Englewood Residents and all Concerned Citizens

Englewood Residents and All Concerned Citizens: 


Just in case you thought you were dealing with persons of integrity, take a look at this advertisement. Secretaries and Paraprofessionals are fighting for their very lives. They are under the mistaken assumption that they are in a fair fight and that the vote to accept contracts and to actually conduct a vote and ratify by resolution in a public session is something that will happen. Face it people, you have underestimated the chicanery of the people who hold the lives and education of your children in balance. Without following the laws of the state of New Jersey, the Board of Education in Englewood has already advertised your jobs. The Board of Education of Englewood is holding itself above the laws. They are making and acting on decisions made in closed session. They are making a mockery of the Open Public Meetings Act. We have a litany of other ways in which this and other laws have been broken. Is anyone listening?


Loretta Weinberg 
Governor Chris Christie
Acting Commissioner Cerf
Gordon M. Johnson 
Valerie Vainieri Huttle 
Mayor Frank Huttle III
Senator W. Lesniak, 
Senator Ronald I. Rice, 
Pascrell, 
Rothman, 
Michael Wildes, 
New Jersey State Naacp, 
American Civil Liberties Union, 
Clergy Council, 
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, 
Urban League 
and all other persons who claim to care should weigh in on this situation. For whom were the laws of the State of New Jersey written?


Delta T is already advertising the positions in question: https://acrobat.com/#d=WMisp47OwLM*v4Dl1Z6fvw

OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT...


Is a practice such as this coming soon to your town?

Our Schools Are In Crisis: To the Editors of FAST

• • 
    
    
    

    It is time for everyone to stop
    depending on hearsay. It is time to get involved. Do the research and stop parroting what people have told you because they are embarrassed by the mistakes they have made. Help them to understand that these mistakes must be dealt with at the source.
    
    
    Englewood Residents: Please do not allow the FASTarticle to inflame you or turn you from your course. It is written in earnest. I have not seen the authors at little more than one School Board meeting. They get their information from Board Members themselves. The content of the article demonstrates the disconnect between that group, the board and the rest of Englewood. You would think that people who have so much money and control would also have a passing acquaintance with the truth. 
    
    
    The Englewood Board of Education has failed us all. They have failed the residents of every single ward. People in all 4 wards must come out to the board meetings. Regardless of what anyone says the Englewood Public School District has been mismanaged. Outsourcing secretaries and Paraprofessionals will not raise test scores and will not bring the cost of educating students down. 
    
    
    There is a formula used in calculating cost per pupil that involves everything from the cost of teachers, food service, operations & maintenance, secretaries, nurses, principals, Superintendents, all salaries and finally facilities. Simpy stating the cost merely shows that having money does not equate to being informed. 
    
    
    Test scores will not go up until the school system begins to focus on students and not buildings. Test scores will go up when the focus is shifted to programs and curriculum instead of facilities and fat salaries and packages for teachers, not the lowest paid employees in the district. 
    
    
    Regardless of how the article suggests that persons have been involved in creating unrest, the fact remains that the board has been irresponsible with taxpayer dollars. They have folded to special interest groups and have maintained salaries and programs that are not in the best interest of children or taxpayers. They have created unsustainable programs that support apartheid education and that serve to polarize a school system and a community. 
    
    
    The text of this article proves the point. The article includes misinformation served to a population that has been duped by a group of people they trusted. Well, join the rest of us. We were fooled also. 
    
    
    To the Editors of FAST: A forensic audit will show that the people you elected and trusted to keep your taxes down have failed you and squandered your dollars. I challenge you to put your elected officials to the test. Sign the petition. Call for a forensic audit. In the big picture the issue of outsourcing is merely a diversion. Wake up and get involved in your Community. It is time for you to come down off the hill if you truly care.

    
    

    
    
  • Another thing, the cost of renting and renovating St. Cecilia School just increased the per student cost.
    

    
    
• 
  

Read the article: http://www.dontbankruptus.com/efast/?p=462&cpage=1#comment-230


                    How are the children? 

Separate and Unequal Still Alive and Thriving In Englewood Education

The problem of the polarization and apartheid education in Englewood is at the highest point right now. Some people may be very happy that the students in the Eagle Program have a new home in St. Cecilia's School. I am not. Even though the building has a cafeteria and a gym, it is still a substandard facility. Does the state of New Jersey know that EPSD has leased another substandard facility for our children? The building is not Handicap accessible. The lease states very clearly that any modifications that must be made to bring the building up to code must be paid for by the Board.

