Atotal of 1,750 students returned to class in the Plumsted School District on Sept. 7. The enrollment figure is 90 fewer students than 2009-10.
“As a result of budget cuts, we are experiencing the implementation of a great deal of change in the new school year,” Plumsted Superintendent of Schools Mark DeMareo told the Tri-Town News.
“One thing which remains consistent is the dedication and hard work our teachers, staff and administrators do every day to make a positive difference in the lives of the children here in Plumsted,” he added.
The Plumsted Board of Education has eliminated interscholastic middle school sports teams due to budget constraints.
In place of that program the district will offer a middle school instructional sports program to include soccer, football, field hockey and cross country in the fall; basketball and wrestling in the winter; and baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, and track and field in the spring.
DeMareo said that with the elimination of a formal interscholastic middle school sports program, it is important to give the students some type of athletic activity.
“While not optimal, this [instructional] program will better prepare these students for high school athletics,” the superintendent said. “This program will be significantly different from the intramural program of the past. This will be six weeks of intense practice and scrimmages in a specific sport rather than two weeks of various sports.”
Supervisor of Athletics Richard Carroll said the middle school instructional program will be run through the district’s Community Education division. Each sport will have a coach who will supervise practices and scrimmages 3-4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Students will be charged $75 per sport to participate.
Parents will be responsible for transporting their children home from the instructional program, and students will be required to have a physical in order to participate.
No courses that were being offered last year will be eliminated this school year. However, a business law course will be added during the second semester at New Egypt High School.
The district has lost a K-12 supervisor of guidance due to budget reductions.
“The primary school is offering a kindergarten complement program since full-day kindergarten was reduced to half-day kindergarten due to budget reductions,” De- Mareo said.
The kindergarten complement program is an optional tuition-based program designed to enhance a child’s kindergarten experience to include a full day of school, DeMareo said.
Back to School Night is expected to be held on Sept. 22 for parents of New Egypt Middle School students and on Sept. 23 for parents of New Egypt High School students.