Sunday, March 24, 2013
Budget discussion likely the hot topic.
The Jefferson Board of Education is scheduled to meet Monday, March 25 to make up for a missed session from last week. A late day snow storm blanketed the area on Monday, March 18, forcing the board to postpone its meeting, which will be highlighted by budget talks. The meeting’s agenda is currently unavailable on the school district’s website. When Governor Chris Christie announced the largest schools state aid funding package in New Jersey history, Jefferson Township learned it would not see an increase or decrease, with its award coming in at $15,757,785. While the package was flat from 2012-13 to 2013-14, Jefferson received a 4.3-percent increase in the current year’s spending plan. The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 7…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Mendham Township has approved the new revenue source. Should we?
In what is seemingly an annual battle between taxpayer and board of education, additional streams of revenue are welcome by all. So what about advertising on school buses as a source? The Mendham Township Board of Education passed a resolution last week which allows businesses to advertise on school buses, and the board is now ready to receive proposals. "In January, the department of education released regulations authorizing districts, should they choose, to put advertisements, and they're very specific about what types and sizes and things like that, on school buses to generate revenue," Mendham Superintendent Sal Constantino said. "In Mendham we have almost 40 vehicles that run routes for private schools and other school districts, so …
Friday, March 1, 2013
Largest amount of funds distributed has no increase for local schools.
The largest amount of state aid administered in the history of New Jersey’s Department of Education won’t show much any change for Jefferson Schools in the coming year. Of the nearly $9 billion doled out by the state to public schools in New Jersey, Jefferson Township School District’s aid figures remained flat year-over-year, coming in at $15,757,785. The level amount of state aid comes just a year after the district received a 4.3-percent bump, or $652,147 additional between 2011-12 and the current school year. The 2013-14 aid package is the largest amount every released by the state, according to the New Jersey Department of Education, with nearly $9 billion going to public schools, an increase of $97.3 million from the previous year. “…
Monday, February 25, 2013
Board of education gathering will show preliminary numbers to be approved by county for next year's spending plan.
Jefferson Township Schools Superintendent Joseph Kraemer announced there will be a special meeting on March 4 to adopt the budget the 2013-14 budget. It will be held at the board office at 8 p.m. and "will be very short," according to Kraemer. "[The budget is] just about done," he said. "You develop and cut based on priorities; basically you have to be very conservative until you get steady figures. "I'd like to thank the administration for all their hard work so far in preparation for our 2013-14 budget," he added. Kraemer said there will be a public hearing "approximately three weeks to a month later. March 4 is a preliminary option, which gives you a few weeks to tweak and then you must have a public presentation, that would be toward …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Decision on school closings still in limbo, superintendent says.
All after school activities have been canceled Friday, Feb. 8 and the decision to have an early dismissal is being considered, according to Jefferson Township Schools Superintendent Joseph Kraemer. The top schools chief posted an announcement on the district's website Thursday night, saying, "It is our intention at this time to have a full day at school on Friday. We will continue to monitor the weather during the course of (Thursday) evening." Kraemer said it is the district's intent to make a decision on an early dismissal Thursday night so parents and faculty members can plan accordingly. Forecasts are predicting the storm will dump anywhere between 10 and 16 inches of snow on northern New Jersey between Friday and Saturday, and the …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Students go back to school after two weeks of closures from Sandy's damage.
All Jefferson Township schools will reopen on Monday, exactly two weeks after Hurricane Sandy tore through the northeast and caused severe damage in the township and across the state. The two-week closure has caused several delays in the school schedule, according to a message posted by Superintendent Joseph Kraemer on the district website. The quarterly exams have been changed at the elementary schools to Nov. 15 and 16, and at the Middle School to Nov. 16, 19 and 20. The first marking period has also been pushed back to Nov. 21. Report cards will be available on Nov. 30 on the Parent Portal. The parent-teacher conferences in the elementary schools have been postponed until further notice, and the revision of this year's school calendar …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mayor Felter says impending snow storm causes officials to close for a few more days.
All Jefferson Township Schools will remain closed until Nov. 12, according to Mayor Russell Felter. Felter said he estimates that about 75 percent of the town has their power back, but said officials decided to cancel because of the impending snow storm and other things needed to be done at the high school. He said Jefferson High School's power came back on Tuesday, but said officials still need to do "water testing and other things to get the school back up and running again."
Monday, November 5, 2012
Mayor says damage from Sandy causes schools to close another day.
All Jefferson Township schools will remain closed on Tuesday due to the power outages and damage caused by Hurricane Sandy last week, Mayor Russell Felter said. Felter said a decision will be made on Tuesday about other potential closures. Felter said while some power has been restored around the township, the majority of the township is still out. He said as of Monday afternoon, there are 42 JCP&L crews out working to get power back to residents. While the percentage of residents without power is unclear, Felter said hopefully everyone will get their power back within a few days. He said the crews are working on the main lines, and the township sustained more damage than they originally thought. The warming centers and charging stations …
Monday, October 8, 2012
RealTime Parent Portal now includes Gradebook feature.
The Jefferson Township school district announced the addition of a new feature to the Realtime Parent Portal. In addition to the information students that has previously been posted such as schedules, attendance, report cards and correspondence, the portal now has the Gradebook feature. The Gradebook feature will allow parents to access individual class grades as recorded by each teacher. Parents will also be able to see their child's current grade at any time as well as be able to see the status of missing assignments or late work. The Gradebook tab started appearing on the parent portal on Oct. 5. Realtime started last year and has added features consistently over the year. It includes scheduling, grading, discipline, nurse’s office and…
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Mom and her cubs watched sporting events at school.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
- Sue Toth
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012
It seems that bears like to watch high school sporting events—and eat at dumpsters, at least the ones at Jefferson Township High School. Because of these visits, the school district will assess the condition of bear-proof dumpsters at the high school that may be in need of repair or modification. A mother bear—called a sow—and two cubs had been seen around the high school for about a week, according to schools superintendent Joseph Kraemer. “They even bent the bear lid on the dumpster at the middle school to access the garbage. At one point, John (DiColo, the school’s athletic director) had to stop a field hockey game to chase the bears away,” Kraemer said. “They didn’t seem in any particular hurry to leave.” Kraemer said that the district…
Great Gatherings - Planning and Catering
9:17 am on Monday, March 4, 2013
My Opinion is also a no. Billboards and ads can distract a driver who is reading it from the children on or around the buses. What if a particular ad is being read and a child is running across the street to get their bus stop. A driver can not be paying attention to both. Then there is the fact that which ads would be appropriate for all ages, cultures, etc... I say no way, find another way. It … more ›