To the Glassboro Schools Community:

Welcome to Glassboro Schools! I wish all of our students, families, staff and teachers a productive and successful academic year.

I am privileged to have become a member of the Glassboro community, working with all of you to achieve the common goal of student success. The commitment of our teachers, staff, administration and Board of Education to our students is second to none. This is a community of hard working people, and the school district is made up of a community of learners with the same feeling. Over the course of the last year, we have worked diligently to put together plans for the district that address instructional, personnel and operational needs, and I am happy to report that those plans continue to move forward despite economic challenges.

The dedication of our staff has never been more critical that during the course of the last year, in which we had to eliminate 10% of our workforce, cut $1.7 million out of our budget, and still raise taxes. But the community pulled together in support of this tremendously difficult budget and our work prevailed. Since the spring, we have been able to bring back every tenured teacher that had been laid off.

Instruction
We recognize that the world our students will inherit promises to be global, technological and fast-paced.  They need stronger math, science and communication skills than ever before, and yet our test scores continue to lag behind. With pressure from the state department of education as well as from our parents and community, we are well aware that any program that cannot demonstrate academic effectiveness will have to be eliminated or replaced. Glassboro’s teachers and staff are continuously identifying ways to make us better able to provide high quality education programming. This September our teachers begin training in MAP assessment--or Measure of Academic Progress--an effort to shore up gaps in our curriculum at all grade levels.  

Glassboro maintains its sensitivity toward special education issues.  This year we are bringing the BD class back to the Intermediate School, with the hope that it will attract out-of-district students to save money in the budget. Our print shop program has been moved to the high school with a job creation component and we now have a night in-school suspension program for the Intermediate School and High School. In addition, we are kicking off a gifted and talented program for students in grades three through eight in October. 

Personnel
With a near record number of retirements in the last few months—27 to be exact—we have been able to reallocate some positions and fill others. We still have critical needs to be answered, but these are issues we will continue to work together to address.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Janet Holdcraft tenured her retirement this summer, and we are saddened to lose her after more than four decades of invaluable service and dedication to everyone she has taught, mentored and touched.  Her position has not been filled, but rather we have created a new director-level  post overseeing curriculum and personnel. This move fills a critical gap in our administrative team while at the same time resulting in a significant savings to taxpayers.

Contract negotiations with our bargaining units were collegial and respectful throughout the spring, resulting in a tentative agreement this summer that was ratified September 1 by the membership. I am grateful to all of our staff, teachers, administrators and Board members who participated in this process, which produced an agreement that is fair and equitable for everyone.

Operations

Glassboro will undergo a state-mandated QSAC review this year. A committee is being put into place to handle this examination, which will include our performance in instruction and programming, fiscal management, personnel, operations and governance.

The district continues to examine ways to go green and save energy dollars, and to that end we have brought on a part-time energy manager. This person will examine energy cost saving options and will be paid out of the savings realized; there is no cost to taxpayers for this project.

Glassboro has switched from Tenex to Power School, a more robust and user-friendly data system for grades, attendance and scheduling. I know that our staff and teachers will find the program much more manageable and useful once training is complete.

In Transportation, we have installed new software that will allow us to begin the process of implementing the optimal way of delivering efficient and safe bussing services.

As we move forward, we will continue to need the input of our families and community. Your involvement enhances student experiences and success. We are planning to update the district Strategic Plan this year, to provide a road map for our academic and district plans for the next three years. Our goal is to implement more cost-effective ways to provide high quality education and save taxpayer dollars at the same time. We will provide opportunities for your involvement in the coming months, and thank you for your opinions and perspective.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark J. Silverstein

Superintendent of Schools