CRANBURY: School district gets $10,000 grant for being named a ‘High-Progress Rewards School’

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
CRANBURY – The Cranbury School District received a correspondence from the state education department during its board of education meeting Feb. 16, congratulating the district on being named a “High-Progress Rewards School” for the 2014-2015 school year.
Chief Administrator and Principal Dr. Susan Genco read a letter to the board from the New Jersey Department of Education.
“Congratulations on the academics success and identification of Cranbury School as a High-Progress Reward school for the 2014-2015 school year,” said Dr. Genco.
She said that to achieve this award, schools had to demonstrate a remarkable rate of progress as measured by the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) methodology, based on a statewide median of 50. High-Progress Reward schools are those with a SGP of 65 or higher and the school must receive Title 1 funds.
“To acknowledge our status as a Title-1 school exemplar, the Department of Education is presenting our school with a rewards grant of $10,000,” she said.
A resounding “yes” and “woo-hoo” could be heard from around the table.
Dr. Genco told the board that the one-time grant must be used to sustain and enhance the district’s Title-1 programs. The funds can be used for programs, services, and activities.
“Within 30 days of the date of this letter we will be receiving the funds,” said Dr. Genco.
Board member Evelyn Spann said it’s a credit to everyone who has been working on the programs.
“This is a true testament to our strong academic support and intervention programs and to our dedicated teachers who strive to help our students reach their fullest potential,” she said.