The terms in the lease are not favorable to the taxpayers of Englewood. It is also not favorable to the teachers and the children in the building.

Why are we paying over $300,000.00 a year to rent yet another substandard building? I thought we had a money problem. Is this further evidence of the spending problem? Why is it so important to keep the children separate? What happens if no more children transgress to a degree that they must be placed there? There are rumors that some students are there because they uttered curse words and others because their pants hung down below their boxers.

Behind a chain link fence are children capable of learning as
well as any others. Why?

In my humble opinion, Dr. Carlisle seems desperate to avoid another Sharpstown. That is his motivation, but what motivates the Board? Are there clandestine plans underway that will insure that St. Cecilia will always have students? Is this the true purpose behind the "Credit Recovery Program" and the "5 Year Plan"? This way there will always be empty seats for "school choice" students. The Department of Education has already asked the million dollar question of why so many African American and Latin American males are in special education. I would also like to know the answer to that question. How many of the students in St. Cecilia were exiled there because no attorney looked over the paperwork that put them there?

Inside all of the subterfuge we find another problem. The Law says that taxpayer money shall not be used to improve or renovate property that does not belong to the Board of Education. What about property that is owned by an Archdiocese? That is the epitome of mixing Church and State. There are repairs and renovations going on right now that are contrary to the law that ruled in the case below.

In Wildwood Crest, Cape May County the Board of Ed was simply improving a sidewalk owned by the City.

Petitioning Board contested the Department’s determination (resulting from an audit) that petitioner exceeded its authority in purchasing materials for the construction of a sidewalk on property not owned by the school district and in waiving the Borough’s obligation to pay contaminated soil removal costs in return for labor which was supplied for such sidewalk construction.

The ALJ found that the legislative scheme permits a school district to improve its own   

property but not that of the municipality. Therefore, the ALJ found that a school district may not expend public funds to construct a sidewalk improvement on property which is not owned by the board but is municipally-owned in order to jointly develop and construct a recreational field. Thus, the ALJ concluded that there is no statutory authority that would permit the Board to make the sidewalk improvement in question at its expense." 

Read more: http://www.state.nj.us/education/legal/commissioner/2000/73-00.pdf 

My Father would call this jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I think I would like to see the paperwork that alters the Long Range Facilities Plan and adds this new substandard facility. Speaking of the contents of that Long Range Facilities Plan. How many schools do we have again?

Why?

Why is it so difficult for this Board of Education to follow the law? Two lawyers sit behind that long table during Board meetings.                




                        How are the children?  

Our Schools Are In Crisis

Englewood Residents: Study the Report Card for Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey. Note that there is no separation of the students listed into programs or academies. They are all Dwight Morrow High School students. There is no Eagle Academy and there is no Academy@Englewood. Everyone must let go of the fantasy so we may move on as a district. I am still trying to find the wisdom in the tendency to separate the student population. Apartheid education has no place in the City that collects my property taxes.

Englewood Teachers: I know that some of you have been allowed to play roles as if you live in feudal times. There is no room for nobles here in Englewood. Those days are over. I will personally institute charges against anyone that I witness saying that they object to teaching all children. Those of you who do not wish to TEACH IN THE NORTH BUILDING need to RECOGNIZE where you are. Let this post serve to put you on notice with a promise. The beginning is near. Expectations are set by teachers. Curriculum is driven or not driven, by teachers. Curriculum needs to be written and used by teachers. We must see that you will fight for more than your SALARY and BENEFITS. We must see that you fight for all of the children, not just the ones that you like. There is a climate of neglect at play here and it is HIGH TIME that the Board of Education, Teachers and Administration accept their own part in the malignant neglect.     

http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/rcreport.php?c=03&d=1370&s=040

Our Schools are In Crisis: Too Many Unsettled Contracts!

Curriculum Now!
Student Rights Now!
Test Score Report Now!
Accurate and Timely Reporting Now!
More Preparation for Standardized Tests Now!
Pre - Kindergarten for all Now!
Proper Use of Grant Funds Now!


Fiscal Accountability Now!


New Law Firm Now!


Forensic Audit Now!

Dwight Morrow High School Alumni Educational Alliance
Annual Picnic 

Come stand beside us in support of a Free Public Education Now!



Education should not be a debt sentence!


