It is June, 2022 and after 11 months as a school Board of Education (BOE) member I wanted to share a list of accomplishments that have improved the Port Washington School District this year. This has been a complicated year, but our district, educators, administrators, support staff, students and families have made it a great one.
1. While some school districts in New Jersey closed school during the Omicron outbreak in January, our schools were open EVERY SINGLE DAY.
2. For the year 2022-2023 we have replaced half-day conference days, giving the students and their families a more consistent schedule while retaining time for teacher conferences.
3. We now have a Vision and Mission Statement plus a strategic plan. That is a first for Port Washington.
4. We are in the first phases of establishing an after school care option at each of the five elementary schools, so students do not have to be bused and can stay at their home school. One parent described this to me as a “game-changer” We believe it will be.
5. We passed a capital reserve, which basically means we can formally save money for things like roof replacement and ventilation improvements that we know are coming. This is just good governance.
6. Notes from the school board meetings come out after each meeting. That way, families can tune in briefly, reading a report instead of having to watch for 2 hours (or more!). All meetings are live-streamed and we finally fixed the sound!
I am very proud of the work that this re-invigorated Board of Education has done in the 2021-2022 school year. We are looking forward to continuing to improve the district and thank you for your support of the district and all of our programs. Dr. Hynes has been 100% focused on his passion for education instead of COVID-19 this past year, and with new leadership in several of our schools this an exciting time. I am confident that the seven BOE members really represent Port Washington’s best interests and come together from a variety of perspectives to make good, balanced policy and an effective budget.
I look forward to hearing from all of you. It is your comments and suggestions that guide the priorities of our school, so email me at adamblock@portnet.org. I have met so many of you this year by phone or for coffee and a bagel and look forward to meeting more of you this coming year. Have a great summer!
—Adam Block
