As Superintendent Brian Brotschul and the rest of the Delran School District administrators and teachers begin to set up for the upcoming school year, there have been multiple updates to the district over the course of the summer.
During the students’ time off, Brotschul and his staff have narrowed their area of focus for the upcoming school year, discussed updates to the curriculum and installed new measures for student safety.
“We have spent a great deal of energy in the area of literacy achievement in Delran Township,” said Brotschul. “In fact, our last four budget cycles have supported this area of curriculum and instruction. Additionally, our practices at the school level to support achievement in this area have been refined with results on high-stakes tests offering a barometer of consistent success.
“The district results indicate increasing student achievement in literacy,” Brotschul continued. “When examining academic achievement, literacy performance improved school-wide and in every subgroup due to the design and expert implementation at the classroom level of a world-class curriculum. The teachers and administrators in Delran Township should be most pleased with these results and remain poised to support future growth.”
According to Brotschul, the ability to read and write at a high level is necessary to be successful. This is why Delran places such a focus on the area of literacy each year. However, the school district will also be implementing the “Fab Lab” in this year’s curriculum.
“As we speak, there are staff and students in the ‘Fab Lab’ being trained on the equipment for this year,” said Brotschul. “Here at Delran, we want to prepare our students for college and/or career readiness. We believe in STEM for all, and it’s our role to prepare our students for the next step.”
Lastly, the Delran School District received a $902,000 grant from the Burlington County Freeholders for safety and security. While the projects are in their final stages of installation, Delran has increased security by having security vestibules, updating cameras and surveillance systems and improving the lighting in the parking lots. The district made these updates as a preventive measure.
“We have about 3,000 kids and 16,000 residents,” said Brotschul. “They expect us to have the highest level of procedures and protocol. At every level, including the board of education, there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our students.
“We worked closely with the Delran Board of Education, and they give us great support and allow programs for our teachers,” Brotschul continued. “We receive great support from the Delran Education Association and the Delran Education Foundation with supporting our teachers and students. We work with the Delran STEM Ecosystem Alliance, and they support us in the science and technology areas. Basically, it’s a great day in Delran and a great time to be a resident with the great vision we have.”
