Chester Schools To Foot The Bill For Students' Supplies This Year
CHESTER, NJ — Classroom supply lists are posted for Chester Schools students, but parents and guardians won’t have to buy pencils, notebooks, calculators and other back-to-school essentials this year.
The district will purchase required class supplies for the all students, with officials saying they wanted to help ease the financial burden on families.
This effort will also ensure that more than 1,000 students have exactly what they need on the first day, and provide a “consistent educational experience” across different classrooms and schools, Board of Education members said.
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Patch noticed an announcement about the school supply purchase on the Chester Schools website this week, and checked in with district leaders to find out more.
Superintendent Dr. Christina Van Woert confirmed that this is the first year that the district and Board of Education will buy school supplies for families, and said the cost of the purchase is included in this year’s budget.
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School officials wanted “to help support and lessen the expenses that fall on our parents,” she said.
Sarah Schultz, the board president, said that educators will also benefit — as they can focus on the curriculum and on supporting students, while knowing that each child has the resources they need.
“Supplying materials ensures that we start our school year fully prepared and ready to learn rather than focusing on obtaining necessary supplies,” Schultz told Patch. “This also allows us the ability to assist with our diverse learning needs by providing a variety of materials, which supports various learning styles and requirements.”
The Buildings, Grounds and Finance Committee spearheaded this initiative, and committee chair Carolyn Byszewski said the board “believes that students should be supplied with all necessary materials and supplies to provide the education consistent with our community’s high educational goals.”
Schultz noted that the Business Administrator and administrative team helped the board and the finance committee accomplish this goal, which aligns with the district mission “to promote a positive learning environment that fosters high academic standards and expectations for our students and our dedicated staff.”
The budget includes a breakdown of the district’s costs per student, including for general supplies and textbooks. That per-pupil amount increased more than $200 this year, from $423 up to $631.
New faces for next year
In other news, there are two new administrators coming to the Chester Schools: A new Director of Technology for the district, and a K-2 principal at Dickerson Elementary School.
Principal Michele Tarnofsky joins the Dickerson community from North Plainfield Schools, where she has served as the Supervisor of K-4 Humanities and Intervention. Tarnofsky has experience in all levels of administration and is also certified in the Orton Gillingham Reading Program, officials said.
And, Dr. Kathryn Nieves Licwinko will take over as the Director of Technology, overseeing a department which is responsible for the planning, development, support and maintenance of the district’s technology program. Licwinko comes to the Chester School District from Wayne Township Schools, where she was the Teacher Coordinator of Educational Technology Integration.
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