Declining Enrollment

Committee Presentation

Monday, September 18, 2017

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Monday, October 2, 2017

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Welcome!

We look forward to your input.

Committee Members

2 School Principals/

AdministratorsChair: Ted Loeffler

Elissa Scillieri

1 Teacher from each

schoolMichele Rubino - NB

Sharon Martinez - SJG

Sarah Diver - HV

Denise Donch - PV

Rhett Eveland - PTHS

2 Guidance CounselorsBetsy Crocker

Terri Praschak

1 Child Study Team

MemberKim Buscher

1 Special Education

TeacherAmi Anton

3 HSA MembersChair: Renee Blustein

Lia Czubachowski

Kathy Van Dine

1 Parent from each

schoolTimothy Stoudt - NB

Aaron Sherbune - SJG

Lindsay Buntzen - HV

Kim Shay - PV

Dave Hollberg - PTHS

1 PTEA MemberDenise Segedin

2 Community MembersAllison LeGates

Lisa Damico

Public Forum Guidelines

Public Forum Guidelines

Thank you for taking the time to attend tonight.

Your feedback matters.

Tonight we will record your feedback but not respond to it.

Public Forum Guidelines

Who

PV parents & staff

Others if time permits

How Long

Until 8:30

2 minutes each

What –Feedback on:

What should be in final proposal?

Information presented

tonight

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Background

The Pequannock Township Declining Enrollment Committee is a

committee of stakeholders assembled to research and discuss

solutions designed to continue the delivery of a quality education to all

Pequannock Township students in the wake of a changing educational

landscape and declining enrollment.

Committee Purpose

Committee Purpose

The Committee considered the

following:

● Declining Enrollment Numbers

for Pequannock Township

Schools

● Financial Constraints Due to 2%

Budget Cap and consecutive

years of 0%

● Real Estate Trends in

Pequannock

● Educational Trends

● Academic Programming

● Community Concerns

Declining Enrollment

The number of students

entering the school district this

year is less than the number of

students who graduated in June

2017.

2017 Graduating class:

174 students

2017 Kindergarten enrollment:

150 students

» 12th Grade =

177

» 11th Grade =

192

» 10th Grade =

158

» 9th Grade = 172

» 8th Grade = 188

» 7th Grade = 146

» 6th Grade = 145

» 5th Grade = 158

» 4th Grade = 152

» 3rd Grade = 162

» 2nd Grade = 142

» 1st Grade = 147

» Kinder. = 150

» Pre-K = 33

Enrollment as of 9/15/17

» Discussed:

» Existing data

» Initial proposal

» Public concerns

» Experiences based on roles

Committee Process» Met over the course of 3 months

» Identified initial questions to be

answered

» Researched pros and cons of

various school configurations,

taking into consideration all

stakeholders in the town (staff,

students, parents, community

members)

» Reached out to other district

personnel and parents to gain

points of view

Possible Reasons Discussed● Low housing inventory (fewer than 50 houses on the market currently)

o Empty nesters are not moving out of Pequannock Township

o Limited plans for additional housing developments (such as The

Glens)

o Limited inventory of lower priced homes compared to neighboring

towns

● Enrollment in private high schools and academies (Morris County

Vocational School District) due to program availability based on student

interest

Why is enrollment declining in Pequannock?

Declining Enrollment is not unique to

Pequannock Township

● According to the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data, as New

Jersey birth rates dropped from 2003 - 2010 so did enrollment in New

Jersey schools from 2010 - 2016

● Between the 2012 - 2013 school year and the 2015 - 2016 school year,

statewide enrollment dipped from about 1.373 million to 1.369 million

Source: NJ.com

NJ Birth Rates and School Enrollment

Why is change needed?

Elementary Schools

● Unbalanced class sizes among schools

● Less flexibility when creating classes

● Duplicated special education resources, resulting in higher costs

● Traveling related arts teachers (music, media, art, phys ed), offering

less flexibility and fewer opportunities for additional enrichment

Why is change/improvement needed?

Elementary Schools

● Limited opportunities for collaboration and planning time among same

grade level teachers across the 3 schools

● Elementary teachers plan for 6 different subjects per day, with

increased demands for rigor

● Offering of enrichment programs/activities differs by school because of

separate HSAs

Why is change/improvement is needed?

Middle School/High School

● Middle School scheduling changes will need to be made to adjust for class

offerings and staffing, which will determine the effect on sections and

electives offered

● Low class numbers make classes fiscally inefficient to run

● Single class offerings cause scheduling conflicts for students, requiring

students to make difficult choices

Why is change/improvement needed?

Middle School/High School

● Reduced sections of core and elective classes make scheduling difficult

● Diminishing course selection will affect school rankings

● Lower student numbers combined with varied wide interests contributes

to scheduling conflicts and cancelled classes, causing students to need

to go elsewhere for classes (online and summer)

Why is change/improvement needed?

