Freeholders Approve Budgets for Special Services, Technical Schools

CREST HAVEN — Freeholders and Boards of School Estimate for the county Special Services School District and Technical School District approved budgets April 7 for the 2009-2010 school year.
For Special Services, the budget was $12,162,245 with the county share being $3,974,832, according to Superintendent Barbara Makoski
For Technical School, the budget was $15,763,011 with the county share being $7,314,862. Of that, $5,497,625 or 75 percent supports the high school, with the remaining 25 percent, $1,817,237 supporting the post-secondary adult high school, according to Superintendent Robert Matthies.
Both school officials made their presentation during Student Government Day, which high school pupils took on the roles of freeholders and other county officials for the day, the top school executives were asking their students, in effect, to fund the schools for the coming year.
Members of the Board of School Estimate accompanied Makoski from Special Services who were Nelson Amey, vice president, and Jane Elwell, board member.
The budget for Special Services provides for students with special needs from ages 3 to 21. Programs and services are for those classified with multiple disabilities, emotional-behavior disabilities, autism, preschool disabilities and severe cognitive disabilities.
In conjunction with Cape Counseling, the district runs the FOCUS program, begun last year, to provide educational and partial care to students with severe behavior problems.
Makoski said the student population of 240 “continues to decline due to inclusion and the decreased number of school aged children in Cape May County, the disabling conditions of our students continue to remain significant, therefore requiring specialized staff for counseling, occupational, physical and speech therapies.”
A school resource officer from the county Sheriff’s Department, has been contracted, sue to “severe behavior issues of a segment of our school population,” Makoski said.
She termed that link “very successful” and noted that the budget includes that school resource officer for the coming school year.
Staffing levels remain constant, she said. Replacements are only made for retirees.
Costs of benefits have decreased, since the New Jersey State Health Benefits allows the district to offer a buyout for health insurance.
Some of the specialized programs offered to pupils include:
* Orton Gillingham Reading
* Direct Social Skills Instruction
* Outdoor Experiential Education
* Character education
* In-house prevocational and vocational programs.
* Schools to Careers program.
“Our goal as a district is to provide students with academic, life, social and vocational skills they need to function appropriately in our community, and, to be able to earn a living when they leave our schools,” said Makoski.
She added that the district has two sources of revenue: freeholder contribution from county taxpayers, and tuition from sending districts.
“The freeholder support of our budget helps every school district, municipality and taxpayer in cape May County by helping to defray the cost of tuition (particularly when one individual district is faced with servicing a disproportionate number of severely involved youngsters in any given year), and provides an incentive for districts to keep students in the county.”
Paula Smith, business administrator and board secretary, accompanied Matthies.
“Our district is efficient in the administration and operation of our programs using tax dollars, grant money and tuition wisely to always provide the best possible education for each and every students, both high school and adult enrolled in its varied offerings,” said Matthies.
Matthies said the district “has witnessed continual growth both in numbers and accomplishments.”
He said pupils have scored well on High school Proficiency Assessments as well as “other academically oriented national tests such as SAT and ACT.”
Over 70 percent of graduates continue their education in two and four-year colleges and universities.
New course offering include entertainment production, masonry and diesel engine mechanics.
“We have added additional services and will continue to add special education staff in order to provide the support for those students to attend full time,” Matthies said.
Post secondary adult education and auxiliary programs add to the district’s value to the county, he said.
Those included certified dental assisting and licensed post-secondary cosmetology and licensed practice nurse programs.
Those programs have over 57 adult learners enrolled, he said.
Additionally, the Adult High School has 59 enrolled, including those in Senior Standing from other school districts in the county.
The GED program, in the last year, has credentialed 154 who have previously been unable to obtain an academic completion certificate.
Other post-secondary programs include master plumbers and electricians that earn college credits toward an associate’s degree from Atlantic Cape Community College.
Last year, 10 electrical apprentices completed the four-year program and currently there are 15 plumbers in apprenticeship, scheduled to complete the course in 2012.
The evening program, four days a week, offer a diverse assortment of courses, from ballroom dancing, wood carving, welding and cabinet making to over 1,400.
The Early Childhood Development offers a lab daycare program to children ages 3 to 5, he added.
During summer months, the district conducts a summer school to any high school student, and a Summer Time Adventures Program is offered to younger children.