Feb 18, 2018 - Dear Lakewood School District Staff Members, ... letters have resulted in the loss of high- quality, tenu
Lakewood Board of Education 200 Ramsey Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701 Laura A. Winters, Superintendent of Schools
Main Office: (732) 364-2400 Fax: (732) 905-3687
Kevin Campbell, Interim Business Administrator
February 18, 2018
Dear Lakewood School District Staff Members, At the Board of Education meeting on February 15, 2018, the members of the Board and I announced that we will not be issuing Reduction in Force (RIF) letters for the 2018-2019 school year should the budget crisis not be resolved in a timely fashion for the fourth year in a row! The students and staff of the Lakewood School District deserve to be treated in the same manner as those in neighboring districts, where stability is part of a system that enhances the educational process. Lakewood is unique for many reasons. For example, there are no other towns in Ocean or Monmouth County, in which the public school student population consists of:
Hispanic 85.8%
African American 8.1%
White
Asian
Other
4.8%
0.40%
0.40%
As of January 31, 2018
The Number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students:
2013-2014 1,176
2014-2015 1,515
2015-2016 1,630
2016-2017 1,426
2017-2018 1,538
(Source: Realtime)
Free and Reduced Lunch is: Number of Students Eligible to Receive Free and Reduced Breakfast & Lunch
*80% *100% of Lakewood School District’s Students receive Free Breakfast and Lunch through the Community Eligibility Program (CEP).
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Lakewood Board of Education 200 Ramsey Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701
Main Office: (732) 364-2400 Fax: (732) 905-3687
Laura A. Winters, Superintendent of Schools
Kevin Campbell, Interim Business Administrator
The students and staff of the Lakewood School District, for the fourth consecutive year, are looking at another devastating budget deficit; however, the Board and I, as well as General Counsel are actively engaging proactive steps in attempt to avoid disruption to our educational mission. As you know, over the past three years, providing staff members with “Reduction in Force” letters have resulted in the loss of high- quality, tenured and non-tenured staff members to neighboring towns, after spending millions of professional development dollars training them!
School Year
Number of Reduction in Force Given to Staff Members
Number of Teachers Who Resigned
2014-2015
22
55
2015-2016
68
51
2016-2017
140
78
* Calculations were from July 1st until June 30th of every year.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT School Year
Amount Spent on Professional Development
2015-2016
$ 1,767,588.65
2016-2017
$ 2,444,580.09
2017-2018 ** $ 2,749,208.00 **The 2017-2018 amount is just what has been appropriated at this point and is subject to change. Reflects – Public and Nonpublic Professional Development
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Lakewood Board of Education 200 Ramsey Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701 Laura A. Winters, Superintendent of Schools
Main Office: (732) 364-2400 Fax: (732) 905-3687
Kevin Campbell, Interim Business Administrator
The Board of Education members, General Counsel and I are committed to providing all students of the Lakewood Public School District with a “Thorough and Efficient Education.” This includes maintaining high-quality teachers, sports programs, and a diverse educational program etc.., which prepares our students for the future. Lastly, see the attached letters dated February5 and February 15, 2018, that were sent to the Honorable Phil Murphy and Acting Commissioner Repellot. Please help us, help our students by joining this effort. We need to be together in an effort to ensure our success! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 732-905-3633.
Respectfully,
Laura A. Winters Laura A. Winters Superintendent of Schools
cc: Board of Education Members General Counsel Michael I. Inzelbuch, Esquire Mike Azzara, Lead State Monitor David Shafter, State Monitor Kevin Campbell, Interim Business Administrator Robert Finger, Interim Assistant Business Administrator
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