Board of Education States Goals for Upcoming Academic Year

The Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District Board of Education highlighted specific goals they wish to achieve in the upcoming academic year at their regular action meeting Monday, Jan. 23 at Cliffwood Elementary School.

The board plans to focus on increasing literacy, increasing the district's student climate survey results and preparing an annual budget so that the annual tax levy increase does not exceed 1.5%, among other things.

Board President Charles Kenny noted that the district has many goals, but felt that it was necessary to focus on a few areas to ensure improvement.

Specifically, the board hopes to:

• Reduce the non-proficiency rate in reading in the third grade by 15% as measured by student performance on the NJASK
• Prepare an annual budget so that the annual tax levy increase does not exceed 1.5% from the prior year without any reduction in programs
  • Increase operational efficiency
  • Increase non-tax based revenue
• Enhance the school district's climate of high morale for students and staff
  • Increase the grades 3-12 Olweus Student Climate Survey by 5%
  • Decrease district wide suspensions by 10%
  • Decrease district wide Electronic Violence & Vandalism Reporting System (EVVRS) incidents by 10%
• Reduce the number of seniors taking the Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA) by 25%

"These goals are demanding and will be very difficult to achieve. The bar is set very high here. And that's what we've learned, if you set the bar high then people can achieve and students will achieve," Kenny said at the meeting.

According to Superintendent David Healy, there is no specific policy that can be put in place to work toward these goals. The board and the administration plan to achieve them by addressing them in a fluid, evolving manner. In the case of suspensions and school climate, Healy said they will focus on early intervention rather than just punishing students.

"There are some simple things that can be done. What we've done to date is we've been addressing the problems and not necessarily the symptoms and that usually has to do with early intervention," Healy said.