Moorestown Board of Education member, Mark Villanueva, discusses what the district has been up to in January.
By MARK VILLANUEVA, Moorestown Board of Education member
In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Members, Mark Villanueva and Maurice Weeks provide monthly updates on what’s going on in the school district and on the BOE.
As Moorestown rang in the New Year, the Board of Education welcomed new member Dria Law, applauded the return of former member Caryn Shaw and commended existing board member David Weinstein on the start of his fourth term. Also new in 2019 are the authors of this column. Mick Weeks and I will co-author the “Education Monthly” column that was dutifully penned by former board member Brandon Pugh for six years, and we look forward to keeping you informed on the various activities within the district.
In January, the district continued to build on the momentum it generated in 2018 and laid the foundation for 2019 and beyond. Thanks to the hard work of the superintendent, administrators, staff, the Moorestown Police Department, Garrison Architects and many others (too many to list here), the district received an award of nearly $1.2 million for security upgrades at the high school. We are grateful for the efforts of all involved in securing this grant and appreciate the generosity of the Burlington County Freeholders. The funds will be used for security enhancements at the high school, including security vestibules, visitor screening tools, upgraded video cameras and new interior door locks, among other upgrades. The district is also exploring additional grant sources to expand school safety in each of our schools, and is committed to maintaining and advancing security measures to ensure the safety of our school family.
The district also continued to explore the possibility of full day kindergarten, which was discussed at the Jan.15 board meeting. Scott McCartney and Carole Butler, director of curriculum and instruction, presented a preliminary overview of full day kindergarten and potential options to achieve such a program, including restructuring grade configurations, adding classroom space and/or creating a new childhood learning center for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. It has become evident that what began as a conversation about full-day kindergarten has developed into a broader discussion about potentially reframing pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Please feel free to reach out to the board or Dr. McCartney with your thoughts and ideas on this evolving concept.
Also in January, the communications committee announced a three-part Community Engagement Forum titled “Navigating Stress in Moorestown.” The board will host a series of meetings to discuss the challenges our children face, the resultant stress and the effects of that stress. These public sessions will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the William Allen Middle School Media Center on Feb. 13, March 26 and May 14th. Please join us to discuss these critical issues, share your ideas and explore ways in which we can work together to help our children find healthy solutions for stress.
We look forward to seeing you around town and note that the next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Feb. 19th at 7 p.m. at WAMS.
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.
