Mission:

The mission of the district is purposely designed to be broad, offering flexibility while at the same time providing a framework for managing the complexity of gauging to what extent the district should evaluate voluntary services.

"Best meet the needs of all students" highlights the importance of understanding and responding to a student as an individual. In an industry where traditional assessment measures revolve around aggregate indicators (school, district, and subgroup performance), great educational institutions will distinguish themselves by their ability to perform with an individual focus.

"With programs sustainable to the taxpayer" offers a counterbalance and a sense of reality. School districts, especially in the State of New Jersey, must operate with fiscal restraint. Failure to do so will place a burden on the community that could weaken the environment in which the school district needs to partner and operate. This challenge is becoming increasingly difficult as the State of New Jersey's funding formula becomes compromised by State deficits.

The balance between the two parts of the mission statement offers a framework for services. To what extent should the district deploy services to meet the needs of an individual child? The mission statement would suggest that the district should best try to meet the individual needs of that student as long as it does not compromise its ability to meet the needs of other students, nor impact its ability to operate in a sustainable framework.

It is expected that each school will develop a site specific mission within the framework of this district mission.