Support Our Schools Highland Park Platform

Commitment to All Children:  Some of us as Board members and some as parents of Highland Park students, have worked and will continue to work to make sure every child in our district has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. This is not an easy task, but we have made some important strides and are eager to see new initiatives take root. We will work with the administration to ensure that curriculum is equitable for all children. We will also work with the administration to continue restorative justice practices throughout the district.

Open, Transparent Governance: We are committed to continuing to engage the public and school community in the Board’s decision making. We have two meetings each month. The first, a workshop session, allows us to review and discuss agenda items with sufficient time before the second meeting -- a voting session -- occurs. We have two public comment periods during each meeting. We are running hybrid meetings, you can attend in public to hear or comment on what we are doing, or you can join our zoom session. Public comment is welcome.

Fiscal Responsibility: The Board’s process in planning for the 2022-23 budget was unequaled in recent years. Finance Committee members met frequently in the months prior to the first public budget discussion. All members of the Finance Committee went through the budget line by line with building and district administrators in order to have a thorough understanding of each and every line item. We pledge to continue this level of diligence and transparency in future budget cycles.

Maintaining Respectful, Collegial District Relationships: Last year the Board’s Negotiations Committee successfully negotiated new multiyear contracts with the Highland Park Education Association (HPEA) and with the Highland Park Administrators Association (HPAA), our administrators union. The Support Our Schools slate is committed to continuing a respectful, collegial relationships with our teachers, support staff, and administration. To that end, we are a member of the Rutgers Labor Management collaborative, where District Board and Administrators work closely with our teachers and staff to solve problems in the school district in the Central Leadership Committee and School Leadership Committees. A major focus for 2022-2023 for these groups is changing  school start times, especially for our Middle and High School students, to better reflect research on appropriate start times for our students. And we will work to bring these kinds of changes, in partnership with the Superintendent and the HPEA and HPAA to solve problems in the District.

As the Support Our School HP 2022 candidates, we ask for your support so that we can continue to lead our community in this crucial work. We are committed to ensuring that the Highland Park Public School District is well run, and that our school community, students and staff alike, are treated with respect.