Lockheed Partnership, Policy Database Among Moorestown BOE Updates

Column written by Moorestown Board of Education Member Brandon Pugh

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving has passed, Hanukkah has started, and Christmas is just three weeks away. Nevertheless, the school district and the board of education are still hard at work improving transparency, adding new curricular opportunities, and addressing concerns.

At the October board meeting, Acting Superintendent Lynn Shugars and the board’s policy committee announced the establishment of a searchable online database of district policies. Policies have always been accessible online, but they were difficult to navigate. Now, a user can search by title, policy and/or keywords to locate more easily the specific district policy they are looking for. The database can be accessed here.

Two curriculum updates were also offered at the October meeting. A new partnership was announced with Lockheed Martin, where professionals in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields will interact with students who have interests in these disciplines starting in January. The district hopes to expand this partnership going forward. 

Also, the curriculum committee gave an update on the district’s extended-day kindergarten class, describing it as a “very strong success.” Results from a survey given to parents with children in the extended-day program and those in regular kindergarten classes showed that an overwhelming majority of parents believed an extended-day program is best, and is beneficial to students.

The acting superintendent shared exciting news that the district made the AP Honor Roll from a pool of thousands of schools in the United States and Canada. Highlights of this achievement include AP student participation rising 18 percent, participant scores coming in above expectations, and that Moorestown is among only a handful of schools nationwide to have earned this distinction more than once.

Numerous concerns were shared with the board in regards to the presence of mold at South Valley Elementary School. The district administration acknowledged the problem and said remediation is being handled by experts in the field, with the district monitoring the results.

During the month of December, there are numerous exciting events occurring. Following the Moorestown Lions Club Holiday Parade on Dec. 7, MoorArts will host its Holiday Arts Festival at the Church Street Recreation Center—which will also be celebrating its grand reopening. Home and School will be hosting their monthly fundraiser on Dec. 11 at Passariello’s, where a portion of your purchase will go to Home and School. And don’t forget that winter break begins with an early dismissal on Friday, Dec. 20.

The next regular board of education meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, in the William Allen Middle School media center. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to either the board as a whole, or myself, if you have any questions or need anything. I would be delighted to hear from you, and I hope to see you at a future meeting.

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.

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