The Haddonfield Board of Education meeting on May 8 centered on the goals the district has planned and the goals the district has met during the 2013–2014 school year.
Superintendent Richard Perry discussed in length his report outlining four major areas the district has focused on for improvement.
The first district goal is to maintain and improve the quality of student academic performance at all grade levels. The district increased technology-based, district-wide initiatives in regard to professional development, equipment and student STEM related curricular programs.
“The district now has over 400 iPads available to students,” Perry said. “This represents an enormous increase from years past, and we hope to continue to provide the latest technology to our students.”
The second district goal is to develop a broad-based communication strategy both internally within the district and throughout the community. Haddonfield has worked diligently to improve its social media presence, and the work has paid off. The district has seen an increase of more than 300 Twitter followers since November 2013. The district is now using Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis to share essential information to the public.
The third district goal is to develop a long-range plan to meet student enrollment growth and infrastructure needs to support its students. The district has established and implemented pre-school programs in all elementary schools to free up space at Tatem Elementary School, which should decrease classroom sizes.
“The school is also investigating alternate sources of funding for capital projects,” Perry said. “We have met with several energy consultants to explore energy grant opportunities.”
The last district goal is to support greater involvement of community volunteers in the education of students and the community. The district continues to add and expand academic and extra-curricular opportunities for students. This year saw the addition of a Literacy Symposium, a dog walker’s club, an expanded drama program and Students Helping Honduras.
These initiatives continue to pay dividends. Haddonfield Memorial High School was recently ranked in the top 1 percent of schools in the nation, as well as being ranked 186th in the nation in STEM education curricula. HMHS is currently ranked as the 15th best high school in the state.
In other news:
• The board honored elementary and middle school foreign language students for their scores at the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey’s Annual Podcast Competition and the 2014 National Spanish Exam.
• The board recognized the student representatives to the board for their “dedication, commitment and service to continuing the education excellence of the district.”
• The next Board of Education meeting will take place on Thursday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
