Districts brace for new programs, higher enrollments
By: Jeff Milgram
New Jersey is going back to school this week.
Public school enrollment throughout the state, projected at more than 1.3 million, follows a decade-long trend of gradual annual increases, but still falls short of the all-time high of 1.4 million students enrolled in 1973-1974, the state Department of Education said.
While teachers will attend orientation and in-service programs today and tomorrow, classes will begin for students Thursday.
The Princeton Regional School District is expecting 3,247 students this year, 3.4 percent more than the 3,140 students enrolled last school year.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is projecting a 4-percent enrollment increase, from 8,330 last school year to about 8,663 this year.
The Montgomery Township School District expects an 8.3 percent enrollment hike, from 3,879 in 2000-2001 to about 4,200 in 2001-2002.
New Jersey’s students can expect some new things this year, including the first administration of a new state exam for high school students, changes in curriculum requirements for high school, growth in early childhood education enrollment in the 30 "Abbott" school districts and an expected influx of project plans as school districts throughout the state, including Princeton Regional and Montgomery, prepare to replace or upgrade their school buildings under an $8.6 billion school-funding program.
In addition, alternatives to traditional public school education are expected to expand, with more schools and students participating in charter schools and the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program.
This year, the Princeton Charter School hopes to raise $1.25 million to fund an expansion that would increase the number of students by 96 students, or 50 percent, within the next five years. The school plans to add a kindergarten class in 2002-2003, which will require expanded facilities.
The new exam, called the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), will be administered for the first time to all 11th-grade students in March 2002. It replaces the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT).
The HSPA initially will have test sections in language-arts literacy and mathematics. Additional sections will be added in future years.
Passing both sections of the HSPA is a requirement for a high school diploma. Students who fail one or both sections will have additional opportunities to pass in the fall and spring of their senior year.
Incoming high school freshmen will be the first class required to complete 10 credits in the visual, performing and/or practical arts as a graduation requirement. They also will be the first class required to complete 10 credits in a foreign language in order to receive a diploma.
Three- and 4-year-old children will be turning out in record numbers this year, according to school officials in the 30 "Abbott" school districts. The districts expect 36,824 of the 3- and 4-year-olds to receive a free preschool education in 2001-2002, compared with 23,983 youngsters served in 2000-2001.
The need for more teachers to serve this emerging group of new students prompted acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco earlier this year to announce an incentive program called Teach New Jersey, Reach the World.
Incentives for new early childhood education teachers include a laptop computer for each new teacher and possible forgiveness of college loans for eligible candidates. In addition, the Department of Education hosted a statewide job fair to recruit teachers to the "Abbott" districts.
Teacher-recruitment activities for all school districts will again be a priority of the Department of Education’s recruitment unit. The unit, beginning its second full school year, visits college campuses and various job fairs around the nation to promote teaching in New Jersey.
It also has organized statewide job fairs for critical teaching positions, such as early childhood and foreign languages.
In addition, 105 school districts throughout the state remain in contract negotiations, a lower number than in the past three years, the New Jersey School Boards Association said. Among districts that have reached agreements with their teachers, the average raise is 4.2 percent, the NJSBA said.
The Princeton Regional, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro districts all have teacher contracts. Princeton Regional’s expires at the end of this school year and negotiations are expected to begin at some point during the year.