● Explored the addition of an academy-type medical program in

cooperation with Chilton and Morris County Vo-Tech

● Shared services with other districts

● Researched other district configurations

● Developed Four Years and Beyond program to attract students to PTHS

How has Pequannock addressed these issues?

● Opened tuition programs: preschool, STEM, special education

● Offered full-day kindergarten to attract families to town

● Began holding HSA president meetings

* Many of these ideas align with the recommendations made in a recent

article

● “School’s Out Forever: An In-Depth Look at the Options Available with

Declining Enrollment”

How has Pequannock addressed these issues?

Possible Solutions

Three Overall Ideas Explored

» Reconfigure schools

» Build a K-5 supercampus

» Enrich current K-5 configuration

6. Livingston: K-5 / 6 / 7-8 / 9-12

7. Holmdel: K-3 / 4-6 / 7-8 / 9-12

8. Westfield: PreK-K / 1-5 / 6-8 / 9-

12

9. West Windsor-Plainsboro South:

K-3 / 4-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

10. Glen Rock: K-5 / 6-8 / 9-12*

*The only two schools with same configuration

as we currently have.

2016 NJ Monthly Top 10 High Schools

1. Chatham: K-3 / 4-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

2. West Windsor-Plainsboro North:

K-3 / 4-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

3. Kinnelon: PreK-2/ K & 3-5 / 6-8 / 9-

12

4. Millburn: K-4 / 5 / 6-8 / 9-12

5. Haddonfield Memorial: K-5 / 6-8 / 9-

12*

District Configurations

Concerns» Multiple transitions

» Traffic concerns

» Multiple dropoffs/pickups

» Parents spread between HSAs

» Limited range in student mentors

» Before/Aftercare

Reconfiguring SchoolsBenefits

» Combine services

» Grade level collaboration

» More efficient use of staff

» Departmentalization possible

» Leadership opportunities for

younger students

» More sections per grade level per

school

Reconfiguring Options

Option 1: March

Presentation» NB PreK-3

» SJG K-3

» HV 4-5

» PV 6-8

» PTHS 9-12

HV

4-5

PTHS

9-12

NB PreK-

3

PV

6-8

SJG K-3

Option 2: True Cluster» PreK-1 (School alterations

for bathrooms necessary)

» 2-3

» 4-5

» 6-8

» 9-12

Reconfiguring Options

HV

4-5

PTHS

9-12

NB PreK-1

PV

6-8

SJG

2-3

Reconfiguring Options

Option 3: Separate PreK» SJG Board Office and PreK

» NB K-3

» HV K-3

» PV 4-7

» PTHS 8-12

HV

K-3

PTHS

8-12

NB

K-3

PV

4-7

SJG PreK & BOE

Option 4: Early Childhood

Center» SJG PreK, K, Board Office

» NB 1-4

» HV 1-4

» PV 5-8

» PTHS 9-12

Reconfiguring Options

HV

1-4

PTHS

9-12

NB

1-4

PV

5-8

SJG

Pre-K, K, BOE

Potential Challenges» Cost of constructing one campus

» Challenges of a referendum

» Lack of support of community

members who do not have school-

aged children

» Use of closed schools

» Traffic at one school

Build a K-5 Supercampus

Benefits» Costs of upgrading older buildings are

eliminated

» Cost savings of closing schools

» Funds are more effectively spent

» Common grade-level planning for

teachers

» Siblings all together

» Specials teachers in one location

» Special education all together

» Transitions all occur at one campus

location

» Fewer administrators needed

» Departmentalization possible at any

grade

• Create a district education

foundation

• Advertise to schools outside of

Pequannock

• Increase 8th grade activities at

PTHS to get students vested in

staying in Pequannock (pep rallies,

tours)

• Offer summer school to students

who want to take classes they

could not take during the year or if

they want extra help in a subject

• Offer video classes

Enrich Current K-5 Configuration

Areas for potential growth• Decrease tuition for teachers and

administrators to send their children in

district

• Approach neighboring towns to attend

our high school (i.e. Riverdale)

• Share services with neighboring towns

• High School

• More programs to attract students

• Continue communication with

county for academy offerings that

could be implemented at High

School

● Other districts may not be willing to

join or share with us

● Continued duplication in special

services

Enrich Current K-5 Configuration

Potential Challenges Remaining

● Different HSA programs due to unequal

resources creating different offerings

● Limited grade level common planning

time

● Continued lack of significant increase in

students or revenue

● Limited cost savings

• Before/after care

• District is rushing decision

• Loss of neighborhood schools

• Loss of mentoring opportunities for

students

Community Concerns

» Traveling between schools

» Ethics

» Students in multiple schools

» Phase in

» Full restructure

» District plan is to increase class size

• Stress of too many transitions

• School spirit diminished

• Loss of familiarity with teachers,

parents and students if schools are

reconfigured

• Can this be solved with curriculum

changes?

Community Concerns

• Elementary schools won’t feel like “real

schools”

• Budget

• Aides, reduction in staff

• Dissolve HSAs

• Close a school

We look forward to using your feedback

for our continued work.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME