Thomas A. Smith, superintendent, Hopewell Valley schools
The following was written to members of the Hopewell Valley community:
During this time of the school year, we finalize our budget for the next school year. As part of this process, the Board of Education reviewed and approved the preliminary budget at their meeting on March 16. The board will review the budget again at its meeting on April 20 and vote on the final budget on April 27. The preliminary budget contains a General Fund Budget of $68,841,138, which represents a 0.9 percent increase from last year; the lowest General Fund increase ever. A detailed budget is available from the district website: www.hvrsd.org.
We developed our 2015-16 budget with the following objectives in mind:
Continue providing a rigorous academic program that exceeds the state standards;
Sustain all existing programs and services;
Provide full-day kindergarten beginning in September 2015;
Support and improve district technology and infrastructure;
Stabilize and maintain all district buildings and facilities.
Our 2015-16 budget fulfills the vision set by our Board of Education and provides an excellent educational value. We were able to accomplish this goal through careful planning and the tremendous support of our community. Our PTOs, Booster Clubs, Music and Theater Parents Association and the Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley have funded countless projects and programs in our schools.
The Hopewell Valley Education Foundation’s generous support and its annual Power of 100 Campaign have funded numerous academic programs that enable our district to remain academically progressive. The work of these groups, and the countless “Helpwell” volunteers in our classrooms, have made a profound difference in the lives of our students. These efforts, coupled with the hard work and dedication of our excellent teachers and staff members, enable us to provide an excellent education to our students.
It is my sincere belief that our proposed budget is fiscally responsible, achieves our goals, and supports our quest to provide an excellent education to our over 3,600 students. I truly appreciate your continued support as we work together to provide every student with the opportunities to reach his or her potential.
I invite you to review the budget information available on our website at hvrsd.org and to attend our public meeting and the budget hearing on April 27, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.
