Statement to the Board of Education by HTEA co-presidents: George Dakak and Dan Diaz.
Good evening.
My name is George Dakak, and I am joined by my colleague Dan Diaz. Together, we are not just proud educators at Memorial Junior School, but we also have the honor of being co-presidents of the Hanover Township Education Association—also known as the HTEA—proudly representing over 200 teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, bus drivers, custodians and other certificated professionals in the Hanover Township School District.
We want to begin by thanking everyone who attended last night’s presentation and open forum regarding our district’s approach to aligning our current curriculum to the new physical education and health standards developed by the NJ Department of Education. We applaud Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Wasko for hosting the special meeting last night to provide the community with the opportunity to have the district’s approach clarified and their concerns addressed.
We’d like to state publicly that our members stand by the district’s approach to align our current curriculum to the 2020 Physical Education and Health Standards, and we will be ever-mindful of the impact we have in delivering it. Our teachers and support staff here in Hanover Township continue to show how they consistently go above and beyond to provide the best possible education for all of the students of our district, and it was never more apparent than over the last three years. It’s no surprise, however, as every member of the Hanover Township Education Association is dedicated to the same goal that many here also share: to inspire excellence in, and always do what is best for, our children. We are consummate professionals, and we are excited for this upcoming school year. We look forward to working with the administrative team, parents, colleagues and- most importantly- the students, as we continue our long-standing partnership with the Hanover Township Board of Education.
To further that point, the HTEA has invited all of the candidates running for the Hanover Township Board of Education in November to participate in our first annual HTEA Hanover Township Board of Education Candidate Questionnaire. Earlier this month, we sent all seven candidates a brief questionnaire containing questions submitted by our members with the intent to learn a little bit more about them. We are looking forward to hearing what they have to say and sharing their responses with our members.
We look forward to an amazing 2022-2023 school year. Thank you for your attention this evening.