Board of Education Begins Working Toward New School Year

Decisions for the 2011-2012 school year were made and discussed Thursday night as the Board of Education conducted its regular public meeting, while also closing out the 2010-2011 school year.

Dr. Mark Porto, superintendent of schools, stated that he and the board members  will continue to discuss goals for the coming year over the summer months.  Board President Josephine Ciocia acknowledged the school community for another successful year while Dr. Porto thanked the teachers and staff who put the work in, accepted changes and embraced the vision for academic excellence that he said he knows all students can achieve. He told the audience he looks forward to the districts movement towards math and science in the coming school year.

In the fall, the pre-K classes will all be conducted at Lincoln School as the district is looking to correct a flooding problem which occurred at Euclid School building. Dina Messery, business administrator, said they plan to conduct these classes at Lincoln until they can rectify the flooding situation at Euclid.

The district will also implement a new notification system known as School Messenger. Board member Joseph Rinke explained that the new system costs a bit less than the old one but further savings come from its unlimited use and its effectiveness as it can be customized to alert parents of just one school if the need arises, or even just one class, in addition to having the ability to notify the entire district. It can also provide information via email and text which the current system could not do.

Other features include instant translation to more than 30 languages and parents can access the system through web and phone allowing them to update how and when they are contacted.

Debra Bruno, board member, reported that the board will look into policy revisions over the summer months. She invited fellow board members to bring any policy review discussion to her attention.