During its meeting on Tuesday, November 14, the Livingston Board of Education finalized its budget goals for the school year and heard a presentation about a project being started at Mt. Pleasant Middle School.
Israel-Hamas War
Superintendent of schools Matthew Block started the meeting by speaking about the Israel-Hamas war, andhow the district is educating students on the matter.
Block said that educators were receiving strongly-worded conversations from community members, demanding that they discuss the war more, or differently, or they not discuss the subject at all.
“Our teachers are not only contemplating and responding to the requests and feedback they receive, but they are also tuned into our Board meetings and other public forums where they can witness feedback for a selection of resources, as well as professional choices they’ve made around these events,” he said. “All of this makes it harder as a district for us to find a common path that will inspire safe, critical discourse for students andprovide a feeling of support and security for our teachers. We will maintain our core value, that hate has no place in LPS. We are moving forward with all kinds of programs directly related to current events, in particular, the Israel-Hamas war, and the Ukrainian war.”
He also stated that the schools are implementing morning meetings with students to share their thoughts. Block said that students in the elementary grade level talk regularly about equity, while the high school students are learning the importance of media literacy and how to identify misinformation and disinformation. The middle school students are learning about how past injustices affect the present, by reading
Night
by Elie Wiesel, and learning about current events.
“These discussions will certainly continue and it is likely that current issues will remain a part of our instruction in our classes and community advisory programs going forward,” Block said.
Later in the meeting, Board mem-ber Jenissa Arnette read a prepared statement that she had written after hearing concerns from people in the community about the Israel-Hamas war.
“I have been thinking deeply about the children and families in our community, who are directly impacted by the Israel and Hamas war,” she said. “I have heard concerns from parents who are terrified about the safety and security of their children. I have heard families express numerous cases of death and brutality and fears that their loved ones are facing, both in Palestine and Israel.
“I have heard that children do not feel safe to be in the presence of some of their peers. Each of their concerns brought to us are 100 percent valid and understandable to me. The concerns leave me with the drive to ensure that all students of Livingston Public Schools are well, both physically and emotionally.
“I would love to see our children show empathy for each other. I personally stand against all forms of hate and oppression. I am advocating for structural changes and programming that will equip all of our children in the community with the skills necessary to deal with hate and oppression.”
Butterfly Project
Mt. Pleasant Middle School principal Bronawyn O’Leary, along with art teacher Alexandra Pefanis, introduced a new venture called the Butterfly Project.
“The Butterfly Project is a call to action through education, the arts, and memorial making,” said O’Leary. “It teaches through the lens of the Holocaust. It teaches social justice, and the dangers of hatred and bigotry, while cultivating empathy and social responsibility.”
The project was created last summer, and fifth graders were the first to be introduced to it, she said.
“Our vision is to partner with schools and communities around the world to create a hate-free world one butterfly at a time,” she said.
Fifth graders created their own butterfly designs, using ceramic butterflies, which will represent their kindness and resiliency.
“Our purpose was for these butterflies to follow the fifth graders to Mt. Pleasant Middle School, where they are displayed flying above the entrance as a reminder to all of the students to practice kindness and empathy to one another,” she said.
Pefanis said that they are reinforcing the themes in the sixth grade, and hold advisory lessons once a week to develop connections with one another.
They hope to continue the Butterfly Project next year, and introduce it to the high school.
Annexes
Block announced that the annexes at Hillside School are completed, functional, and ready for use. However, Burnet Hill annexes are not fully finished.
These, he said, are “fully functional on the inside but need outside work like sidewalks, stairs, and ramps to get in. Hopefully by the first week of December, we will have all of our annexes fully functionable.”
Board Budget Goals
The Board finalized its Board budget goals for the year.
The goals included an updated facility usage plan, and incorporating Board, stakeholder, and community input, along with adhering to the goal of class size guidelines and develop a long range facility plan.
The Board goals also included a five year curriculum to keep “research-evidence based” programs and materials current and relevant. The goal also is to begin technology solutions to drive communication and consistency, and provide professional development to staff and students.
Another goal included professional recommendations and community input of the Equity Audit and provide “research-evidence based” programs and activities for students and staff.
The fourth goal was to execute a district-wide security audit and implement necessary improvements to ensure safety and security to students, staff, and district property.
An additional goal is to audit programs to provide resources for inclusion and betterment of student experiences.
The last goal is to expand access to high-quality programs, services, and resources to support LHS students during their post-graduation planning and college application process.
