PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton Public Schools held its first State of the District event on Monday.
During the event, Superintendent Carol Kelley highlighted the district’s various achievements and outlined the five-year plan.
Kelley began by talking about the district’s finances, saying the 2022-23 school year budget presented challenges with inflationary pressure being felt on salaries and transportation costs.
In 2023, the district spending was aimed at improving HVAC systems at the schools, as well as replacing the Princeton Middle School pool HVAC system that was in poor condition.
Despite that, Kelley said PPS was in good financial condition when compared to other school districts.
Kelley also highlighted the school district’s efforts at retaining more teachers.
“Like many industries, we are seeing that there are a lot of staff members who are deciding to go to other professions,” Kelley said. “Princeton Public Schools is a fantastic place to work, if you would love to substitute or guest teach with us.”
In the 2021-2022 school year, PPS hired a total of 25 new employees with a teacher retention rate of 80 percent, according to data shared by the district.
“We are trying to ensure that we are diversifying our staff,” Kelley said. “We do have some work to do there in terms of looking at the percentage of our students who we are educating with the percentage of our staff members that have similar demographic backgrounds.”
According to data, in the 2022-23 school year, 8.5 percent of employees were Asian; 12.5 percent Black; 67 percent white; 10.7 percent were white/Hispanic; and 0.13 percent identified as Pacific Islanders.
Kelley told the community that the every school in the district had a fully functioning Intervention and Referral Service Team to help all students have access and opportunities.
The district is also building on-ramps for students not just for science but all subjects, so that more students will have access to advanced course taking, Kelley said.
PPS is focusing on staff wellness and introducing wellness activities for staff.
The district is also encouraging students to use their voice to foster a positive learning environment. By listening to students, the district will decide on what to introduce, eliminate or work upon, Kelley said.
Kelley then went on to introduce the upcoming strategic plan for the next five years.
Forward Focus 2028 will focus on four key areas:
PPS will be launching the materials on the district website soon.
“The promise we are making to our students is we’ll help them live lives of joy and purpose as knowledgeable, creative and compassionate citizens of a global society," Kelley said.
The plan, facilitated by partners Performance Fact, is a result of intensive district and community engagement. The plan leads with its expectations and outcomes for students.
The plan’s key pillars include culturally responsive teaching and learning, investment in educators and adopting effective and equitable practices.
“We are excited to begin implementation knowing that we are already building on solid ground,” Kelley said. “Ultimately, success and opportunity for all students will be embedded in our everyday practices and principles. As we take on this very important work, we invite our community to learn more about how they can further champion our faculty, staff and students.”
To watch the entire State of the District event, click here.
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