Wednesday, December 14, 2011
New code to be available for public review on BOE site
The Board of Education closed its calendar year by taking a significant step toward completing one of the biggest goals it set for itself in 2011. Superintendent Margaret Dolan presented to the BOE for first reading the district’s heavily anticipated – and perhaps nearly completed – revised code of student conduct during the opening moments of last night’s BOE meeting. The code is a comprehensive product of months of meetings and discussions among not only BOE members, teachers and school administrators, but parents, law enforcement officers, health experts and – most significantly – students themselves. “It’s not a generic code of conduct – it’s a Westfield code of conduct,” Dolan said. During the summer, Dolan had announced that …
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Charwin leaves Westfield to accept position in Hunterdon County.
A year after school district officials said he’d be with the district for “the long haul,” Richard Charwin has become Westfield’s fourth guidance director to quit in four years. Charwin has notified Westfield Board of Education officials of his decision to accept the position of pupil personnel services director at Hunterdon Central Regional High School starting on Sept. 1. Charwin was appointed to the position on July 18, 11 days shy of a year following his appointment by the BOE to the Westfield post. Reasons for Charwin’s decision to accept the Hunterdon post have not been disclosed. Charwin could not be reached for comment on Monday evening, after the news broke. A process for hiring Charwin’s successor has not been disclosed and if an…
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Westfield High School
550 Dorian Rd, Westfield, NJ
/articles/fourth-westfield-guidance-director-in-four-years-quits
10346
/locations/5045612
40.654507
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Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
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13023
/locations/5045613
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Board votes to spend over $500,000 of bonus state aid on new teachers and technology.
The Board of Education approved the use of bonus state aid for hiring purposes, defeating a tax relief proposal for the second straight meeting. The board approved spending $586,500 of the $845,449 in bonus aid that Gov. Chris Christie gave the school system on July 13 for personnel hiring and technology upgrades. The decision followed a recommendation from Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan to spend the funds in this direction. With Dolan and board members noting they want to deliver tax relief as part of the 2012-2013 school budget, the board adopted the plan Dolan delivered. She said the plan was developed based on pressing enrollment needs and keeping class sizes down in the elementary grades. Dolan’s recommendations included: Dolan…
40.654507
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Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/boe-endorses-dolan-spending-plan-defeats-finn-tax-plan
13023
/locations/4945059
Monday, July 18, 2011
Board places extra state aid in budget, to make final decision at future meeting.
The Board of Education punted a final decision on whether or not to use additional state aid for property tax relief or additional spending in the school district. The BOE voted during an emergency meeting late Friday afternoon to designate the additional $845,448 in state aid for inclusion in the 2011-2012 school budget, but deferred decisions on the exact spending and left open the door for using part or all of the funds for property tax relief. The board, which officially learned of the additional aid authorized by Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday, learned Thursday that they had to make a final decision on possibly using the funds for immediate property tax relief before Tuesday afternoon. Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf …
40.654507
-74.351978
Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/boe-defers-final-decision-on-tax-relief-vs-spending
13023
/locations/4867519
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Christie provides district with additional $845,448 in new state budget.
Westfield’s state education aid increase has doubled under the state budget plan Gov. Chris Christie signed into law at the end of June Under figures released by Westfield state’s legislative delegation Tuesday, the Board of Education is slated to receive a total of $2,139,241 in state aid in the 2011-2012 state budget. The number represents a total of $1,690,896 over last year’s state aid of $448,345. The new aid number is an $845,448 – or double increase – over the increase that was first announced by the state Department of Education in February for state aid to Westfield. When he signed the state budget into law, Christie added additional funds for suburban school districts. Christie and the state Department of Education, however, have…
40.654507
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Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/westifeld-school-aid-increase-doubles-usage-rules-unclear
13023
/locations/4827468
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Dolan says Board of Education has discussed communications for number of years.
