Year In Review: Westfield Superintendent Reflects On 2022

WESTFIELD, NJ — As 2022 comes to a close, Westfield Superintendent Raymond González reflected on the school district's accomplishments in the past year and shared his hopes for 2023.

González was chosen as the new superintendent of Westfield Schools in May of 2021 after the retirement of Dr. Margaret Dolan. González previously served as the superintendent of Westwood Schools.

Patch asked González what the top three things he is most proud of accomplishing in the Westfield School District in 2022:

Here's what he said:

1. I am proud of our students who continue to achieve and excel at all levels. The students of Westfield Public Schools, with the support of their families and our staff, show an admirable commitment to their academics, athletics, the arts, community service, and other extracurricular pursuits.

2. I am proud of the work our educators and the Board of Education toward building on existing successes to ensure that we are a school district that embraces diversity. Our district goals - both last year and this year - include a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with an emphasis on developing our practices and programs in a way that creates a learning environment in which all students and staff can feel safe and supported.

3. I am proud of our work to improve communication with our school community in several ways including creating a Communication Plan that outlines the many ways families can stay connected and learn about the district, weekly newsletters from our principals with school-specific updates and information, and two monthly e-newsletters - one to our staff, the other to families - with important updates and news. We have a new website and a mobile app and continue to post examples on our social media of the dynamic learning in our schools and classrooms.

Here are three things González is looking forward to, and hoping to accomplish, in 2023:

1. I look forward to communicating with Westfield residents in a clear and comprehensible way why it is so important that they go to the polls on April 25 to approve the school district budget for 2023-2024 to support our staff and programs and, most importantly, our students.

2. I am excited about our collaborative effort to create a Strategic Plan for 2023-2028, a five-year blueprint outlining the district's priorities and vision for the future.

3. We will continue to deepen our DEI efforts as we work with diverse members of the Westfield community to broaden our understanding and curricular offerings and promote respect for individual differences.

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