Mission Statement for Washington Township Public Schools

Adopted by the Washington Township Board of Education

Our Beliefs

• All people have equal intrinsic worth
• Individuals are life-long learners.
• Every child can learn and succeed.
• Education prepares individuals to make a successful transition into the global community.
• Learning occurs in a safe and secure environment.
• The child's well being is the foremost consideration in decision-making.
• Higher expectations yield higher results.
• Excellence is achievable and always worth the investment.
• Schools are most effective when there is a shared commitment among the home, school and business communities.
  
  

Our District Goals

Goal One: Ensure that all schools are conducive to optimal student development and achievement; this includes facilities that are clean, well-maintained, safe, secure, drug-free, and prepared for emergency management.

Goal Two: Improve student academic performance at all levels district-wide as demonstrated on prescribed state and standardized tests including the NJASK 3-8,  HSPA, PSAT, and SAT.

Goal Three: Pursue community and corporate partnerships and promote community outreach so as to provide new or enhanced learning opportunities, foster civic-mindedness and responsibility, strengthen connections with the local and regional business community, as well as cultivate potential classroom resources and/or financial support.

Goal Four: Provide high-quality, engaging, standards-based programming and instruction which optimize student development and achievement, use of instructional time, integration of technology, and effective use of the district’s human and financial resources, while meeting and/or exceeding federal, state, and local requirements so as to prepare students for higher education, productive and fulfilling careers, and active citizenship.

Goal Five: Maintain ongoing, timely, and high-quality communication within the district and throughout the community utilizing appropriate media resources, so as to foster understanding of and support for the mission of the Washington Township Public Schools.

The School Board's Role

The Washington Township School District is governed by a nine-member board whose members are elected by the members of the community in April. Board Members are elected for three-year terms and are not paid for their long hours of service to the community. The school board is a policy-making body and its primary task is the formulation and evaluation of all policies necessary for the operation of the school district. The Washington Township School District is managed by an administrative team that works within the limits of school board policy. The administrative team is guided by a superintendent who is selected by the Board of Education.

The school board employs the Superintendent of Schools as the chief executive officer of the school district. The board expects the superintendent to bring recommendations to its attention for action in the educational operation of the school system. With assistance from staff, the superintendent prepares the agenda for each board meeting, including the topics to be discussed and the pertinent background information related to each.

The meeting of the school board follows a definite plan called "The Agenda". The agenda follows guidelines which are established by the State Legislature and New Jersey Department of Education. Items on the agenda are recommended by the school administration and board members. The president of the board, who is elected by other members of the school board, presides at all regular and special meetings. The vice president presides in the president's absence.

Board members receive the agenda and supporting documents well in advance of each meeting so they can study the materials and be prepared to make decisions. The board cannot make informed decisions on important questions without having all the available data and will not usually act on items not included on the agenda.

Getting on the Agenda

If you want to appear before the board, you can contact the superintendent‘s office prior to the Tuesday meeting. However, it is best to come the night of the meeting and complete a yellow information card and give it to either the Board Secretary or the Board President.  Groups are also welcome, but proceedings are facilitated if one person acts as the spokesperson. Copies of the agenda are provided to all individuals attending board meetings.

Addressing the Board

The school board benefits from comments and questions from concerned citizens who attend meetings. Therefore, an opportunity is provided for you to be heard during the public portion of the regular meeting. A yellow information card is provided to assist you in presenting your concerns to the Board. However, the public is not supposed to speak at the work sessions, unless the Board will be taking a vote on a particular item. If you would like to address the Board with an issue, please fill out the card and submit it to the Board Secretary or Board President.

During the open portion of the meeting, the Board President will use the cards to call you up to speak. Once called, you must rise, come to the podium and state your name and address to the board, so that it may be recorded. Members of the board and the superintendent may ask questions or make remarks in response to your comments. If you have a detailed question or one that requires a great deal of explanation, you may want to send it in advance to the Board Secretary.

Charges, Complaints or Challenges

The public meeting of the school board is not the place to initiate personal charges or complaints against individual employees . If you have any charges, complaints or challenges, you should put them in writing to the superintendent or board secretary. Please be sure to give us your name, address and phone number. All such charges, if presented to the board directly, will be referred to the superintendent.

Executive Session

Occasionally during a regular Board of Education meeting it becomes necessary for members of the public to leave the Board Room while the Board of Education goes into "Executive Session." This occurs when the Board needs to discuss a personnel matter or potentially sensitive issue. The results of the executive session are made public once they have been voted on by the Board.

The Board Table

In addition to the members of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, the district's legal counsel, the Board Secretary and the Assistant to the Board Secretary sit at the conference table. District Administrators sit at a table on the right side of the meeting room to answers questions and make presentations.