2010 - 2011 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Future announcements will be posted here.
2009 - 2010 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Superintendent's Report: Equity & Excellence Recommendations:
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/189610121793241930/lib/189610121793241930/Supts_Report_EE_Recommendations_-_FINAL_5-17-10.pdf
SUPERINTENDENT OSBORNE TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE'S BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE - Spring 2010
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/lib/somsd/Remarks_of_Brian_Osborne_032310.pdf
SUPERINTENDENT OSBORNE'S LETTER TO GOVERNOR CHRISTIE - Spring 2010
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/lib/somsd/Letter_to_Governor_-_032410.pdf
SUPERINTENDENT'S LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY REGARDING THE DISTRICT BUDGET - Spring 2010:
There has been a District Announcement from Superintendent Brian Osborne concerning the School Budget, please follow this link to the district site to view:
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=286471
April 12, 2010 Community Form - Updated Elementary School Enrollment Presentation
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/lib/somsd/Elementary_School_Enrollment_-_April_12,_2010.pdf
March 18, 2010 IMPORTANT District Update: Updated/Revised Enrollment Proposal
Attached is a letter from Brian Osborne informing parents in your school of a proposed plan regarding the increased enrollment in your school. The plan will be presented to the Board of Education at its meeting on March 22. You should have received a hard copy in the mail.
For a schedule of when the meeting may be televised, follow this link: http://www.somatv.org
Download letter here: 2010 March Letter to Tuscan Families
As follow-up, there will be a community forum on the topic which is planned for Monday, April 12, 2010 at 7:00 pm, in the Board of Eduation District Meeting Room.
To view the updated Enrollment Presentation, please follow this link:
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/lib/somsd/Elementary_Space_Plan_proposal_for_3.22_BOE_meeting.pdf
Questions or concerns regarding elementary enrollment plans can be directed to: enrollment@somsd.k12.nj.us.
Below is a summary of the announcement made at the February 22, 2010 Board of Education Meeting.
To view the presentation (also available on the district website) follow this link to view or download:
2010 February Board of Ed Enrollment Presentation
Board of Education February 22, 2010 Announcement:
At the Februrary 22, 2010 Board of Education Meeting, the South Orange Maplewood School District Administration discussed the likelihood of rezoning elementary schools to address anticipated growth in enrollment over the next three years. The driver here is the number of available classrooms in each school building versus the number of students enrolled in each school. By this measure, enrollment at South Mountain school, for example, already exceeds the number of classrooms available in the building. The school has converted their music room to a classroom to handle the additional class.
Based upon demographer projections, Tuscan School will exceed capacity in 2010-2011 with 658 students. Tuscan has 29 classrooms. Without intervention, Tuscan will require 30 classrooms in school year 2010-2011, 31 classrooms in school year 2011-2012, and 32 classrooms in 2012-2013. While most schools will be at or close to capacity, there are some schools in the district where there is available space. The Administration wishes to leverage those resources.
As the District considers possible next steps, they are committed to the following "guidelines":
- Create Boundaries that are sustainable in the future
- Respect target capacity for all elementary schools (do not exceed the number of available classrooms)
- Maintain demographic balance
- Raising 5th graders remain in current school (consideration extended to siblings)
- Impact as few families as possible
- Use natural boundaries (Don't divide streets, look at major roads as natural dividing lines)
- Need to ensure room for specific programs (ESL, SE)
- Consider cost impact in times of tight budget
Proposed Timeline for Action:
- At the March Board of Ed Meeting (3/22) the Administration plans to present its suggestions to address enrollment increases to the Board of Ed.
- A Community Forum (date TBA) will follow to present the Administration's suggestions to the public with community feedback.
- At the April Board meeting (4/19), the Board will consider a resolution to address the enrollment increases.
- At the end of April, mailings will go out to impacted families and transfer requests for 2010 - 2011 will be considered.
- In May, there will be student tours and parent open houses for students attending new schools.
Cheryl Schneider and Spt. Osborne indicated that the administration would be reaching out to Principals and PTA Presidents at each school to help communicate with families and manage expectations.