The residents of the great state of New Jersey have invested in a high quality public school structure for the youth of this state. Each locality maintains local control over the system of local public schools under a larger umbrella of state oversight. The collaboration of both state and local educational officials in defining learning expectations for all students has resulted in some very good news for pubic schools in New Jersey. By extension, all children enrolled in Hopatcong Public Schools benefit from the very high expectations and teacher preparation that serve as the foundation of our public schools. In turn, the schools in Hopatcong Borough are very proud of the contribution we make to the overall success for students in our state.
Here are some of the things that residents have an investment in and have reason to be proud:
• Writing scores are the best in the nation (National Center for Education Statistics)
• Math scores are among the nation’s best (NCES)
• Reading scores are in the top of the nation (NCES)
• Public school students outperform private schools in AP testing (College Board)
• High school graduation rate ranks number one nationally (Education Week)
• Students are near the top for college preparation (National Center for Public Policy)
• New Jersey is among the “Smartest States” based on the quality of public schools (Education State Rankings 2007-2008)
• Leading the nation in the number of children attending preschool (Education Week)
• Leads the nation in reducing the achievement gap (NCES)
With over 2,500 schools in the state and close to 600 school districts the efforts of our teachers and administrative leaders clearly has a high payback. Over 1.3 million children attend our schools each day for 180 days. The investment that New Jersey makes each year to support public education is indicative of the effort needed to sustain and continue providing a strong foundation for the children and youth who live here.
As superintendent of Hopatcong Public School and member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), I oversee the education of about 2,200 of New Jersey’s young people from pre-K through high school. The success of our schools is due largely to the commitment of local citizens and authorities. We have dedicated and committed teachers and educators who are highly motivated to provide quality instruction for all children. Hopatcong continues to set high goals and expectations for our schools and we are constantly receiving positive feedback on our efforts.
I received a call from the NJEA Classroom Close-Up project informing us that a television crew would be visiting Tulsa Trail Elementary School on January 27, 2010 to film a segment in one of our award-winning classrooms. Danielle Kovach, our $10,000 classroom makeover winner and her class will be the focus of this effort. Principal Jeff Nesnay expressed pride and commented on how well deserved this recognition is for the school and community.
Not all recognition is this highly visible. Principal Tracey Hensz of the Hudson-Maxim Elementary School forwarded a letter she received from a happy parent. She attended a musical event at the school and said the following: “I would like to take a moment to express how wonderful this event was. I thought all of the children did such a lovely job with learning all of the songs and delivering them to us the audience loud and proud. I would also like to say how impressive it was to see how well all of the faculty interact with the children.”
There are countless examples of the positive connections our schools make with the community of Hopatcong. Two weeks ago my wife and I attended the high school drama club production of “The Three Muskateers” and were thrilled with the quality of the overall performances. The students of our schools are under the mentorship of excellent adult role-models and master teachers in all disciplines.
Our students are fortunate to attend school in a place where education is highly regarded and the achievement bar is set so high. The four “A’s” of education are each valued and attended to in Hopatcong: Academics, Arts, Activities, and Athletics, and our young clients-the future citizens of an expanding global society-are the beneficiaries of this enormous effort to bring world-class educational experiences to our children. The AASA and NJASA support our efforts to teach the “Whole Child” not only the cognitive skills needed but the rich experiences all youth need to thrive in a democratic society. These accomplishments in New Jersey and nationwide serve as a source of pride and prove that a continued investment of funding and energy for public education has a real and measurable payoff.
