From the Desk of the President of the Harrington Park Board of Education.
Hello, HP!
The Board had a busy April even though there was one public meeting. Below are some of the items that were discussed during the meeting.
- The District will use common sense and what is good for HP as guiding principles in adopting any new curriculum
- 2022-2023 preliminary budget increase is below the cap for the 3rd straight year
- Website development and facility improvement projects are on schedule
There have been a number of inquiries regarding the State's recent health and physical education curriculum announcement. The Board and the Superintendent would like to make it clear to all concerned that the District will manage our own curriculum that is right for this town and community regarding this matter. It is also noteworthy to mention that the Governor retracted the State’s recommendation on April 13th and asked for further review.
The Board reviewed and discussed the budget for the 2022-2023 school year. While the cost of operation in the District is increasing steadily each year, the District has been able to minimize budget increases. We will be able to stay under 2% increase for the 3rd straight year.
I want to thank the Administration, especially the Business Administrator and staff, for being resourceful and creative with a limited budget. Their resourcefulness is enabling the quality of education to increase while the budget is tightly controlled to minimize the impact on the taxpayers.
Along with the Harrington Park Borough, the bid for the blacktop resurfacing project was opened in April. I am thankful to the HP Borough for allowing the District to participate in the coop and getting an opportunity to reduce our cost.
Progress on all other major projects is going as planned. The school website is getting an overhaul and the new website should be up and running before the end of this school year. The facility improvement project is also on schedule. The architects are preparing State submittals for approval at the moment.
On a brighter note, two 7th grade Student Council Members provided an update to the Board on many fun and educational activities. 8th grade Student Council Members assisted Ms. Pidane and Ms. DeBellis with the Artwork Fundraiser at the Art Show and raised over $450 to benefit Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. I am particularly looking forward to a Mini Field Day on May 17th that the Student Council has been working very hard to organize. I hope many K-4 students will participate and have a great time competing in obstacle courses and many athletic events.
The District is almost fully back to ‘normal’ and there are many activities and events planned in May and June. Have a great time participating in the events.
Thank you,
Stephen Hahm