Board & District Goals
Board of Education Goals
Goal #1 – Transparency and Accountability
The board commits to transparency and accountability through increased public engagement, which is key to fostering a unified and responsive district. By equipping staff and administration with the necessary resources to gather regular feedback from all stakeholders, the board ensures that decisions are informed by the community's needs and perspectives, leading to a more collaborative and cohesive educational environment.
The board will increase its visibility at school and community events, along with promoting presentations by students, staff, and administration at meetings. This approach not only keeps stakeholders informed but also actively involves them in the educational process, making it a more inclusive and participatory environment.
Goal #2 – Fiscal Responsibility and Community
The Board commits to ensuring the fiscal sustainability of the district. Recognizing the responsibility given to Board members by the residents of East Rutherford, the Board places the utmost importance on the fiscal health of the district and the impact of its decisions on taxpayers. The board is committed to maintaining a balanced 2024-2025 budget while meeting the needs of the district. The Board commits to financial oversight of the district in contract negotiations, spending, construction and maintenance, personnel decisions, evaluating current printing practices, and researching the Digital Schools Program.
Goal #3 – Balancing Long and Short-Term District Goals
The board commits to maintaining a balance of long-term and short-term goals to ensure that the district is able to (1) improve the education experience for students, (2) ensure its financial future without undue burden on residents and taxpayers, and (3) oversee current and future construction and maintenance programs to avoid unnecessary budget shortfalls for future Boards.
Goal #4 – Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment & Standards
The board commits to setting comprehensive goals to enhance the district’s curriculum, instruction, assessment, and standards, and ensuring a supportive and inclusive environment that caters to the diverse needs of all students. This includes a strong commitment to equity, academic rigor, and safety across the district. It also includes an emphasis on continuous improvement and feedback by providing district administrators with resources to conduct department audits and offering staff clear guidelines and expectations.
East Rutherford School District Goals
District Goal #1: Building a Supportive & Positive Culture of Accountability for Students & Staff
The East Rutherford School District believes that creating and fostering a healthy culture of accountability is imperative to the growth and overall success of all students and staff. The district seeks to promote such a culture by achieving the following goals:
-Increase the percentage of staff scoring effective or highly effective on approved Student Growth Objectives (SGOs) to 92% during the 2024-2025 school year.
-Maintain 95% of staff achieving a Summative score of 3.0 or greater by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
-Require Building Administrators to conduct at least 2 documented walkthroughs of all building staff to increase oversight and feedback.
-Require Building Principals to conduct 3 climate and culture surveys of students and staff by the end of the 2024-2025 school year to continuously evaluate and improve school culture and climate. Results from surveys will be utilized to:
o Assess the current state of School Climate and Culture
o Monitor Progress Over Time
o Promote Equity and Inclusion
o Enhance Communication
o Improve Learning Outcomes
o Support Well-being
o Strengthen Community Engagement
-Central office administrators will conduct 3 stakeholder surveys by the end of the 2024-2025 school year to keep a continuous line of communication with stakeholders. Results from surveys will be utilized to:
o Identify Strengths and Areas for Improvement
o Inform Strategic Planning
o Measure Progress
o Strengthen Community Engagement
o Promote Equity and Inclusion
o Support Professional Development
o Shape Wellness Initiatives
o Improve Teaching and Learning Environments
District Goal #2: Curriculum, Instructional Programs & Assessment
In addressing learning loss and gaps among different subgroups within the district (Gender, Economically Disadvantaged, Students w/Disabilities, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Black/African-American, and White), in all content areas, the district will take the following action as outlined below for the 2024-2025 school year:
Curriculum & Instruction
-Continue the emphasis on revised New Jersey Student Learning Standards, and progressively expand the implementation in other areas such as Computer Science and Career Readiness, Life Literacies Practices, and Key Skills.
-Further, refine the curriculum to include broader contributions from diverse groups to foster inclusive and multicultural education.
-Maintain the co-teaching model and measure its effectiveness via student performance and feedback.
-Implement more personalized and advanced professional development across the curriculum.
Assessments
-Implement additional forms of assessment that measure students' critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
-Extend the scope of Savvas diagnostics for Mathematics to include the monitoring of other vital skills like analytical thinking and logical reasoning.
-Pilot new Research Based Kindergarten Screening Tools.
Intervention
-Expand the small group or individualized instruction to all students who may need additional instructional support, not just the ones at-risk.
-Offer more flexible and tailored after-school interventions according to the unique needs and learning styles of students.
District Goal #3 Diversity & Equity
-Continue to promote the acronym REMINDER and its values.
R – Respectful relationships with students and families
E – Expectations of high academic achievement outcomes for ALL
M – Multicultural responsive teaching
I – Inclusion & Access to all school-sponsored programs, activities & initiatives.
N – Networking & Partnerships with community, faith-based, business, & higher education organizations
D – Diversity & Multilingualism
E – Equity: equitable treatment, opportunities, and resources
R – Responsibility & Accountability
-Improve upon each of the six objectives of education equity with the intent to:
o Achieve a higher degree of academic achievement across all learner groups, and reduce achievement gaps further.
o Improve equitable access and inclusion across all school programs and activities.
o Foster an environment of acceptance, valuing, respect, and support, aiming to make learners feel more secure and invested.
o Provide every student with the appropriate support to achieve high standards of excellence.
o Ensure equitable distribution of resources, including funding, staffing, facilities, learning materials, etc.
o Reinforce accountability across all education stakeholders.