Civil Municipal - Feb 2024

enhance the classroom environment for students and teachers. An investment was also put towards other essential projects, including track resurfacing, roofing, flooring replacements, and staff bathroom upgrades. A major academic element of the referendum emphasized the replacement of all classroom furniture in each of the District’s four schools, converting to mobile and flexible options. Referring back to the Think Tank 2.0 Project, Miceli conveys, “There were several committees, one of which was the classroom environment. As a result of their analysis, we recognized that the stagnant furniture was something that we needed to shift and change.” This investment aligns with the District’s commitment to providing a sustainable, adaptable, and technology-rich learning environment for the future.“We’re four months into that project, and we’re seeing tremendous strides in front of the teachers and our students,” he asserts. VALUED PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS New Providence School District recognizes the value of strong partnerships with the community, as well as the many relationships that help to create a quality educational environment. One example is Soyka Smith Design Studios (SSDS), which has been a furniture dealer for New Providence on several projects over the last eight years. SSDS shares, “Following the passing of the referendum, SSDS selected specific manufacturers whose products aligned with the district’s Think Tank 2.0 initiatives and focused on supporting social- emotional learning through furniture.” In addition, VS America was selected to work with the District to support its flexible and agile education initiatives. They express, “The classroom furniture allows teachers to adapt the environment to support a variety of pedagogical approaches. Our district-wide furniture initiative has resulted in happy, healthier students and teachers.” Another valuable relationship for the District is that with the law firm Fitzpatrick & Merritt, who offer a glowing testament. “In over thirty years of working with the Board of Education of the Borough of New Providence, most notably as bond counsel on eight bond transactions, we have had the pleasure of experiencing the steady and thoughtful leadership of the Board and administrators in the district. They have always shown a first-class work ethic, with the ability to successfully address every step necessary to plan for, issue, and put to work capital that strategically impacts all of the long-term needs of the district, including being at the cutting edge of many academic, athletic, security and technological advances.” LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Moving into the new year, the District is actively engaged in a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Project. “We voluntarily had a third party come out to the District to spend a week with us and evaluate all of our programs and services, and policies and operations, to see how we’re doing with that inclusiveness and sense of belonging in our Your Trusted Independent Insurance Agent WWW.CLYDEPAUL.COM 206 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 02