil Murphy has signed two bills designed to provide financial flexibility and relief to New Jersey school districts as they prepare their budgets for the 2024-2025 school year. The first bill, A4161, aims to increase funding for districts facing reductions in state aid due to S2, establishing the Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program with an appropriation of $44.7 million, which will offer grants equal to 45 percent of the aid reduction. Additionally, the legislation allows districts experiencing reduced funding to request increases in their adjusted property tax levies beyond the current two percent cap. Governor Murphy emphasized this initiative's importance in supporting local school districts during challenging financial periods, while Acting Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer noted its role in easing the transition to full funding and enabling districts to maintain educational programs. Senate President Nick Scutari highlighted the law's capacity to stabilize district finances and uphold the quality of education in New Jersey, reinforcing the commitment to maintaining high standards in public schooling. For more information from the state please read: https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240514b.shtml
Montgomery Township School District has firmly opposed banning books in its schools. With a reputation for its highly effective, well-trained, and experienced staff, Montgomery works hard to create lists of appropriate books to give to their students in class and in the Media Centers. As per the minutes from the board meeting held on June 25th, 2024, Board Member Carlson asked how books are chosen for students? Ms. Fiona Boland responded by saying "that some suggestions come from students, teachers, and the College Board. They are read by multiple teachers and the supervisor. In addition, the books must meet our criteria, standards and pass the literary textbook evaluation form. The tone of the books is overcoming, hope, coming of age, resilience, love, family relationships." https://www.mtsd.k12.nj.us/cms/lib/NJ01000127/Centricity/Domain/14/6-25-24%20Business.pdf
Montgomery Media Specialists are extensively educated in book selection, following established criteria tailored to their specific schools. According to the American Library Association, "Selection policies should include specific criteria to guide professionals in purchasing items. These criteria should align with the library’s objectives, such as excellence in artistic, literary, or visual aspects, appropriateness for the user’s level, authoritative and diverse perspectives on controversial issues, accessibility, and the capacity to foster intellectual and social development. Librarians should consider authenticity, public demand, general interest, content, and usage context. For libraries serving minors, factors such as age, social and emotional development, intellectual and interest levels, and reading proficiency should be considered. Technical criteria should also be included, such as clarity of sound in audio materials, cinematographic quality in videos, and graphic quality in games."
The public can view the books and resources used in each curriculum level by visiting this link: https://montgomerytsd-public.rubiconatlas.org/all-public-curriculum/all-courses
Although the MTEA has not yet endorsed any incumbent, they did endorse members last year. As the endorsed members won, there will be an impact on the BOE:
1. Conflict of Interest
When school board members are endorsed by the teachers' union, there is a potential conflict of interest. Board members are expected to represent the interests of the entire community, including students, parents, taxpayers, and other stakeholders. An endorsement by the teachers' union might create a perception that their loyalty is primarily to the union and the teachers, raising questions about their ability to make unbiased decisions that benefit all parties involved. This can create an imbalance in decision-making processes, potentially neglecting the diverse needs and perspectives of the entire community.
2. Reduced Accountability
Endorsed school board members may face reduced scrutiny and accountability from the union, which can discourage independent thinking and dissenting opinions. A lack of diverse perspectives within the board can limit constructive debates and hinder the exploration of innovative solutions to educational challenges.
3. Chilling Effect on Reforms
Endorsements from the teachers' union may discourage board members from implementing necessary reforms that aim to improve educational standards, enhance accountability, or streamline administrative processes might face resistance, hindering the overall progress and growth of the school system.
4. Perception of Unfair Influence
The endorsement of school board members by the teachers' union might create a perception of undue influence in the political process. This can erode public trust in the school board's decisions, leading to skepticism about the fairness and transparency of the educational system.
5. Potential Polarization
Endorsements by the teachers' union can polarize the community, pitting supporters of endorsed candidates against those who are wary of the union's influence. Such divisions can hinder constructive dialogue and collaboration within the community, making it challenging to address shared concerns effectively.
That’s a crucial issue and one that has troubled our schools for quite some time. Drug use not only jeopardizes a child's health and is illegal, but it also incurs significant financial costs for the district. According to the Board of Education minutes from June 25, 2024: "At UMS, the sewage pipes are damaged and need to be replaced. The cost of that replacement is $75,000. The committee discussed the conditions of sewer pipes in the high school, and we asked about the recent incidents when the bathrooms were out of order due to toilets overflowing. The reason for the most recent bathroom outage was not the failure of the pipes but the improper disposal of vapes by the students. Multiple vapes were removed from the toilets." Given these circumstances, our district must explore solutions beyond just disciplinary measures, seen below, to address the problem effectively.
As per the MHS Handbook:
The board oversees only one employee and that's the Superintendent. The Superintendent is responsible for the effective operation of the District; for the general administration of all instructional, business or other operations of the District; and for advising and making recommendations to the Board of Education with respect to such activities.
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