By Oscar Gutierrez

By now every student at PHS has heard, if not memorized, the mission and the vision statements. We hear it every morning, during announcements, we have heard it during classes, have read them posted on walls and in classrooms, and have discussed them at length. But what do they mean, and how will they affect the students and school?

One of the first things that our new superintendent, Mr. Pablo Munoz, did when he began the position last year was formulate the current mission and vision. They took effect officially this year for the 2014-2015 school year.

The main purpose for the mission and vision is to fuel, inspire, and ignite the potential of the Passaic Public Schools. The entire school district will be better, to better prepare the people of Passaic for today’s highly competitive world.

To be the best urban school district is easy to say, but how will the administration judge when Passaic is the best? Currently the best urban district is Union City and soon, Passaic will achieve the same success, if not greater.

These two statements will work together to guide all aspects of every school in the district. At PHS, students will be exposed to a variety of experiences so that they can better determine what they wish to become in life. Students will be given more opportunities to choose what they want to take as far as course offerings and programs. These specialized programs will help better prepare students for college, which is of course, the vision for Passaic. Everyone understands that this will not happen overnight, but the new administration will be taking small steps to build upon every success.

Union City school is rated as the best urban school district in New Jersey. The administration of Passaic Public Schools will model Union City to achieve the same results. This modeling happens with trial and error among all the schools in the district. The administration will monitor the success of our students based on their performance in a variety of ways.

First, administration will closely monitor the classroom environment. The administrative staff walks into classrooms asking students what they are learning. Then, the curriculum will be altered to positively affect the learning outcomes of students.  The process will work in a cycle where the school staff continues to ask themselves what is wrong, giving negative results and then change the scenario to produce positive results, and then keep the positive results constant. All schools will get better and then maintain the advancements made.

Part of this process has already yielded results. The class of 2019 will see some of the new changes. Their graduation credit requirement has been bumped to 140 compared to the current 120 credit requirement. The extra twenty credits will allow students to take elective courses and broaden their educational experience.
Another improvement is the CEP or College Education Preparation program. This program exists to help students be prepared for the college of their choice. If the vision is to prepare every student for high paying jobs, then college preparation is the logical vehicle to help get PHS to that goal.

Another dramatic change for ambitious students is open enrollment for advanced placement courses. The goal is to provide students with challenges during their high school career in hopes they will accept the challenge head on, and be better prepared for it.

These changes are not being born by the school only, but by the whole community of Passaic. Successful individuals will be giving back to the community and supporting the schools by visiting and speaking with students about how they have completed years of education to achieve their goals and become professionals like doctors and lawyers.

There are a lot of positive changes happening in all the schools of Passaic. While these changes will not happen overnight, they will have a positive and long lasting impact on the lives of the students. These initiatives are the building blocks for success. Students in the Passaic Schools should expect new programs, extracurricular activities, and educational experiences.

The whole process will take time and effort. There will be a significant amount of trial and error, which is needed so that the best outcomes can be realized. However, the end result that all administrators, staff, and faculty have in mind is that mission and vision. Students should also be part of this team, so that we can all become the best in New Jersey, prepared for all that life has to offer.