April 27, 2021: PPS Budget Anticipated to Be Approved at Meeting Tonight

On Tuesday, the Princeton Board of Education is anticipated to approve the $96.3 million operating budget for 2021-2022 school year, which reflects the lowest percentage tax increase in nine years. The operating budget is $700,000 more than the 2020-21 operating budget of $95.6 million.

"We are seeing the lowest tax increase in nine years," said Matthew Bouldin, PPS Business Administrator. "This budget has a 1 percent tax increase for the general fund and a 0.564 percent overall increase if you include both the general fund and debt service."

The total budget, including debt service and grants, is $108.2 million, an increase of about $2 million over the previous year.

"The district's financial position is strong and Mr. Bouldin and the Board of Education have done excellent work in identifying savings and opportunities to reduce the growth rate in several expense categories," said Dr. Barry Galasso, Interim Superintendent. "I am pleased that we have been able to control expenses and identify alternate sources of revenue. This has enabled us to minimize tax increases."

In addition, PPS has proposed the most robust summer program the district has ever offered. "Our summer offerings will address learning opportunities, social and emotional health, and provide bonding activities," said Dr. Galasso.

Covid has resulted in both non-recurring savings and non-recurring costs. The costs do not have a major impact on the budget, which is primarily based on recurring costs, according to Mr. Bouldin. Compensation--salaries and benefits—represents approximately 77 percent of all expenses. The number of employees has remained stable.

Several factors have helped to decrease upward budget trends. Stronger purchasing controls have been implemented resulting in slower expense growth in supplies and services. In addition, energy costs are slightly lower due in part to new, high-efficiency HVAC units installed in the middle school and at Community Park, Littlebrook, and Riverside schools. Johnson Park is scheduled to get the high-efficiency units this summer.

Decreasing enrollment from Cranbury students and health care costs were challenges faced by the district this year. Tuition from Cranbury has declined due to a steady reduction in Cranbury students from a peak of 280 in 2017-2018 to an estimated 247 in 2021-2022. There is a year-over-year decline in revenue of $283,358 with no associated savings. The Cranbury School District, which does not have its own high school, will pay PPS $4.836 million in tuition in order to send its high school students to PHS.

The school board has appropriated $7.1 million for the Princeton Charter School, an increase of $362,319 over the 2020-21 tuition payment. The increase is mostly due to a 6.13 percent increase in tuition, based partly on a decline in PPS enrollment which is attributed to Covid. Enrollments are one element of the tuition calculation.

Over the past two fiscal years there have been between $2 million and $2.5 million in cost savings associated with the pandemic and about an equal amount of extra costs. Savings were largely realized during the periods of remote-only instruction and include transportation costs (busing) and lower energy costs. The extra costs were mainly attributed to improving school HVAC systems, PPE, and supporting teaching during the pandemic with new technology, teacher supports, and tents.

The district anticipates that costs related to the pandemic will be reimbursed by three federal funding initiatives: CARES, ESSERII, and ARP.

"We have been able to modestly increase our fund balance, and this had enabled us to maintain our district's triple AAA rating from Moody's," said Mr. Bouldin. "It will, if approved by the Board, enable us to fund urgent priorities associated with our facilities, including adding new high-efficiency HVAC units in some teaching spaces, replacing the pool HVAC system at the middle school, and some roofing replacements at Princeton High School."

In 2021-22, PPS will receive $4.5 million in state aid, which is an increase of $296,017 over the current budget year. An additional $3.3 million from the fund balance will be used as revenue in the budget, as required by the State of New Jersey.

"This budget maintains our high levels of educational services while also focusing on financial efficiencies," said Mr. Bouldin.

The 2021-22 operating budget calls for $80.8 million to be raised in property taxes from Princeton’s residential and commercial property owners. The proposed tax levy is an increase of $796,000 over the current budget. An increase of 2 cents in the 2021 (calendar year) school district property tax rate means it will increase from $1.183 to $1.201 per $100 of assessed value.