The amount of money in the budget 
shall be enough to fund the programs
necessary to provide a
Thorough and Efficient Education!


Put on your comfortable shoes and
Join us in a rally for a Thorough & Efficient 
Education For All Children
Thursday, July 26, 2012

Meet us at Liberty School at 5:30 pm
Get to know the dedicated Secretaries and Paraprofessionals
who touch the lives of children everyday.
Walk with us in solidarity 
Talk with us about the Achievement and 
The Needs of our children.




Stand with us in the cafeteria of Grieco School 
as we give the Board of Education of Englewood
some new faces to remember.



                               
                       
                     
       
How are the children?  With your help, they will be well.

The Auditor Warns EPSD again. Stop spending.

I am quite frankly still waiting for item number 1 on the CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN to be completed. Dr. Carlisle's contract is still not legal. How are they conducting negotiations without a Superintendent or an Assistant Superintendent? Who is restructuring the failed Educational Model that is draining the resources and polarizing the district? Who is making recommendations to the Board about staffing and streamlining the Educational Model that the District cannot afford? In 2003, the state of NJ told EPSD that they generate enough money in district to support this program without state aid. Of course, we know the rest of the story. EPSD blackmailed the state into giving them $30 million dollars by suing them. What did they do with all that money from the state plus the tax revenue collected from us? That is the $9 million dollar question.


Dr Carlisle...Earn your money. Redesign the model. I challenge you. It is not that difficult. EPSD. You made this mess, stop trying to make the public the bad guy. You know what has to be done. Stop trying to get others to do it for you. You made the mess. Sit down with that expensive Candidate for Superintendent and fix it.

The School Board never stopped spending after hearing this report. What happened to the $5 million dollars from the sale of Liberty School? I hear that there is still one million more to come from the City.

Just to be clear, some of us know that there are 3 programs that are a drain on the district. The one that was created to make space for "school choice students" should be assessed as well. The culture and climate of a school or community is NOT changed by ostracizing certain groups from the larger one. That action serves to polarize a community. That separation may be traced down through the grades to the Ivy Program (begins in 4th grade) and through to Pre-Kindergarten. Common Core Standards and the stipulations in the St. Cecila lease. How rich?! If the Board was anticipating the deficit of $4 million dollars, why would they sign this crazy lease?

Reckless and irresponsible.

There is very little mention of children and achievement in this whole scenario. What is going on in the classrooms? When are we going to hear Dorian Milteer's presentation on test scores? We are waiting.

Positive Trends in New Jersey Student Health Survey

Department of Education Announces Results of the New Jersey Student Health Survey Showing Positive Trends in Student Health and Well-Being 

Trenton, NJ - The Department of Education today announced the results of the 2011 New Jersey Student Health Survey (NJSHS) showing overall positive trends in student health and well-being. The 2011 survey, taken by 1,657 students in 31 high schools across the state between March and June, provides information for families, school staff, administrators, community members and policy makers about adolescent behaviors and trends.

Juneteenth 2012

 "The health, safety and emotional well-being of our students is of the utmost importance and the information collected through this survey is critical because it provides us with a greater awareness of trends in adolescent behavior," said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf. "We will continue to provide as much support and professional development to districts as possible to ensure that our students are physically and emotionally healthy and ready to learn." 

The Department of Education has taken a number of steps to improve the health and well-being of students over the past several years in partnership with other state agencies. With the support of funding from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Department provided professional development to physical education teachers, food service directors, and school wellness teams to support increased physical activity and healthy eating in schools.

The Department of Education has also partnered with the Department of Agriculture to support the expansion of the School Breakfast Program to increase students' access to a healthy breakfast.

Through implementation of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (2011), the Department has provided training to thousands of school staff across the state, a model anti-bullying policy, and several guidance documents to help schools better identify and intervene in instances of harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

The NJSHS is comprised of 88 questions addressing a wide variety of behaviors including, but not limited to, physical activity and nutrition, emotional health, sexual behavior, use of tobacco and drugs, and violence.

Summaries of the results are provided to all public middle school and high school principals, superintendents, public charter school leaders, and local health officials in the state in order to help guide decision making when developing policies and programs that address adolescent behaviors.

The survey, administered biennially since 1993, was conducted with funding from the New Jersey Department of Education through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Education under Title IV, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act, and the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

For key findings: the release is here: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0622shs.htm

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm

$5 million in Federal Grants Will Track NJ Student Progress Pre-School - College & Into The Workforce

Trenton, NJ - New Jersey was awarded $5 million in federal grants this month to expand the state's current data system, NJSMART, to track students from pre-school through higher education institutions and into the workforce.

This expansion will provide valuable information to practitioners in both K-12 schools and higher education institutions to better help measure the effectiveness of programs and to drive improvement efforts. 


"For the first time in New Jersey, we will soon be able to track students from pre-k all the way through their entry into the workforce," said Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. "This data system will be critical to assess the effectiveness of K-12 and career and technical education programs as we strive to ensure that all students graduate from high school truly ready for college and career." 

 Last week, the Department of Education received a $4 million award over three years to expand the state's current data system from K-12 into one that tracks students from pre-k through entry into the workforce. Earlier this month, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development received approximately $1 million to link employment and education data. 


The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education will be the lead developer of this expansion, with the support of the Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Release is here: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0619data.htm

Suggestion Box EPSD: Still Spending

A 4 million dollar deficit and still spending. When times are this hard, every effort should be made to STOP spending unless there is NEED. You have not proven that there is a deficit. Is it because it is a sanction and not a deficit?

Summer School must be conducted for those in need of credits to graduate. (June 13, 2012 agenda pages 10 - 17) This includes subjects such as Math, English, Science, Social Studies and a Foreign Language. It should only include those subjects. So why does this very expensive proposal include so many teachers who do not teach major subject areas? Why is there still waste? I should also hope that teachers who failed students during the year are not assigned to teach those same students in summer school. That is an extremely expensive summer school program. You also know right now which students will fail subjects for the year. You know which students qualify for assistance under grants to help them get through Summer School. Why are we even having summer school here in the district? Send these students to established summer schools in other districts (that work) and have parents pay on a sliding scale according to need. Your summer school will cost close to a half million dollars, if not more. No doubt this is probably grant money. Poor planning and work organization again.

Field Trips: The agenda for June 13, includes 41 field trips. (pages 3 - 9) This money should have been planned out better to do the most good to raise student achievement. Again, we see signs of poor planning and work organization, because you are spending Grant Money at the last minute. You continue to do the same things that have failed the children in the past. Who suffers?

The Pre-Kindergarten threat did not fall on deaf ears. For those of us down here in the Valley who have been paying attention, we know that you have been limiting our access to Pre-Kindergarten anyway. This cut hurts another group that you wish to threaten. Your fake lottery has not gone unnoticed. Try again. How many 3 year old children do you register from the Valley? You know who that threat was aimed to silence. I hope they are listening. They did after all elect you feeling you had their best interest at heart. Courtesy busing is another one of those coded threats. Give it a rest. You have been found out.

What exactly is a sacred cow? There is no such thing. You have thrown us and our children under the bus for no good reason. Was it worth it? You know which programs and services can be cut. Get to work and determine the NEED. Why should we tell you your jobs? The people that we pay a combined salary of over $400,000.00 per year must find a way. You made the choice. You need to fix this. Evaluate Dr. Carlisle!

Regardless of the tone the people use while feet are on their necks, you have an obligation to follow the law.

Another Suggestion: Dr. Carlisle. Stop luring folks into your office to strike deals. That does not make the rest of us trust you. It makes us stronger in the resolve to bring the law to Englewood. Word on the street is that a deal has been struck with the STATE. Does that put you, the Board and the State in bed together?  Well, if the board could sue the state, and you keep threatening to sue us, we can sue you ALL as one. Stop grandstanding and do some work. Earn your salary. We are not impressed with your efforts. Stop spending and start working for the children of this town.

We have video footage of you listening to women holding their autistic children with little or no compassion on your lips. On June 13, 2012, you listened to a simple request from a couple and proceeded to take nearly a half hour to make sure they felt better. Stephen Brown and Dr. Carlisle made sure to extend extra attention to this couple. Is this because they came as a couple and they were from a select group that you fear and respect? You have not made it a secret that you have open disdain for unmarried or single women with children. Do you think this goes unnoticed by the public? Do you really expect us to stay silent when you treat us this way?

So when did the Englewood Board of Education start having school board meetings on Wednesday nights? Mayor Huttle's Master's Plan Hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, 2012 and has been scheduled
for quite some time now. It seems that some people are not included in the future of Englewood. I am not planning to sell my house, are you? So why did the Board of Education plan a very important school board meeting on the same night as Mayor Huttle's Massa's Plan Hearing which has been on the City of Englewood's website for weeks. Are these 3 factions of government in cahoots against the students and the people of Englewood? The City, The School Board and The State of New Jersey.

