The time of year that Staples used to jokingly call "the most wonderful time of the year" for parents in add campaigns of years past.
But regardless of if you've been looking forward to or, in the case of some children, dreading the end of summer and the start of the school year, the Madison Public Schools will be back in full swing starting Tuesday.
All years include at least something new to keep an eye on. However, it seems as though more than usual awaits the education community this year. So, as to help provide a way to get acclimated, here are ten new things in the district this year.
- Search for a Permanent Superintendent Replacement – The departure of Dr. Richard Noonan to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District left a void that was temporarily filled when the district hired Dr. James Dwyer on an interim basis for this school year. The district has since hired New Jersey School Boards to help with the search for a permanent replacement. The last time the district went through the search was six years ago when the same group helped Madison find Noonan.
- Business Administrator Gary Lane – Also leaving an administrative position after last school year was Business Administrator Charles Milewski. Milewski recently took the same position in the School District of the Chathams on an interim basis. Lane takes over the position after leaving the same position at the Paramus Public Schools, where he was also assistant superintendent. A Sparta resident, Lane recently told Madison Patch that he'd be happy if he could finish his education career in Madison. You'll get a closer look at Lane later this week on Madison Patch.
- Redistricting – It may not have made a large impact yet, but redistricting was set up to make a greater change in elementary school enrollments down the road. Parents in the redistricted areas were given the option to keep their children at Central Avenue Elementary School instead of moving them from Torey J. Sabatini and Kings Road if any of their children were currently in the school system. The option was open for both current and new students in those families. Families who had not enrolled any children in the district before September were required to follow the new guidelines. The plan was created to give greater space flexibility to Central Avenue. For more on the specifics of the plan, click here.
- High School Activities Fee – This will be the first year of the approved $100 high school activities fee that would be assessed on students participating in any sport, club, or other activity that has a board funded stipend. The fee would be a flat rate, meaning there would be no second fee for a student who is involved in multiple activities. There would also be a family cap at $200 dollars, so families with more than two children participating in such activities would not have to pay more than that amount.
The fee proposal also calls for a tie-in with the federal free and reduced lunch program. Students receiving free lunch would not have to pay an activity fee. Those who only pay 50 percent of their lunch cost would in turn only pay a $50 activity fee. For more on the fee, go here.
No Junior School Sports – The original school budget vote, which itself was voted down, had an accompanying second question which asked residents if they wanted to restore the Madison Junior School school sports program. The second question was voted down by a much larger majority than the overall budget, as it was defeated by 509 votes. As with all second questions, anything voted down is not allowable by law to be reinstituted during the that budget year. That means that the district was not allowed to bring back the program this year, regardless of what transpired after the vote. It wasn't the only part of the second question, as the next item also shared the same fate. No Visual and Performing Arts Supervisor – This position was also listed along with the junior school sports program on the second question defeated in April. Stacy Snider held that position before it was eliminated in the budget. The Board of Education and Noonan had said that if the second question did not pass, it would be possible for the district to keep Snider in a different position. At the June 15 BOE meeting, Elizabeth Rosica was approved to replace Snider in the position of junior school language arts effective Sept. 2 until Dec. 15, 2011, while Snider takes leave. As with the junior school sports program, it would be possible for the supervisor position to be restored in the 2011-12 school year if the board decides to put it back in that budget. However, it legally could not be restored this year. Reduced Spanish Program – Students will only be taking Spanish in 4th and 5th grades in elementary schools this school year. This is a change from the 1st-5th grade program previously implemented in the three elementaries. The vote to change the program to only 4th and 5th grades went in opposition to the recommendations made by the Borough Council when it handed down its reduced budget after the initial budget was defeated. The council had asked for the full restoration after a wage freeze taken by all district unions.
Though some members of council felt strongly about the full restoration of the program in its recommendation, state law says the Board of Education only needs to adhere to the budget amount handed down by the governing body and can apply that money as it sees fit.
Interaction with Borough Council – There is always some level of interaction between council and the BOE, but there may be more than usual this year, and in years to come. First and foremost will be the possible move of the Board of Education from 359 Woodland Rd. to what will be a newly renovated Hartley Dodge Memorial. The move was recommended by council in its reduced school budget. If the BOE accepts the move, it will be working out of the same building the municipal government is located in. Also something to keep an eye on will be the expected sale of Green Village Road School. The BOE has pledged to council that it will give $1 million from that sale toward the development of the Madison Recreation Center, plans of which show turf fields on high school property. The GVR property is in the process of being rezoned by the Planning Board. These and other shared service areas are sure to be topics of discussion this school year. Lots of Staff Changes – There were a whopping 18 retirees honored at the June 15 BOE meeting. Those individuals took with them a combined 469 years of teaching experience. To go along with that, Noonan estimated that about five positions were lost in the budget process despite the wage freezes all district unions took. Combine those, and the faces of Madison education will look different coming into this school year. We'll be taking a look at this further as the year progresses. Budget... sort of – Saying the importance and work that will go into the budget this year is new would not be true, as this year's budget fit those categories, as well. However, there will be new decisions that will have to be made. There may also be new rules to be applied. Gov. Chris Christie has proposed a superintendent salary cap, which would limit salaries in districts of Madison's size to $165,000. That could have an impact on the search for a permanent replacement, as Noonan's salary last year, according to the Asbury Park Press' Data Universe, was $228,662, the second highest in Morris County. That is potentially a savings of $63,662 if the legislation is passed before the district hires a replacement. The state also singed into law a 2-percent property tax cap in July that will put constraints on the budget. It's also possible the district will be able to apply money from a bill signed by President Barack Obama which he says will give $26 billion dollars toward saving hundreds of thousands of teacher and other public workers from losing their jobs. The budget saga will certainly take center stage at many points this school year, and we'll be here to bring you the latest as it unfolds. Also new this year? It will be the first full year you'll be able to follow all of the news from the district on Madison Patch. So, as the developments from the above list take shape, we'll be here every step of the way with you.
