BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer
RED BANK — The borough’s public school and Charter School students are moving closer and closer to state proficiency levels and are nearly equal with the state average, a kickoff meeting of the Red Bank Education and Development Initiative (RBEDI) was told last week.
Red Bank students have been advancing in proficiency in three key areas monitored by the state — math, science and language arts literacy – David Tarver, RBEDI president, told stakeholders attending the initiative’s annual beginning-of-the-school-year “kickoff” at the Oyster Point Hotel last Thursday.
The kickoff included a panel discussion at which six representatives from the community answered questions on various topics relating to Red Bank’s children.
Dr. John Krewer, superintendent of the Red Bank School District, Risa Cullinane, director of The Source program at Red Bank Regional High School, and Meredith Pennotti, principal of the Red Bank Charter School, were on hand to answer education questions.
Councilman Arthur Murphy III, liaison to the borough’s Parks and Recreation Committee, represented the borough, and Terri Beck from the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, Red Bank, spoke of health concerns for the children of the borough. Assemblyman Dr. Robert Morgan, also spoke of health issues, as well as what is being done at the state level that could affect children at the local level.
The panel’s purpose was to provide an update on what has been done for the development of the children of Red Bank, and what can be done in the future.
“I hope we can have a good, productive discussion,” Tarver said before the discussion began, “That’s what this is all about.”
Tarver gave a brief presentation about what the initiative has accomplished since its conception in 2001.
The RBEDI acts as a liaison between the community, government, schools and local organizations, in order to get the entire community to focus on the well-being of all of Red Bank’s children. According to Tarver, the RBEDI raises about $100,000 a year from donations, and those are the only funds it has to work with.
Tarver used charts to show the progress of public school and Charter School students in comparison to both the state average and the Little Silver School district, which, over the past several years, has had almost all of its student population score in the proficient or advanced proficient range on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment exam.
Although state averages for 2004 are not yet available, Tarver said the state trend is relatively steady, fluctuating only a few points every year, and he felt confident projecting those scores.
In 2003, the state average for language arts proficiency was 84.7 percent, and the borough public schools reached 77.3 percent for 2004. The Charter School had 88.2 percent of its students at proficient or advanced proficient for 2004, the data showed.
In mathematics, the state average for last year was 66 percent proficient. The Red Bank public schools hit 59.1 percent and the Charter School reached 70.6 percent proficient in this area, according to the RBEDI Web site.
Science is the area where the gap between the public schools, Charter School and the state average is most narrow. Last year, the state average was 81.5 percent proficient, borough schools had 79.5 percent and the Charter School had 82.3 for 2004.
Tarver said that although he is very proud of what the schools have accomplished thus far, it is the goal of the initiative, as well as the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program, that 100 percent of the children in the borough reach proficient or advanced proficient in all standardized tests.
“We will not compare ourselves to where we were,” said Tarver. “We compare ourselves to the best, to where we want to go.”
The audience asked questions of the panel members, concerning policies and progress.
Robert Rechnitz, of the Two River Theater Co., asked what the panel members thought of No Child Left Behind, noting that he has seen some criticism of the act in the news.
“It has gotten some mixed reviews,” said Krewer. “NCLB exposed those dirty little secrets about what really factors into achievement, because it breaks everything down into subcategories like race, gender and how many parents are in the home.”
Krewer did have some criticism for the program.
“The arts are seen as expendable and I am afraid of us becoming aesthetically illiterate as a culture,” said Krewer. “It’s not so much No Child Left Behind. It’s no child left untested. It’s forcing us to become test prep centers instead of schools.”
Pennotti said that the Charter School is determined to not give up on the arts “no matter what.”
“We know what’s right for the development of the whole child,” she said.
Tarver read a question, which was submitted anonymously by a member of the audience, concerning the most serious health problem facing borough children.
“The No. 1 health problem in the Red Bank schools is dental problems,” said Morgan. “It is not unique to Red Bank. Many children just don’t have proper dental care.”
Morgan said that there is a dental clinic at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, but it has a two-year waiting list. Although dental problems may seem trite, said Morgan, they can lead to other, more serious problems, such as serious pain caused from infections and loss of self-esteem, which can cause social problems as the child develops.
Cullinane said that Red Bank Regional (RBR) holds a dental clinic every year and provides over 40 students with complete dental care at no cost to the students or their families. She said there is also mental health screening, including follow-ups, medication and transportation when needed.
Morgan also said that obesity has become a problem in the borough schools and that more of an effort needs to be put toward teaching proper nutritional and exercise habits. He said that several years ago, the problem was the opposite, and many children in the borough were malnourished.
The panelists also discussed communication between schools and parents. Pennotti said that the Charter School works hard at keeping that line of communication open with weekly phone calls to each parent about their child’s progress, conferences four times a year that include not only the parent and teacher, but also the student, and class dinners for every grade.
Terrence Wilkins, principal of Red Bank Middle School, said folders are sent home every Monday with information for parents, and that if parents wish to send information back to teachers, they can use the same system. Teachers are also required to make five positive phones calls per month to parents, letting the parent know where their child is doing well, and the administration will do follow-up calls if needed.
Wilkins added that there is an outreach campaign in place where, if a parent cannot be reached by phone, someone from the school will make a home visit.
There was also some discussion about whether or not there is still a need for the Charter School, because of the similar academic achievements on the part of the public and Charter School students.
“There is room for two schools in Red Bank,” said Pennotti. “Our whole reason for being is reform.”
Tarver said that if the time comes that the Charter School is not needed, he believes it will be apparent, and that right now, the two schools can co-exist.