Our Schools are In Crisis Because EPSD Has A Spending Problem: Take it to the State

Special Meeting of the NJ State Board of Education 
Contact: Barbara Morgan 
609-292-1126 

 The New Jersey State Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. for the purpose of receiving the annual reports from the superintendents of the three state-operated school districts of Jersey City, Paterson, and Newark. 


No action will be taken. The public is invited to attend the meeting which will be held at the following location: 

Liberty Science Center 
The Interactive Theater 
222 Jersey City Boulevard 
Jersey City, NJ 

Questions can be directed to the State Board Office at 609-984-6024.
************************************************************************
Evaluate the Superintendent. Follow the law before outsourcing 2 entire work forces with years of service to the district.
Outsourcing will not solve Englewood Board of Education's spending problem. Custodians are outsourced and one may smell urine in the stairwells on most days. Cafeteria workers and food service is outsourced and children are eating too many carbohydrates off of styrene plates. At times they are being served moldy bread and the breakfast from Friday as lunch on Monday.
Is outsourcing the answer? I don't think so. 

 Englewood is faced with some of the same problems as Jersey City, Paterson and Newark. Englewood has been called Abbott-Like by a lot of people over the years. Our School District is known as the "Apartheid Education" school district. Instead of digging in and fixing problems that have been pointed out by qualified professionals over the years, our board has taken a route of inaction at a time when a new strategy was needed. Keep in mind everyone that they are saying that the  money ran out in 2008. It is the end of the 2012 school year. Last year, we watched as Dr. Carlisle hired nearly 40 people who were not planned for in the budget. At times I wondered if any one of them had a calculator. All of the board voted in employee after employee knowing full well the budget would not cover them. We have Dr. Carlisle on videotape telling new hires that there would  not be enough money to rehire them a second year. We watched them hire and hire and hire. Most of the new hires were provisionals, CE's and CEAS's, folks who are not certified. If you check the agendas, you will notice that they are still hiring while they claim they have no money. They just collected over 6 million dollars from the City for the sale of Liberty School. Where did it go? Englewood does not have a money problem. Englewood has a spending problem. They all need tutoring in all 5 areas of the QSAC. 

A few people would have us believe that the best thing for us would be to throw ourselves butt first into another alliance with the Bergen County Technical Schools. Dr. Carlisle and key board members are working on that right now. That, myfriends is the author of the problems we face right now. In the original plan, we got the cast offs of Bergen Academy. They came in with all the attitude and none of the know-how for which Bergen Academy is known. Besides, Bergen Academy contains the best of all the towns in the county. Anyone can teach the smart, self motivated student who has enough money to buy lunch. An excellent teacher teaches all students that enter his/her class as if they can achieve anything possible under the sun.


 We say evaluate the program that was paid for years ago. A lot of children have suffered because of its existence. A lot of money was thrown at our School Choice program and it has  never been evaluated. The original problem that cost the tax payers upwards of 30 million dollars must be evaluated. When the money ran out the program should have been tailored. By their own admission the Board did not do anything to adjust to the loss of funding. Not a very prudent or wise move on their part. We have a spending problem. Our board needs state help in learning to spend the taxpayer's money. They desperately need the training that most of them refuse to get from the New Jersey School Boards Association. They also need help following the road map that is created by the laws in 18A. 

None of this accounts for the $900,000.00 that was recently taken from us because of faulty reporting. A lack of due diligence in the completion of paperwork at the top of the chain is key in the crippling of the Englewood Public Schools. I like the way the blame was placed on a snafu at the state. The paperwork does not support that allegation. The state acted on the information that they were given. Grants come with a lot of paperwork.  Important forms cannot go undone for 2,3,4,5 years in a row. This report gives Englewood up to 18 citations. That is not a good thing. This serious infraction was NEVER discussed in a public meeting. It was buried in an agenda with no action being taken. When disabled children are sent to private schools paperwork is generated and lots of it. Money allocated for specialized programs cannot be used to pay the salaries of teachers or employees not associated with the program. Read "The corrective action plan" created and submitted after the audit by the Business Administrator. We need a forensic audit. It took 600 signatures to get a forensic audit in Miller Place when the spending began to cripple that district during Dr. Carlisle's time there.

Secretaries do not fill out these forms. That is above their pay grade. Where is the problem really?  At the top. EPSD is the problem.

 A lot of money has been sucked up by Dr. Carlisle. He spent over a $100,000.00 on a program that basically teaches students how to say hello and greet each other every day. They should have kept the money and given teachers training on how to talk to meet, greet, and share with each other for the good of the children. Did we really need that? A good theatre based Improvisational exercise workshop would have accomplished more. Getting to know and understand how we are alike and the same type of exercises. Behavior modification for students, teachers and administrators. Who cleans up after Bull when he leaves the China Shop?

Dr. Carlisle has never been evaluated. He had no goals and objectives for the district. The objectives he presented at the last minute were plagiarized from other districts where the students do not look like 90% of the students here. How do you evaluate someone based on the achievement of people with whom we share nothing? Why is he not getting to know our children? At board meetings, a young man is often presented to the public jokingly as Clark Kent far too many times. It became annoying simply because it did not sound flattering to the student. Last Thursday, Clark Kent turned into Superman and stood up in his full height for the secretaries. For the first time since he was introduced as Clark Kent I was proud of this student. Now he has earned Superhero status.

What happens to a Board of Education that fails the minimum basic skills test in how to function as a board under the state law.
What happens to a board of education that has consistently flouted the laws of the NJ state constitution? What happens to a Board of Education that cannot hire a competent Superintendent at CAP salary? What happens to a Board of Education that hires a man who seems lacking in the same basic skills that we require in our high school student? What happens when a Board of Education changes nothing, but fills out the QSAC District Improvement Plan as if compliance is in place. The important words in the invitation above are: "for the purpose of receiving the annual reports from the superintendents of the three state-operated school districts of Jersey City, Paterson, and Newark." 


As a public school teacher, one sees a lot of Superintendent's reports. We have a frame of reference. Perhaps watching other Superintendents give reports on the state of their schools will give us and others some valuable information as to what should happen in Englewood.


It is high time for us, the stakeholders to give ALL of them a Report Card. Every tax payer should read this report in order to gain a higher understanding of how Boards of Education hide pertinent information concerning payment to superintendents. Sample Superintendent Evaluation Form. Notice how simple it is. You should also note the name at the top of the form. We need a relationship with those people. They are there to help us. 

EPSD

Stephen Brown - has his role confused with that of the
Superintendent and the Business Administrator. Those 2 salaries
combined equal almost $400,000.00. We want to see
them doing the job. We also do not think it is right to pay
top dollar to Administrators before they have
proven themselves
or at least have earned the required credentials.

                                   
                               How are the children?

2012 - 2013 EPSD Will Outsource Secretarial Services & Paraprofessional Services

Or will they... Become part of the solution. It only takes giving up one evening a month to find out how lightly people take your child's education.

The Credit Recovery Program is a trick for the underachiever. Make no mistake. 
There is no expectation for the student who cuts, is chronically late or  has school 
 phobia. The Ivy Program is a tracking tool. Everyone is Ivy. We must fight
to make sure this Board of Education understands that. Outsourcing is
a diversion. Follow the money and the slipshod way the records are kept. 
Check with the auditor. Carlisle admitted to creating the money problem. This
board never admitted to allowing him to do so. Pardon me public, we have them 
on videotape allowing it to happen. Or should I say, Voting it to happen.