In the most recent year, for which PPS has audited results, the local tax levy accounted for 86.4 percent of the revenue for the school district. State aid makes up 6.8 percent of the budget and tuition from the Cranbury School District equaled 5.6 percent of revenue. Miscellaneous revenue, including tuition paid by staff members who live out of town and who send their children to the Princeton schools, was 1.2 percent.

 

Message From the Superintendent

March 23, 2021

Dear Families, Parents, and Guardians,

I would like to thank our families for their support of our advocacy efforts that have enabled many PPS teachers and staff to be vaccinated.

In recent days, we set up appointments with Penn Medicine Princeton Health that resulted in 33 PPS staff members being vaccinated. We would like to thank Penn Medicine Princeton Health for their help. We would also like to thank another community partner, the Princeton Health Department, which recently vaccinated 23 PPS teachers and staff members. We also have 100 vaccines that will be available to our staff on March 30 at a clinic hosted by Penn Medicine Princeton Health at the Cranbury Middle School.

In addition, the Mercer County Education Association, the Mercer County Association of School Administrators, Walgreen's, and Hamilton Township are providing a vaccination site exclusively for educators that will provide 1,000 vaccines. These vaccines will be administered at Crockett Middle School in Hamilton Township on Saturday, March 27. Another 1,000 vaccines will be provided on Saturday, April 3 at the same location.

Many of our teachers and staff have taken advantage of vaccine opportunities. In the near future a large percentage of the PPS staff will be fully vaccinated. I would like to thank our staff who have actively pursued making appointments to receive the vaccine on multiple platforms and in multiple locations.

I am pleased with the progress we are making and the support we have received from the community, but I would also like to remind all parents to please keep your children at home if anyone in your family feels even mildly ill. Sending an unwell child to school can result in quarantine for dozens of people.

We are reopening our schools for expanded in-person instructional time and many students are coming back either for the first time in months or coming back more days per week. It would be heartbreaking to jeopardize the progress we have made because we fail to follow health protocols. As we bring more students into our schools, please be mindful of all protocols and guidelines. When in doubt, please keep your child at home and consult with your school nurse.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent

 

En Español

15 de marzo de 2021

Estimadas familias, padres y estudiantes:

Hagamos una pausa por un momento para reflexionar mientras recordamos que a mediados de marzo cumplimos un año con el coronavirus.

Enfrentamos desafíos, pero podemos estar agradecidos de que las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton están preparadas para salir del año más difícil de la historia, con escuelas que están abiertas a más y más estudiantes y con el inicio de un plan para septiembre que nos permitirá abrir nuestras puertas a tiempo completo para todos los estudiantes que quieran asistir en persona.

Cuando PPS pasó al aprendizaje totalmente remoto el marzo pasado, nuestros maestros se adaptaron rápidamente a la instrucción en línea, aunque la mayoría de ellos nunca habían enseñado virtualmente. Nuestros estudiantes y familias desarrollaron rutinas diarias completamente nuevas para asegurar que el aprendizaje continuara. Debido a que las familias diferían en su acceso a la tecnología, desarrollamos un programa para asegurar estándares consistentes para computadoras y otros dispositivos, adquiriendo y distribuyendo esa tecnología en el otoño haciendo posible el aprendizaje. Nuestro equipo de tecnología reemplazó rápidamente nuestro anticuado sistema de gestión del aprendizaje y reforzó la capacidad de nuestra red para que nuestros estudiantes tuvieran un servicio confiable.

Los cambios constantes en recomendaciones médicas de los gobiernos estatales y federal hicieron que cada decisión fuera más complicada. Elaboramos un plan de instrucción híbrida y remota ante desacuerdos muy reales y razonables sobre los riesgos y recompensas para los estudiantes en los diferentes escenarios. Mientras tanto, la seguridad tanto de los estudiantes como del personal generó una serie de modificaciones en nuestras instalaciones y operaciones, desde nuevos sistemas de calefacción y aire acondicionado hasta protocolos de acceso y salida, así como el uso de equipo de protección personal y desinfectante de manos. Las mejoras y gastos del distrito relacionados con Covid totalizan alrededor de $ 1.8 millones de dólares.

