Schools
BOE Preps '13 Budget, Addresses School Safety
Moorestown School Board Member Brandon Pugh provides updates and information on several topics, including March events and a change to district employees' health plan.
It is a pleasure to be able to post my second Education Monthly column. On the last Friday of each month this column will be posted, recapping important updates in the school district and the board of education during the month.
During the month of February, there were many important occurrences in the school district and with the board of education. At the Feb. 26 board meeting, three main topics were brought up. First, residents, teachers and parents voiced concerns over rumors around town surrounding the possible outsourcing of paraprofessionals.
In addition at the meeting, the board voted in favor of changing employee health plan to Aetna through June 30, 2014, which brings savings to the district.
Find out what's happening in Moorestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The third key topic was board approval for an extended day kindergarten pilot program for the 2013-14 school year. There are three important parts of the program: It would be voluntary and tuition-based, with a class held at each elementary school. More information will be forthcoming.
Five high school students (Luke Stewart, Jeff Dever, Alex Thompson, Will Leister and Jimmy Gifford) were recognized for graduating from the Burlington County Fire Academy and for volunteering locally at the Moorestown and Lenola Fire companies.
Find out what's happening in Moorestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Many have expressed concerns regarding school safety, but the district is continuing to review, monitor and make improvements in safety districtwide. I am fortunate to have been recently appointed to the New Jersey School Board Association’s School Security Task Force. I am very interested in bringing best practices and ideas to our district.
This time of year, school boards across the state are preparing their yearly budgets, as is Moorestown. There will be three special meetings in March surrounding the budget. At 7:30 p.m. March 5, the board will approve the budget for submission to the county. On March 12, also at 7:30 p.m., there will be a public budget forum. And at 7:45 p.m. March 27, there will be a public budget hearing. All are certainly welcomed and encouraged to attend.
School-related events occurring in March include the high school spring musical, Legally Blonde (March 1, 2, 8, 9); Upper Elementary School musical, Little Mermaid (March 22-23), the annual SpEAC Conference on March 8, and Home & School’s Family Fun Event with the Wizards on March 16. It is also important to note there is no school on March 29 (the first day of spring break).
Besides the special board meetings mentioned, the next regular board meeting will be on Tuesday, March 19. In the meantime, if any questions or concerns arise, do not hesitate to reach out to me and I encourage you to visit my website at www.brandonjpugh.com for regular updates.
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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.
