Red Bank schools innovate to do more with less

As the Red Bank Public School District forges ahead into the new school year, the challenges associated with its drastic reduction in state aid and draining of surplus funds has prompted several challenges and opportunities.

“We’re doing a whole lot more with a whole lot less,” said Superintendent Laura Morana during an interview on Aug. 31.

Despite monetary cuts, students who returned to the borough schools last Thursday experienced the enhancement of several educational components.

“We have devoted time, energy, and resources this summer to analyze data and discuss strengths and areas that need enhancement via the integration of technology and instructional methodologies,” Morana said.

Last week, all faculty attended a session at which plans for the 2010-11 school year were highlighted and the emphasis was on the transition from the prekindergarten program to the Red Bank Primary School, the primary to Red Bank Middle School, and the middle to the high school level.

“We had training for the entire staff,” said Morana. “A focus was on how technology can be used to enhance the classroom.”

The district’s pre-K expansion has enabled the borough to provide schooling to an additional 60 students, for a total of 105 3-year-olds and 120 4-year-olds.

The district has continued its partnership on the pre-K program with the Monmouth Day Care Center and Community YMCA. Additionally, the pre-K program has expanded through the district’s collaboration with St. Anthony of Padua Church.

“New classrooms have been established at St. Anthony’s Parish Center, and a new partnership with Head Start allows for students to participate in a full-day and highquality program,” said Morana.

Last week, a pre-K kickoff welcome breakfast was held, an event Morana said was a great opportunity for all involved in the district’s program to reflect and discuss the initiative.

At the primary school, students will experience the continuation of a grant-funded pilot program for pre-K through third grade that highlights instruction and assessment practices, parental engagement, data analysis and the work of the School Improvement Team, Morana explained.

Third-graders will now partake in an end-of-year interdisciplinary collaborative project. They will also participate in a project with Rutgers University to address character and leadership development.

All students will see the continuation of web-based tools that support their language arts and mathematics skills.

They will also experience an introduction to organizational and study skills and be allocated increased time for independent reading on a daily basis.

Additionally, Morana explained, the use of grant-funded work sampling and a refined portfolio assessment process will better guide instruction for students and serve as a comprehensive reporting system for parents.

At Red Bank Middle School, the fourthand fifth-grade programs have been restructured, an effort that Morana said better allows for small group instruction in language arts and increased mathematics instructional time. All students will be allocated increased time for independent reading and writing on a daily basis.

Fourth-graders will experience the introduction of student-led conferences, and eighth-graders will participate in the crafting of a revised end-of-year interdisciplinary project.

“Also, the introduction of the grantfunded Project Lead the Way [PLTW] curriculum for all students as a strategy that further integrates science, technology, engineering and mathematics will begin this year,” said Morana.

The district is in the process of planning a grant-funded geosciences curriculum in partnership with the Marine Sciences Consortium and Rutgers University. In addition, the implementation of a grant-funded character and leadership education program will take place for middle school students in partnership with Rutgers University.

The grant-funded 21st Century Learning Centers after-school program as well as the grant-funded Saturday Academy program, which reinforces language arts and mathematics skills, will continue this school year.

Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) at the primary and middle school are being formed. A parent willing to serve as PTO secretary is needed at the primary school.

“Together, we can make a difference in providing all students with the necessary tools to function independently and successfully in a very different world and set of expectations,” said Morana.

In an effort to preserve all the teaching and instructional assistant positions that the superintendent believes are integral to supporting educationally sound class size, and for the continuation of the performing arts that are critical to the development of the whole child, Morana explained, several supervisory positions were eliminated for the 2010-11 school year.

“The outcome of this unprecedented economic climate led to the opportunity to recognize ‘teachers as leaders.’ ” Morana said. “I am honored to have a team of dedicated master teacher/coaches who support the goals of the district, support faculty in maximizing student learning, instructional practices, data analysis to drive the instructional process, and to collaborate with district administrators.”

The Red Bank Board of Education passed its 2010-11 $18.9 million budget last March. The budget shows a 9 percent reduction from the previous school year.

The spending plan eliminated 13 fulltime positions and one part-time position, although there were no layoffs. Morana was able to avoid layoffs due to the $2.63 million in state aid allocated to the expansion of the district’s pre-K program.

“The pre-K expansion also allows teachers and staff to be reassigned, thereby avoiding layoffs within the district,” Morana said previously.

Morana said she had to use creativity when crafting this year’s budget to make certain that the impact of the cuts would not be felt at the classroom level. Class sizes will remain at their current levels, she said.

However, the district is experiencing reductions that include the elimination of all non-grant-funded extracurricular activities and athletics, and the postponement of all routine, nonessential maintenance.

After visiting the schools days prior to the start of the academic year, Morana said a sense of eagerness is in the air.

“We’re ready for business,” Morana said. “The teachers are thrilled to get started and are very excited. They have spent an incredible amount of their personal time prepping their classrooms and getting everything ready.”