The Board of Education’s brainstorming session on district goals included discussion of one issue which was decided to be a part of the individual goals. Board members continued a focus on communication and community engagement, which has been one of the top issues voiced by residents in recent years. During budget discussions over the last two years, residents have commented on the board’s communication strategy, along with Washington residents regarding the redistricting issue. In December, the board voted 5-4 to apologize to the Washington community over how the issues were communicated. Several board members have been elected after campaigns stressing communication. “Can we keep community engagement as an ongoing goal?” BOE member …
40.654507
-74.351978
Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/boe-agrees-communications-engagement-top-goal
13023
/locations/4775725
STEM, respect and WHS enrollment on superintendent's to-do list.
The Board of Education placed three goals on School Superintendent Margaret Dolan’s plate for the coming school year. The board agreed to set science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, school community respect and reengineering Westfield High School for a larger school population as the district’s and Dolan’s goals for the year. The goals were set during a BOE brainstorming session on June 28. “They are the way you will assess her in another year,” school district human resources specialist Barbara Ball said at the beginning of the meeting. Ball served as the moderator of the session. Dolan outlined priorities for the STEM education initiative and respect during remarks opening the meeting as her suggestions for the year. …
40.654507
-74.351978
Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/boe-sets-dolan-goals-for-2011-2012
13023
/locations/4776556
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Parents crowd BOE meeting to prevent repeat of 25-student first-grade classes.
With descriptions of classrooms crammed with students, Tamaques School parents petitioned the Board of Education Tuesday evening for an additional teacher for the incoming second grade class. A group of over 30 Tamaques supported speakers who discussed 73 students slated for three second grade sections in the elementary school, following a first grade year of 75 students spread over three sections. Last year’s dramatic state aid cuts were blamed for the situation, which parents said is repeated at the other two south side elementary schools, McKinley and Jefferson. “There was a big swell to get parents out to vote last year to raise taxes to keep classes smaller,” parent Beth Kirsch said. Parents questioned whether teachers would be able …
40.634811
-74.338165
Tamaques Elementary School
641 Willow Grove Rd, Westfield, NJ
/articles/tamaques-parents-ask-boe-to-end-large-class-sizes
10228
/locations/4730555
Dolan stops Slater's suggestion to reopen contract.
Board of Education member Mitch Slater used Tuesday evening's debate over large class sizes at Tamaques School to repeat his call to reopen the teachers' contract. Slater used comments at the end of the meeting to suggest renegotiating the contract, which is entering into its second year. The contract approved by the BOE and the Westfield Education Association in March 2010, includes a 3.9-percent annual raise for teachers, along with increased co-pays and health care givebacks from teachers to the school system. “I would call for shared sacrifice in the last year of the contract,” Slater said Tuesday night. Slater has long been an opponent of the contract and has called for renegotiating the pay raise. In his first public comments …
40.654507
-74.351978
Westfield Board of Education
302 Elm St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/tamaques-class-size-debate-leads-to-call-to-reopen-teachers-contract
13023
/locations/4728860
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Annual national high school rankings unveiled.
Westfield High School has been ranked 159th on Newsweek’s list of the 500 best high schools in the country. The ranking, announced on the magazine’s website represents a rise on the list, including the change in rankings by Newsweek. In 2010, WHS ranked 978th on Newsweek’s list, which then encompassed over 1,600 high schools nationwide. A comparison of the placement on both total lists, shows an upward movement for WHS. In 2009, Newsweek ranked WHS as 869th in the country. Newsweek based the ranking on statistics regarding the Class of 2010. The magazine used self reported data from the school system, including an 11 to 1 student teacher ratio at the high school, a graduation rate of 98-percent, a 1.9 average score on AP and IB tests, 92-…
40.64373
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Westfield High School
550 Dorian Rd, Westfield, NJ
/articles/newsweek-ranks-whs-159th-in-us
10346
/locations/4696109
Got Patch
8:33 am on Wednesday, September 14, 2011
oops, OVERHAUL, not rehaul. more ›