A pesar de estos desafíos, me enorgullece que nuestro distrito haya tenido menos de 100 casos de Covid-19 en el último año y ninguna transmisión dentro de la escuela. Hemos tenido más éxito en la contención que muchos distritos. Creo que nuestras sensatas precauciones han contribuido a este éxito.

Donde estamos ahora
Actualmente estamos implementando un plan que está diseñado para maximizar la instrucción en persona. Esta semana se difundirán información y responderemos preguntas a través de foros comunitarios, cartas a las familias y Zooms escolares. El plan cuenta con el apoyo de nuestro personal y se desarrolló con los comentarios de los estudiantes.

Estamos siguiendo la guía del CDC y mantenemos el distanciamiento social de seis pies como nuestro estándar siempre que sea posible. Con el fin de dar cabida a más estudiantes, estamos ampliando las estrategias de mitigación recomendadas que incluyen el uso de máscaras, protectores faciales, separadores de plexiglás, desinfectante de manos y la reorganización de muebles de salón. Estamos trasladando las clases con más inscripciones a espacios más grandes, como gimnasios, bibliotecas, salas de arte y música.

A partir de ahora hasta las vacaciones de primavera, estaremos aumentando constantemente el número de alumnos que estarán en las escuelas primarias durante cuatro días a la semana de instrucción en persona, lo que incluye recibir a muchos de los estudiantes que hasta el momento habían estado completamente alejados. Después de las vacaciones de primavera, esperamos que nuestras escuelas primarias tengan entre el 82 y  92 por ciento de todos sus alumnos en la escuela durante cuatro días a la semana, y nuestros estudiantes más vulnerables asistirán a instrucción en persona cinco días a la semana.

En Princeton High School, 250 estudiantes asisten cinco días a la semana, todas las semanas. El número de estudiantes que asisten diariamente aumentará  entre 500 a 600 estudiantes después de las vacaciones de primavera. La cantidad de estudiantes de secundaria que asisten en persona aumentará  aproximadamente en 450 en las próximas semanas a medida que trabajamos para combinar grupos. El 1 de abril, cada escuela tendrá carpas levantadas para ayudar con los descansos de las mascarillas y los refrigerios, así como instrucción adicional en persona. Todos los estudiantes podrán disfrutar de actividades extracurriculares en persona, incluyendo clubes, deportes, teatro y música.

El futuro
La disponibilidad amplia de vacunas, las mejoras en las instalaciones y las actualizaciones tecnológicas ayudarán a preparar a nuestro distrito para implementar un programa de instrucción en persona normal pre-Covid, en septiembre, salvo que se produzcan cambios en el estado de la pandemia.

Nuestro nuevo sistema de gestión de aprendizaje, los dispositivos actualizados, el trabajo de referéndum programado en Johnson Park, Littlebrook y Princeton High School este verano, así como reemplazos de techos en algunas escuelas y las compras de equipo de protección personal serán parte de los preparativos en curso para preparar nuestras instalaciones para septiembre .

Nuestro personal desarrollará planes de respaldo para ser usado en caso de que las condiciones de Covid no mejoren tanto como se anticipó. Estos planos se proporcionarán a la nueva superintendente para su uso y estarán disponibles para el público.

La experiencia que hemos tenido este año guiará nuestro trabajo mientras desarrollamos opciones de respaldo para el próximo año. Nuestras metas son las mismas: ¿Cómo maximizar el aprendizaje en persona, las actividades, los deportes, los clubes y las artes y mantener la seguridad y la buena salud? Si un pequeño porcentaje de estudiantes necesita continuar con el aprendizaje remoto y el Gobernador permite continuar con una opción remota, nuestras actualizaciones en tecnología permitirán la transmisión en vivo de las clases.

