District Seeing Positive Returns From Pay to Play

The district has almost taken in the projected $144,000 it had hoped for when it instituted the at the this year.

Board of education member Lynne Hurley said at the April 12 meeting that the district has taken in $139,000 thus far from the sports and club fees instituted.

Some payments, Hurley said, are still outstanding.

“Some spring sports fees haven’t come in yet,” she said.

With those fees scheduled to come in, Hurley said, the district should reach its goal for costs.

Hurley also announced that the district has opted to hold off on for now. The option was suggested as a way of bringing in more revenue for the district.

“There is not enough revenue to justify the work needed to be done to get the advertising,” she said. “So we are tabling it for now.”

In other board of education news, business administrator Peter Starrs announced that the district has been working with the township on a lease agreement for a new turf field behind the 1,000 building at the high school.

“We are hoping to wrap that up soon, and bring the contract to the board in May,” he said.

As for the being paid for through donations from the Bridgewater Soccer Association and Bridgewater Lacrosse, Starrs said construction is now underway.

“The site work is done,” he said. “May 9 is an estimated completion date.”

And Cheryl Dyer, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district has found that the recently implemented has proven to be effective.

For those taking the test to qualify for the advanced math program, Dyer said, about 60 percent were in the pilot program and 40 percent were not.

“It has been very evenly balanced,” she said.

Board of education member Jill Gladstone said the program has been very beneficial for the students in the district.

“Those in the pilot schools outperformed those in the non-pilot,” she said. “They did as well or better.”

“We are recommending to expand the grouping,” she added.