Superintendent Sancha K. Gray held her first stakeholder meeting July 24, to engage community partners in a discussion about the framework for Vision 2020 Next Level Asbury Park School District. The meeting, held in the Asbury Park High School Media Center, involved approximately 50 attendees including district administrators, staff, parents, elected officials, business owners, civic leaders, law enforcement, community advocates, school district partners and pastors. The purpose was to allow Ms. Gray to share her vision simultaneously with individuals and organizations who have partnered with and shared in the recent success of the school district.
During the meeting, Ms. Gray provided a detailed explanation for the much-needed transformational change. While the district’s moral imperative remains the same -- to make sure each student is college- or career-ready when he or she graduates— the reality is the district will have to do more with less as a result of a $24 million reduction in state aid. Therefore, in the 2020-21 school year, the district will launch several restructuring initiatives that will impact curriculum and facilities. On the curriculum side, Bradley and Thurgood Marshall Elementary will serve as Pre-K to 3rd grade STEAM Academies; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School will be transformed into an Innovation Academy for Grades 4-6; and Asbury Park High School will serve grades 7-12, featuring a staggered start time and dedicated entrances/exits for younger grades.
On the facilities front, the district will renovate and expand its current Buildings and Grounds location, which will become the future home of Central Office. Additionally, the Barack Obama Elementary School will be re-purposed to support Buildings and Grounds as well as other activities. Input from stakeholders in the July 24 meeting as well as future ones will be used to determine additional uses.
Stakeholders also participated in several group sessions designed to gather their feedback on potential strengths, opportunities and threats to the proposed plan. Additional meetings will be convened in coming months as the district continues its R.A.C.E. (Reflect/Review, Assess, Create, and Execute) to get its students to the finish line – high school graduation. For Gray, this problatunity (problem-turned opportunity) provides the Asbury Park School District with a plethora of possibilities as the district ascends to the next level.