La Junta de Educación, nuestro personal de PPS y nuestros profesionales médicos han sido verdaderos socios en la búsqueda de administrar nuestras operaciones de la manera más eficaz y eficiente posible durante esta pandemia. Su dedicación y las muchas horas de trabajo han sido elogiables. Además, me gustaría agradecer a nuestros padres y estudiantes por su paciencia, flexibilidad y participación.

Operar en una democracia avanzada puede hacer que el trabajo en crisis sea un desafío, pero los resultados siempre mejoran gracias al compromiso de todas las partes interesadas. Juntos, esperamos que, durante los últimos tres meses de clases, podamos lograr nuestro objetivo común de brindar una experiencia estudiantil lo más cercana a la normalidad posible y regresar a un estado anterior a Covid en el otoño.

Para aquellos que estén interesados, hemos adjuntado detalles sobre nuestras mejoras tecnológicas en el último año, información financiera relacionada con Covid y un breve resumen de lo que hemos hecho.

Gracias por tu apoyo.

Atentamente,

Dr. Barry Galasso
Superintendente interino

March 15, 2021

Dear Families, Parents, and Students,

Let us pause for a moment to reflect as we mark the mid-March milestone of our coronavirus year.

We face challenges ahead, yet we can be grateful that the Princeton Public Schools are poised to emerge from the most difficult year ever, with schools that are open to more and more students and the genesis of a plan for September that will enable us to open our doors full-time to every student who wants to attend in person.

When PPS moved to all-remote learning last March, our teachers quickly adapted to online instruction, even though most of them had never taught virtually before. Our students and families developed entirely new daily routines in order to ensure that learning continued. Because families varied widely in their access to the technology that would make learning possible, we developed a program to ensure consistent standards for computers and other devices, acquiring and distributing that technology in the fall. Our technology team quickly replaced our outmoded learning management system and buttressed our network capacity so our students would have reliable service.

The shifting sands of changing medical recommendations from both the state and the federal governments made every decision more complicated. We forged a plan for hybrid and remote instruction in the face of very real and reasonable disagreements about the risks and rewards to students in the different scenarios. Meanwhile, the safety of both students and staff drove a host of modifications to our facilities and operations, from new HVAC systems to access and egress protocols to the use of PPE and hand sanitizer. The district's Covid-related improvements and expenses total about $1.8 million local dollars.

Despite these challenges, I am proud that our district has had fewer than 100 cases of Covid-19 in the last year and no in-school transmission. We have been more successful at containment than many districts. I believe our sensible precautions have played a part in this success.

Where We Are Now
The plan we are rolling out now is designed to maximize in-person instruction. This week, community forums, letters to families, and school Zooms will disseminate information, and we will answer questions. The plan has the support of our staff and was developed with input from students.

We are following CDC guidance and using six feet as our social distancing standard whenever possible. In order to accommodate more students, we are expanding recommended mitigation strategies that include masking, face shields, plexiglass dividers, hand sanitizer, and classroom-furniture arrangement. We are moving classes with larger enrollments to larger spaces, such as gyms, libraries, and art and music rooms.

Between now and spring break, we are steadily increasing the number of pupils who will be in elementary schools for four days per week of in-person instruction, including welcoming back many students who had been fully remote. After spring break, we expect our elementary schools will have between 82 percent and 92 percent of all their pupils in school for four days per week, with our most vulnerable learners coming for in-person instruction five days per week.

At Princeton High School, 250 students are attending five days per week, every week. The number of students attending daily will increase to between 500 and 600 students after spring break. The number of middle school students attending in-person will increase to about 450 in the coming weeks as we work to combine cohorts. On April 1, each school will have tents erected to assist with mask breaks and snacks as well as additional in-person instruction. All students will be able to enjoy afterschool, in-person activities, including clubs, sports, drama, and music.

