During the Beach Haven Board of Education’s regular monthly meeting, held for the first time at the town’s temporary borough hall on Thursday, Aug. 27, Superintendent EvaMarie Raleigh proposed accepting and using the $13,438 in Title 1 funds awarded to the school in July. In order to claim the funds, a basic skills spending plan must be implemented. Raleigh suggested a plan that included a variety of new school- and community-based programs.
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| Photo via Beach Haven School The Title 1 funds were awarded to the school in July. |
The proposal included using a portion of the funds to create an after-school program for basic skills and ESL students and their parents. Raleigh noted the idea is something personnel discussed as part of the school’s strategic planning two years ago.
“So we would be actually able to accomplish this without spending our own money,” she said.
Raleigh also suggested using some of the funds toward Wilson Language Training, a program designed to better help educators working with students who have dyslexia. She recommended using a portion of the money for basic skills teachers to acquire Words Their Way training as well.
A portion of the funds could also be used, Raleigh said, to purchase LinkIt!, an integrated, web-based program that allows schools to document student data regarding assessment creation, delivery, scoring and reporting.
Raleigh mentioned that Rumson and Little Silver school districts, which received a larger sum of Title 1 funds because they are bigger districts, are partaking in many of the same programs.
“No one is turning down the funds,” she stated. “It’s something that is entitled to our district and to work with our students.”
When board members expressed concerns about whether or not there is enough Title 1 funding to cover the proposed plan, Raleigh said the district receives reduced program pricing because it is a small school.
“It’s not insignificant money, but I can’t justify spending $4,000 to track student data on 60 kids,” said Board President Irene Hughes. “While these are great programs, I’ve never seen anything that says we can’t fund it ourselves,” she added, noting that she would have to check the budget.
During public comment, student parent Kristy Davis said she does not think the school needs to invest in an array of “fancy” programs.
“As far back as I can remember, our school worked because we always allowed our teachers to teach to the individual. These teachers know these kids from birth, basically,” she stated.
“I really feel as though you’re trying to run the school like we’re a large school district and forgetting that we’re this family,” she added, addressing Raleigh. “… I want my child to be a good writer. I want them to read, and I want them to be able to be good at math. That’s what’s important, and that’s why our school is so great, because our kids get those basic skills drilled into them throughout the seven years or six years they’re at the school. And that’s why they excel in middle school, because they have this very, very strong foundation. I just feel like we’re losing sight of that, of just the basics.”
In other meeting news, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato briefed the board on the importance of utilizing surveillance cameras in the school that law enforcement can access in case of an emergency. He suggested installing the cameras in stages if funding is tight.
The board discussed the possibility of hiring someone in-house to provide cleaning services for the school instead of continuing with the cleaning company it currently utilizes. No decision has yet been made.
According to information she received from the state, student parent Beth Markoski said a teacher who was approved last month did not have the proper certification at the time, and another teacher was approved to work 2½ days but was being paid for three days. She asked why administration does not have to follow policy and why there are no repercussions for not doing so.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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