School Leader

A proven operations management system is transforming how school districts handle everything from leaky faucets, facility rentals to field trip approvals — and administrators say it’s solving problems they’ve struggled with for years.

Fil Santiago For the past several years, New Jersey school districts have faced financial challenges driven by the state’s 2% property tax cap that limits local revenue growth, and mandatory, unsustainable double-digit cost increases for critical operational expenses, most notably in health care premiums. This creates an unavoidable annual funding deficit, often forcing districts into the reactive cycle of cutting costs for essential programs.

Established in 2017, The Capstone Experience at Warren Township School District is an innovative educational program designed to engage students in critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world applications of their learning. The main feature of the Capstone Experience is what is known as the Capstone Challenge. Each year in the month of May, students in Warren Township public schools’ grades five and eight  participate in the Capstone Challenge.

Two ninth-graders sit in adjacent classrooms, both reading To Kill a Mockingbird. In one room, students explore justice and moral courage through Socratic seminars and multimedia projects. Next door, students analyze Harper Lee’s craft, focusing on Scout’s narration and how the author’s choices shape meaning. Both approaches are valuable. But without curriculum mapping, districts can’t ensure these lessons line up in a coherent sequence that builds over time.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits “an establishment of religion” while guaranteeing “the free exercise thereof.” These two themes—freedom from religion and freedom of religion—are commonly known as the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.

The Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey (ELFNJ) is committed to providing school leaders in New Jersey with quality governance training on cutting edge education topics. In support of the ELFNJ mission to advance public education through training, research and innovative programming, it will be offering several opportunities in the upcoming academic year focused on educational equity and accessibility.

Hazlet is a tightly-knit, hard-working, blue-collar community of 20,000 citizens in Monmouth County that prioritizes sports, weekend barbecues, and their children. The municipality shares borders with Middletown, the largest district in Monmouth, and Holmdel, a prestigious, upscale area. The district serves 2700 students across eight schools and works hand-in-hand with all stakeholders to honor and support every youngster.

For the middle and high school students and parents wondering if their children will ever use certain coursework in the “real world,” New Jersey’s Gateway Regional High School has the answer. The Gloucester County district tailors and adapts its curriculum-to-career education (CTE) program to fit and meet its community’s specific needs.

For recent Haddon Heights Sr. High School graduate Destiny Oquendo, a love of painting and drawing has helped her form meaningful connections with her community and beyond, despite serious health issues. Now, she is headed to Rutgers University-Camden this fall to pursue a degree in art education with a minor in art therapy and plans to work with students with special needs in the future.

Joe Theismann has spent his life in sports. He started as a child in South River, N.J. went onto the NCAA, the pros and then as an analyst and broadcaster. Today, he is an entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker and makes guest appearances. Recalling his early years in South River, gridiron great Joe Theismann fondly remembers the small yard, which was huge to him as a child, between his and his cousins’ homes.