Budget Adoption, Student Honors Highlight Month in Moorestown School District

Despite a short month in terms of school days due to Spring Recess, there was much accomplished within the district and on the Board of Education in the month of April.

This included adoption of the 2015-2016 budget, school calendar changes, student and staff recognition, and summer enrichment opportunities, among other items.

At the Board’s regular monthly meeting on April 21, numerous students and staff were recognized.

Students recognized included Lauren Chen, Aditya Garg, Wesley Liu, Aditya Pillai, and Askash Pillai for their achievements in the Coriell Science Fair at WAMS.

Language Arts teacher Peg Valora at WAMS won the “My Favorite Teacher Contest” after being nominated by a former student, and WAMS Civics teacher Katie Dickstein was nominated by eighth grader Carlie MacMillan for SJ Magazine’s Top Teachers 2015. Congratulations to the incredible students and staff.

A revised school calendar for 2015-2016 was approved. It is available at www.mtps.com. Highlights include changes to help prevent future spring recess implications due to school closings, changes to Election Day closings, and the elimination of a separate “Transition Day,” although other arrangements will be made.

The Board also approved Mr. Gavin Quinn as the new Science Supervisor for the district. Quinn will be instrumental in helping to implement the Next Generation Science Standards, and the Board approved a Strategic Planning Consultant to help identify community and district goals and benchmarks, which will be a collaborative process.

At the budget meeting on April 28, the 2015-2016 budget was adopted. The budget includes curriculum enhancements, technology expansion, and revenue generation components.

The budget equates to a 3.9% tax levy increase (using a 2% general fund increase, SGLA Funds, and Banked Cap), which amounts to an annual tax impact of $237.38 for the average assessed home of $446,500.

The largest increase was in employee benefits, for about $1.5 million/13.7%, which along with salaries equates to about 80% of the total budget.

Moorestown Township Public Schools will be offering a Summer Enrichment Camp, which is open to Moorestown and non-resident students of varying ages, this summer. There are four sessions to choose from, and classes include “Exploring Pop Art,” “College Application Writing,” and “A Summer at Hogwarts.” To register visit http://www.mtpswebpay.com/, but be sure to sign up early to avoid filled classes.

There are many exciting events occurring in May within the district, including:

• the UES Instrumental Concerts on May 5 (Grade 5) and May 6 (Grade 6);
• the MHS Concerts on May 7 (Spring Vocal Concert), May 14 (Spring Orchestra Concert), and May 21 (Spring Band Concert);
• the South Valley Concert on May 21; and
• the WAMS Concerts on May 27 and May 28.

As always, please refer to the district calendar for the most recent information.

The next regular board of education meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 p.m., in the William Allen Middle School media center. I hope to see or meet you at a future Board of Education meeting.

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The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.

About this column: In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Member Brandon Pugh provides monthly updates on what’s going on in the school district and on the BOE.