The Future
The expanded availability of vaccines, facility improvements, and technology upgrades will help prepare our district to implement a normal, pre-Covid, in-person instructional schedule in September, barring any changes in the pandemic status.

Our new learning management system, updated devices, scheduled referendum work at Johnson Park, Littlebrook, and Princeton High School this summer, as well as roof replacements at some schools, and PPE purchases will be part of the ongoing preparations to ready our facilities for September.

Our staff will develop back-up plans for use should Covid conditions not improve as much as anticipated. These plans will be provided to the new superintendent for her use and will be made available to the public.

Our experience this year will guide our work as we develop back-up options for next year. Our goals are the same: How do we maximize in-person learning, activities, sports, clubs and the arts and maintain safety and good health? If a small percentage of students need to continue remote learning and the Governor permits a remote option to continue, our upgrades in technology will allow for live streaming of classes.

The Board of Education, our PPS staff, and our medical professionals have been true partners in the quest to manage our operations as effectively and efficiently as possible during this pandemic. Their dedication and many hours of work have been commendable. In addition, I would like to thank our parents and students for their patience, flexibility, and engagement.

Operating in an advanced democracy can make crisis work challenging, but the outcomes are always improved thanks to the engagement of all stakeholders. Together, we hope that, during the last three months of school, we can attain our common goal of providing a student experience that is as close to normal as possible and return to a pre-Covid status in the fall.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barry GalassoI
nterim Superintendent

 

February 2, 2021

Dear PPS Staff and Parents,

We are continuing our advocacy efforts to support vaccinating teachers and all PPS staff so we can return to school safely and increase in-person learning for our students. 

Mercer County superintendents sent this joint letter to Governor Murphy yesterday.

We encourage you to email or call the Governor's office and ask that New Jersey expedite vaccinations for educators.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent

January 28, 2021

Dear PPS Parents and Staff,

With the support of the Princeton Board of Education, I sent a letter today to Governor Murphy encouraging him to expedite Covid vaccinations for New Jersey educators. In this district we feel strongly that a delay in protecting teachers results in a further reliance on remote instruction, something we all hope to minimize. We are reaching out to other elected officials and continuing to work hard on behalf of PPS students and staff.

I have included a copy of our message to the Governor (below).

Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent

 

January 28, 2021 

The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of the State of New Jersey
225 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625  

Dear Governor Murphy:  

I write to you with the support of the Princeton Board of Education to urge that educators receive the highest priority in the distribution of Covid vaccines. Until our teachers can return to classrooms safely and with confidence, New Jersey will feel the negative consequences of the pandemic both educationally and economically.  

At the same time, the ongoing student mental health crisis will continue unabated. Studies show that a significant proportion of students nationally are experiencing intense sadness, isolation, and anxiety attributable to the pandemic, and that these stresses hinder learning.    

Student traffic through our own guidance offices attest to the veracity of the data, as does the testimony of our students themselves. In Princeton, there are indications that the mental health of all our youngsters will continue to deteriorate as long as uncertainty, remote instruction, and frequent quarantines prevail.  

Our ability to maintain classroom learning is directly affected by having healthy teachers and staff, whose safety and confidence hinges on access to the vaccines. As the spring term progresses, we must provide a consistent environment for student success, one as free as possible from the disruptions of sudden quarantines and reversions to remote instruction.  

I have served as a superintendent in New Jersey for more than twenty-five years. This is the most serious threat to education and the well-being of our children I have seen in my career. Your leadership can make a difference. It is urgent that we vaccinate educators quickly and stabilize the classroom environment. Our teachers and staff are frontline workers and their efforts contribute not only to the health of New Jersey's economy but to the future of every child in this state.   

Please ensure that our educators receive the priority they deserve in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.   

