Blogging again! Sharing Good News . . .

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful break! It has been a long and difficult budget season, as you all know.  Usually at this time of year, we are highlighting all that we plan to introduce and add to our educational programs over the next year. This year, though, we weren't able to add but are glad to be able to maintain programs within the constraints of the budget. 

I decided to restart this blog again to keep us focused on the future, and the center of everything in Long Beach: OUR STUDENTS! Just over four years ago, schools shut down for the pandemic, and life as we know it changed for all of us. We have fought hard in Long Beach to counter the "learning loss" and stress that the pandemic inflicted on our kids. And we have been successful! Do you know that our achievement scores at the end of last year were better than prior to the pandemic at nearly every level and by every measure (NYS tests, Regents exams, growth in NWEA and iReady, and graduation rate)?  For example, in NWEA, 85% our second graders met their math growth targets last year. (10% more than in 2019).  At the other end of the spectrum, we had our largest group since 2018 sitting for the Physics Regents, and the highest passing rate ever---85%, more than 10 points above the County average! 

And since the pandemic, all of these have been added and/or expanded for our kids (all while NEVER going to the maximum tax levy limit, and two years of a 0% increase):

• STEM teachers and Innovation Labs at each elementary school    
• Middle School Space Program
• Partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Lab 
• Robotics Team at HS
• Greenhouse program at MS
• Enhanced science research program MS and HS
• HS Seal of Biliteracy
• HS Seal of Civic Readiness
• Expanded NYS approved CTE pathways (Automotive, Metal Working, TV & Film, Innovation & Design, & Medical Technician)
• Elementary Enrichment and WINGS programs
• Advisory Programs at MS and HS
• Won a competitive grant to fund our highly-rate full-day Pre-K Program, including a center-based program for students with disabilities
• National Merit recognition, Questbridge scholars, admissions to Yale, Cornell, NYU and Columbia, among others
• Doubled the number of students placed in internships, and expanded our business program at LBHS
• Helped students land career placements with highly rated construction unions
• Best Communities for Music Education for the 14th consecutive year
• Athletics participation at its highest rate ever; new programs like Field Hockey, Flag Football, Crew
• Innovative Farm-to-Table initiative for cafeteria, and Student Advisory committees for school food
• Completely renovated high school bathrooms and high school library
• Awards for students from competitions in academic areas, the arts, and athletics

The dedication of our team has enabled our schools to grow, even through these difficult years! And we are not done! Despite the difficult budget this year, and concerns about future aid cuts, we continue to plan and dream of ways that we can improve our programs for students. Over the next few months, I will share some of those plans and ideas here, and will highlight some of the great conversations we are having about our district's future! Stay tuned--the next blog post will highlight our CTE programs, and how they are growing.