January 6, 2000

To the Residents of the Oyster River Cooperative School District:

It has been a most unusual year. In April I had to take the unprecedented step of handing out termination notices to all of our staff because of the uncertainty surrounding the Claremont II case. This fall we were again faced with the possibility of having to close schools when the statewide property tax was found to be unconstitutional. The bond to resolve the high school space problem was approved in November, and then invalidated by the courts in December. Despite all of this we have made some significant steps in our efforts to ensure that we continue to provide our students with the first quality education they deserve.

This past summer we began a major curriculum initiative. The first component was to analyze and evaluate the implementation of our mathematics and music curricula. The second component of the project was to continue working on our science curriculum. The third component was to begin revising our language arts and social studies curricula. We are proceeding with these projects in a comprehensive manner. We are aligning with the state and national frameworks. We are not just developing curriculum documents, we are also developing implementation plans, assessment rubrics, and a review process.

This year has been one of major transition for the leadership of the district. Both Assistant Superintendent Albert Elwell and Business Administrator Michael Everngam have retired. Between them, Al and Mike served the district for over a quarter of a century. Individuals with their skills and qualifications are not easily replaced. I personally want to thank them for all of their help over the past three years.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the outstanding individuals who have succeeded Al and Mike. Assistant Superintendent Thomas Zarnowski has done a great job leading our curriculum initiatives. Tom has an extensive background in curriculum and instruction. I am very pleased he accepted our offer to join the administrative team. Our new Business Administrator, Robert Berry, is equally as talented. Bob brings a wealth of experience to Oyster River. He is very active in professional organizations at both the state and local level and this is critical for keeping up with all of the changes that have come about with the resolution of Claremont. He is a great addition to the team.

Finally, I offer a special word of thanks to our Special Education Director, Carmen Young. I think Carmen has the most difficult job in any school district. Managing a special education program requires an incredible amount of patience and perseverance. Carmen has an extra large supply of both.

In closing, I want to thank our outstanding central office staff for all of the work throughout the past year. Because of them we survived "Y2K," the resolutions of Claremont, two near shutdowns, and a host of other problems.

Sincerely,
Thomas J. Carroll, Ph.D.
Superintendent

Last update on 23-Feb-00 at 10:09 PM.

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