Sincerely,  

Dr. Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent
Princeton Public Schools 

CC:      Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman

State Senator Kip Bateman

Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker

Assemblyman Roy Freiman

 

January 12, 2021

Dear PPS Parents and Staff,

As many of you know, last week a meeting of our 6th graders with administrators of the Princeton Unified Middle School was disrupted by “Zoom bombers” who used a racial slur and posted lewd drawings. This was an unacceptable intrusion into the students’ learning and exposed them wrongly to hateful language and images. Ironically, the lesson that was disrupted concerned the need for empathy and kindness in the context of community citizenship. We have since learned that the link to the PUMS Zoom meeting was published externally via Twitter. 

The administration is working with our technology office, the Princeton Police Department, and Mercer County law enforcement to identify any unauthorized participants in the meeting. We are providing directions to PPS staff on how to avoid outside interruptions.

We apologize to our students and their families for last week’s breach of our community standards. Be assured that persons responsible and identified will be held accountable. 

Sincerely,

Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent

January 7, 2021

Dear PPS Staff and Parents,

It has been a turbulent week both in terms of national news and on the Covid-19 front. Many of your children have seen the images and news stories about the protestors entering the Capital building in Washington, D.C. This can be confusing and cause distress to students who may not know how to process this event. Our principals have reached out to teachers and provided resources for the emotional well being of our students and a framework for age-appropriate discussions.

What we witnessed last night was not a peaceful assembly. We all must condemn these actions. Our country has always valued the First Amendment rights of our citizens to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction over issues but we have never accepted disregard of our laws or behavior that includes violence, destruction, or rioting. This behavior should be acknowledged for what it is: unlawfulness. We as a nation must set aside our differences and come together to address the issues that divide us and, at the same time, celebrate what makes us Americans.

Regarding Covid-19 and its impact on our school schedule, PPS will delay the start of hybrid instruction until Tuesday, January 19, the day after the Martin Luther King holiday.  We need an extra week to allow students and staff to quarantine given the numbers of people who potentially have been exposed to the virus. Like other districts in Mercer County, we want to choose the prudent course by continuing with remote learning until January 19.

When students return on January 19, we will follow a model that increases in-person instruction for Kindergarten and First Grade students signed up for hybrid learning from two days per week of in-person instruction to four days per week. Parents will receive details soon from your school principal.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Princeton has opened up its registration for the Covid-19 vaccination. PPS staff will be eligible to receive the vaccine after the first round of vaccines have been completed. We encourage all PPS staff to sign up on the Princeton website and with the State of New Jersey here.

I would like to thank our staff and our parents for their commitment to the principles that we strive to inculcate in our students: honesty, dignity, and a respect for the laws that make our democracy work. Thank you for all that you are doing to support our schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barry Galasso
Interim Superintendent

En Español

7 de enero de 2021

Estimados padres y personal de PPS:

Ha sido una semana turbulenta en cuanto a las noticias nacionales como en el frente de Covid-19. Muchos de sus hijos han visto las imágenes y las noticias sobre los manifestantes que ingresaron al Capitolio en Washington, D.C.  Esto puede generar confusión y causar angustia a los estudiantes que quizás no sepan cómo procesar este evento. Nuestros directores se han acercado a los maestros y les han proporcionado recursos para el bienestar emocional de nuestros estudiantes así como el apoyo necesario para tener discusiones apropiadas de acuerdo a la edad de los estudiantes.

Lo que presenciamos anoche no fue una asamblea pacífica. Todos debemos condenar estas acciones. Nuestro país siempre ha valorado los derechos de la Primera Enmienda que permite que nuestros ciudadanos puedan expresar satisfacción o insatisfacción sobre los problemas, pero nunca hemos aceptado la ignorancia de nuestras leyes o comportamientos que incluyen violencia, destrucción o disturbios. Este comportamiento debe reconocerse por lo que es: ilegalidad. Nosotros, como nación, debemos dejar de lado nuestras diferencias y unirnos para abordar los problemas que nos dividen y, al mismo tiempo, celebrar lo que nos hace estadounidenses.

