Construction Updates, New Website Highlight Month In Moorestown School District

The start of the school year is fast approaching, and a lot has happened recently in the Moorestown School District and on the Board of Education, including the start of a new superintendent and business administrator, referendum project progress, and a new district website.

The Aug. 9 board meeting was the first one in district for Superintendent Scott McCartney and Business Administrator/Board Secretary Paul Whitman. Both individuals have been meeting with a variety of individuals and groups in the community, and have expressed excitement to be working in the district.

Small increases in school lunch prices were approved at the August meeting following federal mandate. The new lunch prices will be $2.40 at the elementary schools and $2.70 at the upper elementary school, middle school, and high school. Prices for the breakfast program, and premium and adult lunches will not change.

During the summer there was significant progress made on various projects that are part of the Building Excellence Referendum, and Mr. Rob Notley of New Road Construction presented updates to the Board.

Paving was completed at Baker Elementary, interior doors were replaced at South Valley and Roberts elementary schools, a new roof and science labs were put in at the William Allen Middle School, and a new roof and HVAC improvements were made at the high school, among other projects. Work is anticipated to continue to the start of school, and additional work is scheduled for the summer of 2017.

I encourage you to visit the new district website at www.mtps.com. Director of Technology Jeff Arey and staff spent countless hours switching to the new platform, which is much easier to navigate and has more recent content.

The deadline to file for a board of education position was in July, and the candidates will be voted on in the general election on Nov. 8.

Four candidates are running for three “full term” spots, including Christian Cramer, Kathy Goldenberg, Sandra Alberti, and Maurice Weeks. Dimitri Schneiberg, is running for one “two year” term.

There has been a lot of discussion surrounding Governor Christie’s proposed change to how state aid is allocated to school districts in New Jersey, and I wanted to give a brief overview on how it would impact Moorestown.

The proposed “Fairness Formula” would give a flat amount of funding per student of about $6,599.

Currently, Moorestown receives about $3.7 million in state aid, but under the proposal, Moorestown would receive about $25.1 million in state aid based on our student enrollment. This equates to a roughly 600% increase in aid, and the average homeowner would likely see over $2,500 in savings (based on the average assessed home, and if all was returned).

This proposal would greatly benefit Moorestown, although some districts currently disproportionately funded would see reductions. It is unclear what the impact would be under Senator Sweeney’s alternate proposal.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Moorestown Board of Education is on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, at 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Media Center. If you are able to attend, it would be great to have you. In the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

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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.