Elections and Evaluations for the Little Silver Board of Education

The Little Silver Board of Education met on Thursday, April 6, at the Markham Place School to discuss the upcoming board elections and Board of Education evaluations. 

The Board of Education elections are set to take place on April 27. Polls are open until 9 p.m. and the Board will unofficially gather to discuss the elections and the reorganization that will follow the elections.

The Board of Education evaluations were also discussed.  Superintendent of Schools Carolyn M. Kossack stressed the importance of completing the evaluations in a timely matter.

“It’s important to have these evaluations completed to help formulate the goals for next year,” Kossack told the Board.

Among the topics on the evaluations were how well the Board complied with training requirements and how engaged with the community they were. The Board has implemented a variety of different strategies in order to further their connection to the community. They have developed a district newsletter, set up an e-suggestion box on their website and held two town hall meetings. 

A finance report detailing the NJSBAIG Grant was also discussed.  The Board approved the submission of a grant application for the 2011 Safety Grant Program thorough the New Jersey School Boards Association Insurance Group’s Subfund.

Business Administrator and Board Secretary Amy Lerner told the board that the application had been submitted for the amount of $3,559. She requested the money in order to help pay for repairs to the sidewalks that endured some snow damage.

Lerner added that she had recently been notified that FEMA was possibly going to cover the cost of the sidewalk repair, being that the damage had occurred during a state of emergency.   FEMA was also considering reimbursing the school for the $4700 that they had to pay for snow removal.

If federal money is allotted to repair the sidewalk, Lerner said that the NJSBAIG grant money could then be used to address another safety concern facing the school. Most likely, the money would be put towards getting new front doors for the .

The Board also discussed the need for financial support to help schools in acquiring new technology, such as smart boards, that could be utilized in classrooms. 

The Board discussed ways to make the use of technology in the classroom more appealing to all teachers. They agreed that it is important to encourage the ongoing use of technology and feel it’s important for teachers to continue to apply for grants.

They also discussed the need for more financial support in order to be able to bring more technology into the classroom and also to keep current technology up to date. The Board frequently mentioned The Education Foundation of Little Silver (EFLS) as a source to look to for help in deferring the cost of the purchases.

 The EFLS is a nonprofit volunteer group whose mission is “to enrich the education of students in the Little Silver Public Schools through technology.” They do this primarily by holding fundraisers and then allowing teachers to apply for grants. 

For more information on upcoming meetings and elections, please visit: http://www.littlesilverschools.org/lss/