Con respecto a Covid-19 y su impacto en nuestro horario escolar, PPS retrasará el inicio de la instrucción híbrida hasta el martes 19 de enero, el día después del feriado de Martin Luther King. Necesitamos una semana adicional para permitir que los estudiantes y el personal estén en cuarentena dada la cantidad de personas que potencialmente han estado expuestas al virus. Como otros distritos en el condado de Mercer, queremos elegir el camino prudente al continuar con el aprendizaje remoto hasta el 19 de enero.

Cuando los estudiantes regresen el 19 de enero, seguiremos un modelo que aumenta la instrucción en persona para los estudiantes de kindergarten y primer grado inscritos en el aprendizaje híbrido de dos días por semana de instrucción en persona a cuatro días por semana. Los padres pronto recibirán detalles del director de su escuela.

Mientras tanto, el municipio de Princeton ha abierto su registro para la vacunación por Covid-19. El personal de PPS será elegible para recibir la vacuna después de que se haya completado la primera ronda de vacunas. Alentamos a todo el personal de PPS a inscribirse en el sitio web de Princeton  y con el estado de Nueva Jersey aquí.

Me gustaría agradecer a nuestro personal y a nuestros padres por su compromiso con los principios que nos esforzamos por inculcar en nuestros estudiantes: honestidad, dignidad y respeto por las leyes que hacen que nuestra democracia funcione. 

Gracias por todo lo que está haciendo para apoyar a nuestras escuelas.

Sinceramente,

Dr. Barry Galasso
Superintendente interino

16 de diciembre de 2020

Estimados padres y personal de PPS: 

Queremos brindarles la información necesaria que esperamos les permita hacer planes para los próximos días. 

El miércoles 16 de diciembre, PPS anunció que oficialmente el jueves 17 de diciembre no habrá instrucción en persona en nuestras seis escuelas. Dada la acumulación de nieve que se espera, el potencial de fuertes vientos así como las condiciones peligrosas en las pistas, mañana será un excelente día para quedarse en casa. Además, existe la posibilidad de que tengamos que cancelar el aprendizaje remoto y optar por un día tradicional de nieve en caso exista la posibilidad que el clima pueda causar cortes de energía que afecten la conectividad de nuestros maestros o estudiantes. Les dejaremos saber tanto a los padres como a los maestros si al final de la tarde o al inicio de la noche del miércoles tendremos un día de aprendizaje remoto o un día de nieve. 

El viernes 18 de diciembre, anticipamos que nuestras cuatro escuelas primarias ofrecerán un día de aprendizaje híbrido. Esperamos que las carreteras estén despejadas el viernes por la mañana según el pronóstico actual. La decisión sobre el horario del viernes para las escuelas primarias se compartirá con los padres el jueves por la tarde. Si viajar es peligroso, optaremos por un día de aprendizaje a distancia. 

El viernes tanto Princeton High School como Princeton Unified Middle School estarán trabajando de forma remota. Los eventos previamente programados en PUMS y PHS (incluida la capacitación de desarrollo profesional y el programa de intercambio virtual) son parte de la razón por la que no cambiaremos a un horario híbrido. Esta decisión tiene sentido para nuestros estudiantes y personal en términos de consideraciones tanto educativas como prácticas. En consecuencia, el miércoles es el último día en persona para los estudiantes de PHS y PUMS hasta después de las vacaciones de invierno. Todas las escuelas estarán en un horario totalmente remoto la próxima semana los lunes, martes y miércoles del 21 al 23 de diciembre. 

Sé que todos esperan con ansias las vacaciones de invierno y un merecido descanso. Por favor, manténgase bien, manténgase a salvo y disfrute de la nieve.

Sinceramente, 

 

Dr. Barry Galasso
Superintendente interino

 

School Will Be Different in September

https://youtu.be/uzvTiEE2qjs

July 1, 2020

Click here to see a brief video message from Dr. Galasso to staff and click here to see a message to parents.