Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Board considers three proposals for rearranging times of all district schools.
Upon the request of Montville Township Board of Education members, Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried presented two more options Tueday for rearranging times at district schools to shorten the Robert R. Lazar Middle School day. Board members have been discussing shortening the Lazar day for more than a year based on recommendations of parents so that the students could have more time after school to get their homework done and participate in extra-curricular activities without staying up too late. Currently, students dismiss at 3:40 p.m. from Lazar. The time change proposals need to be taken under consideration as part of the budget process because of the costs associated with additional buses required under new times. The first proposal, which…
Friday, March 1, 2013
A look back at state aid figures over the past several years.
As school district officials throughout the state digested state aid figures released Thursday, Montville Township Public Schools Business Administrator Jim Tevis noted that while the district saw only a slight increase, he was pleased that the number did not go down. "I am happy that at least our state aid was not reduced in any way," Tevis said after confirming the district will receive exactly $1 more in state aid than it received in the 2012-13 school year. More specifically, Montville will receive $1,755,583. Of that, $1,469,587 is designated for special education and $223,430 is designated for transportation. The district has seen aid increase, even if by $1 this year, for the past three years after a significant drop in the 2010-11 …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Districts across New Jersey await state aid figures this week with uncertainty.
Montville Township Public Schools could see funding for federal grant initiatives affected if Congress does not stop $85 billion in sequestration cuts by Friday. "There's no way to really know [the impact] until it hits," Montville Township Public Schools Business Administrator Jim Tevis said. Tevis projected that if the cuts are imposed, they could mean a reduction in federal grants and the money Montville receives for the No Child Left Behind initiative and an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grant, which assists with special education costs. "We use it predominantly to pay for out of school placements," Tevis said of the IDEA grant. New Jersey could lose nearly $12 million in funding for primary and secondary education…
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Students and parents danced while watching laser-generated animation in the school gymnasium.
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Sunday, February 24
The following was submitted on behalf of Cedar Hill Elementary School. Have something you'd like to share with the community? Upload it here. About 150 parents and children gathered in the Cedar Hill Elementary School gymnasium for a laser light show presented by Prismatic Magic of Wayne on Friday evening. The company, making its first appearance at the school, used laser-generated animation and current popular music to present an exciting show that got the parents clapping and the kids on their feet dancing. “It was a really fun event,” stated Maria Iannuzzelli, mother of two Cedar Hill students. “The kids really enjoyed the show.” Cedar Hill’s Home and School Association wanted to offer the event as something new for parents and …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Board will meet Tuesday to continue discussing budget proposals, including Lazar School time change.
The Montville Township Public Schools Board of Education will continue public presentations on the proposed 2013-14 budget during Tuesday's meeting. Included in the budget proposal is an idea to change the time of the school day at Lazar Middle School. District administrators have not yet presented a budgetary analysis on how much the change could cost, but Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried presented the initial proposal on Feb. 12 (attached to this article). The board will meet Tuesday at the Montville Township Municipal Building on Changebridge Road at 8 p.m. The board will host additional budget presentations on the following dates:
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Midterm and final exam elimination also included in proposal.
The Montville Township Public Schools administration is proposing to move the time of the school day at the Robert R. Lazar Middle School up and eliminate midterm and final exams, with the exception of two subjects in the eighth grade level, as part of the district's 2013-14 budget initiatives. A presentation of the budget proposals, which Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried noted are not necessarily recommendations by the administration but more so items for discussion, was delivered before the Montville Township Board of Education and members of the public on Tuesday night. Fried did not include cost figures in Tuesday's presentation, the first of many on the budget, but prefaced his comments with an explanation that the budget is a "monetary …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Montville residents invited to learn about the history of using class rank and course weighting in the college admission process.
As the Montville Township Public Schools district continues to explore class rank and the effect it has on the college admission process, a field expert has been invited to speak to the Class Rank Task Force and community about the subject. David Tubbs, the district's supervisor of humanities, said Peter Van Buskirk will be giving a presentation on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Montville Township High School cafeteria. "Mr. Van Buskirk is an expert in the area of college admission and has created a presentation to help the Montville community and the task force better understand the history of the use of class rank, the pros and cons of class rank, course weighting, available options to Montville and a perspective through the eyes of an …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Despite public not being able to vote on Montville Township Public Schools budget, township residents can still have their say.
The public may not be able to vote on Montville Township Public Schools' 2013 budget, but residents are still invited to hear details about what the school district is proposing. The district voted to move school board elections to November and eliminate a public vote on the school budget last year as long as the budget does not exceed the state-mandated 2 percent cap. However, as required, according to Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried, the district will begin the first of several information sessions and presentations about this year's budget on Tuesday. During the public presentation, which will be held at 7 p.m. in the Montville Township High School cafeteria, Fried said he will be discussing new intiatives the board plans to implement …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Nor'easter threatens more than 10 inches of snow as district decides to give students a day off.
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Thursday, February 7
Montville Township Public Schools will be closed Friday as winter storm Nemo is expected to drop more than 10 inches of snow on the region. MEDLC will als be closed and all after school activities scheduled for this weekend (Friday and Saturday) are cancelled, according to the district website. How are you preparing for the storm? Let us know in the comments.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Montville teachers will received 2.5 percent increase this year, but agreed on health plan that will significantly save district money.
After more than a year of negotiating, the Montville Township Board of Education voted to ratify a new contract with the Montville Township Education Association (MTEA) Tuesday night. The contract, of which the actual document is still being finalized, is the first in the district's history which combines teachers, custodial and maintenance employees and paraprofessionals. "This result was a long time coming," Board Vice President Dr. Matthew Kayne, who helped lead the negotiations on part of the board, said. The previous contract expired on June 30, 2011. Under the new contract, Kayne said employees agreed to have salaries frozen for the time period covering July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. The employees will, however, see salary …
poptart
8:20 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013
I had two go through Lazar. It is very very difficult to get homework completed and do sports. And of course, the kids who do sports are not going to quit. Sports and other after school activities are also important. I two more that will be starting elementary school. I also would hate a late start, but will deal with it if it happens. Too bad they can't have the high school and the middle school… more ›