The best way to tell you what has been done is to include the exact text of the draft resolution for the June 7, 2012 School Board Meeting. They vote on this today @8pm @Grieco School
DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR JUNE 7, 2012
WHEREAS, due to reasons of economy and efficiency, the Englewood Board of Education authorized the administration on January 30, 2012 to advertise for a request for proposals (RFP) for outside vendors to provide the following contracted services: (i) nurses; (ii) Child Study Team; (iii) secretaries; (iv) paraprofessionals; (v) related special education services; and (vi) substitute call-in services; and
WHEREAS, on March 12, 2012, the Englewood Board of Education advertised for RFPs and on April 5, 2012 responses to the RFPs for the provision of the contracted services listed in the above paragraph were publically opened; and
WHEREAS, the administration has evaluated the RFP responses received, and each response was carefully reviewed and evaluated pursuant to the RFP specification; and
WHEREAS, based upon the evaluation of the RFP responses, the administration recommends the selection of following vendors: (i) Mission One Educational Staffing to provide secretarial services; and (ii) Delta T Group North Jersey, Inc., to provide paraprofessional services; and
WHEREAS, the administration is not recommending the use of outside vendors for nursing, Child Study Team, related special education services or substitute call-in services at this time; and
WHEREAS, the contracted services will be implemented as soon as administratively practical so as to minimize operational disruption during the student school year and optimize the cost savings needed to keep the District within its budget; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the Englewood Board of Education will save an estimated $2 million per year by awarding contracts for outside vendors to provide secretarial services and paraprofessional services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Englewood Board of Education award a contract (to be negotiated) for secretarial services to Mission One Educational Staffing for the 2012/2013 school year at a cost not to exceed $832,000, excluding overtime (at $18.46 per regular hour).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Englewood Board of Education award a contract (to be negotiated) for paraprofessional services to Delta T Group North Jersey, Inc., for the 2012/2013 school year at a cost not to exceed $1,658,895 (at an hourly rate of $18.50 per hour assuming 70 FTEs @ 183 days per year).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board authorizes its administration and attorney to negotiate contracts with the aforementioned vendors with terms and conditions consistent with the RFP and the needs of the District for a one (1) year term, with an option for one year renewals for a subsequent term not to exceed five (5) years.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon the contracts being finalized by the vendor and the administration, said contracts shall be presented to the Board for approval and ratification.

                                                      How are the children?

ATTENTION! ATTENTION: MORE CHANGES IN POLLING PLACES

Polling places have changed in Englewood, New Jersey and not just in the 4th ward.
There was significant confusion in polling place location in Englewood during the School Board Elections. Some folks tried to vote at more than one place. We can beat the confusion. Check those ballots. Make sure they have the same information as these documents. Call, write or email the Superintendent of Bergen County Elections if the information is different.

Click here for a list of streets in Englewood, New Jersey.

• Find your Street
• Is your house # on the odd or even side of the street? Look closely.
• Determine your Ward & District based on your street (sometimes it is a different polling place for the same street) 

• For example, I vote Ward 4, District 2. It is written W4D2

Click here once you KNOW your Ward and District numbers. This is a list of places where each Ward and District votes. Now get out there and rock it!

Yeah, it is very odd that different sides of the street votes in different places. Now we know.

Suggestion Box EPSD: The Expectations Described Here...

Ivy?

...should apply to every single student in the 3rd grade, not just the ones in this program. 
This is not Education Reform. 
This
is 
tracking.
http://www.epsd.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=546c6af5-6dcd-4e9b-8e29-cc4c649005d7

Do you have a child going into the 3rd grade next year? Click the link below and fill out an application. Every child should have the opportunity to experience a program that has high expectations.
http://www.epsd.org/www/epsd/site/hosting/Ivy%20Program/Ivy%20Program%20Application.pdf

                                           How are the chldren?

Do You Understand the New Jersey 2011 - 2012 School Report Card?

Trenton, NJ - The Department of Education today released Report Cards for each public school in the state for the 2010-11 school year.

The Report Cards are released annually to provide user-friendly information to the public about school performance. The information in these Report Cards also provides useful data to educators and districts to help develop local improvement plans.

Based in part on these results, the Department of Education has already begun interventions in Priority Schools - the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools in the state over the past three years - with full support to begin in September through the state's new Regional Achievement Centers.

The Report Card contains information in the five areas below.
 1. School environment
 2. Student information
 3. School performance
 4. Staff information
 5. District financial data

Beginning next school year, the Department will develop and publish new school performance reports for every school in New Jersey to replace the current bifurcated School Report Card and NCLB Report Card publications.

Through these reports, the Department will set specific school and subgroup performance targets for both language arts and math, and will report annual progress towards meeting those goals. In addition, the reports will include a number of new data points including;

•  progress towards closing achievement gaps, 
• comparison to "peer schools" with similar demographics, 
• growth as measured through Student Growth Percentiles on state tests over time,
• and additional college and career readiness data points. 

These public reports will help districts and schools to:

• engage in local performance management by setting local performance goals, 
• identifying strengths and weaknesses, 
• and developing local plans to focus on areas of low performances in their districts.... 

The School Report Cards for the 2010-11 school year can be found at the link below: http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/ 

The full press release is here: 
http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0531rc.htm

Guide to the New Jersey Report Card 2011:
http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/guide.htm