Schools
Berkeley Township Schools All Set For Tuesday Opening
Bayville and Clara B. Worth switch start times, student enrollment on the rise
The Berkeley Township School District's four schools have been cleaned and checked and are ready to open Tuesday for the 2011-2012 school year, said schools Superintendent Joseph H. Vicari.
The opening time of the Bayville School was switched with the Clara B. Worth School in order to save in busing costs, according to Vicari.
The Bayville School will open at 8:40 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m. and Clara B. Worth students will start the day at 8:05 a.m. and finish up at 2:30 p.m.
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The measure will result in $180,000 in savings for the district. Bus stops will remain the same, he said.
“This will save a lot on buses that don’t have to be utilized,” Vicari said.
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Another change the district is dealing with is an increase in student enrollment. The Clara B. Worth School is expecting 30 or 40 more students come Tuesday, not counting walk-ins, Vicari said.
The district as a whole is growing.
"There are a lot of building permits being issued," said Vicari. "In Manitou Park alone 87 new homes [are being built]."
As far as foreign language is concerned, Vicari said the district has switched over to the Rosetta Stone software for Spanish instruction. Two foreign language teachers were laid off when the board tackled the budget this past spring.
At one point there was talk about discontinuing the gifted and talented program or ALPS program, but that will remain intact.
School officials and board members grappled with cuts ever since voters turned down the $26,512,541 tax levy portion of the $32,022,145 budget by a vote of 2,101 to 1,929.
Vicari has said previously that if he stayed on as superintendent at the minimum salary of $18,500 with no benefits – the amount he accepted to return as superintendent – it would help protect teachers’ jobs.
In addition, the board is looking for ways to save money and potentially generate income through its energy programs.
Board of Education member James Fulcomer asked about class sizes in a recent meeting. Fulcomer said he had noticed dramatic differences between third-grade class sizes at Bayville School, where the third-grade classes had 17 students each, and the third grades at Clara B. Worth School, where the class size was 25 students each.
Vicari said the disparities would be addressed, but that he needed more time to look at it.
