Service should resume soon
The storm that rolled through our area on Wednesday night caused the phone system of the Howell Public Schools to malfunction into Thursday morning. Superintendent Enid Golden said all phones in the district were down as a result of the storm. The initial expected time to have the system restored was 9:30 but as of 10:15 they were still not functioning.
Meeting to be held next week at administration building
The Howell Township Board of Education is tackling a problem that affects residents not only in the township but throughout the state. Working with the New Jersey School Boards Association the local board is looking to find new solutions for school funding without leaning so heavily on the money coming from property taxes. As part of that effort the Community Interaction Committee will be holding a meeting on Tuesday to inform residents about what is being done and what they can do to help. The problem was described in a letter sent home to parents and attached to this story saying, "The inadequate allocation of existing state resources must end," and added, "We need a more equitable funding plan to lower property tax levies and reduce …
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Average tax levy for homeowners expected to drop
At Thursday night's meeting of the Howell Board of Education, Business Administrator Ron Sanasac presented a budget which should provide an average of $23 in tax relief for homeowners in the township. The news about lower taxes was not warmly welcomed by everyone as two members of the board voted against it and community members and teachers asked what affect the new budget would have on their ongoing contract negotiations. During his presentation Sanasac said the administration had three priorities for the budget including supporting and improving student achievement, providing long term fiscal stability and minimizing the tax impact. To reach those goals he said the district had to overcome serval challenges including new standards …
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9:24 pm on Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The "truth" is that the union has turned down TWO contracts (factfinders and superconciliators) and now they are complaining about not having a contract. Give me a break! Two different PERC employees have told them what a fair deal is. They may just get what they want and it will be the kids that suffer when layoffs happen to pay the tab. more ›
Full day to be offered starting in September
At the most recent meeting of the Howell Board of Education a full day kindergarten program was adopted for schools across the district. The adoption of the program came as good news for most people at the meeting but there were some residents who also expressed concerns. Many of the parents who said they were unsure of the switch said they did not believe their children would be prepared to spend a full day at school. In response to these concerns the district has agreed to adopt a half day program as well according to a letter from Superintendent Enid Golden. In a letter sent home to parents Golden said she believed the full program would be a benefit for students as they advance through the academic levels. "The catalyst for the new …
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Council, BOE scheduled to introduce budgets
The 2013 calendar year is well underway and this week the Howell Township administration and the Howell Public Schools are scheduled to introduce their budgets for the upcoming year. On Tuesday night at the new Municipal Building the introduction of the budget is listed among the items on the consent agenda. The budget has been a multistep process with department heads meeting with Township Manager Helene Schlegel before the preliminary budget was presented to the council at the last meeting. The budget is not the only item on the agenda. Sgt. Thomas Rizzo of the Howell Police Department will be sworn in as the newest lieutenant in the local department. The national championship cheerleading squad from Howell High School will also be …
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Half day option to be explored
The idea of full day kindergarten in the Howell schools has been discussed for many years but at Monday's Board of Education meeting, the potential became a reality after a unanimous vote. After some discussion by the board the plan was unanimously adopted for the start of the 2013-14 school year despite some objections from parents in the audience. The decision came after a committee was formed at the Jan. 3 meeting of the board to determine the benefits of going from half day to full day across the district. Committee Report The committee consisted of teachers and administrators from around the district under the direction of Greenville School Principal Lynn Coco. After presenting its findings the committee said it was giving a "…
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9:54 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2013
I think this is a great idea. Nursery school is alot of money and what could a child really accomplish in a couple hours a day as opposed to full day more ›
Kindergarten Committee to give report
After cancelling their meeting last week the Howell Board of Education will hold its meeting tonight with several important items on the agenda including a report by Greenville Principal Lynn Coco on the recommendations of the Kinderfgarten Committee.
More changes could come depending on storm track
With the total snowfall accumulations from tonight's storm still to be determined the Howell Public Schools are making early adjustments to the schedule for Thursday. Conferences scheduled for Thursday afternoon have been cancelled and schools will follow their regular full day plan. Parents scheduled for evening conferences are still being held as of Wednesday night. According to the district the impact of the storm could still cause a delayed opening or the closure of schools but that decision has not been made at this time. Wednesday night's board of education meeting was also cancelled because of the impending storm.
representative of the school board in many capacities.
In his time as a member of the Howell Board of Education John Van Noy has served several key roles including chairman of the finance committee. Along with that, Van Noy has been tasked with taking the message from the board to Trenton and Washington DC. Van Noy recently traveled to Washington as a representative at the National School Boards Association 40th Annual Federal Relations Network Conference. The conference is a chance for local representatives to meet and urge members of congress to focus on educational priorities. Van Noy said the grassroots effort is an important one as districts struggle to work through difficult economic times. "We must ensure that all local school districts have greater flexibility to make educationally …
1:19 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
This man is so pompous and arrogant! Now, it is not enough that he spends so much time tooting his own horn at meetings; he now has the patch helping him out. VanNoy promised to cut spending yet is against any cuts or even holding spending flat. So exactly how much taxpayer money has he used on his own travel expenses? Does his wife travel with him on our dime? Has that travel resulted in … more ›
District to receive same amount as last year.
Figures for state aid released on Thursday show that the Howell Public Schools are set to receive the same amount for the upcoming budget cycle as they did last year. The local district is expected to receive $32,977,580 in total aid including $27,465,312 in equalized aid from the state. A large amount of the aid also comes for special education aid, which amounts to $3,740,074. State aid is one factor the board of education will consider as they put together a budget for the upcoming year. No preliminary budget has been introduced yet but the board is also discussing implementing a full day kindergarten program and improving security measures across the district. The Freehold Regional High School District also saw the state aid numbers…
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11:24 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Yes the board cut taxes last year but has the ability to add what they cut last year to this year's rate and go over the 2% cap without having it voted on. Amy Fankhauser says "Howell K-8 school taxes could increase by $4.8 million in 2013-14" Read this letter to the tri-town news she wrote. http://tri.gmnews.com/news/2013-02-14/Letters/Howell_K8_school_taxes_could_increase_by_48_millio.html more ›
Shammy
6:53 am on Friday, April 5, 2013
Found this letter in my email spam - they changed their email address and yahoo flagged it. New email address is: School News ; If you get email updates from school, please add it to your contact list so you don't miss anything. ;) more ›