Dear Hackettstown Community Members,
November 5, 2019 marked a historical day for our school district. As you know, the referendum regarding electrical upgrades and roof replacement passed at a three to one vote. This speaks volumes to the support of our educational community at large. So, on behalf of the Board of Education, we thank you! At the November 20th public meeting, the contracts with the district architect of record were approved. This now enables the district to begin the BID process for the approved projects. Our main focus is to have all projects (electrical upgrades and roof replacements), begin during the summer of 2020. We will continue to provide updates at our public meetings and encourage all community stakeholders to contact us directly with any questions. Again, a very big thank you to our entire community!
We are now embarking on the budget development process for the 2020-2021 year. With the passing of the referendum, the school district is now afforded the opportunity at possibly replacing our athletic field at Morrison Stadium, along with bathroom renovations at our elementary schools. As a side, our high school auditorium renovation is complete. I encourage everyone to visit our high school to view the room as it has been remarkably transformed. The renovation includes HVAC, so during hot weather months, students, staff and community members can enjoy student awards ceremonies or productions comfortably. Also, this now begins the next steps in creating revenue for rental purposes in the very near future. This will assist our annual budget and enable the district to have more flexibility with regard to programs, resources and small scale projects.
The district has begun the process in developing a new, five year Strategic Plan. Representatives from New Jersey School Board Association- NJSBA, have been assisting the school district throughout this process. Our September and October meetings have been well attended and we will conclude with our third meeting on Thursday, January 23, 2020. I ask all community members to actively engage in this process as we will collectively decide the future of our school district. Video of our meetings and all pertinent information about the Strategic Plan is available on our district website for review. Please feel free to contact my office should you have any questions about the Strategic Plan.
Last but certainly not least, I would like to congratulate Ms. Maciag, Ms. Wehmeyer and Mr. Herbst as returning board members in maintaining continuity necessary to ensure district success. My office looks forward to our continued partnership.
As we embark on the upcoming Holiday Season, I would like to wish each and every one of you a joyous and healthy Holiday and New Year.
Best Regards,
David C. Mango
Superintendent of Schools
