A Letter to the Editor From Lisa Vargas

A Letter to the Editor from Lisa Vargas

The purpose of this letter is to present the facts about Berkeley Township School District in response to the misinformation the public has received in the past few weeks. As an active member of the PTA, I can state without reservation that great strides have been made in the district under the leadership of board members Edward Cammarato, Stephen Pellecchia, Lou Tuminaro and John MacMoyle.

Their commitment to student safety has made this a priority issue. Officers from Berkeley Township Police Department are present in the four schools every day as part of a shared service agreement with the township at a reduced rate of pay. The district was recognized by the School Safety Advocacy Council with a National School Security Award after implementing safety and security changes, including the creation of secure vestibules in each of the school.

The district has received many grants, including the 2.4 million dollar Race to the Top Preschool Expansion Grant, a $9,300 Project Starfish grant to benefit homeless students, Bayville School’s $10,000 Musician in Residence Grant, a $5,500 yearly Little Stuff Fund grant for Potter Creek Crusaders, over $100,000 for the Dream Machine Recycle Rally Grants and over $100,000 in grants for Camp Paw, a program that assists at risk students.

The additions of a behavioral disabilities class and an autism IV class have saved the district money that would have been put towards sending students out of district. Revenue-based programs like the tuition preschool and Bridge Program have been created. Mr. Cammarato, Mr. Pellecchia and Mr. MacMoyle support efforts to change the current school funding formula which would provide more state aid to our schools. Even without this additional aid, the efficiency of the school district is a model for others to mirror. The district has only raised taxes once in the past five years.

Innovative programs have been put in place such as a 1:1 Chromebook Initiative, to provide each student with a Chromebook to be used in the classroom, Project J.O.Y. (Joining Older and Younger) to assist senior citizens with technology, and a collaboration with the Ocean County Library to create a Summer Reading Challenge to encourage students to read when school is not in session.

Families were invited to attend a Curriculum Night to learn about the new report cards, progress reports, revisions to the honor roll and changes made to the curriculum to align with the standards for teaching. This year will be the third annual Ocean Ed Tech Expo, a professional development opportunity for educators throughout the county to learn strategies to implement technology in the classrooms.

Berkeley Township School District and Central Regional share many services, including the school bus maintenance and courier services. Administrators and teachers from both districts meet on a regular basis to discuss programs and curriculum in an effort to ensure a smooth transition from one district to the other.

Edward Cammarato, Stephen Pellecchia and John MacMoyle are committed to doing what is best for the children of Berkeley Township. I encourage you to vote for them on Election Day.

Image: Patch file photo.